Who wants a 1996 Chrysler LHS? The last car to ever impersonate an Iacocca inspired Chrysler New Yorker glided down the auction lane in pure anonymous bliss. The Mazda 3 behind it had already hooked all the dealers looking for some sub-prime finance fodder and hey, I knew that the 3’s transmission was toast. I was not in the mood to have a dogfight with half the dealers at this sale. My job was to pick my battles and find the dealer queens, but which ones?
There had already been several nasty machines that went through the block that evening. Most of them were plain junk. Three Camry’s that each had over 375,000 miles went for $850 and up. A Cadillac with engine and transmission issues? That went for clean retail.. north of $2000. Even an 18 year old Caravan that was ridden with onion peel paint went for $700. I had picked out the LHS. The least popular car to sell short of an early 90’s, V6, Mercury Cougar. Why?
The owner. I can tell an awful lot of things about the prior owner just by what is in and on a car. Are the tires pricey Michelins or cheap Wal-Mart’s? Does the interior look well kept? Or is it as rough as a wore out mop? Did the vehicle come with a dealer advert in back that came from a buy-here-pay-here lot? Those cars usually have low-quality parts and neglected maintenance that will result in you ‘polishing a turd’ with several hundreds in extra reconditioning costs. You need to handicap and bid appropriately.
The LHS had all the right ingredients. AAA and AARP stickers on the rear windshield. New-ish Michelins. An immaculate interior with no paint fade. Despite the fact that full-sized Chryslers are often as popular as herpes, I wanted to make sure I got it. It was profit incarnate. The auctioneer started at $2500… went down to $2000… and then quickly went down to $1000. At that point I clenched my fist near my left shoulder which means, “I’m in at $1000”. Seven seconds and no other bids later I was the new owner of the car. It’s now off the lot and on the road. Along with that onionized Chrysler I mentioned. Yeah it was ugly. But that 92’ model had only 78k and a LOT of Chrysler OEM parts. Most owners of old minivans don’t care about the look. They just need it for the hauling.
Only one problem I see with that car; incorrect driven wheels. Otherwise it looks sweet. Someone will be very happy.
In the North, front drive sedans work quite well. With rear drive you need to be very careful about having the right tires and weight in the trunk, and it’s still much easier to lose control on one of the days when the tires don’t touch dry pavement for the entire drive. I’m partial to the full size GM sedans, but cars like the LHS remind one of how Chrysler used to know styling.
Chrysler didn’t do enough to differentiate the first-gen LHS from its siblings. I can only surmise that it was a money thing. A stronger engine would have helped. As it was, it was simply a gussied-up Concorde with a gorgeous profile.
Chrysler didn’t do enough to differentiate the first-gen LHS from its siblings. I can only surmise that it was a money thing. A stronger engine would have helped. As it was, it was simply a gussied-up Concorde with a gorgeous profile.
I remember when these cars came out. I was in my late high school years but a “Car and Driver” subscriber. The magazine claimed that finally opera lights, wire wheel covers, and landau roofs were banned from American cars. They treated these things like the second coming of Christ. Which is why these pictures always make me laugh.
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/3104/4721/32759860001_medium.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/2jfak9i.jpg
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/3254/3741/8134370016_large.jpg
Just cause you can’t put a landau roof on it doesn’t mean you can’t be tacky.
The Chrysler LH platform had longitudinal-mount FWD: No torque steer. For that reason alone, it was the best full-size FWD platform of its era.
Another fine use of the tumblehome.
Still love the long, low, wide look of these cars. Gorgeous American cruisers.
However, I’m sure you’ve also had issues with 2nd-gen LH-cars, especially with the 2.7l mill. Two of my subprime lenders won’t even finance Chryslers with 2.7s anymore. And I’ve had three 3.5l HO V6s take a dump on me, all because of belts, all resulting in bent valves, both with under 100k miles – one an ’04 300M Special, the other an ’04 Intrepid Police Pkg of all things with 76k.
Makes me love a 3800 Impala in need of some bodyshop lovin’ even more…
Flybrian,
The 1996 LHS was a first generation LH car. The 2nd gen didn’t come out until 1998. Also the LHS did not come with the 2.7 but the 3.5 high output motor. The LHS was a step up from the base New Yorker. Visually they weren’t much different but the LHS had better tires, tighter suspension, probably a quicker ratio steering, maybe more supportive seats. It was in essence an anti-Iacocca car.
