1990 to 1993 Imperial

[LeBaron1973]

I've always liked the look of the 90-93 Imperials and am wondering what they were/are like?

Had a thought that one of these "may" be a good hobby car and also 17-20 years newer than my 73.

What say the rest of you about these Imperials. I got the impression that 1991 was the one as it was the last to have the better carpet and probably other things.

 

[JC68vert300]

I believe the 3.8L V-6 engine is preferred over the 3.3L. I myself would prefer if it had the Mark Cross leather interior than the velour. Don't compare it to your '73, they are completely different animals.

 

[65sporty]

I remember those. I had a customer that had one, may have been a 93 I can't remember for sure. They are a oversized Dynasty and from what I remember they were quieter and rode smoother. Same drivetrain as the nasty

 

[FURYGT]

I had a 1990 Imperial in Champagne. My wife and I loved that car and my son drove it for a year or so. Road great, very comfortable, poor handling that was not helped by small tires, very reliable with the 3.3L V6 but ours had the Bosch anti-lock brake system and we went through several anti-lock brake pumps and they were hard to find. When the brakes worked, they were good but having an electric pump provide your braking pressure was scary because when the pump failed, you had no brake pressure. As I recall, in the Spring or late Winter in 1990 they changed over to the Bendix anti-lock system, which was just as problematic but NHSTA made Chrysler put a lifetime warranty on the pumps and possibly other components. Some really mint low mileage '90's Imperials show up now and then. I'd stay away from the early 1990 models with the Bosch ABS system. Personally, I think I would prefer an optioned out New Yorker without ABS because of the ABS issues.

A few photos of the car after my son bought his first car. The grille's are fragile.

 

[mrfury68]

I had a 92 Imperial as a daily driver for a few years and loved it. It was Light Mahogany with dark brown Mark Cross leather and had every option except a moon roof. It had the 3.8 motor which was more than enough power even with 4 adults riding along. The 14 inch tires were too small for the size of the car and an independent rear suspension would have gone a long way to improve handling over the K car straight rear axle. They were nice solid cars that looked good and I didn't go broke when I bought it or doing maintenance on it.

 

[crv]

Are you contemplating selling your '73?

 

[LeBaron1973]

Firstly, I'm not comparing it to the 73, after all that's 17 years older and things change. I have to say, I'm unsure what the differences between the generations are - better built and more comfortable maybe? Feel free to enlighten me.

No, I've started to collect Chrysler car ads - Imperial from 1969 to 73 and have grabbed some of the '80s and 90s stuff.

I love the design of these cars and saw a limousine version at a Wisconsin dismantlers back in 2014. Strange to be so small after the earlier cars, but time changes.

I'd be looking for the Mark Cross edition preferably with Moonroof and fully loaded - must be some somewhere that are ok, not needing (Much at least) rust repairs and everything still works?

In any event, there isn't room for another car at my friend Perry Bush's storage so for now it's not possible.

No, not selling the 73, as said in other threads, she's getting attended to in Wisconsin - Perry got some parts from Murray Park and the bit of bodywork which required attention was done.

Mechanically she seems fine, engine not getting pulled for a rebuild, folks down here in Christchurch can do it if required, both Complete Automotive, who'll do the safety check on her arrival in Christchurch, and Team Hutchinson Ford, our dealer who said they'll service her, can attend to that should it eventuate.

Currently (the last I heard) the major focus is on the ATC II system. Randy and his staff at Randall's Auto Haus in Menasha WI, are (probably) going to pull the dash and everything will get sorted. Following all that and once the rest of the cars' systems check out fine, I'm going to get the underhood paint and other minor areas repainted so she'll be fine on NZ inspection.

I had thought of trying to find a 1973 Carphone as a display (installed but obviously non-functional) piece but that seems unlikely, and maybe even a '73 Chrysler Boat to tow around as I've seen folks do that and it looks nice.

Apologies for the long post, but that's all the information.

If anyone wants some photos I can email them, but since they're only stored on my cellphone and I don't have any photo storage, I don't think I can do a garage for the site.

Cheers all, much appreciate the information provided as I'm now confident of enjoying one of these cars should I eventually get one.

 

[glennb49]

That sounds like a plan! I had a 93 white with red velure and I enjoyed it as a winter beater for eight years, sold in 2011. I especially like how they resemble the 81-83 Imps! My master cylinder was bad when I got it, reason they sold it cheap! Yes I was able to get it rebuilt still under factory warrenty at 18 years old! was not easy to find a Chrysler dealer with a tech who could do it though! I imagine the warenty should still be in effect as long as there is one of these cars still on the road! See you and your 73 in the fall for another visit!

