I Feel A Song Coming On: 1970 MGB vs 1987 Chrysler LeBaron

Sbsd 3 22 2024
ADVERTISEMENT

Happy Friday! It’s the end of the week, so it’s time for some fun cars. Today we’ve got two convertibles, both of which are referenced in a song you probably know. If you’ve been living under a rock for twenty-five years, or are, you know, David, I’ll enlighten you in a minute.

Yesterday was another near-tie, and I can never tell whether that means you all liked them both, or hated them both. I mean, nobody likes fixing carburetor problems or chasing down vacuum leaks. It seems a lot of you voted for the Blazer because it’s easy to swap in a better engine, or voted for the Isuzu because it isn’t a Blazer.

For my imaginary money, it’s the Blazer all the way. I don’t even mind the automatic in these. If I were actually shopping for one, I’d hold out for a 4.3 liter, of course – but it would have to be a two-door.

Screenshot From 2024 03 21 16 55 00

Now then: Cake’s song “Short Skirt, Long jacket” describes a fantasy woman that the singer, John McCrea, would like to meet. And she sure does sound like a catch, though it’s troublesome that he keeps calling her a “girl.” But we’ll put that aside for now. What bothers me about this dream date is how fickle she is about automobiles, throwing over a perfectly good British sports car for alleged unreliability and a lack of adequate beverage accommodations.

However, as someone who appreciates both automobiles in question, it seems only fair to put the question to you. Would you trade an MG for a white Chrysler LeBaron, if these were your choices? Let’s take a look at them and you can decide.

1970 MGB Roadster – $7,500

00t0t 9xhcviqavgw 0ci0t2 1200x900

Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter overhead valve inline 4, four-speed manual w/overdrive, RWD

Location: Mountain View, CA

Odometer reading: 109,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

MGBs tend to get separated into “chrome bumper” and “rubber bumper,” but there are a lot more variations than that. Over the course of eighteen years, BMC and then British Leyland constantly improved and updated the MGB. What we have here is a Mark III, with a recessed “fishmouth” grille, an “Abingdon Pillow” padded dash, and a 1970-only split rear bumper. It also has a five-main-bearing engine and an all-synchromesh gearbox with an electric overdrive that works on 3rd and 4th gears.

00c0c Kv0uufce0du 0ci0t2 1200x900

That engine is a good old B-series inline four, displacing 1.8 liters. This is still the “good” high-compression engine, fed by a pair of SU HS-4 carburetors. It would originally have had a smog pump, and I see the mounting bracket for it, but nearly all MGBs of this era have had the pump removed – including mine. This engine was replaced under the previous ownership and is apparently lower mileage than the rest of the car. It runs and drives great, according to the seller.

00t0t Kj1b9mwunvt 0ci0t2 1200x900

This car doesn’t have a soft top – it’s either the aftermarket hard top, or nothing. That’s not a big deal; MGB soft tops are kind of a pain in the ass to raise and lower. The seller is including a tonneau cover to keep the interior dry if you get caught out in the rain. The interior looks pretty good, and the seller says the red carpet is new. I like it; it sets off the black upholstery nicely. And by the way, if it really bothers you that much, you can totally get a cupholder armrest to fit this car.

00d0d Lektige4hjz 0ci0t2 1200x900

The trouble here, as with too many MGBs, is rust. The floor pans have holes; the seller says they’ve added fiberglass sheeting to close it up. The rockers and doglegs are showing signs of rust as well. The good part is that patch panels are available for all of that, and it takes a lot of rust to compromise an MGB structurally. You can probably leave it alone and it will be all right, actually.

1987 Chrysler LeBaron Turbo Convertible – $7,495

00e0e Abi53dveuv8 0cu09g 1200x900

Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.2-liter overhead cam inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Moose Lake, MN

Odometer reading: 145,000 miles

Operational status: Ad doesn’t explicitly state, but it sounds like it runs and drives fine

Two years passed between the last MGB and the first Chrysler LeBaron convertible. Neither were the best of their breeds; the final MGBs were down on horsepower, and with raised ride height that ruined the handling. And for the first couple of years, the LeBaron made do with an awful 2.6 liter engine from Mitsubishi. By the time this second-generation LeBaron was built, Chrysler’s 2.2 turbo engine was the powerplant of choice.

00z0z 97syy0wj0ce 0cu09g 1200x900

A Torqueflite automatic was almost compulsory; manual LeBarons did exist, but they’re rare. It’s all right; this is a cruiser, not a corner-carver. The turbo engine helps a lot in the horsepower department, but it’s no hot rod either. This one has about 145,000 miles on it and has had its turbocharger replaced, along with new tires, a new battery, and a new top.

00c0c Egdr3t7fgf0 0cu09g 1200x900

It’s being sold by an RV dealer, and I get the feeling they’re a little out of their comfort zone with it. But they do brag about their indoor RV showroom, so at least you don’t have to poke around at this car in the rain and snow. It also has collector plates on it, and seeing cars of this era called “classics” stings a bit. But it’s more than twice as old now as the MG would have been when it was new.

