1987 Chrysler LeBaron Base Coupe 2.5 straight 4

Summary:

Reliable and comfortable daily driver, love it!

Faults:

The car has not given me any problems.

The paint has started to fade, but that's normal with a car this age.

There is some rust, so I sprayed that with rust reformer to keep it from spreading.

General Comments:

I purchased this car as a daily driver. I have owned other Chryslers, and I have to honestly say that the Chrysler LeBaron is the last reliable car produced by Chrysler. The car is light, and with a 2.5 or an optional V6, it's very peppy and fun to drive. It sits rather low, so it may be hard for shorter people to have a good view.

Mechanically, these cars are very sound. I was concerned about the transmission since it was automatic, and Chrysler automatics have a reputation of poor reliability. This however has nothing to do with a bad transmission, American cars are simply more powerful, so they put more stress on the transmissions. So since this one had a small engine, the transmission worked like new after 100k miles. The gas mileage was also great, I got around 25 miles to the gallon, and I accelerate into the 4-5 thousand range frequently.

The interior is another thing that I have to complement about, these are personal luxury cars, so the interior on mine was beautiful. It hard to find one as nice as the one I had, because most of these cars are over 16 years old. However, the seats are very comfortable and the interior looks very plush.

The exterior styling is decent, however they do contain that old American Classic Car look, which combined with the faded paint most of them will have, makes it look like a cheap car.

I would recommend this car to anyone who wants a comfortable and affordable daily driver. Although these cars may not look reliable, or fun, they feel better while driving than most cars. They have a very soft suspension too, which adds to the comfort.

If you're looking to buy one of these cars, look for one with less than 120k miles, and I recommend the 2.5 engine, it's more reliable and efficient, and has nearly the same power as the 3.0 V6.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th January, 2010

29th Jan 2010, 13:09

Excellent review! You are exactly right - this one, along with the Dodge Spirit and Plymouth Acclaim, which were its siblings, was the last reliable Chrysler made car. But in the 2.5 liter four cylinder form, they were very reliable, durable, and cheap to run.

31st Jan 2010, 20:41

I'm surprised that there aren't any bad reviews on this car. The worst purchase I ever made was on my 87 Le Baron... I had to replace the alternator 3 times, my whole brake system went out, and my power windows stopped working and drained my battery for months until my mechanic had to cap the wires off.

I'm buying a Concorde tomorrow, and hope it does better than this horrible car.

24th May 2014, 17:45

The car was a total piece of crap! As for what went wrong with it, it would be way easier to list the things that didn't go wrong. I'm sure you've heard this before as I did, give it a try, maybe you'll get a good model. And after hearing this for years and being so into the look of all Chrysler's, I said, "to hell with it" and I purchased it. I don't care that they got in bed with Benz, their quality is still sub-par. STAY AWAY!!!

1987 Chrysler LeBaron Coupe 2.2 turbo

Summary:

Reliable old beater.

Faults:

Emergency brake cable rusted away.

Air conditioner compressor locked up and a belt broke, causing a cascade of other problems.

General Comments:

The car has nice features such as a trip computer and good inside lighting package. I wish newer cars had as many nice features.

The broken belt on the air conditioner got into the timing belt, causing it to slip and skip time; a pain to figure out, but easy to fix with info available online.

I gave my Ford Explorer to my son for his 16th birthday, and bought this car for $600 to use as weekend transportation, since I have a company vehicle for work. It always starts, has good pickup and is fun to drive.

Maintenance is easy on this car as everything is easy to get to, and very simple compared to newer cars with hoses and wires galore.

This car refuses to die, even though it is 20 years old and rust is taking its toll. I'd buy another one with less rust if I could find one, but newer Chryslers are junk.

Extremely easy for anyone to work on, and parts are cheap.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st March, 2008