(first posted 4/2/2018) Working as a part-time appraiser I sometimes meet people who want a car or truck appraised before putting it for sale. Most of these vehicles are out of my budget, of course, but once in a while I come across something affordable. In late 2015 with winter approaching I was called to appraise a one-owner 1978 Chrysler Cordoba.
I arrived at an Edmonton residence being met by Marty, the brother of the car’s owner. The brother and owner, Rick, lived in extended care as he had some severe health issues. Marty has power-of-attorney, and was moving forward to sell the car on Rick’s behalf, and thought getting the Cordoba appraised before putting it on the market was a good idea. By the time I showed up Marty had changed his mind about the appraisal telling me how discouraged he was with the lack of interest from potential buyers and the failing health of his brother and mother. He apologized for me coming out for nothing and felt the next best option was to tow the dust covered hardtop to an auto wrecker!
The remark led me to say I would buy the car and what would he take for it? Well the price was low enough and the condition of the dust covered Cordoba so good, I felt it could be cleaned, repaired and put back on the road for a maximum $2,000 if not less. It had been parked in the garage since 2003 but unfortunately not on jack stands so I knew the tires would be flat-spotted and later my suspicion was confirmed. The tires were new just before the Cordoba was left in the garage.
So I now took the time to look over this original condition car and learn its history. Marty told me Rick had pampered the Cordoba since it was driven off the dealer’s lot. There was plenty of documentation and manuals and a 45 rpm record which was to be played during the first 200 miles of ownership. This Cordoba was only driven during the summer, only towed a small tent trailer and only then on occasional trips. The trailer hitch was still in place along with a trailer brake system attached to the underside of the instrument panel. This luxury cruiser was always kept in a garage during the many winters that have come and gone since 1978. It has never undergone a major repair and was treated to a very good quality repaint. The front bumper was re-chromed but only because of corrosion. The Cordoba had never been in a collision. If I was a fan of the Cordoba, I’d be over the moon with emotion finding a car like this where only 112,000 were produced during the ’78 model year.
After expressing my interest in the car, I told Marty I’d discuss it with my wife and do some research based on the VIN number and body tag codes. The Cordoba is painted in Augusta Green with matching half-vinyl roof and green velour cloth interior. One seldom seen feature is the optional remote body colour side mirrors. Pictures in the brochure and magazine ads always show chrome side mirrors. The odometer shows only 71,000 kms or about 46,000 miles. Chrome trim, the interior and under hood components are in very, very good condition. An original Firestone 721 spare sits forward in the optional carpeted trunk. Decoding the body tag and confirmed all the options and that the Cordoba was built for Canada at the Windsor, Ontario plant.
As the purchase price was a nominal sum, my wife gave her okay, with some reservations, after my time with the Grand Marquis I had bought and sold months earlier. Certainly, some prep work needs to be done before the engine is turned over (oil squirted in each cylinder?). Not mechanically inclined Marty was told by a mechanic the cylinder heads should come off and oil poured into each cylinder before turning over the optional 360 V8.
That sounded a little fishy to me as well as expensive. Every option worked including the AM/FM stereo, power door locks and power windows. The car had factory AC but will likely need a recharge. Fluids will need to be flushed and the transmission will need a flush and new filter and gasket. Very little gas remained in the tank so it will be siphoned out and fresh fuel added. Of course I’ll need to buy a new battery. Now we all know the Lean Burn system was a pain in the buttocks back in the day. Marty’s brother had a wise mechanic years ago who suggested a better idea. The Lean Burn was tossed and an aftermarket pointless ignition put in its place.
So I told Marty I would buy the Cordoba but because winter was coming I had no place to store the car. Marty cringed at the thought of his brother’s pampered coupe would be on the road during winter or left covered outside, so he agreed to keep the Cordoba in his garage until the end of April. No deposit was necessary, just my word I would buy the car. For my part I told Marty he’d get his money at the beginning of April and we’d complete the sale.
When the day in April came, the deal was done and the Cordoba was checked and prepped for towing to my favorite garage. The nice wire wheel covers were removed so they would not be damaged in transit or by someone at the garage. The garage chosen to get the Cordoba running again was a business I’ve relied on for many years not far from home. The owner is a fan of fifties Chevy cars and many of his mechanics have been working for him for many years. The quote I received for some of the work was reasonable but of course, I took into account the unexpected might arise once the Cordoba was on the lift. Marty brought his brother the morning the tow truck arrived. Very emotional for Rick who had enjoyed his car for years and which he had many fond memories of.