00l0l Ihwkfxyqr99 0cu09g 1200x900

It is in really nice condition, but being in Minnesota, I’d check the underside for rust carefully. K-based cars in general aren’t rustbuckets, but $7500 is a lot for a LeBaron, so it had better be pristine underneath.

So there they are, and I’ll give you all weekend to decide whether Kitty or Karen or whatever her name is made the right decision. Either way, you’ve got a good-running convertible; you just have to choose between the British classic and the American legend.

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)

About the Author

View All My Posts

69 thoughts on “I Feel A Song Coming On: 1970 MGB vs 1987 Chrysler LeBaron

  1. The B looks cute, and I’m sure it’s the right answer.

    But the Chrysler’s seats look super comfy, and I can’t vote against a digital dashboard.

    We’ll take the LeBaron.

  2. The reference to Short Skirt, Long Jacket makes my Gen X soul smile…I love Cake and FINALLY got to see them a few years ago. Anyway…

    You have to go with the MGB. Doesn’t matter it’s not the most desirable of the models. Doesn’t matter it has a bit of rust…they all do. Doesn’t matter it doesn’t have the soft top. Who’s gonna put it up anyway? Sell the hard top to pay for repop floor pans and whatever other parts you might need.

    The other option no matter how “cool” it might be today, it’s still a K car. While one saved my life in a car accident (literally) in 1992, it’s not THAT cool. If it was a manual, maybe. But still only maybe. It was never a real cool car. It was a cheap car to get Dodge/Chrysler out of going bankrupt. Nothing more.

  3. If we’re evaluating on Cake’s criteria, they both fail:

    “When we’re driving in the car
    It makes my baby seem so far
    I need you here with me
    Not way over in a bucket seat”

    …So MG I guess, because it’s smaller?

  4. That B presents well enough for someone like me from the Northeast. And the overdrive is a bonus. A friend had a 72 B when I had my 71 TR-6. I’d always beat him in a race but the B was the more solid car, didn’t have nearly the cowl shake of the TR-6.

  5. ’90-92 Lebaron is the sweet spot. Still with flippy headlights, but the much better revised interior and the 3.0 V6 which is just an easier engine to live with than the peaky and fragile 2.2 turbo.

  6. An MGB is a great drive, but that seems like too much money for a B with that much rust, even if you can leave it alone. The LeBaron seems to be quite nice condition, so I’ll take that to cruise to the produce stand to pick up orange juice in.

  7. I’ve owned an MGB and back in the day I had a rental LeBaron. Now, back then LeBarons were the butt of many jokes and I told a few myself, but my experience with the MG was so traumatic that today I’m changing my name from Kitty to Karen.

  8. MGB.

    As a former Minnesotan, there is absolutely no chance that the LeBaron is rust-free, even if it was garage-kept during the winter. Even if it were, it’s an automatic. Even if we’re rust-free and a manual, it is also still a LeBaron.

    The MGB, on the other hand, is a Mark III, which is my personal favorite in the looks department. It also has the hardtop, which for a non-convertible fan like myself, is a substantial benefit. Sure, the rust would be an issue…except I’d actually be willing to do rust repairs on a MGB, unlike the LeBaron.

  9. I went back and forth on this one. The K car almost pulled out a win because of the MG’s rust, but I can’t justify that price. Honestly they are probably both overpriced. I’ll take the greater driving enjoyment of the MG and accept that it is living on borrowed time.

      1. Good. Because I won’t be going for speed, that’s for sure.

        All kidding aside, the MG looks like a great driver, looks be damned. There’s rust, but I don’t see anything that makes me think it’s about to fall apart. It’s got an aftermarket aluminum radiator, the alternator looks new, engine is freshly painted so it may or may not have been recently gone through. It looks like a car that’s mechanically sound and built to be something you can drive regularly without worrying about dings and scratches and such, and that’s my kind of car. In fact, I have a British hooptie like that.

  10. I already see rust on the LeBaron behind the rear mudflap, looks like a hole. The heart says MGB – this type of car should have a stick – but the visible rust is a letdown. Going MGB? Enjoy it while I can.

  11. I’ll take the MG, but the price point is about where you can get a rust free driver quality MGB with decent paint and interior (friend bought a rust free one matching that description a couple of years ago for $7500) so my real answer is neither, if I wanted a B would shop for a better one.

  12. I’ll take the rust. You can still get almost every single piece (Moss Motors) for a MGB. Seeing that shiny bolt from the hardware store on the leafspring shackle makes me wonder about the fiberglass job though. I’ll still take it and give it a good home.

  13. I’ve very wary of any English car, but my buddy’s experience with his MG makes this one pretty much dead to me. I’d much rather have a Miata as this “kind” of car.
    IF the Minnesota Mopar is clear of rust (which is possible, with proper care) then it’s a winner. Those seats are thrones and this is a convertible you can drive all day.

  14. MGB for me! The hardtop is definitely a bonus in that it makes it a 4 season car now. Especially here in a state where road salt isn’t much of an issue.

Leave a Reply