Comments: 1-15, 16
The main issues were major wiring harness problems at the end of ownership, & a very rusty body from too many New Hampshire winters.
This was my first car. I even sold it once & bought it back a few months later. It was green & known as The Beast. It had a Dodge truck rear axle put in it at some point with a locker & 4:11 gears. It would squat & launch off the line due to it's weight. I surprised some Camaros & Chargers off the line.
On the highway, this thing was like riding on a cloud. The AC worked good & the seats were like two couches.
The 1966 to 1968 Chryslers were very under rated. They were great cars.
You failed to mention how the Chrysler handled corners - I imagine the ocean-liner girth and cloud-like ride didn't translate into cornering prowess, huh?
Was it a four door or two door? I used to have a 68 Dodge Polara 2 door with a shoe-horned 426 hemi (not stock) that my Dad sold me. Man that thing was fast! Fuel economy sucked but I didn't care, had Dad's Chevron card. Mine was painted black with black interior, loved the sweeping dash and the chrome cascading tail lights. Wish I still mine too, but got married and had kids... the usual story. Drive a Hyundai Sonata now... laugh all you want, I am.
What about the handling?
Are you watching the Camaros track through the corners as you slide sideways?
I wouldn't be racing, that's for sure.
Handling is irrelevant. People drove and still drive these big Chryslers for a comfortable ride and smooth cruising. For somebody to make comments about cornering ability --- well, they just don't get it, and never well. It's not your kind of car, so move on.
If the reviewer is going to brag about "surprised some Camaros and Chargers off the line" then handling (or lack of, in this case) is a fair question.
But if you acknowledge that a car like this is only great for a comfortable ride on straight, smooth roads, then handling is not an issue.
Cars like this had a comfortable ride not only on smooth roads but rough, bumpy ones as well. As for 'handling ability' it is highly over rated.
"Handling is irrelevant."
What??? The review boasts about "surprising" some Camaros & Chargers, but you say that handling is irrelevant?
When people are foolish enough to engage in street racing they should at least understand the consequences.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to see a huge Chrysler careening out of control into the path of my family or anyone else.
You say it's not my kind of car, and tell me to move on.
Yes I'll move on from this conversation, when all of you act responsibly.
Umm, he said he surprised them "off the line." That means from the take off. NOT MUCH CORNERING FROM RED-LIGHT TO RED-LIGHT. So again, in the case cornering does not apply. You don't admire drag cars for their handling ability. Besides, he didn't say he "won" every "race". He just surprised a few.
Surprising Camaros and Chargers "off the line" is a clear reference to straight-line stoplight dueling, so cornering is not an issue.
To the last 2 comments that state "off the line" has no bearing to handling, or as one put it "cornering".
This just goes to show how dangerous the roads are with people who obviously don't care about ANYONE'S safety.
First of all, public streets are not drag strips, they are not perfectly straight and they are not as smooth as a putting green.
Our streets are full of traffic, potholes and pedestrians.
Any one of which could result in someone racing on the streets to lose control and cause injury or death.
Secondly, how many fatalities do you imagine are caused by people who start out "dragging" at a stoplight, and end up carrying over this "race" through the public streets, corners and all?
If it were up to me, ANYONE caught racing on a public street should lose his/her driver's license for a very, very, long time.
Interesting how this one commenter has hijacked this review of a harmless old car and turned it into a diatribe against street racing. I see no mention of street racing, nor do I see any claims to handling or cornering ability. All I see is a guy who says his old Chrysler rode nicely on the highway and was kind of quick off the line.
Agree with everything posted by 9:02. Street racing is dangerous enough, let alone trying to do it an old tub like a '68 Newport.
What a waste. I wanted to read something about a '68 Chrysler, not read a rant about the evils of street racing. Please, take it somewhere else!
A friend of mine in high school also had a 1968 Newport for his first car, a 2-door with gold body and black vinyl top. It was a really nice car, really comfortable and a lot of fun. It was also a really solidly built car. The 383 2-barrel had great torque and would definitely put you back in the seat. The 727 Torqueflite transmission was also really solid, and stood up well.
You don't have to have owned one to know that it would have a smooth ride and couch like seats, so the only thing worth commenting on was the reviewer's claim to have "surprised" performance cars "off the line" -- what's the big deal?