Comments: 1-15, 16
Carburetor has slight choke problem, will be easily fixed.
Replaced lots of things on my last one, but then again I put 160K miles on it.
Extremely reliable, you can put 300K miles on the bullet-proof 318 motor if you take care of it.
Comfortable. The police package had big, thick foam, heavy-duty three-way power seats. You will not have a backache after a long journey.
OK gas mileage is not that great, but who cares.
Good looking, handsome car. The last of the legendary Mopar police squads. A car that says "don't mess with me."
The '88 was not the "last of the legendary Mopar police squads" there was an '89 version--I had one.
And Mopar will be back in the police car business when the rwd replacement for the Intrepid is introduced.
The M-body cars are not likely to be remembered as one of Chrysler's greatest models, even the police car versions, a fact reflected in their low prices as used cars.
I have driven a few Diplomats- all of them police models as well as two 5th Avenues. All-in-all, I have never driven more solid reliable automobile before or since. I really miss them.
A family member of mine, while at a stop in her '88 Diplomat, was rear-ended at 65 mph by a Buick Park Avenue. Despite the tremendous damage to the rear of the car, all 4 doors still opened and closed easily and not a single pane of glass shattered. She went to the hospital for observation, but, I am convinced that if she had driven her smaller car that day, she would have been killed. Volvo had nothing on these cars as far as safety went, in particular during the last 2 years when they had a drivers air bag.
Dan.
When I was a teenager, I was under the impression the Diplomat/Grand Fury was a solid performing car, both in police package and civilian configuration. However, my career as a Missouri State Trooper has enlightened me to reality. Per co-workers who racked up tens of thousands of miles in Diplomats, these cars were neither fast or reliable. They were plagued with quality control issues which is unacceptable for a fleet/police/special service vehicle. As for looks, to each his own, but I do favor their squared off formal look.
All fleet cars tend to have issues, considering the use they get. Diplomats and Gran Furys aren't fool proof and might not be the fastest on the road, but for the money, it was a nice car. They have a look to them that sticks out from the crowd. And sure they have their issues, but they sure are fun to drive. I should know, I have four of them.
I respect anyones opinion of the Diplomat. After all, sharing opinions of specific vehicles is the point of this site. However, I would be cautious if purchasing a Diplomat. First, this is a car that has been out of production for 14+ years (1989 was the last year of production). There's got to be a reason they stopped making them. Second, I know a "large agency" fleet manager (he likes Dodge products), who told me the Diplomat/Grand Fury's were junk... Electrical gremlins were very prevalent and if you work on cars, they can make you pull your hair out. Apparently, the Diplomat/Grand Fury's were inferior in many aspects to the Chevy Caprice and Ford Crown Vic. My comments are not meant to insult anyone who has a Diplomat. I mean, one mans Pinto, could be another guys Rolls Royce. As for "fun to drive." Personally, I wouldn't get to frisky in twisties because you could be headed off the roadway quickly with that archaic leaf spring suspension and rear drum brake set-up. Furthermore, 1989 marked the Diplomat/Grand Fury's highest year for horsepower and the "police package/high-output" version made and asphalt melting, concrete shredding, 195 hp.
One positive thing is you can probably get one for next to nothing.
P.S. I think they looked decent and their mid-sized proportions made them ideal most duties.
DT.
Good post. The Dodge Diplomat and the Plymouth Gran Fury were quite simply some of the finest cars ever to roll out of...Kenosha, Wisconsin. The design alone is an aesthetic masterpiece, the double-roller 318 esp. w/4-barrel carb is another masterpiece. Not a 440 or even a 360, but a good, punchy and most of all reliable friend.
Great seats, great everything. A car for which trim is already impossible to find, so take care. I love mine to death.
Re the above comment, they did not "roll out of...Kenosha, Wisconsin" until the 1987 model year when AMC entered into an agreement with Chrysler to build them at the under-utilized Kenosha plant. Prior to that they were built at Chrysler's plant in St. Louis.
