1982 Chrysler LeBaron | Retro Review

Подписаться 471 тыс.

Просмотров 36 тыс.

50% 1

A 2-door coupe with a manual !?! Chrysler's all new quasi sport-luxury LeBaron was the cream of the K-Car crop in '82.
Show 105 | Original Airdate 11-10-1981
Want to help keep our weekly Retro Reviews alive? DONATE NOW: mptevents.regf...
Find airdates on your local PBS station HERE: motorweek.org/...
Want to watch full episodes of MotorWeek? Download the PBS video app for FREE or watch here: www.pbs.org/sh...
Stay connected with MotorWeek on social media!
Twitter (X): / motorweek
Facebook: / motorweektv
Instagram: / motorweek
MotorWeek, PBS' award-winning weekly automotive magazine provides unbiased, consumer-oriented car news with feature stories on related topics.
To license this video or any content from MotorWeek, please visit:
www.parsintl.c...

Опубликовано:

1 окт 2024

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 227

@jonmopar7917 4 месяца назад

They started at $8k ($25k in today). To those wondering why they sold so well: Chrysler had the best warranty. They were comfortable, fuel efficient and tough too, but in an era of rust buckets, these things were had amazing warranties and held up.

@kc0lif 4 месяца назад

you 1000$ now.

@vwestlife 4 месяца назад

As the saying goes, "K-Cars run poorly longer than most other cars run at all."

@jordantomblin2302 4 месяца назад

I can confirm after seeing these and other 80s cars in junkyards… these seem to rust the least.

@tedschmitt178 4 месяца назад

Chrysler knew they had a quality problem which was the reason for the 7/70 warranty.

@toronado455 4 месяца назад

@@tedschmitt178 Is that why Hyundai/KIA has the 100k mile warranty? Because they are aware they have quality problems?

@kevinbarry71 4 месяца назад

A finer grain plastic wood. Praise doesn't come any higher than that

@toronado455 4 месяца назад

😂 truth

@kc0lif 4 месяца назад

that's real wood@@toronado455

@bc5441 4 месяца назад

A finer grain of plastic wood for someone who couldn’t afford it. Ouch!

@Ccyawn123 2 месяца назад

I read a review back in the early 90s, maybe Consumer reports, saying that the fake wood in some car or another came from one of the better plastic forests

@The_R-n-I_Guy 4 месяца назад

I would rather have one of these than the crossover garbage people drive today

@michaelwelsh6736 4 месяца назад

I purchased a new 1982 LeBaron convertible. Owned it for five years. Drove it for 150000 miles. No service problems. Wished I still had it.

@timetowakeup6302 4 месяца назад

My aunt had this car, but it was an 85. It was always in the shop…. “A finer grain of plastic wood”

@iamgermane 4 месяца назад

K-car guts! I actually drove a K-car on the Autobahn in Germany. The 2.2 liter would top out around 80 mph.

@EnthusiasticHidingCat-rh9uh 4 месяца назад

😅

@stephendavidbailey2743 4 месяца назад

@@iamgermane My 1985 Plymouth Reliant would do 75, with flat road, windows up and a/c off. Dreadful car.

@iamgermane 4 месяца назад

@@stephendavidbailey2743 Ya and I had my foot to the floor with the K-car on the West German Autobahn. It was a USAF command car of all things.

@kc0lif 4 месяца назад

you mean real wood.

@kokocostanza2036 4 месяца назад

You could rent these with a borrowed Diner's Club card and a set of shower curtain rings.

@albear972 4 месяца назад

😂 Oooh! A Diner's Club card. That's old school man!

@michaelre7556 4 месяца назад

What about a Casio?

@kokocostanza2036 4 месяца назад

@@michaelre7556 I'm gonna have to say good night.

@DrCharlesMontague 4 месяца назад

When they were adjusting the seat, I couldn’t help but think of “you broke the gahtdamn seat” 😂

@kokocostanza2036 4 месяца назад

@DrCharlesMontague Wasn't broken when I got out.

@Skittleman2341 4 месяца назад

I think we need Motorweek to release some of those vintage logoed jackets, shirts, and hats.

