In July 2009 I decided it was time for me to get another car. It had been 4 years since I last owned one and around 6 years since I had last driven. I was ready for the freedom and aggravation of owing a vehicle again.

I combed Craigslist and Kijiji and found a few 1988 & 1989 Mustangs I liked. I wanted a 4 cylinder engine as they are better on gas than the more powerful 3.8l V6 and the 5.0l V8 cars that we all tend to be familiar with. I went to see a few of these but found nothing I really liked. The cars were 20 years old and the 4 cylinder engines were woefully under powered - I learned that even brand new these engines had only been rated at 88 Horsepower at the cam....
88 Horsepower???? My blowdryer had more HP than that.

One Saturday afternoon my friend Dana, my husband and myself went out looking at cars. I saw one '88 Mustang but quickly left it where I found it as it had a seriously leaking radiator. I test drove a bored out Fiero but the clutch was fussy - I laid a clutch smoke show just pulling it out of the driveway. :)

While on our way to see the Fiero my husband noticed a car on the side of a lovely tree lined road in Whiterock, BC. It had a for sale sign on it, $850 or best offer. We went back to take a closer look at this car and I quickly realized it was a Chrysler convertible. "Well, that's a bonus", I thought since I was looking for a convertible or sunroof/T-top. I called the number on the car and a man with a german accent came out to see us while we stood and looked at the car. "Does it run?" I asked. "Oh yes, it does...would you like to take it for a test drive?" Yes, yes I would....
.....I think.

The car looked as though it had been sitting unused for some time, possibly for months. The body was in great shape, not a hint of rust anywhere and most of the interior was in great shape as well, except for the leather seats which have seen better days. It also had a brand new rag on it. However, the car was very dirty and didn't smell the best. It had ants in it when I went to start the car (They had been dropping into the car from the hedges it was parked under) and I shrieked when they crawled up my legs! It wasn't a show car, that's for sure.

I started it up and took it for a short run down the road. I had been driving 4 cylinder Mustangs up to this point and found that this car, a 1992 Chrysler LeBaron LX 3.0L V6 had MUCH more power to it than the anemic Mustangs I had been driving. It was easy to drive and even though it was a very old car it handled reasonably well. My heart sank. I realized then I wasn't going to be buying a Mustang...YET again:(

We then went and looked at the Fiero which actually was in good shape for its age. However, I was unable to shift it due to modifications to the tranny and clutch and had to turn it down:( Too bad, as I am a Pontiac fan.

We drove back to the LeBaron and my husband took it for a drive this time. He liked it (No suprise considering he is Mr. Mopar) and recommended I consider buying it. After he was finished looking at it I made my offer and a counter offer was made that I accepted. By the end of the day I had purchased yet ANOTHER** Mopar product, this one for a whopping $650 CDN.

I insured it and drove it home. On the drive home my hubby said, " I don't like convertibles, as you know.....but heck this is fun..lol!" Yes honey, that's why I wanted one:)

Once at home I began the process of fixing and cleaning it up and man, was it DIRTY. I had to scrub, pressure wash and shampoo the devil out of it. Once that was done, the process of repairing and refurbishing what was wrong with it needed to begin. First off, it needed rear tires in the worst way. After that I purchased a new battery for it as the old one which was only 1 year old, was leaking. I bought a convertible boot cover for the back to finish the look of the car and I got the rear window assemblies replaced so that the rear windows would roll up and down (a nortorious problem with these cars). I am still on the hunt for a digital dash cluster - mine is broken as are most of these dashes out there. Finding one in Canada hasn't been easy.

We are still in the process of doing a 'minor' restore on this car and I will be documenting our progress here. I must say I have become rather fond of this particular Chrysler product. My husband says, "It's a keeper, let's fix what needs to be fixed." I have shown it to 1 mechanic and 1 bodyman and both of them told me I got a really good deal on this car - Hmm, that almost makes up for me missing out on a Mustang - again! :)

Restore List

** I have owned 6 Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge vehicles over the past 22 years.

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