They were OK for their time, but it's hard to get excited now by a car with less horsepower than a Mustang V6, even in the police version with the 4-barrel.
Guys, stop gushing about a car with very average performance and great reliability. The Mopars that had it all were the pre-'72 full size Polara and Fury squads. Those had extra body welds, correct suspension and the awesome 440 4-barrel Magnum engine with the big 727 Torqueflite tranny. They could run 140 all day, everyday and get there in one hell of a rush as big as they were. Any old cop still around will tell you that. Ford or Chevy could not sell a squad (or give one away) during those years. Almost all 50 states used Mopars until Chrysler fell apart in the mid 1970's.
It's hard to compare apples to oranges. The diplomat can't be compared to past mopar squad cars. The diplomat was a product of the 80s where smog restrictions and the popularity of FWD were showing.
Re: horsepower, look at the figures of the other police models, during the 80's a crown vic or caprice wasnt making much more and the 318 was geared correctly as well to get some performance out of it. Granted they werent exactly LT1 caprices, they were just about as good as it got in the 80s.
Past police officers might have not been impressed with it because they were coming from those great squads from the past. The diplomat was nothing like anything before, it was smaller and slower. It'd be like going from a Mustang to a Taurus.
Chrysler stopped production because the became a FWD only company in 1990. This is also why they didn't make any major changes for the last few years of diplomats. They did the job and they did it as good as anything else could back then. if there was a better car for the job, the police would've used them.
There is a point of diminishing returns on performance, relative to size and price. Meaning today's Crown Vic stands alone because it is the only car left big enough to hold a powertrain strong enough to take the abuse and provide the performance that Police service demands. So it wins by default. This is why the Impala, Taurus and Intrepid are all ill-suited for severe use. They simply do not have the correct platform. The late 60's and early 70's Mopar squads had the most reliable and most powerful drivetrain available. No big block put out torque like the 440 Magnum and the big 727 torqueflite tranny was one you could not break. The Torsion bar suspension up front provided superior handling and roadholding. It was the right platform for the job, and when the line ended, to did Chrysler's dominance of highway cruising squads.
Ten-for on the police package Diplomats. I will agree with most of the aforementioned comments. They seemed to be adequate for the time... Barely adequate.
I've had ex-coppers tell me these Diplomats and Grand Fury's were slugs with a capital "S". I'm talking 100 mph top speed and taking an eternity to get there. That's not acceptable. And the Diplomat/Grand Fury was supposed to be an improvement over the Dodge St. Regis/Grand Fury it replaced in the early eighties. I do however get a kick out of these guys that sing their praises. Using words to describe the Diplomat like, gem, great car, and Iv'e even heard the term masterpiece thrown around. Spare me.
This isn't a third world country and we do have choices here. There are quality cars abound. Even if you are poor, there are still better choices for your hard earned money or government disability check. For instance, a few hundred dollars will put you behind the wheel of a fifteen year old quality import. I to have owned a Diplomat. Big mistake.
We have a 1987 Dodge Diplomat - 4 door - the body and frame are in excellent condition - better than by van I bought "brand new" in 1995.
It's a solid car - 69,000 miles. living in Toronto, Ontario
We have to sell our car as my husband has become ill, we didn't really want to give it up, but we must.
Just wondering if there's anyone out there who might be interested.
Did I see the words 15 year old quality import a couple posts back? Isn't that an oxymoron? If you want to waste money on a crappy old civic, be my guest. The diplomat is a great car and only breaks down because of user error or no oil changes. Trust me, if my 79 diplomat survived me in my teens it can take most anything. These are great platforms for performance upgrades, it's easy to stick a 440 in it. They also don't get much attention from cops, especially if there is a rustang or fireturd next to you. You can't expect a lot of performance, nothing was fast in the late 70's and 80's.
The best $700 dollars I ever spent. You guys can keep your fords and chevys, everybody has one anyway.
