I want to purchase a v8 land yacht preferably from 76-84 w/ 4 doors.
I dont want a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis
So I broke it down to this
Buick Lesabre
Chrysler Newport?
Cadillac Brougham/Fleetwood
Lincoln Town car
Pontiac Bonneville
Chevrolet Caprice Classic
Dodge Monaco /Coronet ( or St.regis/diplomat?)
Plymouth Gran Fury/Fury
Which one of these should I buy…My budget atm is $3500-4500 tops.
I heard that Chrysler had terrible quality control in the 80s(and others say they all did)…and that Pontiac had the best because they were based in Canada? Forgive me for my ignorance …just trying to find a project car(that may also be used as a daily driver). I would perfer something from late 70s aswell like 77-79 like I dont know why…what are some advantages /disandvantages of these older cars(from late 70s like 75s vs 84) for example
I had a 73 Sedan DeVille as my first car and every now and then toy with the idea of getting one for nostalgia purposes. Then I come to my senses. IMO, Most cars of that era were not reliable by today’s standards and they drank gas at an absurd rate. I believe that EPA average for my car was 8 mpg. It had an 8 cylinder 472 engine.
Good luck with your endeavor. Also, reported for forum change.
Be advised that this time period was when US manufacturers were trying to get big carbureted engines to pass the first smog tests. You run into rinkydink electro-carbo-vacuumo-smog pump combinations that are unique to specific cars, killed the engine performance, and may need to be removed to have a reliable, maintainable car for daily cruising.
I’d be looking at late 50’s, 1960’s when there were really yachts - that can be worked on, like THIS.
Of your list, the Cadillac Brougham/Fleetwood and Lincoln Town car were originally luxury cars and may be worthy of consideration. The others are pretty much family sadans. There were some sporty Coronets…
I’ll second this. Some of those PVC valve early unibody cars can be real heartbreakers if you are trying to do your own repairs; a lot gets beyond what the usual backyard mechanic has on hand in tools, parts and knowledge. And even with an interchange manual what you usually learn is that pretty much nothing can be interchanged. 1950s are a lot easier, with a shop manual even a beginner can do even some of the major repairs, and parts swapping can be a dream. I ran Edsels for a while (now those are HUGE) and for extra rims I could use a lot of different FoMoCo and even some odd stuff like 1960 Caddy. Same with all the other parts. The liners for my fenders were an interchange from a 70s truck.
That being said, in the year range you are looking at I would go with a LeBaron until 1981 or one made after 1987. I would avoid at all costs any of the 82-89 ones with the K or H bodies. The K cars really were a lot of crap although you could argue that one that has survived to today has some potential.
I can’t remember the exact year, maybe 74, no earlier than 72, for a Caddy my friend restored. It had a basic V8 engine, no smog controls. That engine had a fuel hose, 8 spark wires, and one ground wire attached to it, that was all.
Why exactly do you want a 35 year old car? A ten year old land yacht goes for 4500 if you shop around. Less hassle that way.
Plus gas mileage is terrible on those cars. I owned a late 70s lesabre and got 8 mpg. I also owned a 2002 town car and got about 20mpg. If you are driving 1000 miles a month that is 50 vs 125 gallons of gasoline a month. Are you comfortable spending an extra $200/month on fuel for a car with more mechanical problems?
My favorite car out of all the cars I have owned was a 1975 Dodge Royal Monaco Brougham Station Wagon.
The Royal Monaco wasn’t just a trim package on the Monaco, it was a different car. In the movie The Blues Brothers, the Bluesmobile is a Monaco, but the Illinois State Police car that chases them into the mall is a Royal Monaco. The Royal Monaco has doors that cover the headlights.
Here’s a photo to show them off: black & White is a Monaco, solid white is a Royal Monaco. Google Image
Here’s one with the doors up Google Image
(Note, yes the doors open down, sliding in under the headlights.)
The good news is that if you are willing to stay away from cars popular with collectors, you can find some real gems out there.
Auto Trader Classics shows me a 1965 Plymouth Fury in Illinois for $4000 with 93,000 miles on it. At a dealer, no less.
The same money would get you a Dodge Coronet with no bumpers and no glass in the rear window, missing 2 headlights and I’m pretty sure I don’t see a radiator in there. Or an engine.
I owned a 1985 Buick Lesabre Collectors Edition, with the V8 engine, inherited from my grandfather. That thing is like riding down the highway in a big, comfy couch! It was extremely reliable and, as I recall, easy to work on when necessary. It got about 13 MPG, which is low by today’s standards but not like you need a portable gas station to keep you going. Of the cars on your list, this is the one I would pick even though it’s a year outside of your target range.
Another option to consider is a mid-80’s Cutlass Cierra. That engine is extremely hard to kill!
Ignore the naysayers. If you want a vintage land yacht, go for it! No reason or justification necessary.
However he said he can only afford about 4k tops right now. A guy in that situation should know that an older car will cost 2k a year in fuel extra over a newer land yacht. He will be stopping at the gas station every other day. If money is tight, that will add up.
Also do stores still carry replacement parts for 30 year old cars? That could be an issue.
Plus the older cars will have more mechanical problems,which will cost money.
Someone who can only afford 4k for a car should really consider if buying a car that’ll cost 2-4k a year extra in repairs and fuel is worth it over a newer car.
My brother collects old cars, but he rarely drive them and does his own mechanical work. Plus he makes good money. If money is tight I’d recommend buying a newer land yacht.
If you’re going for the land yacht, you gotta go all in. That means the Caddy or the Town Car. Personally, I lean towards the Caddy, Sedan Deville is good. As is the Fleetwood, which you mentioned. Good luck and check it thoroughly, people sell a lot of crap out there.
Lookswise, I like the Caprice Classic Brougham. A cousin of mine has a Park Avenue in nice shape. Personally, I’d go widdershins - Checker Marathon. They are huge inside. And they’re hard to find but I love the BMW Bavaria (precursor to the 7 series).
My vote goes for an '80 Fleetwood Brougham with the Olds Diesel 350. 105 limp horses.
Cure you of any romanticism about old land yachts!
One neat thing you may notice about the old land yachts is that their curb weights will be much lower than you may expect. There was a lot of empty space in them.
A new 7 series BMW has about 22" less body length than the Caddy mentioned above, but (depending on trim and engine) could weigh as much as 1,000 lbs more than the Caddy.
My '83 was the worst car I ever had. Quality problems everywhere, always something going wrong. Seriously, the worst quality outside a Yugo was in 80’s GM cars.
But get a pre-oil-embargo model, one you can work on.
I used to watch the HBO show Entourage. The opening credits show the main cast driving in what a Google search tells me is a 1965 Lincoln Continental. It’s a convertible in perfect condition. I have little interest in land yachts, but that car looks really nice.