@therandumbcarguy 4 месяца назад

“For those who want luxury but can’t afford it” he said… 😂😂😂😂

@manthony225 4 месяца назад

😂 I know right? He didn't sugar coat back then

@palebeachbum 4 месяца назад

Chrysler has always been a "mid-priced" car brand, as he said, rather than a full-blown luxury brand. The same as Buick and Oldsmobile.

@toronado455 4 месяца назад

@@palebeachbum Where do you rank Volvo and SAAB?

@palebeachbum 4 месяца назад

@@toronado455 Luxury

@kevinwong6588 4 месяца назад

@@palebeachbum Acura as well, with a price overlap with higher end Hondas. It never was a true luxury brand, but a mid-tier premium.

@TheCarCrazyGuy 4 месяца назад

A month after this aired I picked up my 1982 Datsun 280ZX at age 19. Those were the days.

@douglasb.1203 4 месяца назад

I had an '83 280zx. Fantastic car.

@dohc1067 4 месяца назад

This platform was the cornerstone of the Chrysler come back, well, at least at the time when it mattered. Times have changed.

@EyesWideOpen61 4 месяца назад

I had 2 Kcars as company cars and drove them into the ground, the drivetrain was bulletproof FAR superior product to competitors from Ford and GM at the time, without a doubt. Drove better, broke less.

@palebeachbum 4 месяца назад

@@EyesWideOpen61 The Chrysler 2.2 and 2.5 engines with the 3-speed automatic were dependable, cheap, and easy to service. My mother did her own tune-ups and taught me how.

@Brian_RobinsonK11 4 месяца назад

John Voight had one of these!

@nutz4gunz457 4 месяца назад

The dentist, not to be confused with Jon Voight the actor.

@BillofRights1951 4 месяца назад

We had an '88 Dodge Caravan with the Mitsubishi 3.0 litre V6....All in all it was a good car...BUT we benefited from a great Chrysler dealer in So Cal whose owner was dedicated to customer satisfaction, coupled with excellent mechanics...The quality of service work was excellent AND they could fix anything, with a smile (what a concept!). What would have been a below-average reliability car was actually a pleasure to own... When the dealership was sold, the personalized service collapsed.

@dchegu 4 месяца назад

Anyone thinking of Ricardo montalban distinctive voice ?

@thomasofone 4 месяца назад

He pushed the Cordoba.

@bmstylee 4 месяца назад

With the fine Corinthian leather.

@manthony225 4 месяца назад

@@thomasofonehe did ads for the whole Chrysler line in the 80's too

@thomasofone 4 месяца назад

@@manthony225 No

@thomasofone 4 месяца назад

@@manthony225 do some homework. I was there.

@jeffforbess6802 4 месяца назад

Chrysler has been in trouble for nigh on 50 years. Lipstick on a pig.

@palebeachbum 4 месяца назад

The K-cars saved the brand. Sales shot up.

@rabit818 3 месяца назад

“Finer grain of plastic wood”, lol. Decent styling for the time

@brianm.6271 4 месяца назад

Everybody's talkin' at me...I can't hear a word they're sayin'...just drivin' 'round in Jon Voight's car.

@atomsmash100 4 месяца назад

The K was a really remarkable platform. Almost endlessly utilized from one vehicle to the next. I had an '87 Dodge Lancer. Great car and still running well when I parted with it at around 125K miles.

@dchegu 4 месяца назад

Wasn't the dodge lancer based on Mitsubishi lancer? Not a K car?

@boogts 4 месяца назад

@@dchegu no

@TurboDub1991 4 месяца назад

40 years later, chrysler is still hurting

@deepthinker999 4 месяца назад

There is only (1) model left and it's a minivan.

@michaelhayes4537 4 месяца назад

I bought a used '83 LeBaron. It was owned by John Voight.

@51-FS 4 месяца назад

Was their a 🖊 pencil in the glove box?

@michaelhayes4537 4 месяца назад

Yes, but it read "No. 2"

@TurboMan942 4 месяца назад

The K cars always looked better as coupes.