Not surprisingly, the Cordoba was in very good mechanical condition. Very little gas had to be siphoned out of the tank. The carburetor had to be replaced as old gas had gummed up part of the pumping mechanism. An OEM carb was found for just over $400. The trailer hitch was removed, new plugs and points installed along with a new fuel filter. Timing was checked, cooling system flushed, brake fluid flushed. The braking system was in fine shape with plenty of life left on brake shoes and disc pads. After a couple of days, I picked up the still dusty Cordoba and drove it home somewhat surprised at how big it felt and a little concerned about the sloppy steering feel. No doubt the flat spotted tires were a big reason, but I wondered if the steering box might be a problem. Anyway, something to deal with later.
April of 2016 was a relatively mild month so I set to work on washing down the Cordoba right away noting the quality of the repaint and how clean the interior was. Indoor/outdoor carpet had been used by Rick to protect interior carpeting around the door openings in the front and back. This showed the extent he would go to keep his luxury cruiser in top condition.
At one point during the detailing process I took the Cordoba to a transmission shop where they flushed the fluid and replaced and the pan gasket and filter. In the technician’s opinion the three-speed automatic shifted fine and the old fluid was still of good colour. There was a minor issue with the spline connecting to the driveshaft. Minor enough that I passed on the repair for now. As I drove away from the transmission shop a sign caught my attention and I took advantage of the free suspension inspection offered at the nearby Canadian Tire Store. They were able to take the Cordoba in right away and found the front end to be in top shape with only a slight alignment adjustment necessary. I gave the okay and was back on the road in just over an hour with steering feel now better and much less twitchy.
The next step was detailing and polishing which was easy given the quality of the repaint and the great condition of chrome trim. I was eager to have the Cordoba presentable ASAP so I could reluctantly put it on the market. I say reluctantly because I was becoming attached to it. Polishing and waxing both body and trim really made this big cruiser look fabulous. Doing my work in the driveway drew comments from passersby and somebody older would have their own Cordoba story to tell. Although I do like many Mopar vehicles, the Cordoba was just too big and I knew it wouldn’t have a place in our garage. Surely somebody out there would appreciate it?
Pictures were taken, ads posted in Auto-Trader and Kijiji with some interest and offers (how serious is debatable) but no one came to look at the car. The downturn in the oil patch wasn’t helping as people were losing their jobs across and Alberta and Saskatchewan and collector cars weren’t a priority anymore for those people who were out of work. By August, I had decided the “Rock N August” car show in St. Albert would be a good place to give the green coupe some good exposure and placed a for sale sign in the window. I made sure I drove in the Friday evening parade to the downtown street dance and show and shine. The next day I parked in Lions Park with the Cordoba drawing passersby and inquiries, but no one was ready to put down some money.
Worried I’d still have the Cordoba by the time winter’s snow began falling I thought of the Collector car lot in west Edmonton. So for a fee of $250 and me somewhat reluctant to see the Cordoba left out in the open in a strange place, I consigned it for a time. This lot draws a lot of traffic and has sold many interesting vehicles over the years. Worth a try, right? A few test pilots took their turn behind the wheel but again no one wanted to buy. One of the owners of the car lot said while a few liked the Cordoba, they were nervous about how it drove. Twitchy steering of course and likely due to the flat spotted tires. But I had reached my limit on what I was going to spend on the car so new white wall tires were not going to be purchased.
By the end of October, I’d given up on the car lot and had already asked about storing the Cordoba in the bottom parkade level of the office building where I work. Being on good terms with an executive of the company that owned the tower, I was given the go ahead to leave the Cordoba behind a gated area where this man’s friends would be storing their sports cars along with a sixties Riviera owned by one of the building operators. There would be no charge as the gentleman said “it’s only empty space.” Excellent! The car would be tucked away safe and warm until spring of 2017 when I would again put it on the market or perhaps take it to a collector auction.
I would start the Cordoba at least once a month during the winter and occasionally drive through the parkade. When spring came I signed the Cordoba to a collector car auction in Edmonton and hoped it would meet reserve and go home with somebody else. Well, it didn’t, and dejected, I picked it up from the sold area and headed back to the office tower under a grey sky (how appropriate that day) to park it for who knows when expecting to once again place ads online in hopes of getting a buyer. I even contemplated advertising on a US website to attract someone south of the border, but that would be yet another additional expense.
