Fast, comfortable smooth ride
Gas tank leak.
Speakers blew (abuse)
Read defroster stopped working.
The car has a lot of power, the turbo pulls great boost.
The seats are extremely comfortable.
The suspension is amazing.
Infinity speakers were great (until they blew.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 17th March, 2003
A quick whip at a low price
The Universal Joint started to go out at about 178,000 miles.
The wiring controlling the air conditioner, heater, and rear left window had to be overhauled due to faulty installation.
The silver paint from the year this car was made was a less than adequate paint and had some serious wear.
The roof has split in 3 places, which ran me 300 bucks to fix.
Since I received this car for my 18th birthday I have had nothing but joy from it. Sure, there were some minor problems, but nothing that ran me over 200 bucks other than the roof replacement.
The turbo charger (which came stock (not seen too often in 1989 cars) ) more than makes up for the less than exciting 4 cylinder engine, reaching top speeds of 135 in what seems like no time. I've yet to run it at the track, but from what I've seen this car do on the Turnpike, I aim to impress.
It really doesn't come off as a fast car by appearance, in fact some mistake it for a puttering grandma car when parked, but with a rev of the engine, it cancels those conceptions out quickly.
The best parts about this car are not its performance, but its more luxurious features. The roof, windows, and locks are all power, and the seats are a very plush and comfortable leather, which to this day is in perfect lasting condition. Last, but not least, for a convertible, it's very spacious, with enough room for myself as the driver, and 4 passengers to sit very comfortably.
Other than a new paint job, a new roof, a CD player and a sub woofer in the trunk, I have not done, and will not do anything else to this car. It's not made to race really, but it gives its driver a feeling of exhilaration, comfort, and luxury, all for a price affordable to almost anyone.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th August, 2002
Cheap Fun
Timing Belt at 105,000 (original belt), but this is clearance engine, so no engine damage like most Japanese cars.
Top is coming apart, tranny is slipping out of 3rd. From reading good info, this is due to Dextron fluid or clogged filter, or solenoid. Clutch is unlikely cause.
A/C looses Freon. No problem, put the top down.
Too much CHEAP fun.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th June, 2002
This car is very pretty to look at and is loads of fun to drive
The motor blew very shortly after we got it at about 120,000 miles. I heard that this is common with the turbocharged 2.5Ls with this many miles. Replaced it with a rebuilt one at a hefty $3,000.
We bought this car used from a neighbor for about $2,000 dollars with about 119,000 miles on it. The body and interior was and is in excellent shape.
This car is fun, but not very economic for around town. It's turbo charged motor sucks a lot of gas. It gets about 16 miles per gallon in the city because of all the stopping. This car is better suited for the open roads where there is less stopping and accelerating. The non-turbo charged 2.5L motor would be much more efficient for around town.
The wide body and the wide tires on this car offer excellent handling.
The turbo charged motor puts about 150 base horse power. This makes the car very quick and will very likely make it the needle on the speedometer go off the scale at 125 miles per hour.
Its leather interior is in excellent shape and is very comfortable.
The body is in good shape. The only problems I have found are a few rust spots under the driver's side door that can be very easily repaired.
I like the look of the body. It's very nice looking for a 1989 and girls absolutely love it. The car just looks like it's begging you to drive it.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 18th April, 2002
I bought my '89 Le Baron convertible 5 years ago, a beauty in red, with a black top. It had 110,000 miles on it, at 140,000 it blew the head gasket. That's not bad for an aluminum headed car. The turbo should be rebuilt, because it smokes a bit, but other than that, it starts up and runs well everyday, and gets over 30 MPG. Something must be wrong if it's only getting 16 MPG. I have 161,000 on it now (Feb. 2004), I have replaced the timing belt, ignition pick up, starter and intake air control valve. I look at these as minor things on an old car that still looks great. I'll by a newer one when the time comes, or a Sebring convertible, those are really nice.
19th Aug 2002, 18:44
I had an 89 Turbo GT convertible. You're right, its got more power than people think, and it's a good looking car. Mine was triple white, white body, white rims & white moldings with the blue leather. However with less than 90k on it I had tons of problems, transmission let go, struts gone, new roof, Infinity speakers junk, rear side window would not go down, leather on the steering wheel rotted off & 4 fuel pumps in one year. Seems you've had better luck. PS. keep your eye out on the rear floor pan. My car looked like new in & out, but the floor was starting to rot. That's why I got rid of it.