“Parthenon” grille.
Unlikely cars pop up in unlikely places. When was the last time you saw an early ’80s Cordoba–and in such cream puff condition? It’s for sale just down the road from me.
There it sits–glowing–painted a shade of yellow tan that probably had a romantic name like “Burnished Castilian Gold Crystal Coat”. Cordobas are all about Romanticism. When you have a spokesman like Ricardo Montalban dressed in a white suit with wide lapels, cooing about “rich Corinthian leather” in an old world Spanish accent while soft guitar music plays–how could it be otherwise?
Compared to the bulbous, rather anonymous vehicle shapes in the background, this Cordoba is dripping with character! It has what I call “jewel box beauty”–a phrase I lifted from a Packard brochure. In my parlance it means a car, somewhat smaller in size, selling as a “luxury” product, which is heavy on ornamentation–either finely crafted or having the appearance of being such. Think lots of chrome, soft leather or lush fabric, wood trim (real or imitation), crystal hood ornaments and appliqués, and neoclassical design cues throughout. The car seems “special” and “custom” and you feel rich and comfortable driving it. Certain of the smaller Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Chryslers from the ’80s & early ’90s have this unique quality. Jaguars excel in jewel box beauty!
Wyatt Earp’s grandson started an auto dealership in Omaha (maybe not). How did this car get from Nebraska to New Jersey?
Interior looks appropriately sumptuous. Not sure if that’s the famous leather or vinyl.
Brochure image of the interior, shown with cloth seats. That’s Carpathian burled elm on the dash if I’m not mistaken. Jewel box beauty indeed!
I’m not a big fan of these imitation convertible “carriage tops”, but this one looks good and goes well with the character of the car.
Beautiful wide (but not too wide) whitewall tires. Wire spoke wheelcovers have a center hub with a raised hexagon reminiscent of classic Packards.
I don’t know what “Master Shield Protection” is, but it’s doing its job well on this car!
So there it is–a minty-fresh survivor from 1983, still looking great in 2024. We can call this “the last Cordoba”. This was the nameplate’s final year–only 13,000 were built, compared with 59,000 in 1980. CC opinions on the 2nd generation Cordoba are very mixed–some people hate it, while others like it. Not a lot of middle ground. I’m in the “It’s pretty nice” camp. It all comes down to taste, which I’m told there’s no accounting for. Compared to the 1975-79 Cordobas, I prefer the 80-83s’ chiseled styling, smaller size, and greater efficiency. I also would pick a Cordoba over the rather strange looking and overly-complex Imperial.
That price though. Twenty years ago, this was “budget transportation” purchased from Grandma. Now we’re at twelve grand? Maybe it’s worth that much–I don’t know. It would certainly be hard to find another like it. But how much demand is there for something like this?
Subject to inspection and appraisal, this could be an interesting opportunity. It would be a nice car for me, but I don’t feel like blowing $12,500 on a pure extravagance. Also with that faultless but delicate carriage roof, I would think a garage is a must. If it has a slant six and torsion bar suspension like my ’60 Dodge Dart (with later refinements), I predict it will drive like a dream. A somewhat more powerful 318 V-8 was also available. Not all that fast with either engine, but this car is for unhurried, elegant cruising and looking sharp while doing it. And you will look sharper now than you would 40 years ago because this car so distinctly stands out from all the SUV blobs that surround you. Nestled in soft upholstery, looking out over that pre-war style hood and crystalline Pentastar grille ornament, one experiences (or re-experiences) the 1980s spirit of neoclassical elegance. Cool!
Uh-oh! This is what J.D. Power says:
I think J.D.’s numbers are low. But even if we take the High Retail number and double it . . .
See also:
Cohort Capsule: 1980-83 Chrysler Cordoba–We Don’t Like What They’ve Done To Our Car
Count me as a fan of these. I always thought they should have sold better than they did, especially in their last year when things were really looking up in the economy and at Chrysler. But then again, the new Thunderbird came out and made this car’s chiseled styling seem old fashioned. And according to the brochure, the color was called Beige Crystal Coat – a surprisingly nondescript name.