Needless to say my wife was not impressed so I felt some weight on my shoulders. Not long after however, the collector car dealer called me. My suspicion is he attended the auction and knew the Cordoba had not sold. As the car was a real gem the dealer knew a buyer could be found as he had sold a couple of Cordoba’s in the past. His offer covered almost all my expenses so it was a no-brainer to take the offer and give him a wonderful car complete with all the documentation and service history.
Lesson learned? Perhaps, but I still have a little cash tucked away for the next old car that catches my attention.
Chrysler had solid state ignitions from 1973 so that means no points in your car
Your mechanic was not that honest
Yes – but the lean burn had its own system. So that had to be pulled out and replaced with a regular ignition system and module (it’s mounte on the firewall).
Lean Burn has always gotten a bad rap which it doesn’t deserve. Virtually all problems with Lean Burn are related to poor grounds. Time spent doing some 101 style preventative maintenance will work wonders.
It may have received an undeserved bad rap, but when the rubber meets the road and it doesn’t work, time to unload and move on.
My uncle had one of these, sort of a royal blue with white leather. My lasting image of that car was when he took delivery of it and drove it to our house to show off. In the short drive from the dealership, he had stopped somewhere and acquired a five-pound bag of pistachios. The carpet along the transmission tunnel was littered with the shells by the time he arrived. I’ll never forget my dad shaking his head and saying, “Jesus, Ernie…you’re such a hillbilly!”
I can’t see a Cordoba and not think of Uncle Ernie.
Nice car! I like the Cordoba, but prefer the 1st genaration with its round headlights.
For a few thousand dollars, that is a nice weekend cruiser. Problem is, most people who have them think they are 10K plus cars, when in reality the market is just not there yet (and may never be). It’s debatable whether we’ll see this Cordoba cross the auction at Mecum 2035 for $200K and wish we had picked it up. I have a feeling that will never be the case!
I tend to see a lot this era of cars picked up by dealers who then try to flip them and double their money and are willing to sit on them until someone comes along who is emotionally attached to these (admittedly run-of-the-mill cars). This will never be a 79 Trans Am, for example, for value.
If this were in the US, it would be easier to sell. Just more buyers in there but few will want to go through the hassle to import the car to the US.
The cars made during Chrysler’s brief John Riccardo era had their issues, but how much their interiors improved from the early 70s was a big accomplishment.
Even if it cost you a little money you got to own a really sweet car, one of the most iconic rides of the 70s.
Insert Ricardo Montalban joke here.
Khaaaan! you believe this car doesn’t have rich Corinthian leather?
Too bad, very nice car but to be honest I wouldn’t want it either. Hopefully it went to a good home.
That’s the thing about the collector car market, desireable cars are now VERY desireable and undesireable cars are now VERY undesireable. Hence the runup in 289 Cobra prices vs the runup in 1978 Cordoba prices. 🙁
@Fordfan as I understand it the lean burn system was itself a pointless ignition system that had the controller mounted in the air cleaner, which was despised for several reasons. If they replaced it with a different pointless system that would have been preferable to reverting to a point type distributor to bypass the system. So seems to me the mechanic was honest indeed.
That’s the way I took it, too. IOW, the mechanic had replaced the pointless, Lean Burn system with a pointless, non-Lean Burn system.
As to the desirability factor, it’s just not there for any of these seventies’ personal luxury barges, even in the best condition (like the feature vehicle). I might go for a 2nd gen, round headlight Monte Carlo with a 454 but, even then, it’d have to be in great shape at a low price.
I’d guess the same goes for a Cordoba with the earlier, better-looking round-headlight cars going for more than the later, much less attractive stacked rectangular headlight cars.
Probably the peak would be a nice Grand Prix. Pontiac still had some decent mojo left in the seventies and they wisely put the rectangular headlights in a horizontal plane than the lame-ass stacked versions of other manufacturers.
As I had a 77 Monte Carlo, the last year for the big ones, I too see the resemblance in this car to the previous gen MCs. Stacked headlights? Check. Half roof in vinyl? Check. Even the treatment of the rear is so similar.
That said, those PLCs were great cars in the day. They conveyed luxury, but not the stuffiness of the current luxury models preferred by more mature customers (like Continentals, TCs, and DeVilles) on a more affordable budget. Given how nice this Cordoba was, it is a shame that it was not more desired.
