In the automotive world, the plain jane American full-size, rear-wheel, V8-powered sedan might as well be as basic as a cup of black coffee. While hardly popular anymore, these were the cars that built American car brands for most of the 20th century, much like black coffee did for coffee chains such as Dunkin’ and Starbucks.
As we all know now, however, coffee shops have become very clever at milking us out of way more than just a simple cup of black coffee, luring us with pricey extras like steamed milk here, flavored syrups there, and even whipped cream and sprinkles. This same approach fairly accurately describes Chrysler’s strategy with the 1982-1989 Fifth Avenue. After all, who doesn’t like sprinkles?
Our featured car’s black coffee origins can be traced back to 1976, with the introduction of the then-new F-body Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré. Although these theoretically-advanced replacements for the venerable Dart and Valiant soon proved themselves as lambasted quality nightmares, nevertheless, Chrysler persisted, following with upmarket variants designated the M-body in 1977. Initially sold as the Chrysler LeBaron and Dodge Diplomat, these “senior” midsize cars shared nearly all of the F-body’s mechanical underpinnings, its wheelbase, its roofline, its doors, and its dashboard, among other traits. Where the M-body predominately differed was in its more formal and emphatic front and rear styling, and its more luxurious accoutrements, allowing Chrysler to charge significantly more — think of it as adding vanilla cold foam to your iced coffee.
Things got extra interesting as the next few years panned out. A second energy crisis in 1979 combined with ensuing economic recession hit full-size car sales especially hard, and the full-size car’s days appeared grimly numbered. While Ford and GM scurried, further downsizing their full-size offerings, shuffling nameplates to existing smaller models, and introducing new midsize vehicles meant to take their place, an especially cash- and capital-strapped Chrysler axed its full-size R-bodies altogether in 1981.
This left the midsize M-body as their largest and only remaining rear-wheel drive sedans, and thus, the automaker’s de facto flagship, which Chrysler now called “New Yorker” and marketed as “full-size”. Shuffling the name, positioning, and luxuries of its flagship down to the smaller car, it would be like Starbucks discontinuing its 20-ounce Venti and moving the name to its 16-ounce Grande, yet claiming the caffeine content was still the same as before and charging more for it. Confusing, huh?
In truth, Chrysler did its best to make the 1982 M-body New Yorker’s image and caffeine, er luxury, content the same as it was in the 1981 R-body. Besides a mild restyle, numerous standard features and plenty of extra ornamentation were added to what was previously known as the LeBaron, plus available options like the Fifth Avenue Edition package that added button-tufted loose-pillow seats with available Corinthian leather. Chrysler did some more of the name reshuffling game with the advent of its midsize E-body New Yorker. All 1983 M-bodies were now called New Yorker Fifth Avenue Edition, though by the following year the car was simply called “Fifth Avenue”.
For the remainder of the M-body Fifth Avenue’s life, through 1989, Chrysler enjoyed surprisingly strong sales as a result of subsiding oil prices and a resurgence in demand for traditional full-size cars. Chrysler marketing would play heavily into the Fifth Avenue’s “traditional” qualities, as well as its value for having so many standard luxury features — features Chrysler could afford to include because the M-body’s tooling had been amortized to make for a hefty profit margin on the Fifth Avenue.
From where it all started back with the cheap cup of drip black coffee Volaré and Aspen, Chrysler bedizened it to the far pricey Blonde Cocoa Cloud Caramel Macchiato (an actual drink from Starbucks’ menu) with 1 pump toffee nut syrup and caramel + mocha drizzle swirls Fifth Avenue, and it worked… spectacularly, from a bean-counter’s prospective. First year sales of this “new” New Yorker 1982 was more than the 1981 LeBaron, Newport, and New Yorker combined, and by 1983, the New Yorker Fifth Avenue Edition became the Chrysler division’s best-selling model, a title it would also claim in 1985 and 1986. When you consider the fact that the Fifth Avenue was only available in a single body style and single trim level, it technically was Chrysler’s most popular model consecutively from 1983 through 1987, upon which the C-body New Yorker Landau surpassed it in 1988 — a feat all the more impressive considering it was the division’s oldest model by a significant amount. Talk about making milk money.
Photographed in Hanson, Massachusetts – September 2019
Note: a rerun of an older post.
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I was replacing the power window motor on one of these years ago.
Got the door panel off and motor out, and there was a familiar, embossed logo on it’s housing.
CPDD.
They were still using those motor housings 30 years later…
Were all those squad cars the reason for some of the heavy sales?
Not counted on the graphic. That’s Chrysler brand cars alone, those were all Dodge Diplomats and Plymouth Gran Furys.
As such they were likely outsold by both the basic K and the L body offerings of those divisions, to say nothing of the minivans.
All that Chrysler had in those years were K-car and Aspin/Volarie derivatives. But remember ..it was Mike’s car of choice in ‘Breaking Bad.’
It’s hard to see a Fifth Avenue and not think of Mike.
I can still smell those leather seats
Among my numerous upscale cars, I had 83 and 85 Fifth Avenues, which easily compared favorably with Fleetwoods and Town Cars. IMO these were the BEST and unfortunately last Chryslers.
All that Chrysler had in those years were K-car and Aspin/Volarie derivatives. But remember ..it was Mike’s car of choice in ‘Breaking Bad.’
If only there was a 360 in that New Yorker it would be worth it. You are right about the inside luxury. Very comfortable.
My dad replaced his 1977 Olds Regency 98 Coupe with a 1984 Fifth Avenue (I got the Olds out of the deal so win for me). Anyway, the Fifth Ave was fully loaded and seemed more luxurious than the Olds but it was terribly slow and probably had the numbest steering feel ever 😑
In December of 84 Cindy and I needed a rental for a few days during our honeymoon in Sanibel Island. We went to the local Budget location at the airport where they had so many of these! They had then parked in grass fields, all over the parking lot-I mean 100’s!