“Who wants a 1996 Chrysler LHS?” If it looks like the one in the picture, me!
I’ve always been a fan of the Chrysler LH cars. The first generation were a little awkward, but the second were, to a fault, capable, comfortable and reasonably fun to drive. They weren’t that mechanically stout, though (the 2.7s weren’t so hot, the transmissions overworked and the maintenance a bitch to do).
To this day I hope to find a nice 300M Special in good shape on a day I have some money to spare. I certainly preferred travelling in Intrepid and Concorde taxicabs over the clomping, thumping Panthers and the short-cushion Impala.
Psar, I have never seen one of these cars in taxi service. Going back ten years or so, all you see around here (western WA) is old cop cars – 99% Crown Vics – and an occasional minivan.
I’ve always liked the low, sleek styling of the LH cars – I think they’re among the best-looking sedans.
I used to see Intrepids fairly commonly in Toronto: not as commonly as Vics and Impalas, but about as frequently as Regals/Centuries/Lacrosses/Allures. Concordes were rare, though. I’m sure the LH cars didn’t hold up under abuse nearly as well, but they were so much more comfortable.
I don’t see the LX cars much at all, but I do see Camries and Sonatas about as frequently as I used to see LHs. Weirdest cab I was in was a first-gen G35.
@psar: “To this day I hope to find a nice 300M Special in good shape on a day I have some money to spare.” Yes, me too. I was a big fan of the original Intrepids and the Eagle Vision in particular. The hot-rodded 300M had me drooling back in the day, but jobs, kids & mortgages & etc., ruined that dream for me.
The LHS not so much, though. Its styling was looking too much like the early-80’s GM ‘formal roof’ styling for me. Not attractive.
The Special didn’t have much going for it other than a high-flow exhaust that squeezed out a few extra ponies and some tacky fake carbon fiber trim. If you’re going to get a 300M, go for a regular model with the performance handling group.
Someone abandoned a car like that a few months ago near a county park where we walk often. I decided from the dirt patterns and lack of blackened Douglas fir pollen that it had sat in a carport for six months or more. The driver’s window was down but there was no water damage in the interior. There were no issues at all with its appearance inside or out – all it needed was to be cleaned. I’m thinking broken transmission.
Joy ride? Boosted for a job and dumped?
Considering how well the car was taken care of, I say it was good deal.
I owmed one of those for short while. It was the single biggest POS I have ever owned. I’m saying this and I’m a Chrysler person to the core.
Even considering my past with one of these cars, I would have jumped on that one myself.
Good buy!
I have long harbored a secret desire for one of these. Of course, I am a big cruisin’ sled kinda guy. Plus, a relative got nearly 300K out of a mid 90s Intrepid that still drove pretty nicely even at the end.
You are right about the AAA and AARP stickers. When the prior owner is over 60 and if not wealthy, at least comfortable, these folks take good care of their cars. Not as many of them are Chrysler owners these days. Back in the 70s, there were a LOT of nice 60s Newports and New Yorkers in retirees’ garages. Their tastes run more to Buicks, MGMs and Town Cars these days.
I loved your tells on the previous owner:
“The LHS had all the right ingredients. AAA and AARP stickers on the rear windshield. New-ish Michelins. An immaculate interior with no paint fade.”
Yup, that was a Grandmother car either traded by her for a new Grand Marquis or by a grandchild from the estate settlement…
I wish Chrysler would have put their 3.8L V6 in these.
A lot of car for the money, and the big V6 got pretty good gas mileage too as I recall. Also pointed out in the article is how difficult it now is to find good imports, most have a gazillion miles and high prices. Orphaned domestic cream-puffs are a good option.
My aunt and uncle had an LHS of this vintage that the uncle picked up cheap to replace a very wore out late 80s Oldsmobile 98. I remember the Chrysler serving them well for many miles even though their were 6 people in the family so every time they got into it, it was stuffed to the gills. My uncle would have dropped it pretty quickly if it became an anything other than routine maintenance nightmare.
College president where I went to undergrad in the mid 90s had a New Yorker in black with a gray leather interior. It did alright mechanically but the way his brood used it trashed the sucker cosmetically. I was the unlucky SOB that got to try to detail the sucker before the college returned it from a 36 month lease. (One of my least favorite “student worker in the maintenance department” jobs of all time.)
