At that time, I was attempting to trade my '65 Crown Four Door for a better '64 Crown Four Door that was on the lot at our downtown Plymouth-Chrysler-Imperial dealer. It didn't work out, but the salesman that I was negotiating with received a phone call from an irrate lady customer who had regularly bought a new Imperial every few years from him. She supposedly had a new 1976 car on order, and discovered that there wasn't going to be a 1976 Imperial. I remember him arguing with her about the fact that she was still going to get her new car, and that even though it was going to be a Chrysler New Yorker, it was identical to the car that she originally had planned to buy. I don't recall him ever saying to her that she was going to save $2,314 on the sale.
I am curious if most of this price difference was due to items being optional on the Chrysler that were standard on the Imperial. A 1975 Imperial LeBaron (weren't they all were LeBarons by then?) would have been a loaded car, while a base model NYB may not have been unless the same items were ordered as optional equipment. Just curious.
Paul W.
-----Original Message-----
From: Elijah Scott <imperial1971@xxxxxxxxx>
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wed, 24 May 2006 12:54:47 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: IML: '75 Imperial and '76 New Yorker Brougham; was New Imperial Opinions Labor of Love?
randalpark@xxxxxxx wrote:
Interestingly, I think that I read that the 1975 Imperial production was between 8,000 and 9,000 cars, while the nearly identical car for '77 with NYB badging sold over 56,000. I hate to even think it, but maybe the Imperial name really was the problem?????
Total Imperial production for the 1975 model year was 8,830. The factory base price for a '75 Imperial four door hardtop was $9,046.
Total New Yorker Brougham production for the 1976 model year was 33,732. The factory base price for a '76 New Yorker Brougham four door hardtop was $6,732.
My intuitive guess is that the $2,314 price difference--25% LESS than the Imperial of the previous year--was likely the big motivator. Since the '76 New Yorker Brougham looks almost identical to a '75 Imperial, I bet many folks thought it was a groovy deal to get the top-of-the-line car for a couple of grand less than it was the year before. ;o)
So I don't think it was necessarily the name, but more the sticker price.
Thanks,
Elijah
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