Used Chrysler Fifth Avenue Buying Guide: RWD 1982-89 vs FWD 1990-93

There are two used Chrysler Fifth Avenues, and they have almost nothing in common. The 1982-1989 car is a rear-drive sedan with a 318 V8 and a three-speed automatic, and it's the easier one to live with. The 1990-1993 New Yorker Fifth Avenue is a stretched front-drive car with a 3.3 or 3.8 V6 and a four-speed automatic, and its transmission is where most of the risk sits. Figure out which one is in the ad first, because the recall list, the repairs and the fair price all change with it.

On Oct 20, 2026 I read Consumer Guide's used-car file on the 1990-93 cars, two Consumer Guide pieces and a Hagerty profile on the last rear-drive Fifth Avenues, Los Angeles Times coverage of Chrysler's early-1990s transmission trouble, and NHTSA's recall data for 1982 through 1993. Our used Chrysler New Yorker guide covers the plainer sedans the Fifth Avenue was built from, so this one stays on the Fifth Avenue itself.

The 1982-89 rear-drive car

Hagerty's Thomas Klockau explains the name history. For 1982 and 1983 the rear-drive M-body sedan was sold as the Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue, and from 1984 it dropped the New Yorker part. The M-body was shared with the Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury, which Consumer Guide notes most people knew as cabs and police cars. The Fifth Avenue sold well for an old design: Hagerty lists 109,971 sales in 1985, 104,744 in 1986, 70,579 in 1987 and 43,486 in 1988.

By 1989 the only drivetrain was a 140-hp 318 V8 with a three-speed automatic, and every 1989 Fifth Avenue had the padded landau roof, according to Consumer Guide, which says Chrysler sold just over 17,000 that year. Two details from Hagerty matter if you're shopping: the 1988 and 1989 cars were built at the former AMC plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and 1989 was the only year with a driver's side airbag. Consumer Guide calls these the last Chrysler cars with the 318 and the last with torsion-bar suspension.

Hagerty's featured car sold new for $18,345 in 1989. Hagerty admits rear legroom trails a Town Car. If what you love is a big rear-drive Chrysler sedan with a V8, the modern equivalent is the 300, and our used Chrysler 300 guide is the place for that.

The 1990-93 front-drive car

Consumer Guide says Chrysler stretched the front-drive New Yorker platform by five inches to make the 1990 New Yorker Fifth Avenue and its Imperial sibling. The Fifth Avenue had a 147-hp 3.3 V6 as standard every year, with a 3.8 V6 (150 hp, but 20 lb-ft more torque) optional from 1991. Both used a four-speed automatic. Antilock brakes were optional on the Fifth Avenue; Consumer Guide's 1990 lineup piece prices them at $954 that year, on a car with a $21,845 base price.

A few year changes help you place a car. For 1991 the Fifth Avenue's air conditioning went from automatic to manual controls and the steering wheel lost its leather wrap. For 1992 it got a rounder nose and tail with a new hood, grille and headlamps. Consumer Guide's road test was not kind: sloppy shifts, a reluctance to downshift for passing, a gruff 3.3, and a soft suspension that "tends to hammer" over rough pavement. Its overall rating was 48 out of 100.

Where the money goes on the front-drive car

Most of the money goes into the transmission. Consumer Guide's trouble list for 1990-93 includes shudder from a stop, a thump coasting to a stop or slipping during shifts, and on 1993 cars, a delayed shift at startup that needs a new valve body and filter. Consumer Guide doesn't name the unit. The Los Angeles Times reported in January 1989 that Chrysler's new A-604 electronic four-speed, used with six-cylinder engines in the New Yorker this car grew from, had a design defect causing internal leaks and clutch failure. By February 1991 the Times reported Consumer Reports had found transmission problems in 14% of 1989 and 7% of 1990 Chryslers with the Ultradrive. If the car slips and there are no transmission receipts, walk away.

The same Consumer Guide file lists piston slap on both V6s (1990-93), A/C evaporators freezing because the compressor doesn't cycle off (1991-93), serpentine belt squeal (1991-93) and sway bar bushing squeaks (1992-93). The good-condition range in that 2014 file was $1,000 to $1,700, so on a rough one, a transmission job can cost more than the car.

Recalls NHTSA files under FIFTH AVENUE

NHTSA lists these under CHRYSLER FIFTH AVENUE:

• 87V164 (1988): fusible link wires in the engine compartment can be trapped under the speed control servo bracket.
• 90V080 (1990): airbag inflator modules may lack diffuser holes; Consumer Guide says this hit cars with gray interiors.
• 91V004, 90V162, 91V122 (1991): blower resistor corrosion from a cowl leak, under-torqued front caliper guide pin bolts, and a front belt that can be hard to latch.
• 92V015 (1992): an embrittled steering column coupling bolt can break.

The 1982-87, 1989 and 1993 searches came back with nothing, and "NEW YORKER FIFTH AVENUE" returns nothing for any year. Consumer Guide also lists ABS hose and hydraulic unit recalls for ABS-equipped cars in this family that don't show under the Fifth Avenue name, which tells you NHTSA's model labels are messy. Run the actual VIN; our Chrysler recall check guide shows how.

Before you hand over cash

A 35-to-40-year-old sedan has had plenty of time to collect a salvage brand or a broken odometer. Check NMVTIS for title brands, then pull a CARFAX or AutoCheck report for owners and mileage gaps. CarVins is a licensed reseller of both and isn't affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, Experian or Stellantis. In late October 2026 our prices were around $5.50 a report for guests, $4.50 for members and $6.75 for the pair, versus about $39.99 to $44.99 retail. The checkout page has the final word on price.

Sources

• Consumer Guide: 1990-93 Chrysler Imperial/New Yorker Fifth Avenue
• Consumer Guide: The Chrysler M-Body cars of 1989 and The "Big" Chryslers of 1990
• Hagerty: 1989 Chrysler Fifth Avenue (Feb. 2021)
• Los Angeles Times, Jan. 23, 1989 and Feb. 5, 1991
• NHTSA recallsByVehicle, CHRYSLER FIFTH AVENUE, 1982-1993, checked Oct. 20, 2026, e.g. 1991