Faults:

Fan Clutch bearings.

Alternator.

General Comments:

I bought this luxury car with hardly a scratch and barely a dent for $500 in blue with leather blue interior. It's not very fast, I believe it had a 2 barrel carb, and stock I think is 140 HP. I was the 2nd owner at 202,000 miles~!

I sold it to a gangster wannabee kid who is still driving it till this day. It the perfect gangster wannabee car with different wheels on it.

Faults:

Bits of interior upholstery beginning to come loose.

Replaced a few dry rotted vacuum lines and break lines.

General Comments:

Wow, this car makes you wish it was 1987 again. The suspension and steering are so soft and floaty, it feels like driving a boat. Which, let's face it, you are.

The 318 engine will never die. A thousand years from now, some scientist will dig up an old Fifth and be able to start it right off the bat.

The instrument panel and steering wheel have a very old-school feel to them, makes the car seem older than it really is.

It is kind of slow if you're trying to drive economically, but if you hit the gas just right the car gives you a gratifying jump foward.

For all your gearheads out there, the Fifth Avenue series of cars has a tremendous amount of mechanical upgrades you can preform with a little research, including 360 cubic inch engines, tougher rear axles, and even a conversion to a manual 4 speed!

In a nutshell, the Chrysler Fifth Avenue, like it's M body siblings, will last for years longer than many modern cars if treated right (Ford Windstar, I'm looking at you). It proves once again that you don't have to spend 10 grand to get a great car.

Faults:

It leaks oil.

Cruise Control doesn't work.

Front passenger side power seat dosen't work.

Ignition light won't light up even after a new bulb.

Front passenger side power window moter had a broken gear replaced for $20.

Have replaced several dashboard lights.

Cloth interior trim has not aged well...

Vinyl top has several holes on the roof.

Paint is badly faded.

General Comments:

The Good:

Driving the Fifth Avenue is like driving a couch.

Leather seats are in better shape then the seats in my mother's '00 Gr. Caravan.

The dashboard and gauge set up reminds me of some muscle cars.

Its almost fully loaded.

An old man owned for most of its life and baby-ed it.

The 318 will not die.

Theres almost no rust.

The TorqueFilte 3-Speed automatic shifts very smoothly even though the car is almost 20 years old.

Good on gas for a V-8.

Got it for free.

The Bad:

The vinyl top seriously compormises rear vision.

It dosen't have a sunroof

The 18 gallon fuel tank is too small for the engine and 2 1/2 ton body.

The driver's seat can be adjusted 6 ways, but can't recline.

Faults:

Power steering has failed a while ago. Doesn't bother me a bit; good upper body workout! (or maybe I'm a little lazy, I only fix the major stuff)

Otherwise just brakes, exhaust, regular wear items.

General Comments:

I absolutely love this car! A true testament to American made V-8 cars. Odometer is creeping toward 240000 miles and she still starts and runs like a dream. Gas mileage is adequate if you don't push her too hard. Close to 20 mpg. Nothing I have ever driven cruises as nice on the highway. They just don't design interiors like this anymore. I could drive this car for 12 hours without stopping to get out and stretch.

She is showing a little rust, but nothing major. My 86 Jeep Cherokee looks much worse, and the Chrysler sits out and the end of the driveway all the time too. It makes me wonder where Chrysler went wrong. I hear so many bad things about the 90s era front wheel drive sedans, but my 87 Fifth Avenue is an unstoppable TANK!

The 5.2L Mopar 318 is a true GEM of an engine. I'm a busy guy and don't give her the maintenence she deserves, but she never complains. Oil changes sometimes come at 10,000 miles or more, but never an issue with my baby!

The bottom line is that iron block rear wheel drive V-8 sedans may be inefficient in design, but that design will hold up to the rigors of daily punishment better than any other arrangement ever used. Talk to me about fuel economy, transfer of power, slippery conditions traction, etc., but when it comes down to reliability, I will take a rear wheel drive, carbureted V8 powered full size MOPAR sedan any day!