| After presenting the Broughamic Treasury of Chrysler New Yorker Commercials earlier this month, I've had my eyes open for interesting junkyard specimens of Chrysler's upscale on-and-off flagship. Chrysler hasn't built a New Yorker since the LH-based 1994-96 models; before that there was the K-Car-based New Yorker, and before that came the Dodge Diplomat-based version. Actually, there was some overlap between the K-Car New Yorker and the Diplomat-based New Yorker in the middle 1980s, with the latter version badged as simply the Fifth Avenue. The reliable-but-not-so-luxurious Slant Six engine was no longer available in the Fifth Avenue by 1985 (the 318-cubic-inch V8 was standard) which made its $13,978 price tag (about $10,500 less than that of the 1985 BMW 5 Series) look pretty good. Still, it looks about 95% similar to the Dodge Diplomat, which was the car used by about 60% of American police departments throughout much of the decade. The K-based New Yorker was about a grand cheaper, had a comfier ride, and got better fuel economy, but the rear-wheel-drive Fifth Avenue was tougher and more in line with traditional postwar American automotive design. Which would you have bought?
from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com |
No comments:
Post a Comment