Reed's New Ride (formerly Opinions on 90-93 Imperials?)

[Ceej]

The '86 was an Electra Park Avenue. It had a gob of miles on it, so some undercarriage work may have helped with the tire munching. I didn't have a desire to fix it though. Drove it till I sold it. When I bought it, it had 186k on the clock, got what I paid for it back just into it's third trip around.. Ran fine. The PO was the original owner, and IIRC, he had the trans rebuilt about 150k.

That model year, the idle quality was still pretty lousy. There was a fix, but the fuel efficiency took a dump if you did it. It idled slightly rough was all. A common problem for odd fire v6's.

I ran Cadillacs for a long time. Had a 70 Sedan Deville, 66 Coupe Deville, and a 74 Sedan Deville. The '74 had 500k on it. (Used as a hotel car on Guam.) The tourists from the orient thought it was a Limo.
Galled guides would hang valves open when it got hot. The more power you wanted, the less you had. AC worked, and so did the stereo. Sold it for a dollar.
I'd love to have the '66 back. It got 21 mpg @ 70 out on the open road. Like traveling across country in a Lay-Z-Boy.

I'd think for around 2K you could get a pretty nice late 90's Jaguar XJ-6, though 30 mpg would be a stretch. Later versions got pretty good mileage, but made me think they were a bug eyed Ford Taurus. Style and comfy are there though. I had an '84 XJ-6, then a 90 XJS. The XJS could pull 18 out on the freeway as long as the cruise was set at 65 or less. In most cases it hovered around 14 though. Too fun to drive on the wire. Fun tuna boat. They are pretty big. Some people think of them as sports cars, but that just proves they haven't actually driven one. The XJS handled fair, the XJ-6 was OK, but nothing to write home about. Both so quiet and silky smooth, you had to look at the tach to see if the engine was running.

CJ

_________________

Tyrde-Browne Racing

I'm off to find myself. If I should return before I get back, keep me here.

[Shaker223]

My 81 Imp made 190k and my brothers 81 made 257k before I sold mine and his burned. Both were carb'd by the time we got them. I put about 60k on mine and he put 120k on his. No issues to speak of. We each replaced a few suspension parts, that was about it.

They were mighty tired when we were done with them. Before you say it was complete junk...see it burned. There is a story behind it. In short, he held the car WOT for over 30 minutes before an oil leak caught fire. It endured multiple neutral slams and he enjoyed a taco bell dinner all the while the car was WOT.

Sorry...missed 1990-1993 Imperials. Funny story though.

_________________
11.02 @ 120.56
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAxRmoDgsdY
Chassis dyno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd6hFGzLJMc

[Eric W]

Heck, look at a Crown Vic/Grand Marque/Town Car. I've heard of people getting 300K + out of those cars and getting around 25mpg on the road with them. If the police can thrash on them and then the taxi drivers beat the crap out of them, can't be too bad. Think of them as the M bodys of the '90's...

_________________
Eric

[SlantSixDan]

A 3.8-litre GM FWD car in carefully-inspected, low-miles condition would be a very sound pick. If you're trying for mileage, though, keep the engine size down. Look for a Subaru or an Accord (not too hard to find 5-speed items) with low miles.

_________________
一期一会

By birth & parentage: US citizen, 2nd class
By choice: Canadian citizen, 1st class

[Reed]

Subaru or Accord? Remember- 6'4", 305 pounds, 27 inches across the shoulders, 24 inches across the hips, and low back issues. I am trying to avoid:





and

.

A Town Car or Grand Marquis would be OK, but I don't know how much better the MPG would be compared to my van.

Even the M body sedan is just a hair too small for me. A M body coupe is OK, I had an 81 Cordoba once, but I couldn't stand the lack of a drip rail and I am too big to comfortably get out of a two door in a cramped parking lot.

Dammit, why did Chrysler stop making B bodies, and why the heck are new cars so freaking boring looking?!?! Argh. I HATE car shopping, especially for newer cars I know nothing about.

When I was a kid, one of my sisters had a 65 Sedan De Ville that she bought for $200 from a guy in Alaska who had it parked in a field. He used it as a snowplow because the front end was so wide and low. I loved that car. I was too young to ever drive it, but I did help paint it Krylon Safety Purple. After moving to Utah we bought a 73 Coupe De Ville. Grandma owned, near perfect. It died an early death when we discovered the rear window had been sealed improperly (probably from the factory) and the entire lower rear window frame was rusted out and the rust had spread around under the vinyl top. It was a sad day when that car went away.