Dan, that reminds me of the 57 Ford black on black Fairlane 500 4-door our college president had in Des Moines, Iowa; beautiful car. One day he was suddenly driving this semi-ugly yellowish tan ’58 Ford. Rumor had it that he’d been visiting someone on the farm in the Iowa spring and had turned around in the wrong place and buried the black car up to the rocker panels in sticky Iowa mud.
Weirdest cab I’ve ever been in was a 1948 Hudson, back in ’62. Some guy took his grandfather’s car and put a “taxi” sign in the front passenger window. It was a snow/sleet day and no cabs were available, so my mother just hopped in. It was like being in a Rolls Royce! I even thought it WAS one, but it had the narrow Hudson prow on it, not the grille. The guy got busted a few days later for not having a license.
I happen to think these are beautiful cars, even today they look good. The extra length worked will with this design, its my favorite of the LH cars. And for $1000?? Even without knowing the miles, in that kind of condition, its a steal. But… what are the miles??
Living in God’s Waiting Room (Florida), I am sure I could find one of these. How bad is the reliability?
Still my all time favorite Chrysler sedan. One of the best styled Chryslers ever, IMHO.
One of Chrysler better-looking cars, but HOLY OVERHANG!
I had a 1996 Concorde LXi that I inherited from my mom when she got her 98 V70 wagon. My sister hated the car as it was so big and dark green, but I loved it. It was incredibly comfortable and for me it was reliable. The car was loaded with everything but a sunroof. My Aunt and Uncle had an LHS of this same era before they passed away. It was too bad they didn’t hold up over the long term. You don’t see many anymore, especially not as nice as this one sounds to be.
I worked for Chrysler service for seventeen years. These cars, like all LH models, were absolute junk. This accounts for why there are so few of them around now.
The Neon Sport sedan I suffered with (and the Sundance before it) is the reason why my name here is NoChryslers.
Reminds me of my oldest aunt’s New Yorker. Looked like the LHS, but with cloth interior and seemingly fewer options. Turns out she didn’t have it for very long because she started having transmission problems, among other issues. In the end, she traded it in for a Camry.
Meanwhile, my most recent automobile purchase came with a AAA sticker in the window, the advert badge from the original dealer and the owner’s manual and dealer info in the glove box. Granted the paint was faded in spots and the tires were shot from sitting in one spot for too long. Previous owner was an older gentleman who presumably stopped driving at some point and passed on shortly afterward, prompting the grandson to give it a run through the auction lanes.
How come no one has mentioned Chrysler’s ground-breaking “cab forward” design?……..lol.
AKA “base of windshield forward” design!
The vehicle in question had 185k. Many more miles than I typically like to have in a car. But the condition was absolutely amazing given the quality of that product.
Chrysler just didn’t have a rear-wheel variant to compete with the Crown Vic and Grand Marquis of this time. It does have a ‘distinguished’ look and the rear seat room is truly limo like. But I rarely finance these vehicles due to all the issues they tend to have. I think at the moment I only have a 96′ Concorde on the road.
The design of the LH cars was simply fantastic for their time. I thought about buying one instead of a Camry back in 1994. But I just didn’t like the quality of the materials on the inside. The car was way too big for my needs, and my brother’s quest for a Camry wagon kinda nudged me into combining our two purchases for one dealership.
Both Camrys are still on the road today. My old 94′ coupe is closing in on 300k with it’s owner (sold it at 239k) and my brother’s car is being abused by another sibling in my family.
I still miss the Camry. Don’t think I would have the same sentimentality with an Intrepid… but you never know.
How were these things reliability wise? I feel like their trannies would grenade
Educator(of teachers)Dan
November 2nd, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I remember when these cars came out. I was in my late high school years but a “Car and Driver” subscriber. The magazine claimed that finally opera lights, wire wheel covers, and landau roofs were banned from American cars. They treated these things like the second coming of Christ. Which is why these pictures always make me laugh.
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/3104/4721/32759860001_medium.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/2jfak9i.jpg
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/3254/3741/8134370016_large.jpg
Just cause you can’t put a landau roof on it doesn’t mean you can’t be tacky.
In defense of these godawful cars, they are clearly aftermarket designs. The previous generations of full-sized Mopars, made during that unfortunate period where most things were K-car based, came out of the factory with most of the crappy stuff already on them.