I think if it weren’t for smog equipment the 70s PLCs would be more fondly remembered than they are today, and more sought after. It’s the memories of many that recall them as the image of declining performance and drivability, if not outright blamed for killing off the muscle car (I personally believe the PLC style was inevitable, with or without environmental/insurance reasons choking out high performance drivetrains. IOW there would have been supercar PLCs without these factors.).
I agree that the Grand Prix came out the best. Even when I was put off by 70s PLCs when I was younger, I thought the 1977 Grand Prix was really good looking. Pontiac in general handled the switch to rectangular headlights better than anyone come to think of it, the 77 Firebird was perfection, and the 76 LeMans looked great as well
I think the issue is pretty simple in that I’m not sure even the most desirable PLCs are anywhere near the value of other classic vehicles. Maybe it’s that there aren’t any low volume versions. Take, for example, one of the most coveted: the 1963 Buick Rivera. Are they valuable? Sure, but there aren’t any particularly low-volume, rare versions going for über-money at auction. If most people can afford to get into one of the most desirable PLCs ever made, no wonder the low-point PLCs of the late seventies, even those in superb shape, don’t have many takers (at any price).
Ironically, a car that’s not technically listed as a PLC but has virtually all of the same attributes is the Chrysler letter-series 300. It was a high-dollar luxury cruiser with special high-performance engines and is often referred to as one of the first musclecars but it seems more like a PLC (to me, anyway). I could even believe that it was the 300 letter-series that inspired Ford to create what is generally regarded as the first PLC: the 1958 Thunderbird.
And, they’re definitely worth serious money, as well, at least the cars built prior to Chrysler offering a 300 series that was nothing but the 300 ‘look’ with standard Chrysler drivetrains.
Chrysler was the first to make a mainstream electronic ignition, introduced in 1972. This system eliminated breaker points, and but still used mechanical and vacuum advance. The lean burn systems were also ahead of there time, using an electronic spark control system, but monitoring the engine with a number of different sensors. Putting the spark control computer in the air cleaner wasn’t the best idea. Early electronics were especially susceptible to heat and vibration and the lean burn had a reputation for poor reliability (although some was caused by technicians lack of knowledge).
Years later GM had their CCC system which incorporated ESC, the ECM was located in the passenger compartment (although the ESC module was underhood, it was located away from the engine). In any case, you can replace the lean burn system with a breakerless electronic system.
I worked as a tune-up tech in 1980. I think I still have my brass feeler gauges for the early Chrysler electronic ignition systems. As you said, they didn’t use points, but there was an adjustable gap regarding the magnetic pickup. The term “reluctor” comes to mind.
In the ’70s and ’80s, car nerds here enjoyed listening to The Automotive Hotline on AM radio on Saturday afternoons, wherein folks would phone in to have their car problems solved over the air by master mechanic Sid Minuk.
Sid said that Chysler’s problematic Lean Burn system worked much better if one relocated the “brain” from the air-cleaner housing to the firewall in summer, and back to the air-cleaner housing for winter.
It sounds like the electrical components worked fairly well within a certain temperature range; right over the engine was too hot in the summer, but good in our cold winters, and the firewall was sufficiently cool in the summer but too cool in the winter.
It’s funny that only recently I have begun to see the connection in appearance between the Cordoba and the GM personal luxo coupes from the 1970s. It’s very apparent in the last photo, you can “see” a 1970s Monte Carlo, Regal, or Cutlass Supreme in the design.
It seems Chrysler was a follower in design sometimes.
Glad Rick was able to enjoy his Cordoba for so many years. I was surprised back in ’78 when my dad’s new Aspen came with black seat belts. More surprised they don’t appear to have been color-keyed in the ‘Dobas either.
Of the personal luxury coupes for sale at the end of the 70s the Chrysler products were the least popular. The Thunderbird outsold the Cordoba by 2 to 1, and the (ugly) downsized Monte Carlo outsold it 3 to 1, so I have to say that I agree: the interest will never be there.
That said, I always think that it is a shame when any car someone has cared for so lovingly just languishes for years without ever finding another caring owner.
I can see this lovely car, had it been sold in the ‘states, being the recipient of 26 inch wheels/tires, and a very unflattering paint color…say, pond scum green?
It’s a shame you weren’t able to make a profit off the transaction. But you did save the car from the crusher. I see that as a good deed.
