Hello All,
From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that the very early 69's were a great disappointment. After driving a 66 for 3 years and some 150,000 miles, my dad eagerly traded his magnificent 4 door Crown for a 69 Crown sedan. Here is a partial list of it's problems. Paint that was so thin, the tops of the rear fenders were visible. Broken a/c vents and other inoperable dash related switches. Periodic failure of electrical equipment. And, yes the trunk leaked terribly. This compared to the overall superior quality of the 66 really was a disappointment.
I realize that all carlines can produce lemons. I had a 81 Electra that was at least as bad. But, the point is that the 69 was an IMPERIAL. And in my house, this meant QUALITY.
Allan from Billings, Montana