1987 Chrysler Fifth Avenue Smallblock V8 318

Summary:

American built, made to last, no false pretences here, you get what it says on the tin

Faults:

Headlights blink on and off erratically when on full beam, due to high power bulbs tripping a circuit breaker.

Aircon seems to cycle all the time on or off.

General Comments:

Bought this old Chrysler last fall for a quick one stop replacement for my Catera, while in getting the transmission fixed due to wear and tear. Why I spent $7000 on this piece of crap 3 years ago, god only knows; it has had so much trouble, I do not know whether to laugh or cry.

Welcome to the world of the Chrysler Fifth Avenue, with its hefty V8 driving the rear wheels, with a transmission that was made to last. No computer shifting rubbish here, just a re-bodied 1950s-60s work of art, and what a beauty on the interstate with its unbelievably light steering and zero noise protruding into the cabin, unlike the German built Caddie, that would lead you to believe that it was better than anything truly American.

I will drive this beast till the day I die. It was made to outlast its owners, and deservedly so.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th February, 2012

13th Feb 2012, 13:36

Great review, and exactly right. Very few of us know how bad cars have become nowadays, because most people never experienced the full-sized, rear wheel drive, V8 sedans of the 70s and 80s. Perhaps it is better the young people don't know what they're missing.

In reply to 13th Feb 2012, 13:36

17th Jan 2013, 07:50

I'm 20 years old and I own a 1987 Fifth Ave. It is my baby! I love my car. Unfortunately I'm having to sell it for a 4 cylinder. I don't wanna get rid of it. I have dreamed of all of the possibilities of stuff I could do to fix it up. I hate to see it go.

In reply to 13th Feb 2012, 13:36

21st Oct 2019, 23:47

Hey, I just turned 23 this month and purchased an 88 Fifth Avenue to be my daily driver. Never knew anything about cars, but buying this has made me want to learn all I can. Previous owner parked it under a pine tree for two years and I spent 5 hours cleaning every crevice and it's looking as sharp as ever.

1987 Chrysler Fifth Avenue 318CI V8

Summary:

Reliable, cheap, and under-rated

Faults:

- Fan clutch.

That's it!!

General Comments:

Bought it from some cautious old religious lady for $500. Drove the crap out of it. Changed the oil twice in 20k miles. Drove it with the cords sticking out of the tires. I loved that car.

Sold it for $100 less than I paid for it. It's still on the road. Probably has well over 250k on it now. Lacks power with the low compression 318. So-so fuel mileage.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 17th June, 2011

1987 Chrysler Fifth Avenue 5.2L

Summary:

I had bad luck with mine

Faults:

Carburetor, actually electronics that controlled the carb died shortly after I bought the car, and I could never get the electronic carb to work properly after that. Eventually resorted to an older pattern carb that sort of worked. (Tried three professional mechanics who were good with carbs, and none of them could get anywhere with this one).

Getting to be awhile, but there was always something wrong with this car while I owned it.

General Comments:

I drove a 1979 Chrysler New Yorker for 20 years before, during and after this 5th Avenue, and that was a real Chrysler. This 5th Avenue was basically a piece of junk. I know there were many thousands of people out there who had excellent service out of the 5th Avenues, but I was not one of them.

The only positive thing I would say about the car is it had an excellent interior, which was quite attractive, with supportive and comfortable seats.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th March, 2009

11th Apr 2010, 19:32

Well the trick with these cars is to switch them over to regular electronic ignition and carb if you have trouble. The lean burn setup would go bad, so pick up a regular 318/360 electronic dist. Or a rebuilt one that has vacuum advance, an electronic box and wiring kit and a non feedback carb. They really respond to a 4bbl carb like the Edelbrock 1406.

I just picked up an 87 Fifth Ave. with 47K miles from my neighbor and I love it. The lean burn is still working good, but their 2bbls are known for hesitation, so I'll swap mine over later.

22nd Sep 2010, 22:16

Well boys, looks like I got one too, but this one is not happy. I only had it for three years, but the kicker is I only drove it about 1,100 miles, and only one owner before me; he had it in very good shape. I do too, but the car just stopped running. A wire burned out on the positive. This small thing has me down. I cut the wire to remove the bad part, but it just did the same. I'm going to put it in the shop where the car was done from the 1st person that had it. He knows this car. If any of you boys knows about this, hit me back, I will check back. KEEP THEM REAL.

In reply to 22nd Sep 2010, 22:16

20th Feb 2013, 18:26

I just got an 87 5th Avenue a couple months ago; she was doing the same thing. I changed the whole wiring harness and a week later it did the same thing on the same wire! So I simply spliced in a bigger heavier gauge wire and haven't had a problem yet. Take your wire, and go past the splitter and splice into the main trunk; you shouldn't have any more problems.