I have a similar story. Purchased a Well Kept 1975 Lincoln Mark IV. All running condition. Great paint. Second owner. I had a quarter panel painted and thought I could make a few bucks. I had 1200 into a running driving inspected classic car and I tried for almost a year to get 2000 bucks for it. I barely had any bites. I tried to offload it to a classic car dealer and he laughed and said he doesn’t but those anymore because nobody wants a 1970’s personal luxery car. After a little over a year I found a taker for “you guessed it.” $1200 bucks. I liked the car bit my wife hated it so I couldn’t even keep it. Lesson learned…
Its sad. But funny thing is that here in Germany I was looking at a good one. The dealer wanted over 12,500 $ for it. So here these cars are pretty expensive.
There’s something so tragic about cars like these that have been so lovingly preserved, yet get priced well into disposable beater market bracket due to lack of interest. PLCs are big sufferers of this, and it’s not that I’m surprised about it, but it does go to show how much more nostalgia is about fashion than personal memories of a time when it comes to the collector car market. The original owner of this Cordoba had a personal attachment to it and the memories from when he bought it new, your average bidder for a 68-70 Charger though? No. They were infants at best in 68-70, and many others born well after(20 years after in my case, I want one if I could afford one!).
Personally it took me until very recently to start appreciating the Cordoba, or any 1975+ Chrysler’s for that matter, but maybe it’s that they’re well within my price range today and I’ve got an itch to get an old mopar, or maybe it’s my frequent readership of CC that has skewed my tastes, but I could see myself with one of these. Mind you, it wouldn’t be stock, it would have desmogged 440 power and rally wheels in no time, and I’d also prefer the Cordoba’s less successful twin, the Charger due to it’s better looking(to me) grille and taillights, as well as for the obscurity factor.
I have to agree with another comment that the round headlight version is more appealing, and in fact may be an easier sell sell on th market since that’s the iconic Cordoba face attached to the Ricardo Montalban Corinthian leather ads. The stacked headlights look dreary and sad in comparison(as all stacked rectangular headlights do), it actually looks like someone’s face would look after having a surprise success after near failure, and after a brief basking in glory, immediately get shown up by somebody else at your own game(77 Tbird).
While I’m not a fan of green cars, that’s a beautiful Cordoba!
BTW, the CC effect seems to apply to Craigslist as well- Just yesterday, I ran a local Craigslist search for 1974-1982 cars under $5,000.
Sure enough, the LA area has 3 or 4 Cordobas and a Dodge Magnum available for purchase. While most of them are very worn out,at least one presented very nicely, and could make a nice weekend driver.
It’s amazing to think that big block Mopars from the late sixties are trading above $25,000, while these very nice cars go begging.
Great story, Garry – well told. Kind of bittersweet, actually. That moment when Rick watch the car go away…
I’ll echo some of the other commenters, that it seems like such a shame that such a nice, well-preserved car like this one would languish on the lots. I really hope whoever ended up purchasing it recognized it as something special and kept it as pristine as it looks in these pictures.
One more detail I noticed, that I don’t recall having noticed before: the green / matching rubber bumper rub strips! Maybe this was to make up for the black / nonmatching seatbelts.
I told Marty I would give Rick a ride in his car when it was cleaned up and road worthy. When I called Marty three weeks later, he passed on the idea saying Rick just couldn’t bring himself to sit as a passenger.
Beautiful car in an absolutely stunning color, and I’m glad you put in the time to get such an excellent vehicle back in roadworthy shape. It’s unfortunate that you didn’t turn a profit for all your labors, but at least you did a good deed for collector-cardom as a whole. Plus, bittersweet though it may have been for Rick, at least he knew his beloved car was still on the road rather than scrapped.
For those who commented about the black seat belts, I wonder if the cloth upholstery and the black seat belts are an indication that this car was ordered without some sort of optional interior package? Ford and GM were very good at steering customers to (slightly) higher priced cars by making “color keyed” bits and pieces inside and outside of the car, optional. That seat upholstery, in particular, looks like something you would find in a mid level Volare/Aspen.
A quick check in the brochure for 1978 indicates that color-keyed seat belts were an option. Also this seat fabric (“patterned” velour) was optional, so the middle step between the standard “ribbed” velour and the Corinthian Leather. You wonder why Chrysler did not offer standard color-keyed seatbelts in the Cordoba. I doubt that black belts were standard in the Thunderbird/Cougar or the MC/GP/Cutlass Supreme/Regal.
