Used Car of the Day: 1985 Chrysler New Yorker

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

It's time to party like it's 1985.

If you have $2,500 you're willing to part with and the time to spend on a project car.


It has a 2.2-liter turbo mill and an automatic trans. It needs new tires, some brake work, and maybe a new alternator. It also has some rust on the rockers and the roof apparently needs to be painted.

Still, it doesn't appear to need a crazy amount of work. If you're an '80s kind of person, flip on some Talking Heads and get to work.

[Images: Seller]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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2 of 36 comments
  • Joe blow Joe blow on Feb 09, 2023

    Jesus, what an effin' heap.

  • James A Silcox James A Silcox on Jun 30, 2023

    I had a low mileage 86. White exterior with maroon interior. Mine was quite dependable over the 5 years I owned it. I wish I had it back! I'd ake another.

  • Offbeat Oddity I would have to test them out, but the Corolla might actually have a slight edge. I'd prefer the 2.0 in both cars, but to get one in a Civic with a decent amount of equipment, I'd be stuck with the Sport where the fuel economy suffers vs. the Corolla. If the Civic EX had a 2.0, it would be a much tougher decision.
  • User get rid of the four cylinders, technology is so advanced that a four litre V8 is possible.. and plausible.. cadillac had a serious problem detuning v8s in the past, now theyre over-revving the fours and it sounds horrible.. get rid of the bosses and put the engineers in the front seat..
  • BOF Not difficult: full-size body-on-frame sedan, V8, RWD, floaty land yachts. Unabashed comfort and presence. Big FWD Eldo too. While I’m at it, fix Buick much the same way just a little less ostentatious and include a large wagon w/3rd row.
  • Jeff I noticed the last few new vehicles I have bought a 2022 Maverick and 2013 CRV had very little new vehicle smell. My 2008 Isuzu I-370 the smell lasted for years but it never really bothered me. My first car a 73 Chevelle and been a smoker's car after a couple of months I managed to get rid of the smell by cleaning the inside thoroughly, putting an air freshener in it, and rolling the windows down on a hot day parking it in the sun. The cigarette smell disappeared completely never to come back. Also you can use an ozone machine and it will get rid of most odors.
  • Lou_BC Synthetic oil for my diesel is expensive. It calls for Dexos2. I usually keep an eye out for sales and stock up. I can get 2 - 3 oil and filter changes done by my son for what the Chevy dealer charges for one oil change.
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