Used Chrysler Imperial Buying Guide: 1981-83 Coupe and 1990-93 Sedan

A used Chrysler Imperial is almost always a 1990-1993 front-drive sedan: Chrysler's flagship of the time, with a 3.3 V6 for 1990 and a 3.8 V6 from 1991, standard antilock brakes and a long list of electrically powered extras. It's cheap to buy, and the risk is in the parts nobody checks, like the ABS unit, the load-leveling or air suspension and the transmission. If the Imperial in the ad is a two-door coupe, it's a 1981-1983 car, a rare V8 with very different problems, so read the right section before you call the seller.

For this one I read Consumer Guide's used-car file on the 1990-93 Imperial, Consumer Guide's 1990 Chrysler lineup piece and its look back at the 1982 Imperial, Car and Driver's 1981 road test, and NHTSA's recall data for the Imperial name from 1981 through 1993, all on Oct 20, 2026.

Which Imperial is it?

Three very different cars wore the name, and a report won't always make it obvious which one you have.

• 1990-1993 sedan: four doors, front-wheel drive, V6, a formal roof and squared-off styling. This is the common one.
• 1981-1983 coupe: two doors, rear-wheel drive, a 318 V8, the sloped "bustleback" trunk and a digital dash. Rare.
• Older Imperials: big rear-drive cars from when Imperial was sold as a separate luxury brand. Consumer Guide notes the 1981-83 car was the last stand-alone Imperial; later ones were Chrysler models. Anything older is collector territory and outside what this guide covers.

The 1990-93 sedan, Imperial-specific details

Consumer Guide describes the 1990 Imperial as the "showboat flagship" of a new pair of full-size sedans made by stretching the front-drive New Yorker platform. The Imperial is four inches longer overall than its New Yorker Fifth Avenue sibling on the same wheelbase, with the extra length mostly in the overhangs. Standard equipment included automatic rear load leveling, power windows and locks, heated power mirrors and automatic climate control. Consumer Guide's 1990 lineup piece adds standard antilock brakes, leather seating, a cassette stereo and memory power front seats, on a $25,545 base price.

The changes by year matter when you're matching a car to its paperwork. For 1991 the 3.8 V6 became standard in the Imperial, with 150 hp and 203 lb-ft against the 3.3's 147 hp and 183 lb-ft. That same year, oddly, Imperials switched to standard cloth upholstery and lost the leather. For 1992 the Fifth Avenue got a rounder nose and tail, but the Imperial kept its straight-edged look.

Consumer Guide's road test also says Imperials "might also have an air suspension." On a 30-plus-year-old car, find out what's under it before you buy. A sedan that sits low at one corner, or a compressor that runs constantly, is a repair you need to price first.

Safety and the repairs to expect

This is the number I'd want to know if I were putting a family in one. Consumer Guide lists NHTSA's frontal crash test of a 1991 Imperial sedan at four stars for the driver and one star for the front passenger. That's a car designed in the 1980s, and it shows.

Mechanically, the Imperial shares Consumer Guide's trouble list with the Fifth Avenue: transmission shudder, thumps or slipping (1990-93), a delayed engagement at startup on 1993 cars that calls for a new valve body and filter, piston slap on both V6 engines (1990-93), and A/C evaporators that freeze up (1991-93). The road test complained of sloppy shifts and a reluctance to downshift. A smooth, quiet cold start and clean shifts on a test drive are worth more than a shiny dash.

Recalls NHTSA files under IMPERIAL

• 96V099 (1990-93): ABS hydraulic control unit seal wear can damage the pump motor; antilock braking could fail and power assist could drop, according to Consumer Guide's summary.
• 91V191 (1990-91): the ABS high-pressure hose can leak or detach at its crimped fitting.
• 91V122 (1991): the front outboard seat belt can become hard to latch or unlatch.
• 92V015 (1992): an upper steering column coupling bolt can break from hydrogen embrittlement.
• 81V111 (1981-82): the speed control switch can stick in "resume," so a normal brake application may not cancel cruise.

Two ABS campaigns on a car where ABS was standard means you should ask about both. The 1983 search returned nothing, which isn't the same as no problems. Use our Chrysler recall check by VIN on the actual car, and the Chrysler VIN decoder to confirm which engine it left the factory with.

The 1981-83 coupe

Car and Driver's 1981 test describes a 4,000-pound coupe on the 1976 Aspen/Volare chassis, priced at $18,311, with a full digital instrument panel and Mark Cross leather. Consumer Guide's 1982 retrospective lists it as the first Chrysler with electronic fuel injection and the first fuel-injected 318, sold as a "one-price" car, with 1982 sales of just 3,466. A Sinatra edition came with a box set of his music. The injection is the issue: a Hagerty Marketplace listing for a 1982 car says Chrysler dealers replaced it with a carburetor on most 1981-83 Imperials. Ask which setup the car has and whether the digital dash works, because a history report won't say.

What a report can and can't tell you

A CARFAX or AutoCheck report on a car this old can confirm title brands, odometer readings and owner changes where they were reported. It won't tell you if the air suspension was converted to springs or if the ABS recall was ever done. Our post on CARFAX for classic cars covers why older records get thin. Run NMVTIS for brands as well.

CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, Experian or Stellantis. As of late October 2026, reports through us ran roughly $5.50 as a guest, $4.50 for members and $6.75 for a two-report bundle, compared with about $39.99 to $44.99 retail. Confirm the actual charge at checkout. Consumer Guide's 2014 good-condition range for these sedans was $1,000 to $1,700.

Sources

• Consumer Guide: 1990-93 Chrysler Imperial/New Yorker Fifth Avenue
• Consumer Guide: The "Big" Chryslers of 1990 and Review Flashback: 1982 Imperial
• Car and Driver: 1981 Chrysler Imperial archive test
• Hagerty Marketplace: 1982 Imperial FS listing
• NHTSA recallsByVehicle, CHRYSLER IMPERIAL, 1981-1993, checked Oct. 20, 2026, e.g. 1991