I have a ’77 Grand Prix Model J with a red bench seat standard interior and the seat belts are black. I do remember seeing upmarket SJs and LJs with color-keyed belts though
First, in my opinion, the earlier round head light version is much more attractive in looks. Two, despite Ricardo, this car is not as well known in the personal luxury field as other competitors. That is outside Mopar fans.
Now being Canada the third point has little bearing like it does in California. That being so many 1975-85 cars were boring or over wrought, anemic, poor reliability, and with smog equipment that was primitive at best. In California that car has to be smogged. Ugh, which is why I shy away from those 1976-85 cars. I’m sure many others do and those that don’t realize it after buying the car.
I wouldn’t have paid much for that car myself and do have experience with the 1977 version. Very few buyers out there for that car just like for the over wrought 1978 Thunderbird/Cougar. You were lucky to get most of your money back as that was not a car one is going to profit on. Just like a house, where you remodel your bathroom, and don’t get full dollar back as compared to maybe the kitchen.
The reaction of the original owner is what I would have expected. In the 1800’s your horse was most important and then it moved to your car. My father stopped driving and he had a immaculate 41,000 2004 LeSabre in burgundy and it was his baby. He wanted to sell it to get money for his future funeral service. My wife, who at shows likes my cars, and who at home says I have too many and should get rid of some, was interested. My Dad diverted her attention because he knew she is an absolute slob with a car. You be surprised all the places you can stuff things in.He quietly sold it to me, she doesn’t know, and made me promise she can’t use it as her DD car.
FWIW, there is one good 1978 stacked rectangular headlight Cordoba, and that’s the 300. That one might command a lot more respect (and money) than a run-of-the-mill Cordoba, even one as nice as the feature car.
As to the PLC’s demise, it’s a real shame the non-downsized 1979 Cordoba/Mirada came out at the end of the brougham-era (and the beginning of the fuel-efficient downsized GM PLCs). The Mirada/Cordoba was a decent looking car, but came during the darkest days of Chrysler’s history. Besides questionable quality (even for Chrysler), most consumers by that time viewed Chrysler as ‘dead company walking’ and, like Studebaker’s final days, the only people remaining who would buy a Chrysler product in the late seventies were the never-say-die faithful few. Everyone else had long since moved on to GM or Ford or (most likely) to the new found quality of Japanese products.
Even though these are NOT the most desirable 70’s cars to most people (me included), a well cared for and well preserved example like this one must SURELY be wanted by someone, somewhere.
Kudos to you, Garrym, for saving it from a horrific end at a wrecking yard. Although I have to think that someone THERE might have saved it, too.
Hmmm, maybe I should keep my eyes out for one of these….
Speaking from experience, it is going to take a long time to find the right buyer for such a car. This is because most folks don’t have the space, money or time to deal with it. Those who do tend to look for Holy Grail stuff, like Chevelles and Mustangs. Just the V-8 would scare off most buyers.
What is this worth? Well, about C$3000. Factor in at least $2000 to get it running. Collector insurance is pittance. If you have the space, patience and cash, it could be a fun toy.
I wonder how many of these nice old cars like this (or ones like mine, which was also taken out of a garage), are scrapped or derbied in situations like the one in your case; i.e. the owner is in no shape to sell it, a retainer or sibling handles the sale and, not really understanding or caring about the car, finds a “quick” solution and the car is destroyed. It’s a sobering thought for those of us who like them…this one never even would have gone up for sale if you’d not offered to buy it since the brother never had it appraised. Scary.
I’m glad you brought it back to life. Very pretty car.
Myself, I have a nostalgic hankering for an M-Body LeBaron coupe of the same year, but just try finding one of those! Totally extinct because most of them were quality disasters.
Cordobas came out of Windsor and the general consensus is that Canadian plants had the best QC. Combine that with the fact the Chrysler always did proportionately better
(vs pop) in Canada than the US at this time makes it no surprise that such a find would turn up there.