This is one of very few cars that look good with that fake convertible top. But I am with you – that price is from fantasyland. IMHO this one might reasonably be worth $7500 if it drives as nice as it looks and has working air. But I only go that high because everything else seems surprisingly expensive these days.
So, I guess the answer is “No.”. Which doesn’t really surprise me personally as I’m much more a fan of the first generation Cordoba. That’s the model I’ll always associate with “R C L” and Mr. Roarke/KAHHHN! This second generation just seemed like any other meh sedan of the early 1980s. This one’s rendering in Chrysler Tan doesn’t help much.
That said, this one does seem to be in good shape for its age. While the seller will never get $12,500 for it I do hope that it’s sold to someone who appreciates it, keeps it shiny, and regularly feeds the herd of cows (maybe that’s the Omaha connection?) that gave their lives for that front seat.
12,500 is too much for me.
For me, no American car from the 80s can be worth more than 10,000, much less a Chrysler Cordoba.
Geez, that is a nice car! And a better looking body and proportions than the Imperial. But those humdrum Average Motors headlights gotta go!
Move the turn indicators to the bumper and slap a Cordoba medallion on the headlight covers, and you may have a winner on your hands.
Better yet, just put the Chrysler script on the right hand cover and nothing on the left cover. A bit more classy.
Yes, this! Those single headlamps that are too small for the space they’re in, especially on the 1980 model with the louvered parking/indicator lamps, is this car’s only styling flaw. Otherwise, I always think, Chrysler did a much better job downsizing the Continental Mark V than Lincoln did. Interior very nice too, at least in top-line trim.
A different look than the first gen but still elegant. The car was let down though by the antiquated suspension from the which didn’t ride very smoothly.
Sorry, No Sale! Besides the price, this IMO is far removed from the Neo classic original Cordoba. The color and the faux convertible top add to the reasons I would kick this to the curb. My former 83 and 85 Fifth Avenues were so much better in Every way.
Good ‘ole Chrysler bad timing. The Cordoba/Mirada should have cleaned up relative to the downsized GM and Ford PLCs. But the historically high oil prices of the time just killed them. The GM and Ford products might have been lacking in some key aspects (mainly just appearance), but their better fuel economy (even if it was only marginal) meant Personal Luxury Car shoppers would buy one of the competitors before the Chrysler.
Add in Chrysler’s poor quality and tenuous survival (no one yet knew if the Iacocca gambit was going to pay off) meant potential customers would stay away in droves.
And, honestly, I don’t see the polarization of them, either. I thought they were okay, depending on the model, and was more partial to the ersatz Cord-type grille of the Dodge Mirada, particularly the rare 1980 CMX with the 360 engine. I certainly liked the front end much better than the passé gimmick of those awful stacked rectangular headlights on the previous car.
I even thought they looked better than the much more pricey (and trouble prone) Imperial coupe.
The Mustang II marketed itself as being “small, but with jewel-like quality” so I see the term applying. I wouldn’t spend 12.5k either.
You know it’s a fancy car when it features a centre – not center! – armrest.
Craigslist ad: More description, better pictures:
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/denville-1983-chrysler-cordoba-low-miles/7801638017.html
Thank you for the link with additional pictures.
This Cordoba is a better Lincoln Mark VI than what Lincoln produced. There is some obvious Mark V influence going on here. This particular example isn’t my thing (bad color, horrible canvas top, although both are subjective) despite my really liking these cars.
A number of years ago when the two Jim’s and I hosted a CC Meet-Up in the St. Louis area, we encountered a gray ’83 Cordoba for sale at Country Classic Cars. It was also low mileage and it was stunning without that horrific roof treatment.
As to the price on this one – it’s stupidly optimistic.