 

[glennb49]

The last time I was at Gibsons in Nena Menasha the K car limo was still there, that was last Oct. This one has the devider window , making it an exsekutive limo I think? there were two different models, the fancy one had the devider window. I would like to get another 90-93 Imp also for a collector.

 

[commando1]

My K-car dislike button got pushed again.
It's still a Plymouth Reliant.
Yah, yah, yah, keep trying to convince me it's a different car.

 

[LeBaron1973]

The last time I was at Gibsons in Nena Menasha the K car limo was still there, that was last Oct. This one has the devider window , making it an exsekutive limo I think? there were two different models, the fancy one had the devider window. I would like to get another 90-93 Imp also for a collector.

That would have been the one, shame as it looked nice.

 

[Dobalovr]

I know where a “Limo” version sits in a garage and have been wondering what the market would be so thanks John for scratching that itch...

 

[Snotty]

For the '90s they were a nicely appointed car. Unfortunately, it is my opinion that when Chrysler introduced the RWD 300 in '05, all of the FWD cars fell to the rear of the class. I think it's one reason why I'm having such a hard time selling the '85 Dodge 600 Convertible right now; it's not a RWD, V8 car.

 

[rapidtrans]

Might wanna look at a 5th Ave. the same years. They were a stretched version of the Chrysler and i preferred them over the looks of the Imp.
Dad's had the 3.8 and could outrun a Pontiac Bonneville, the hot-rod at that time. The stretched "K"s weren't much of a handling machine but ran pretty nicely.

 

[LeBaron1973]

My K-car dislike button got pushed again.
It's still a Plymouth Reliant.
Yah, yah, yah, keep trying to convince me it's a different car.

Not trying to convince anyone of anything Stan, but tell us what the issues were with these cars particularly CRV and I who never saw these downunder.

 

[LeBaron1973]

Might wanna look at a 5th Ave. the same years. They were a stretched version of the Chrysler and i preferred them over the looks of the Imp.
Dad's had the 3.8 and could outrun a Pontiac Bonneville, the hot-rod at that time. The stretched "K"s weren't much of a handling machine but ran pretty nicely.

Yes indeed, everything is possible but that well known Canadian Chrysler Dealer (Dobalovr) should be able to locate just the thing if/when I choose to buy.

 

[Duncan]

I bought an '83 Chrysler E-Class new, which I think is the same platform the Imperial was based on. It was a good-looking, nice driving car. For its day it handled fairly well. Nothing like today's cars but still much better than the land yachts we love so much. I think K-Cars get a bad rap in a lot of ways. I didn't have a bit of trouble with mine in the 70,000+ miles I drove it. Then, like an idiot, I decided I wanted something new and traded it in. I always regretted that decision. It took a lot of years and a lot of different cars to finally get one that matched or beat it in the way of comfort, size and economy, as well as looks. Before I bought it I tried just about every comparable car from the other American maker and a few foreign too. The GM cars, by comparison, were pure junk, and the Fords weren't much better. It rode better than any foreign comparable car I tried and left me with the conclusion, which I have had no reason to change until this day, that the Chrysler products, and especially the K-cars, out engineered and out drove anything else that was available in its class at the time. I'm not saying it was perfect, nor that it was that superior of a car, but remember, this was in the 80s, the automakers were putting out some real junk then and comparatively speaking, the Chrysler cars were pretty good for their time. I wouldn't trade my 2008 Chrysler 300 for it - the 300 beats it in every way - but I wouldn't mind having my old E-Class back in my 'collection'.

 

[commando1]

Not trying to convince anyone of anything Stan, but tell us what the issues were with these cars particularly CRV and I who never saw these downunder.

Ugly
FWD
Small
Cheap
Chintzy
Crappy drivetrains.
Cramped.
And then it got worse....

 

[rapidtrans]

Ugly
FWD
Small
Cheap
Chintzy
Crappy drivetrains.
Cramped.
And then it got worse....

That’s the sad part of those years. That was the best they offered till the LH came out.

 

[Duncan]

That was the sad case for all of the automakers then, in my experience. Think Ford Fairmont, GM's X cars, etc. A lot of them made the K-cars look good. This was the time when automakers were still in the throes of downsizing and still trying to figure out how to profitably make smaller cars. Quality suffered. I remember reading a review of a new Oldsmobile of around that time and how, while trying to adjust the rearview mirror or the sun visor, etc., they would just come off in the testers' hands. No wonder the imports made such inroads. Although my Dad was a body and fender man and said the steel on the imports was horrible. I suspect the 80s and possibly 90s cars will never be collectible as previous years. Actually, I'm wondering if any cars since then will be as collectible as the older ones?