@thomasofone 4 месяца назад

I loved these cars. Always wanted one.

@gabrielhowardMKE 4 месяца назад

Only John Davis can give such an incredibly scathing review and make it sound polite, neutral, complimentary even.

@christopherconard2831 4 месяца назад

I don't think they've given a bad review. But they have pointed out there are better options. Also the use of damning with faint praise.

@planetfabulous5833 4 месяца назад

What was scathing about this review? Stop with the hyperbole.

@Fidelias 4 месяца назад

@@planetfabulous5833 Are you dense and reading a word of the day calendar? Watch the video again on half-speed and you'll hear em, slow bus.

@palebeachbum 4 месяца назад

Ending the review by saying it's a "Truly modern, very American, but not perfect FWD car." doesn't indicate a scathing review. It would be fair to say it has its high and low points.

@CRCO1975 4 месяца назад

I'm not sure you know what the word "scathing" means...

@4HBirtcher 4 месяца назад

0:25 John Davis, why did you show a picture of Kirk’s arch enemy “Kahn”!

@Raptor3388 4 месяца назад

Probably for the corithian leather chest (without hair)

@RookitMaster 4 месяца назад

I recently got one, its butter cream color and its the convertable version, has no rust, an dis actually in quiet good condition exept the engine, it ran rough so i took it all apart and replaced all the seals and parts that were bent or worn out, have just finnished puting it back together and hope to start it up again this week after i replace the ball joints those were shot,

@BradThePitts 4 месяца назад

This car was excellent in the snow. Short wheelbase, relatively high off the ground for a car of its size, and NO front air dam.

@williamegler8771 4 месяца назад

Who would spend the 2024 equivalent of $42,000 on this when so many better alternatives were available?

@thomasofone 4 месяца назад

You do know it would be a whole lot different looking today, right? 🙄

@albear972 4 месяца назад

That was a heck of a lot of money for that piece of crap. Lee Iacocca was a genius though, These Chrysler K's were considered inexpensive but they were built and sold with almost all options to trick customers into overpaying for them.

@blue_lancer_es 4 месяца назад

A 1982 cimarron cost the same pretty much. And it was the same mindset. At least the lebaron stretched the wheelbase. Cimarron was a cavalier through and through.

@Koexistence13 4 месяца назад

Gutless yes but durable, reliable and fuel efficient. Comfortable as well.

@wesleyzimmerman6093 4 месяца назад

Well, a lot of people still wanted to “buy American,” they didn’t want RWD after dealing with the blizzards a few years before, and they were used to plush cars with plush rides. The FWD allowed for better space utilization inside, the seats are super comfy, and the over square 2.6L was torque dominant, so while being more efficient, it felt closer to the emission choked torque heavy V-8 motor that buyers were stepping down from. And with auto interest rates around 15-20% , a true luxury car may not have made financial sense. My ‘82 Dodge 400 convertible was $15,000 new, with vinyl seats, crank windows, and optional alloy wheels, 2.6L, and a dealer installed 8 track player. It was financed at an 18.25% interest rate.

@austinformedude 4 месяца назад

Only 2700 lbs! Man have cars gotten pudgy!

@hellhound47bravo3 4 месяца назад

Lots of additional bells and whistles these days (not to mention airbags).

@tedschmitt178 4 месяца назад

Blame the IIHS and NHTSA for too much safety equipment.

@Stratoliner 4 месяца назад

I miss these square boats of the road. I'd love to get one just for old school road trips!

@jimmysgarage9068 4 месяца назад

Still want one ----------------------------->

@dakotamcaleer6113 4 месяца назад

The OG motorweek

@bingdong8571 4 месяца назад

So to summarize= its a turd

@emeyer6963 4 месяца назад

They even painted it brown.Simulated wood on the inside and simulated shit on the outside.

@LeftIsBest001 4 месяца назад

😂😂

@rodsvintagesxschannel.3095 4 месяца назад

We had K cars and a dodge 600 turbo . ohhhhh the memories lol

@georgetaylor1063 4 месяца назад

I bought a Chrysler GTS, Didn’t make it past 40k miles before the engine head casket gave out. Nothing but rattles. Enormous piece of junk. In 36 months the car had little to no book value. Honda didn’t even want it on a trade.