I like these as I like most early mid-80s rwd, size-reduced cars with knife edge styling. The lack of a V8 though is a deal killer for me.
A Malaise Era slant six? Got to be a total slug.
Believe this one is a V8 though.
My grandfather had one of these, white with a blue fake conv. top and interior.
I always thought it was strange that even though after he retired from the GM Proving Ground, he preferred Chrysler products – maybe he knew something?
This may be the best condition example around, of one of a few in the country like it. There’s an old expression in the car collector game – by the best example you can afford.
That applies here. Good luck with your $4K example basket case. It’s not like you can rebuild one out of a catalog like a Mustang or Tri-Five Chevy.
If you were to go back in time, people who would say they would never pay more than a couple grand for a 69 Charger RT in 1980 – that’s just an old used car, plus gas is so expensive. No one would ever want that!! Same thing with Tri-Five Chevys in 1969 – most people thought of them as old beater cars. If you watch Bullitt, there is a 39 Packard parked on the street near his apartment, for example.
I think if you really like this, and I do, I would consider it. Again, restoring one of these will be an exercise in futility. This one you can drive and enjoy, with some replacement of rubber bits and fluids, etc likely a good idea.
Finally, this would be a car I would seriously check out at a car show. I am tired of rows of Mustangs, Camaros, and Chevelles that have $100K invested in a full restoration. Of course, don’t get me started on the endless new Mustangs, Challengers, Chargers, and Camaros that coagulate at car shows these days – I am all for a no-air bag car show requirement.
Thank you for all of this. I am sold on each and every idea you present here in argument of why this ’83 Cordoba would absolutely make sense for the asking price.
Add to this the somewhat murky future the Chrysler brand seems to have right now (in my mind, anyway) within the Stellantis portfolio, and suddenly this beautiful ’83 seems like a steal at that price for a fan of this make and model, which I am.
I will not bid as I have no garage, but I hope it goes to a great owner who knows what he or she now possesses.
On a weekend pass during training at Fort Knox, a group of us rented a car to drive into Louisville for entertainment. Said entertainment being anything that got us off base.
The rental we drew was a brand new 1980 Chrysler Cordoba with the “Super Six” version of the 225 \6. Super Six was Chrysler’s designation of an engine equipped with a 2 bbl carburetor instead of the standard 1 bbl. I assume the intent was to juice up the performance to a more suitable level.
No one expected a smog-choked 6 to offer much performance in a heavier car. What was expected was an engine that would stay running. That experience is the only reason I can remember a car rented for a single weekend some 45 years after the fact.
That dang Cordoba stalled whenever you put it in gear. The only way to get the car moving was to keep the rpms up and put it in gear with foot on the brake. When coming to a stop, you needed to keep revs up while stopped lest the engine die. After a through warm up of no less than 30 minutes, it would occasionally keep running at stops – or die. It was unpredictable. What was predictable was that it would die on any right turn while decelerating unless you executed the turn by keeping the revs up and using the brakes to control speed of the right turn. I suppose it is lucky the engine was so weak lest we otherwise overheat the brakes.
The car did accomplish its purpose of getting us a weekend away from Fort Knox, but it that is about the only good thing I can say about it. Its really something when a brand new car compares so unfavorably to the old $95 beater I was driving before entering the Army.
That 1983 looks like a nice survivor. Hopefully the engine issues were better sorted in the model years subsequent to 1980. Be a shame for such a well preserved survivor to still be cursed with the driving dynamics experienced with the weekend rental I once had.
A bunch of GIs, a weekend pass and a questionable car. What could possibly go wrong?
Hi all, you haven’t head for me for a while, maybe even a year? Anyway, this Cordoba isn’t even the Cordoba Ricardo Montalban spoke so highly about. This is just a dressed up Dodge Aspen underneath and heaven help us if it had that emission controlled sad slant 6 under the hood. The 318 is most likely the power plant with a 904 lockup Torqueflite behind. I must say that it looks nice, but the price would immediately turn me off. 2 to 3 thousand would be fair, but who can you find that is fair these days except maybe here?
It’s nice to be back and a special ‘HI’ to Daniel S. when you comment.
I feel that this price guide is accurate and maybe a little bit on the high side
Just looked at that after seeing this one’s price. This car isn’t a #1 by definition. The 40K miles puts it at a #2 which also look very darn good.I don’t know about back east but where I am I would see that decline. Every car, like that near me, has started high and ended up taking quite a haircut. I am watching a 83 BMW, low miles but not as low as this, get knocked down 25% from 6,500. No buyers yet after seven weeks.
I’d say go for it. Make an offer, as you never know. Many time people with cars like this one are fishing to see just how much they could get. If it isn’t sold within a few days, then that tells you it’s way too high. However, I’ve said it before and will continue to say it. A car is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. And, that is one very nice car!
I’ve always liked these 80-83’s and that silver one in the last picture would be the exact car I’d love. Much prefer that quarter top and opera lamps over the sim/con top.
Where else are you going to find one in this kind of condition that ticks all the (perhaps dubious in this case) boxes it presents?
Anything from the 1980s that you don’t see on every corner, looks very well preserved, hopefully runs, doesn’t need much if any fettling, and gives its owners their particular jollies is likely well worth a quarter of the average new car these days, KBB exists only for the corner dealer to screw someone on their trade-in, it outlives its usefulness/reality at the 10-year mark. The car is 41 years old and it seems to be a recent phenomenon that whatever advertised price one sees on any car (or anything for that matter), that somehow seems to be the set in stone price. I wouldn’t blink twice if this was a same year Supra, Mustang 5.0, probably even a Cressida or even a Thunderbird in this condition at this mileage, this price, and hopefully the owner history to back it all up. The 1980s are the new 1950s, dontchaknow? That’s the set of buyers inheriting the money from the people that used to bid up the 57 Chevys, 60s Impalas, and other stuff if they aren’t actively in the prime of their earning years with the nests starting to empty.
This is the perfect car for the seller to pay a little to advertise/sell on one or more of the popular internet car auction sites. It’s lost on Craigslist and sitting on the corner like this and will be unlikely to find its properly appreciative next owner. It’s completely not my cup of tea but I do get it.
I didn’t even know these existed. I thought the Cordoba died once the R-Bodies came out. Huh.
It’s not terrible-looking in a vacuum. The proportions are surprisingly tasteful and the front end is almost pretty. Very dated for 1983, though, and the detailing lets it down hard. The taillights are clumsy. The side indicators look completely tacked on and the chrome trim that starts from the front fender and comes crashing to a halt just before the rear bumper is terrible. Lincoln did the same thing and it looks awful there too.
Compared to the newly facelifted G-Bodies and the beautiful new T-Bird, it’s easy to see why these didn’t sell. It’s 70s car based on a 1960s chassis, built to the standard of a Moskvich. What a thing.
Oh, and hell no it’s not worth 12.5k lol.
Adam from RCC&AH must be already betting on it.
I think the big square dual headlights probably didn’t do these any favors for 1980, the 78 A bodies and Ford Fairmonts sported them when they were fresh and in vogue but by 1980 those A bodies got their one year wonder facelift with quads and the Fairmont adopted it’s Futura facia with quads in 81. By then the only cars that had the big duals were economy cars like the Omnis and Pintos and Escorts and the like, certainly not the company you’d associate a stylish PLC with.
And I’m in the I like these cars camp, I would pick one over a 78-80 A body in the looks department and definitely without question over the 80-82 Thunderbird and Cougar. However though the Cordoba’s front end looks like a 79-81 Mercury Bobcat with its tinsely grille and that lighting setup, I’m a much bigger fan of this design without the vinyl top and with the Dodge Mirada or better yet Cordoba LS crosshair grille
I liked this style of Cordoba, too. It was lithe and lean-looking. But near-luxury and personal coupes were headed in the opposite direction. Already, Chrysler had the recipe to build on the same F-body renamed-to-M platform, the Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue, which went with the Brougham trend to great and profitable success for several years to come. The Fifth Avenue’s success and high profits also subsidized Chrysler fleet business, allowing cars with the same body to effectively compete in the low-bid market with higher content than might have been otherwise. The much-maligned F-body proved itself to be a sound design, its first-year problems being related to being rushed to market and to iffy quality control. 1976 to 1989 was a good run, though not as long as the ancient Ford Falcon platform to the Lincoln Versailles.
I’ve seen this car at a couple of shows this year, it really is super clean and straight. Most of these I wouldn’t give a second look, but this car really catches your eye, really pretty example.
I see lots of comments on this car, so mine will be short. $12,500 is stretching it with the 318. With the slant 6, no way is it worth this kind of money. It is a nice looking car in either case. Not all old cars are worth a ton of money. Sorry!
I like this Cordoba very much, and it looks to be in great shape. I like the “jewel box” look and the fake convertible top fits the spirit of the car. About the price…
A popular, in demand car will bring a higher price, and will sell quicker. A car that is not as “appreciated” by enthusiasts will sell for less, and take a longer time to sell. Ultimately the market will determine the selling price. It really doesn’t matter what the original asking price is, if the seller wants /needs to sell the car, he will accept the best offer. With non popular cars there won’t be many, if any offers.
Advertising it at a higher price makes the point that this IS a nice car. It will attract a buyer that is interested in this specific model car, or just a higher quality hobby car. This is a car that doesn’t need to be restored, as it is in good original condition, with low mileage and hopefully the drivetrain will also be in good running condition.
Anyone that is experienced with older cars knows that it costs a lot of money to restore a car, even just to paint it and do some engine and transmission repairs. It will be cheaper to buy a good car, and in the long run the end product will be much more satisfying.
I have sold a lot of old cars, some were in good original condition, some were not, but ultimately I wanted them gone, and realistically I knew that there weren’t a lot of buyers banging on my door to see my cars.
If I really wanted this Cordoba, I’d check it out and make my realistic, respectful, offer. If the buyer declined, then I’d tell him to call me when he was willing to bargain a bit more. Of course, if I REALLY wanted the car, my original offer would be a lot closer to his asking price. My problem is that I really don’t want any specific car, so it always comes down to getting a good price.
Yet when I see an over priced car, such as this example, I do the opposite and decide not to even go look. If the price is unreasonable then why would I want to deal with the owner. That is my reaction and I know I am not the only who reacts that way.
For the most part I agree with you. But if there was ever a certain car that I really wanted, then I might check out the car, even if it was priced twice as much as I thought that it was worth. Oftentimes the seller really wants the car to go to someone that will appreciate it and take care of it. They may be willing to negotiate a lower price for the “right” buyer.
For that price, I wouldn’t settle in my search, for less than a Mirada CMX. Particularly, for the far more distinctive Cord grille. With the attractive road wheels, that looked great on these. An early one, with the 360. Would prefer the steel roof as well. That Cordoba nose, is near generic. Bright red would be my colour choice.
At the time, I found the Cordoba bland/conservative, compared to the Mirada. Primarily, because of the distinctive Mirada grille. The more upright nose on the Cordoba, was a turnoff. The nose, reminded me more of a Gran Fury, than a luxury coupe.
Close.
There was also the 1980-81 Cordoba LS which got a quasi-300, crosshair style grille. Like the CMX, I think the 360 was an option on the 1980 LS, too, but the take-rate was very low. The RPO E58 360 was gone after just one year.
So, it would be between the MIrada CMX and Cordoba LS, either with a 360, as the top choice for a 2nd gen J-body, even ahead of the more problematic Imperial.
