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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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)
I’ll take a rusty MGB over a slush box K-car any day of the week.
I always loved the “chrome bumper” MGBs, and I like this one, even if it doesn’t have the convertible top.
I voted for it, but then started to think maybe I wouldn’t fit in it.
It was a little bit harder decision than I expected it to be. The Wedge Barons are not as heinous as the blocks of a few years prior, and it probably will be more reliable than anything MG related, but I had to go with the MGB after seeing under the hood.
14-year-old me was in love with my dad’s bright red ’88 Lebaron coupe. It was the first car I ever drove. It had its issues but it was just such a good looking car. I still prefer the coupes over the ‘verts, but I’d still take this one, and they are one of the few cars that, IMO, wears white paint well. A white-on-white Lebaron GTC Turbo Coupe is a bucket-list car for me.
The MGB was my choice before clicking on the article. Then I saw the LeBaron was not only a convertible, but also has a sweet digital dash.
I think the LeBaron slightly wins out, though would it be an easy choice if it was owned by John Voight.
If I’m buying a ‘vert, I want the top to verk. I’d rather have an MG in good shape, but I guess the LeBaron wins by default.
I know I’m in the minority here, but at my stage of life, the Lebaron is more me. The MG would be fun for an afternoon, but I’d soon be looking over all the little rusty corners and contemplating how much it would cost to deal with them. Instead of that, I’ll just snuggle into those rather plush looking leather seats and embrace my true self.
My wife’s name is Karen and we’ve listened to the song since it came out. It’s on a few playlists.
I asked her and she would NOT trade the MG for the LeBaron, so MG it is.
John McCrea is a wise man.
LeBaron all the way over here and awesome Showdown choices/theme, Mark!
I, of course, must vote MGB, but I would save up a bit more and get one with no rust issues. The mechanicals are easy on these, but it’s not worth getting a rusty one. There’s plenty of nice ones out there and the delta between a nice one and a rusty one is nowhere near the money it would take to make a rusty one into a nice one.
I’ve judged Kitty/Karen quite a bit over the years for the car choice. One of my HS friend’s family was loyal to the K-Car and the cars were…not great. Now I know about the temperamental nature of the MG. She wants a car that will get her there, so yeah, the MG is out. However the white, Chrysler LeBaron isn’t exactly a massive upgrade in the “get her there” department.
Personally, I want a car that will both get me there and get me back. Truthfully, I’d pick neither. But for the sake of this exercise, I’m picking the MG because if I’m going to be stuck, I’d rather it be in something interesting and that hardtop cover seems like it’d do more good if I happen to be stuck in the rain.
I used to sit in my friend’s dad’s MG when I was a kid and dream about driving it. When I got to 16 and went looking for myself, I found that I had grown right out of them. My heart still yearns for one but at 6’4, my body will take the Chrysler.
LeBaron better have been owned by Jon Voight for that price.
It was owned by John Voight
Going MGB here though, technically, it’s not a convertible. It has a removable hard top, like old Blazers and Ramchargers, but that just makes it part-time topless. If the mechanicals are there to install a new soft top, then it can properly be called a convertible. Still beats the Le Barren, hands down.
I can’t vote for the MGB because I physically cannot get into it.
I have a hard time believing anyone voting for the LeBaron has ever driven one. I would say had ever seen one, but there is a picture of it in the article with all of it’s ugliness. The only way that thing is worth $7,500, is if there is $6,000 in the trunk. MGB by default today.
Much like
KittyKaren, I, too, would take the white. Chrysler. LeBaron. But neither is really my cup of tea (a strike each for white, convertible, and reputation). I suspect the girl in the song’s eyes (“that burn like cigarettes”) would do a similar job of illuminating the road as either of these.Comfort Eagle is a good album, though I prefer Fashion Nugget. Bunch of good driving songs on Fashion Nugget, though Comfort Eagle does have “Long Line of Cars”.
I know what I’m listening to on my lunch break today.
Don’t forget, “Prolonging The Magic”. Cake rules.
I had a ’72 B in 1976. I was nineteen years old, and that car opened my world like an oyster.
Me and a bunch of other lifeguards (girls ‘n guys) were drinking down The Point (Staten Island) one night and “Rita” came up to me (I’m biting my knuckle) and asked if I was going down to The Stone Pony that night (Asbury Park, NJ). I wasn’t sure, so she said she’d love to drive down in “that buggy.”
So yes, we went. And among a few high points of the night was Bruce Springsteen showing up (he often did with Southside Johnny playing) and banging out a few songs.
I just saw a skinny young kid walking thru the dancer floor and he bumped my arm while I was dancing with Rita. Some beer sloshed out of my red cup and dripped down my hand: “Sorry, man” he said. I just nodded an OK and he continued on right onto the stage and banged out that E chord for “Born to Run.”
A great night, and that B was the ticket. No other girl since has ever asked for a ride in “that buggy,” and I had some really nice cars, like the rest of us.
I piled the MG into the side of a ’71 Black Trans Am about three months later. This one gets my vote today.
Think I’ll find some loos gravel to peel out in the MGB, the LeBaron is not as appealing.
Oh, and wrong video
https://youtu.be/idtYckLIZnI
I love this, I’ve always listened to the song and thought, I would trade for the LeBaron too!
This is kind of a neither day for me, but that’s not how the game is played, so MGB it is.
Even though the MGB overdrives are notoriously unreliable (like everything else with electrical controls in an MGB), they are just so cool. And saying Laycock de Normanville when you explain how it works would be icing on the cake.
On the other hand, you could try to explain to everyone how your LeBaron isn’t really a K-Car.
I like LeBarons (call me weird) but nearly 8 grand is too much. I’d just drive the MGB as is and enjoy it and I’m glad it has overdrive. Wasn’t overdrive an option?
If that LeBaron had the manual, I would have voted for it. But it didn’t so I voted for the MGB
I’ll take the MG as long as Kitty keeps the fingernails that shine like justice and the voice that’s dark like tinted glass.