We think this series is really starting to gain traction. Just a day after Part Seven posted, more than half the cars we profiled were no longer available. Either sellers took them off the market, or, after we drew attention to them, they quickly sold. We would like to think that the latter happened.
And while we have concentrated on V-8, rear-wheel-drive Mopars, with just two-doors whenever possible, for Part Eight of the U$5KMC, we’ve come up with another interesting M-Body, this one, a 1979 Chrysler LeBaron powered by the indestructible 225 Slant-6. When Mark spotted this car up in Spokane, Washington, a running, driving car, for just $1,800, I knew he found the perfect U$5KMC classic.
For the price of the cap reduction down payment on a Kia Rio, you can be driving a vintage Mopar, albeit, one that will probably take 15 or 16 seconds to get up to freeway speed. The Craigslist listing says it all. “1979 Chrysler LeBaron, all original, completely stock. 109,000 actual miles, 225 c.i. Slant-6 engine, decent gas mileage with the six cylinder engine. This would make a great entry level classic or use as a dependable daily driver. This vehicle runs out nicely. Being 40 years old it qualifies for collector plates, clear title, 2 sets of keys. First $1800 takes it, firm on price.”
The only downside we see, besides the need to recover the driver’s side of the front seat, is that it lacks factory air conditioning. But at $1,800, you can go to almost any Pick-A-Part and salvage all the needed components from any M-Body you find for less than two Benjamins. Find a good, local air conditioning specialist and you can make this a comfortable, albeit slow cruiser, for well under out $5K budget.
Looking at the photos, I can’t see much reason to haggle on the price if the car is as described. As a historical note, based on our cursory research, the Slant-6 was offered in the M-Body up until 1983 when the M-Body was known as the New Yorker (the LeBaron nameplate transitioned to the K-Car-based platform in 1982). That makes this 1979 model one of the last passenger-car applications of the Slant-6.
But if you have your heart set on a reasonably-priced V-8 vintage Mopar, and can live with the practicality of two extra doors, check out this, a factory-A/C-equipped 1972 Plymouth Valiant V-8. It’s located in Phoenix, Arizona.
With a disc-brake upgrade and the factory A/C (which has already been upgraded to R134, this little Valiant has a lot going for it, making it an excellent choice as an entry-level Mopar classic.
Best of all, this sleeper, at a listed price of just $3,450, leaves a lot of room in the $5,000 budget for rust repair, some elbow grease on the prep side for a Maaco paint job and, if there’s any funds left over, to upholster the non-OEM front buckets in factory blue vinyl to match the rear seats.
For some additional, drive-ready Mopars, check out these listings.
From the 1950s, this 1953 Plymouth two-door sedan for $6,000 in Whittier, California (Facebook)
From the 1960s, this 1966 Dodge Dart two-door hardtop for $6,000 in Dallas, Texas (Facebook)
From the 1970s, this 1972 Plymouth Fury station wagon for $6,000 in San Diego, California (Facebook)
From the 1980s, this 1985 Dodge Diplomat four-door sedan for $3000 in Sedro Wolley, Washington (Craigslist)
Since the inception of this series, seven editions ago, we’ve had marked as a cutoff the 1999 for inclusion but for this edition, we’re stretching things to 2000. As many of you know, Dodge has long built trucks in Mexico, some of them unique to the Mexican market, not offered, for whatever the reason (marketing perhaps as Chrysler already occupying the SUV space with the Grand Cherokee and Durango, and with two-door SUV sales on the decline in the US) north of the border. Living here in Southern California, every now and then, we run across something like this, a 2000 Dodge Ramcharger. It seems that after the US Dodge Ramcharger was discontinued in 1994, Dodge offered a version to its Mexican customers, based on the Ram introduced in 1994, from 1998 to 2001. It used some components, the tailgate we believe, from Chrysler’s minivans.
Can you imagine showing up at a local or regional Mopar meet in this? People coming up to you saying, WTF? Can you figure out where in the Chrysler parts bin that the tailgate was found? Depending on your state registration requirements when transferring the title, you might be able to sneak this through when someone isn’t looking. This one is currently listed in the Long Beach, California, Facebook Marketplace.
As always, if you see an interesting low-buck Mopar on your local Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, especially rear-wheel drive, V-8 models, let us know at [email protected].
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