zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
For $9,500, This 1985 Chrysler LeBaron Is Your Special K
For $9,500, This 1985 Chrysler LeBaron Is Your Special K-October 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:03

LeBaron is a venerated coachbuilder name. Today’s LeBaron attempts to one-up the factory swag in bringing that name’s former grander to the K-car. The effort is applaudable, but is the price as well?

Whether it’s the last slice of pie, the series finale of your favorite show, or praise from your boss, scarcity can and does breed piqued interest. That was sadly not the case with yesterday’s , which bamboozled by being a rare survivor.

Heads up, today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Brat is being sold by a fellow Jalop-in-Arms, so let’s…

That didn’t translate in its value however, as the little trucklet sadly fell in a narrow 51% Crack Pipe loss. If you think that ‘80s refugee was rare, wait until you get a load of today’s contender.

LeBaron was at one time one of America’s preeminent coach builders. In the 1920s they designed and built luxury bodies for a number of manufacturers out of their Bridgeport Connecticut factory. The company was purchased by the Briggs Manufacturing Company in 1926, and in 1953 Briggs was bought out by the Chrysler Corporation giving them ownership of the LeBaron name.

Chrysler used that name first on their Imperial brand and then later, when that marque went away, as a Chrysler model. The first of those was a tarted up Dodge Aspen, and the badge survived the move from that platform to its replacement, the famous, and famously FWD K-car.

On the K, the LeBaron added every conceivable luxury accoutrement the brand could throw at it, including the melding of models with a woodgrain appliqué and additionally carrying the Town and Country name. For some people however, the factory’s efforts at imbuing the LeBaron K with style and panache just didn’t go far enough.

This is described in its ad as being a ‘Custom Mild Modification,’ however, the changes, visually at least, are in fact substantial. The builder has started with the woody T&C body, but has replaced the front clip with a nose from a Plymouth Caravelle and fenders from a Dodge 600. There’s no wood there, which the seller says is intended to give the car the look of a ‘40s T&C.

I don’t know if that works or not, but the rest of the mods - wheel skirts, Mercedes-esque full wheel covers, more badges than you could shake a stick at, and a continental kit, all work to set this LeBaron apart from damn-near any crowd.

That body - with its custom blue paint - seems to be in excellent shape, as does the color-coordinated convertible roof. The interior too has been carefully curated, and features fat, plush seats and a skinny hard steering wheel, just like God and Lee Iacocca intended.

There’s an auto box as you might expect, and that is paired with Chrysler’s turbo 2.2, which is claimed to be 5,000 miles fresh. There’s just 80K on the clock in total, plus power everything and A/C that still blows cold.

An ‘80s LeBaron is an extremely rare sight these days. One that has been shown such love and attention is even more so. It goes without saying that this is a unique car, the question however, is just because it could be done, should it have been?

Actually, that’s not the question as the car’s mere appearance proves the answer to be yes for one specific individual. The actual question is, should anyone else buy this very personally modded LeBaron for its $9,500 asking price?

You decide!

Los Angeles , or check out the ad below.

H/T to FRSure for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
The (and Tacoma) have a death grip on used values. It’s been this way for years. Go ahead, go try and buy any TRD trim that’s a couple of years old; it’ll cost you as much as a new one — not that you could buy a new one...
Oct 30, 2024
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
According to its seller, today’s Nissan 4X4 shows “pride of ownership.” Let’s see if it would take swallowing one’s pride to pay its asking price. Opinions were split on how well the design of yesterday’s has held up over the years. Some of you commented that the design still...
Oct 30, 2024
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Let’s cut right to the chase: buying a is not a good idea unless you have deep enough pockets for the upkeep. For those not in the know, they’re sirens. They draw you in with their premium Italian image and sweet songs of and then go in for the...
Oct 30, 2024
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
One of the calling cards of today’s Plymouth Colt is its “Twin Stick” overdrive gear change, which gives the car eight speeds going forward and two in reverse. Let’s see if this project car has anything else to offer. Just as Goldilocks discovered when appropriating Papa Bear’s lifestyle and...
Oct 30, 2024
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
Today’s Mustang is being sold by a towing yard, which means it’s probably a lien sale. Let’s see if this clean title convertible is priced to put a new buyer on the hook. The general consensus on last Friday’s was that it would be the perfect car for someone...
Oct 30, 2024
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
The seller of today’s Caddy claims they should be selling it at auction but says who’s got time for that? Let’s see if we have the time for this custom convertible at its non-auction price. Many of you agreed that the $950 asked for yesterday’s was “chump change.” Even...
Oct 30, 2024
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved