The idea of what is considered the “desirable” vehicle of the time has shifted many times since I started paying attention in the late 1980s. Front wheel drive midsize sedans. Minivans. Sport-utility vehicles. Station wagons with an off-road kick…oh, wait, same thing. Crossovers. And now, in vogue, electric vehicles and ultra-hybrids. The buying public is, put bluntly, a fickle bitch. The second a trend comes along, it’s ridden like a Triple Crown winner and just like that poor horse, the second it’s not everybody’s darling, it’s out to pasture and then to the glue factory. History is on my side here….junkyards filled with evergreen-colored Explorers and Grand Cherokees, minivans on the rebound in certain circles due to the nostalgia kick, people paying over $50,000 for a 1999 Honda Civic. Makes one’s head spin.
Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m stuck in some warped view of the world, but this 1978 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country wagon calls to me on many levels besides being one of the weird Chrysler products I’m infamous for. So let’s dive in: it’s an M-body, which means it’s got the durability of a Dodge cop car. This one has a 360, which…well, it’s 1978, it means you might have something resembling acceleration, but it also means that as a gearhead (that’s why you’re here, right?) you can put some good grunt into this car. It’s the classic “woody” theme Chrysler ran into the ground, into a brick wall and through a dumpster fire. I’m not a fan, but hey, it’s not peeling either. And Augusta Green Sunfire metallic is an amazing shade of green, nice and emerald-like.
Inside the roomy interior it’s also green everywhere you look, but at least it isn’t, “Mom! Bobby threw up again!” green. It’s a great size for a car, big but not 1970s-level barge-like. There’s no need to wheel hard to starboard to park this yacht. And if you take a step back and you ignore the kitsch of the padded C-pillar and the woodgrain appliqué, it actually comes across as a trim and tidy package, just big enough to be good, small enough to not be overkill. It’s trying to be everything you want without trying to be everything at once. And I think that’s something that’s missing nowadays.
Amazing condition
Perfect candidate for a Hell Cat Swap
That ain’t no 1978, more like 1984/85
Wagons were ended in 1981 for the entire M-body line.
I love wagons and I can even live with the fake wood sometimes but damn! Not this time. You don’t even have to squint to see a real world Griswald Family Truckster. Is Chevy Chase the seller? Yes , I know the GFT was a Ford but look at the lead photo and tell me I’m wrong….