Then my same sister briefly had an 83 Seville. Good looking car, but the motor was crap. You know it is bad when the factory service manual says that oil leaks may be due to the porous engine casting.

_________________

Buy local! http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/ http://www.americansworking.com/tools.html

[Reed]

OK- I'm not giving up on the Imperials, yet.

I have been reading on Allpar that the A-604 (aka 41TE) tranny was in use on most all Mopar cars and minivans up until 2011, with upgrades happening every few years. The reports I have read indicate that tranny cooling is a problem and it is best to abandon the cooler in the radiator and run an aftermarket unit in front of the radiator, preferably with a fan for the tranny cooler. A contributor to Allpar indicated that pre-2001 A604 typically need rebuilding around 100k miles, but that in 2001 something was changed to where the A604 can go for 200+ miles with only regular maintenance and possibly a clutch pack replacement.

That doesn't sound too bad to me. Sure, it isn't the same as the 350,000+ mile lifespan of the average 904, but I can live with it.

My question is this: could I swap a later transmssion, say from a mid '00s Caravan, into a 90-93 Imperial? I suspect I would have issues with different gear ratios messing up the speedometer, potentially, but this is something I would be interested in. Alternatively, is it possible to beef up an A604 with the later improvements? Perhaps I should go find a Mopar minivan board for these questions.

_________________

Buy local! http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/ http://www.americansworking.com/tools.html

[Rick Covalt]

The Crown Victoria would be great. The are good cars and there are lots of them out there. The newer ones with the 4.6L can 26-27 MPG on the highway if you drive "nice". My friend drives one about 40 miles a day,mixed driving and he is getting about 22-23 MPG. It is a 2004, Super nice, and had only 87,000 on it when he bought it for $2500. If he didn't buy it, I would have.

If you want a large car that gets good mileage, that cuts they choices down in a hurry.

Rick

_________________
2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a highly refined, record setting, world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!
]

[Slanted Opinion]

My vote for the Grand Marquis. Quite possibly double your current gas mileage... Incredibly comfortable... Very safe... Massive trunk... And reliable as the day is long.

The Imperial-Dynasty-New Yorker series was crap. Sorry to say that about a Mopar product, but it really was. That extra 5 MPG you might get over the Grand Marquis will be eaten up in repair bills. Dan's first post (Run Away!) was exactly correct.


- Mac

[Slanted Opinion]

When I read your previous post, my take was: "I know this model came from the factory with lots of problems, but I might be able to correct them".

That's a mindset that we all get into once in while... Sometimes with cars, sometimes with people. It rarely works out for good in either case.

[wjajr]

I know you are already Ford tolerant, how about a Crown Vic and badge cousin Grand Marquis both are very efficient out on the open road returning mpg in high 20’s. 88 and up have various fuel injection methods eliminating the earlier crappy carbureted engines. I had an 88 Vic for many miles until #1 son put it upside down in a ditch one icy day, it ran trouble free 100,000 miles, excepting a quart of oil every 900 miles. Apparently 88 was a bad year for oil control from what I could glean from others in those days driving them. By 92, I believe Ford stuffed in their new 4.6 L V8, a better engine than the old 302. Lincoln got the 4.6 in 90.

Both cars are dirt cheap, and parts are plentiful, and you will still be driving a mid-seventies car… in design that is.

_________________
67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

[SlantSixDan]

[Reed]

I shun Volvo's. My oldest sister briefly had a Volvo wagon, and it turned out to be one of the biggest lemons my family ever owned. Unfortunately, most of the used Crown Vics in this area get snapped up by the taxi companies or low-riders and get driven firmly into the ground.

Argh. Ok, I'll keep browsing around. The consensus seems to be that 91-93 imperials are something to stay away from, so I guess I will heed that advice.

_________________

Buy local! http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/ http://www.americansworking.com/tools.html

[Reed]

OK- I think I will keep my eyes open for an 83-87 New Yorker (turbo K car) or a Lebaron sedan. Thanks for the sound advice everybody.

_________________

Buy local! http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/ http://www.americansworking.com/tools.html

[wjajr]

Reed:
You have to get in close with the geriatric crowd, sooner or later gramps or nana will be grounded freeing up a Crown Vic… and Bobs your uncle.

_________________
67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

[Reed]

The median age in the little town where I live has to be over 65. I will put it to you this way- the biggest source of tax revenue for the City is the golf course. I will keep my eyes open for a good condition old boat.

_________________

Buy local! http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/ http://www.americansworking.com/tools.html