@Stevenimich 4 месяца назад

What’s funny so that I didn’t care for any of the K-Car based cars. I thought they were bland and just too polarizing and the only cars I did like from Mopar at the time were the Imperials from 1980-1983. Now, I’m beginning to appreciate these K-Cars and finding a decent one in nice shape is hard to come by.

@EuEu-re8lv 4 месяца назад

George Costanza's car!

@Team_BW 4 месяца назад

beat me to it!

@davidgalinat4257 4 месяца назад

Also John Voight's.

@EuEu-re8lv 4 месяца назад

@@davidgalinat4257 Doesn’t Jon Voight spell his name J-O-N? …I’m sure Jon probably misspelled his own name🤣🤣🤣

@BoyPagcu 4 месяца назад

Bruckell LeGran Coupé Body

@LeftIsBest001 4 месяца назад

I wonder how many of these are still out there? 🤔😏 42 Years old this year.

@DanielSlaughter-vi5hy 4 месяца назад

As far as the 80s styles go, the K cars were still better looking.

@MercOne 4 месяца назад

Any wonder why Chrysler is out of the car business? Utter junk for many years.

@owlnswan4016 4 месяца назад

I rented a very attractive 300S for a month or so in December 2022-January 2023. It was a very nice car...definitely better than older versions...I would have bought it.

@sjhudon386 4 месяца назад

Ironically, this is the car that saved Chrysler the first time!

@87camro 4 месяца назад

My grandfather had an 88 Aries it went 208k miles after 13 yrs only reason why he got rid of it was because the floors rusted through car was still running

@gerarddip 4 месяца назад

I’m not sure if it was this generation, but my dad had a Lebaron. He says that sometimes the gague cluster would lose power and in that time the odometer wouldn’t roll! Lol

@lukerinderknecht2982 4 месяца назад

Dark times but what many people needed at the time.

@Jay-z5w6g 28 дней назад

This was forty-two years ago. Eeek. Hard to believe that '82 was that long ago. It's scary how quickly time goes by. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. 😄

@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary 4 месяца назад

I think everything Dodge got better After the K Car era.. I drove the one K Car we had as a Security Car only once at Universal Studios. I made sure it was Only Once because compared to the Dodge Omni's we had, which I loved, there was absolutely No Room to spare in that K Car Aries! Any Dodge's I drove after the K Cars were laid to rest were very well appointed and good cars.. I think they learned a lot and applied it from those years.

@ouch1011 4 месяца назад

“A finer grain of plastic wood” lol it’s so funny what used to pass for luxury in the American car market. All it needs is a sofa for chairs, flubber suspension and fine grain plastic wood.

@ericw3517 4 месяца назад

Never understood why anyone ever got excited about a K-car with a hood ornament. Either make do with an Aries or save up for a Benz. If you opted for the Benz, you probably still have that car too. Cool time capsule though.

@johndrake2729 4 месяца назад

Ah, a dressed up Aries.

@glovedcop69 4 месяца назад

2700lbs!!! It looks way heavier

@adamtrombino106 4 месяца назад

If you bought a base Aries coupe with 4 speed, you could lop off another 190lbs from this LeBaron.

@albear972 4 месяца назад

All those Chrysler K's were absolute junk. Especially the ones with the Mitsu 2.6 engine and that damned Mikuni carburetor.

@Andyface79 3 месяца назад

Actually the 400 and the LeBaron had different tail lights. The things you notice when you are a young obsessive car spotter.

@Greatdome99 4 месяца назад

Rich Corinthian leather seats, opera windows, padded vinyl roof all stuffed onto a K-Car. Be still, my beating heart!

@zoomanx9661 4 месяца назад

I’ll drive one, at least I know it’ll be there in the morning.

@vwestlife 4 месяца назад

Was it owned by John Voight?

@rss8363 4 месяца назад

The dentist not the actor

@rider9187 4 месяца назад

Chrysler needs new K-car badly.

