A Gem covered in Worn Paint
Written: Apr 12 '02 (Updated Apr 14 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Reliability: |
 |
|
| Seat Comfort: |
 |
|
| Build Quality |
 |
|
| Roominess: |
|
|
|
Pros: Roomy interior, comfortable seating, good MPG, fun driving, digital dash, many options available, reliable.
Cons: Smallish Engine, wind noise, Chrysler Plastic, 80s paint wear.
The Bottom Line: 17 years and 150,000 miles do take their tolls, but even so, this car keeps working, and is still worth doing so to this day. A sound choice.
|
|
|
| tyrc's Full Review: 1985 Chrysler LeBaron |
Being the daughter of a mechanic has its advantages. You get your repair work done cheaply, and good advice and guidance for anything related to automobiles. Thankfully, my dad's wisdom shown through here, in deciding this was a good car to be my first.
Originally purchased by my Aunt in 1985, this LeBaron GTS has seen a lot under my ownership. 45,000 miles in three years, a minor accident, upgrades to the speakers and sterio system, carrying more than a thousand pounds in its interior.. And hopefully it will see a lot more. Except for accidents. Don't want it to see any more of those. *nod*
In my possession is a record of all repairs in its 150,000 mile existence. Please note that the information on the first page is wrong on one point! The milage is 23 city, 26 highway, officially. At least for the 2.2 non Turbo.
It came in Radiant Silver (Their Words, not mine..), black interior with bucket seats (comfy ones, too!), console, armrest, dual recliners. Power breaks, front disk, read drum. Quad Halogen Headlights. Body wide sound insulation. Remote lift gate. Celing lights user controllable (Map Lights!), Power Steering (Rack & Pinion), a Torqueflite 3 Speed Transmission (Invincible, apparently..), Electronic Fuel Injection (Never, ever, ever, ever, ever touch one of these with a Carburetor. They were totally worthless. If one still exists today, its a miracle. It should be burnt.). Tinted Glass, Defroster, Digital Dash, full spare, and Air Conditioning.
Apparently there's an option for 5 speed transmission, but the Torqueflite is a step up.. Apparently. I'm not sure, but it works perfectly.
Other options not included in my car: Analogue Dash, Power Windows, Power Seating, Power Locks, Voice Announcement System (Which was horrid, apparently..), Electronic Navigator (With all sorts of neat options! Trip computers, see your up to date MPG, etc, etc.. Neat for 1985!), Turbocharged Engine (Though, those wear out quicker than ones without, of course), option to have a steering column mounted shifter rather than a Console mounted (which I have), Manual Transaxle, rear window wiper, Tilt steering column, removable sunroof (I want it.. oh well..), cruise control, Cassette player, 15 inch wheels, and other little things not necessarily mentioned in my manual.
Next, we go to ergonomics. For a rather small seeming car exterior wise, the interior is spacious. My roommates, both of whom are over 6'4" tall, prefer my car for any long trip because their Escort provides no room for them, height or leg wise. My car satisfies them both, even driving, though they wish the steering wheel was tilt.
The ceiling is the big complaint in the interior. It sagged after 14 years. So, I spray painted strips of plastic black, and hooked them from side to side under the plastic edge guards. Problem solved, and the little bits holding the handle in tend to break with age, so be careful! Easy enough to fix, but it's a bother.
The back is comfortable as well, and those seats fold down if needed, too, offering a large space to carry all sorts of things. Though the car moves a bit slow with more than a thousand pounds in the back, its doable.
The digital dash is very nice, even in bright conditions. Not so for my father's Taurus, who's dash might look nice at night, but suffers during the day. It comes with Tach, and all sorts of information should you need it. Beside the dash is an information panel, showing what doors are open, or if you need more wiper fluid.
Exterior of the car is nicely shaped, though the paint suffers with age. Rust is non existent almost, and we patched that up with ease. Even though I live in the land of salt and rain, its held up wonderfully.
An accident dented the right front bumper panel, but that only cost $50 to replace ourselves. Parts for the LeBaron are very cheap, when you need them. It's a boon to be sure. The other car had $1500 in damage, thanks to Pontiac's silly pointy front design on their Grand Prix.
In its life, mechanically, the car has gotten new breaks regularly, a new muffler, a new emergency break cord, one refill of Freon, a couple of pairs of new tires, a new driver window track, a new O2 censor, and one new battery in its life before me.
After me, it got a new head gasket, which is the only problem which is common among LeBarons of my type. However, I wouldn't have needed it if it weren't for the brass radiator leaking with age, and causing the car to overheat a few times. I replaced the radiator for $100, and the head gasket for $25. The work required to replace the head gasket on the LeBaron is very light, so even if I did have to pay labor, it wouldn't be much.
Initially, it became mine because the alternator needed to be replaced, was going finicky. With that replaced ($100 for an expensive German one going out of production, rather than a cheaper used one at $25..), it was all mine. I replaced the speakers as well, and got a CD player for it. I also replaced the worn out foot mats, which is a must if its not been done before.
At 150,000 miles, the car isn't so fast. But it never really was. At least acceleration wise. I've pushed it to 107 MPH with 2 other passengers. Please don't tell anyone.
The Engine itself, a 2.2 Litre four cylinder engine with Chrysler EFI is supposedly a very durable, if simple engine. It roars, telling you it has power! It doesn't have so much as its roar claims, but it will pull the light car up to speed somewhat quickly. I can abuse this rugged engine without worry, it seems, too. It takes anything I give it, without a complaint, without any damage, and I ride it very hard. I'm afraid to do so elsewhere. When I did the same with my Dad's 1992 Taurus, the engine ripped off its mountings. Then it needed to be rebuilt. Oops.. (He got a newer engine for it, though, so no real worry.. though that car has been a pest..)
The power steering fluid leaks because of the poor GM pump inside that Chrysler used. GM in that era made horrid power steering pumps. I'll get that replaced soon ($50). Otherwise, its held up well, steering wise.
Transmission is fine, no oil leaks, no odd rattles, just lots of wind noise after you get over 65 on the highway. Below that, its rather peaceful. The car seems most smooth running at around 75, and I've gotten the best milage if I keep it at that speed, steady. I've heard the gear ratio is set best for that, anyhow.
I wonder if my LeBaron will reach the 30 year mark, and get its Historic Plate one day. I'll write here again if it does, to be sure. I've seen this model at the station with even more than my 150,000 miles, so I'm hopeful!
~ Tanya Red
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 16,272.64
Condition: New
Model Year: 1985
Model and Options: 1985 LeBaron GTS, Automatic, E.F.I, 14 inch wheels, etc.
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
tyrc
|
|
Member: Tanya Red
Location: Northern New Jersey, USA
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
College aged geeky type spending way too much time online. Hi!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.