The M-body started in 1977 and ended in 1989. Chrysler stopped making them because they were at the end of their useful lives. The fact that car magazines criticized them for being too dated also led to the end of them. If Chrysler kept making cars like this, they wouldn't of had to merge with Mercedes-Benz.
Years ago I owned several different police cars. At age 16 my first car ever was a 1957 Chevy 4 door ex-Pennsylvania State Police car with the 283 "Power-Pack" 4 barrel engine and 2 speed "Powerglide" automatic.
Later I found a 1966 Chevrolet Biscayne 2 door that was originally a Olive Drab Green and Black Maryland State police car with a big block 396 "Turbo-Jet" engine and 3 speed manual on the tree of all things! However when I received it there was no motor or trans and someone had welded a straight front axel out of a Ford Econoline under the front of it! I bought a 283 and a 3 speed manual for $35 and put it in and was driving it using a vise grip as a make shift shifter (1st and reverse only) the same day. Those were the good ole days when stuff was dirt cheap.
A few years later I was at the right place at the right time. I happened to be at a Ford dealership the same day the Maryland State Police was transporting about 100 cars there which were trade-ins on new Fords. They had 1972 4 door Polaras with the 440 big block for sale for $651 each and they also had a few 1972 Dodge Chargers with 383 2-barrels which were used mostly as administrative (non-patrol) vehicles. I bought one of each and later swapped the engines from one to the other. I bought both cars on the same day for under $1500!!! Later on I bought 2 more police cars. The first one was actually a car I rented. It was a 1983 Diplomat with a 360 and it was a Baltimore County Police unmarked Captains car. Dark blue with dark blue all vinyl interior with front buckets. This was a FANTASTIC CAR!!! Handled like a dream too. I was so happy with it I asked the rental car agency if they had any more available. They brought out another GEM! This time it was another unmarked supervisors car however it was from Howard County Maryland PD. It was a cherry 1981 Chevy Malibu with a 350 4 barrel motor. All tan with tan cloth interior and it was SWEET!!! Many years later, around 2004, I went to a federal auction and won a 1998 Chevy Lumina 3800 V-6 UNMARKED NSA GROUNDS SECURITY PATROL SUPERVISORS UNMARKED CAR and this my friends, was the ULTIMATE in police cars!!! It is well known among police officers, (I am a retired one myself) that the Lumina will take the turn at well over 100 when the Caprice and Crown Vic will eat the wall!!! The Lum is fast as hell, handles like you would not believe. They gear the tranny different in the Lumina police version, (among many other things) and it comes with RECARRO racing seats and dual-tipped dual exhaust, (2 tips on each side!!!) power everything, 160 MPH certified speedo, the Lumina is at the top of my favorite list, but only the 98, (the last year for them) had the 3800 Series 2 V-6 and it's a HIGH OUTPUT motor that truly RIPS! If I was trying to outrun a police vehicle and had to choose a police vehicle to do it in my choice would be the 98 Lumina because it has awesome power, braking ability, and it handles like a magnet on metal in the high speed curves.
I recently purchased a 84 Diplomat. It was owned by some old guy who went into a nursing home. The car is all black and has red interior, 100% perfect body and interior with only 62K on the car. So far I have installed the famous "COP RIMS", the "DOG DISH" hub caps, and a set of 275-60x15 tires (the absolute biggest tire you can fit under a Dippy). That was phase one. Phase two is a Performer intake, Thermoquad carb, mild cam, and I'm getting rid of that nasty triple cat system for a 2.25" dual system with Dodge 360 truck exhaust manifolds and generic Flowmasters. I have all the parts for phase 2. Phase 3,... I'm thinking about getting a pair of red racing bucket seats, the rear stabilizer set up, and max out the rest of the suspension with better parts for the best possible handling the car can provide. I'm 51 AND I CAN'T WAIT TO BE DRIVING A DIPPY AGAIN!