@sterlinsilver 3 месяца назад

Chrysler needs a new ANYTHING badly...

@JoeO. 4 месяца назад

Ours was a red ‘84 convertible. A deer took it out in ‘86, but it was fun while it lasted…

@maxr4448 4 месяца назад

My sister owned four old K cars. They were problem free for her. But them seemed to go thru batteries, what ever that was.

@IROCMAN666 4 месяца назад

In Europe, we saw these car only on TV or cinema. This kind of cars is quiet and slow compared with Muscle Cars...

@MySparkle888 4 месяца назад

Chrysler LeBaron the official car of ballin on a budget!

@scoutandscooter 3 месяца назад

I'd love to be 25 again, but the cars in the 80s were just junk.

@TheMICMusicInspirationChannel 4 месяца назад

In the language of the French, it means _The Baron._

@Butchcub75 4 месяца назад

loved these

@bennetfox 4 месяца назад

Are those Rich Corinthian Leather bucket seats in The LeBaron?

@mjbasl 4 месяца назад

Where's your Lebaron Freddy?

@connor_flanigan 4 месяца назад

I miss the early 80s so dearly, but not the cars. whew 🤢

@ksmith1298 3 месяца назад

Judged like it was a sports car... shameful

@sammyt3514 4 месяца назад

Those so called K-cars sold because they were cheap for what you got and, to many eyes, looked attractive, but make no mistake, they were rolling piles of junk! Never heard of anyone who owned a K-car that replaced it with another Chrysler product when it came time to get rid of it.

@eugenepiurkowski5439 4 месяца назад

Ready to buy one in 84 and the Daytona showed up. Loved that Daytona Turbo w/ five speed.

@pmafterdark 4 месяца назад

Great car. I have one now. 😁

@eugenepiurkowski5439 4 месяца назад

@@pmafterdark Bought mine in the fall of 83, think it was the first in the area.

@TheJoncic 4 месяца назад

Who here has seen Freddie Got Fingered?

@andregonsalvez9244 4 месяца назад

Great show MW ! My Parents almost bought one of these K LeBaron 4 door sedan, but for the prices you paid for one of these they ended buying a 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Classic sedan . 😊

@candyman1961 4 месяца назад

Ah that Corinthian Leather.😁👍

@jamesmorris913 11 дней назад

I graduated in '82..and these things were EVERYWHERE in my hometown (Redding, Ca) and I just remember them as the generic, "Grandma/Grandpa cars". But..had I been in that demographic, in those days; I would have MUCH rather brought one of the still big, RWD offerings from GM or Ford..much roomier, more SUBSTANTIAL cars, still had silky-smooth V-8s, for about the same money, as these. Think..Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis, Caprice Classic, Detla 88, or LeSabre. MUCH, rather; than a "larded-up" K-car.

@TheGbeecher 14 дней назад

Amazing how the K-Car platform transformed Chrysler Corporation...( I drove my parents used '79 Dodge diplomat for 6+ years...I'm guessing the LeBaron was a better quality vehicle...😄)

@1991CALYPSO 4 месяца назад

Mine caught on fire.

@bernardogaetani 4 месяца назад

1982 year model (so, it was introduced in 1981)... It's crazy to think that in Brazil Chrysler was selling a LeBaron based in the old Dart 67-74 at the same time... At least brazilian Le Baron had a 318 V8 with 205hp.

@youngslyy4516 Месяц назад

The LeBron Car Lol

@porcelainthunder2213 3 месяца назад

These were the senior citizen car of choice before the Buick Century grabbed the market in the late 80s. Note the large print on the gauges and huge warning lights. They knew their market.

@tommywatterson5276 4 месяца назад

K Car with style.

@CorbinBlankenbiller 3 месяца назад

Where’s your LeBaron Freddy? I only see one LeBaron… (why does he get a new car??)…. That’s because they love me more than you…hehehe!

@Tatortot318 3 месяца назад

We look at knew cars that would come out in the fall as a group of kids, the year they downsized all those boats to peddle cars, we all laughed and picked them apart, same price, where was the other half of the car. Lincolns where a total dissapointment.