A mix of the 2 ?
The carpathian burl printed plastic is a nice touch, my brother bought an earlier version with the used cow interior the Corinthians didnt want.
All you have to do to see if it is a V8 is look up under the car…If you see a “Y” pipe,it is a V8…If no Y pipe it’s a Slant 6….And for what it’s worth,those rear end body caps are made of rubber…Chrysler must’ve used the cheapest ingredients for this rubber as they deteriorate into dust….I’m surprised these are still intact…But if you look on top of the rear bumper they are starting to warp up and are getting disfigured….This also happened on the “80-“83 Dodge Mirada..The “80-“81 Cordoba with the chrome grille also had front corner end caps made out of this same cheap rubber but then Chrysler changed the entire front clip to a fiberglass unit in 1982-1983.But they still retained the cheap rubber rear end caps.It is only a matter of time before these end caps crack and splinter into a million pieces……Maybe it will happen when someone is waxing the car?..I’ve seen mint unrestored all original survivor 1980-1983 Cordoba/Miradas with absolutely mint untouched paint and all original mint interiors at car shows and then you go around to the rear of the car and the end caps are either completely gone or they have been replaced with aftermarket end caps and repainted,and the paint never matches,ever….So that untouched all original survivor is now a repaired daily driver…..Whomever buys this Cordoba has better enjoy it as much as they can because these caps are going to crack and break, it’s just a matter of time.
I think it has unbeatable style now as it did in the 80s! Bought and sold many brands of similar rides from the 80s on my way to paying for school. All were high flying American cars, like the El Dorado, Toronado, Riviera, and Lincoln’s. I fought to keep an identical Cordova only it was dark brown with the same top in beige top and interior. Same exact whitewalls and hub caps were present ,easy ride to “love”. Sure enough others thought the same ,and bought it right away! It took care of my school bill. In my 20s then now in my 60s, I still miss it today!
The appraisal company I work for uses up to five value guides. All are US dollar based.
The asking price of $12,000 US seems a little high but the pictures seem to show a car in good original condition. $10,000 seems more realistic when you consider, condition, low production and the fact more people are buying cars from the eighties and nineties now.
Also worth considering is minimal restoration.
I’d put this car at $5000 for an “unload it now” price, and $8000 for a “I’ll wait for the right buyer” price. But that said, I’ve looked at cars like this up close and had my personal valuation cut in half by little things you don’t see until you’re in person. Those numbers are assuming it holds up on close inspection.
This kind of car is really hard to pull a number on though. The truth is, a lot of cars like this get sold for a couple grand because nobody who’s interested in them is around when granny – who only drove it to church and took it to the shop if it took a crank or two more than usual to start – passes away. They’re worth more than that, obviously, but how much more is a big question. To contend for over $10k, it’s gotta be pristine, top spec with every option, and somewhat rare to begin with. The reason people throw out numbers like the asking price on this one is every now and then somebody’s got money and it just hits their fancy. But most times it’s a really tough market for this kind of car, no matter how immaculate. I’d rather be selling a tatty 60s Mustang or Camaro that’d take hundreds of hours and $10,000+ to look this good – they’ll always sell if you hit the right price, and 9 times out of 10 that’ll be more than this could bring without a lot of legwork and luck.
The dangerous part of shooting the moon is, you cut yourself out of searches (“give me every car under $10k and older than 1985,” for instance), and if you overshoot a reasonable buyer’s number, or the comparable sale price (if you can come up with one), you get ignored. Coming down on price works eventually, but if you have to cut your asking price in half, you look a little silly. Sometimes just getting the car out and about, but not putting a number or “for sale” sign on it does better than anything. Every town has a car guy network, and a fair number of cars trade hands in the network having never had a sign on them.