I am astonished this went for so little. Out here in NZ this would be a desirable and valuable car, and in that condition and with the mileage and provenance this one had would likely fetch $15-20K, quite possibly more
For comparison this tidy one is asking $19K
https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/chrysler/auction-1580013454.htm?rsqid=6387c87da98442778457a3b0a2f98b88
And an absolutely rotted out one that isnt even running is asking $5K
https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/chrysler/auction-1583717433.htm?rsqid=6387c87da98442778457a3b0a2f98b88
Great story, and I am glad you saved the old car. It’s too bad you weren’t able to make any money on it, but these 1970’s cars, especially the late 70’s cars, really have very little interest or value. Sure there are some cars out there, like the F-bodies, Corvettes and the Malibu 2-doors that have some value and desirability, but not much for these cars. Even late 70s B-bodies, as much as they are revered here, have very little value. When it come so 70’s personal cars, the Monte Carlo’s and T-birds are very fondly remembered around here, but even they still have little value.
There was a local ’78 Cordoba in great shape that sat for over a year and didn’t sell. I saw it the next spring again sitting on the guys front lawn. Same with a mint original ’75 Charger. Just couldn’t sell the thing, and when it was parked at cruise nights no one gave them any interest. When people want an old car, they generally seem to gravitate car that are remembered for their performance or styling. Neither of these things are common in late 70’s cars.
In the end I am glad this car was saved. I hope that it gets purchased by someone who will look after it and it sees many more years of service. It’s too bad, that in many ways these cars are easier to live with then something for the 1960’s. Unfortunately, the rudimentary fuel, ignition and emission systems scare many people off, particularly since most mechanics today don’t even know how to service them. That said, it doesn’t take much work to modernize and simplify them to make them reliable (if legal to do so).
a recirculating ball steering gear is either sloppy or seized up.
Thanks for sharing the story Garry, and glad the car will get another life.
Value is interesting, surely there must be some Mopar enthusiasts who would like a nice cheap but interesting classic cruiser, or someone who wants a nice old car without anything particular in mind. I expect there are a lot of people who have a 60s car in mind but should be open to an absolute time capsule like this. Perhaps a trip to one of the big US Chrysler shows would have seen it sold; then again more time/expense on your part with no guarantee.
Thank you for recycling this posting from 2018. Cordobas are worth more in the minds of Boomers than they are with younger generations. There was a big attraction for them when they first showed up. It was cool that Chrysler, known for big cars, was offering a PLC with Jaguar headlights. It just worked for a few years at a time when Chrysler couldn’t sell anything. Cordoba saved Chrysler.
Today – yeah – we look at these cars and wonder, what’s the fuss about? These Chrysler PLCs and Brougham rides seem a bit off when compared to Monte Carlo, Lincoln, and Cutlass.
I had the identical 1977 model…just a slightly different pattern in the velour. It was the only new Chrysler product I ever owned and I miss it.
Interesting to look back at my story and think about what has changed since then.
The economy is doing okay, values on collector vehicles are holding steady and interest in big bumper cars is up. The Cordoba could have been sold for a higher price in 2024. Oh well…
The next time something like this happens, look east, , not far, just towards Ardrossan. That’s the home of Cold War Motors YouTube Channel. One of Scott’s cohorts had a feature on a mint blue Cordoba he had picked up. If one of these guys isn’t interested I’ll bet they know somebody who is.
This story contains a lot of truths about old cars. First, is that there are still immaculate, old cars sitting in secure weatherproof storage, that will come on the market occasionally. While this car needed to be re-commissioned, it did not need to be repainted, reupholstered, or to have the engine rebuilt. Very major expenses.
Many people think that any old car “is worth a lot of money.” That is usually only true of certain desirable models in certain body styles. For the most part, common older cars are only worth a lot to the seller, when you are the buyer! They are worth very little when you are the seller. It seems that you can’t find a car when you are looking for one, but you can’t find a buyer when you’re trying to sell one!
Another major point is that getting into a non running vehicle will cost you more than you had anticipated, as there will always be unforeseen costs. It’s difficult to evaluate a vehicle that isn’t driveable.
I’d have to disagree with Capt. Kirk, Space isn’t the final frontier, it’s the primary frontier, At least for the car guy, Where can you keep your new purchase?
You can be the guy that learns to eventually love the car that they found, which was a good deal in good shape, even if it wasn’t their first choice. Or, you can be the guy that holds out for what they really want. Either way, it’s going to cost you.
I don’t want anyone to think that I’m down on the old car hobby, I’ve currently got four hobby cars. I’ve won and lost in the old car game, mostly lost, but it’s still fun.
I’m not a Mopar fan, but I bet that I could have learned to love that green Cordoba.