Anyway the deal was $23.99 daily, any color. So we chose a dark red over red leather. A slow car, but it seemed to be put together reasonably well.
Until we started over to the island. Crossing the bridge, it began to sputter and blow black smoke. And it only had 42 miles! So we returned to Budget. They were very nice and we traded for a new Town Car. When we went out, a nice young man opened Cindy’s door, then asked what issues I’d had with the Chrysler. When I told him, he said that they most not have gotten to that one yet. He said that had to adjust every units carburetor! And, as we were leaving, two more truck loads showed up!
I liked the 5th Avenue, but never would own one.
The pictured car was in impressively good shape, with its Gunmetal Blue Crystal Coat hanging in there—hopefully it’s still with us.
You have to admire Chrysler’s ability to keep selling the basic 1977 LeBaron sedan for 13 model years. However, the 1983 New Yorker Fifth Avenue naming was borderline psychotic and must have confused many of Chrysler’s customers.
Until just a few years ago, there were a couple of these cars visible on the streets in Old City Philadelphia, but now it seems they’ve finally disappeared.
I was always a bit surprised by how successful these were. It always seemed to me that they were too much like the Chrysler LeBaron and Chrysler LeBaron Fifth Avenue that they were based on. A lot like the Lincoln Versailles.
Far from the best Chrysler, even the R bodies were far better, and those paled in the light of the last (’76-78) NYer Broughams. The mid ’80s Fifth Aves were mere pretenders to the throne, all that Chrysler had left in their desperate attempt to aspire to the diminished 1983 luxury market, a car whose progenitor was born as a humble economy model, being merely a gussied up Aspen that fooled no one who’d had the real thing, a car which was begotten from the humble Valiant. So continuing the hot drink analogy, it’s ancestor was actually instant Maxwell, the C body full size basic sedan being the fresh-brewed black variety (my choice since college 55 yrs ago), and the poor 5th Ave an Aspen in drag was, at best, Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Spice!
These were very profitable for Chrysler. Their siblings Plymouth Gran Fury and Dodge Diplomat were “America’s Police Cars in the 1980s based on the standard “Qualify, then low bid” policy of most police agencies including the California Highway Patrol. Chrysler could afford to low bid on those sales because of their high profits on the Fifth Avenue. But by the end of the M-body in 1989, Ford and especially Chevrolet squads were becoming superior as Chrysler did not put development and engineering money into the M-body cars, by then on a 23 year old platform.
Imagine what if Chrysler had put some development on the M-body cars just like Ford did with the Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car in the early 1990s?
I was a big fan of these- smaller than the Lincoln and Cadillac offerings, but with a great cabin. A floaty suspension that should have been tauter, 318 power that should have had EFI, and the always great TorqueFlite. A real road trip car.
Chrysler was going to expand the “81-“83 Imperial Fuel Injection System to their other rear drive offerings,but it proved unreliable and troublesome and they quietly dropped it from being produced……But a few M body prototypes with EFI were built as test mules.
These M bodies were a better car than the R bodies they replaced…And were “right sized” for the market…..One of the times where Chrysler actually had something that sold good….Continuous improvement year after year helped out…And galvanized sheet metal means a few are still daily drivers some 36 years later….As I just replaced a steering gear in one a few months ago….My father has three M body 5th Aves at his beck and call…..One for winter and the other two for summer cruising….These 5th Aves roll like a Sherman tank with a set of real snow tires on them….Sure they aren’t a Letter Car 300,but anytime I hear a gear reduction starter cranking I think of how life was much simpler in years gone by.
I’ve had several of these in the past and have always enjoyed driving them, especially on the interstate. I had an 88, 86, 87, and 82 between the 1998 and 2006 years and always wondered how one would perform using fuel injection over the lean burn carburetor. I bought another 88 model in 2020 and had it converted to throttle body efi last year, as well as a differential upgrade and gearing with a 3.21 ratio. The old car now feels like it’s driving on all 8 cylinders and is a pleasure to drive. While a new paint job and vinyl top are in the near future plans, I’m also considering a transmission upgrade to an overdrive unit, be it a 42 or 46rh.
As Chrysler shifted its modern assembly plants to produce front drive models, they subcontracted M-body assembly to AMC’s Kenosha factory. After the US auto industry evolved into the Big 3, this was perhaps one of the 1st examples of final assembly being contracted out from one US manufacturer to another. When Chrysler bought AMC, they continued the Kenosha M-body assembly.
Under a succession of 4 different owners, Kenosha had been producing autos since 1902. It was one of the first unionized US auto plant. It was a union shop before the United Auto Worker’s Union even existed. At the time of the 1988 closure, the Chrysler M-body was the plant’s only product. 86 years of production from Ramblers to Chryslers.
Those final M’s were good cars with most design bugs worked out by the end of production. My opinion might be colored by home state boosterism, but mechanics I knew considered those Kenosha M-bodies to be quite well put together.
Perhaps fitting Kenosha assembly and the M-body died together.
I can see how these cars were popular, they looked like what aging Boomers would consider to be traditional, upscale, luxurious, and handsome. They were a lot like the original Cadillac Seville. They were priced just right for the working guy to buy to reward themselves upon their retirement.
I got to drive these quite a bit in their Diplomat guise. Not a bad handling and driving car, but a bit tight inside. I know that a lot of younger guys would laugh at my generation’s love of the baroque, broghammy, nature of these kinds of cars, but believe me, as you get older, you’ll probably grow to appreciate a dignified, quiet, smooth, luxury car. This would be a perfect car to load up with my Rat Pack CDs and glide down the road with those fabulous songs filling the interior. Plenty of room for great memories to ride along!