Anyway, on the Cordoba, I like the swoopier look of the first-gen better. This one does nothing more for me than a highly-optioned Gran Marquis. Maybe it’s the color; I often like blocky, Mark-V-esque shape, but they tend to work better in darker colors. And that’s one last thing to note on car values: the wrong color will usually sink you. On the belly-button cars, like a Mustang, it might be a wash or even help because there are so many red or black ones. But when it’s the only one in town… Well, this one’s something different anyway, and it’s been well taken care of. I hope the seller doesn’t have to give it away in the end, even if the asking price is off.
My first new car was a 1980 Cordoba. Years later I found a dark gray 1983 that was loaded (except for the leather) with about the same mileage as this one and I bought it for about $4,000. But I ended up selling it a couple years later as I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find parts for it. I’m a member of a Cordoba Facebook page and there are plenty of comments that people can’t get windshields, etc.
Exactly. It’s one thing to keep an original Model T, VW Beetle, Mustang, or Camaro up and running. It would be possible to virtually build one those from the ground up. Someone is actually selling brand-new 1st gen Mustangs, albeit at a very lofty price.
But a Malaise Era Chrysler product? Poor quality and low sales don’t exactly make for a healthy supply of replacement parts.
On top of all that, I vividly remember that one of the first things Iacocca did was get rid of a huge supply of replacement parts. He was offered a chance to sell all that stuff off (Studebaker went that route) but decided it’d be more trouble than it was worth, and the parts all went to a landfill.
Don’t know if that included stuff for the Cordoba, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised.
Must believe that the same amount is required for a similar car north of the border
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/regina/1982-chrysler-cordoba-2-door-hardtop/1705221195
The 1983 Cordoba started at $9845, as touted in this commercial by Ricardo Montalban himself:
If you think that is high, I saw a 4dr. Dodge Coronet for 60K. I kid you not.
Some of the responses have me giggling as I remember the comments heard as recently as 6 years ago from car show pals to columnists: “Cars from the ’70’s will NEVER be worth anything!” Surprise! People collect what they remember from their formative years/young adulthood. Never fails.
The point being: if one is looking to ‘flip’ this car in a year and make a quick profit from an easy-sale, then this isn’t the car for you. But look at what early and mid ’70’s cruisers are selling for now as compared to even five years ago? Cars that many collectors swore would never be worth anything are now rising fast.
As a personal example, here’s a photo of me at age 15 when I picked up this #3 condition 1958 Buick Limited for $1,200 in the mid 1980’s (roughly $3,700 adjusted for inflation). Think of what this car is worth today (…Hagerty says $27,000 in #3 condition)! Say what you will: the early ’80’s Cordoba’s $12,500 day is coming.
Also… as several have pointed out, accepting that this car is in as fantastic condition as it seems, try and find another. Especially when you’re talking in the neighborhood of $10,000 (…mind you, one could ‘make an offer’ and perhaps get the price down a bit), if the car is that nice, it’s a lot cheaper than having to repaint, re-upholster and mechanically refurbish a $5,500 car. Whatever your initial “savings” was is gone in a flash, not to mention all the time you spend looking at the car on a lift, instead of taking it to a car show.
Wow–what a fantastic car you have there! When I was 15 in the early ’80s I dreamed of owning something like that. And it’s a Limited coupe–only 1,026 built. I can’t help but wonder if it still exists today . . .
That picture looks like it was taken in the suburban Northeast–NJ or CT maybe?
Below: Dodge Challenger and 1958 Buick parked behind a gas station in the 1980s, intact and restorable but virtually worthless–no one wants them! They were probably towed to the junkyard. (Author’s own photograph).
Lots of good insight here; enjoying the posts! I prefer the Imperial version of these J-body coupes, given you buy one with the dealer carb conversion. Reliable, rare and distinctive cars! Of course, prices for anything of this era are fairly modest. This Cordoba is a fine example, though, and I’m sure it will find a buyer.
Beautiful looking car. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I’ve always found this version of Chrysler’s cars the best looking cars at the time.