My imp
Well-Known Member
Yep, the 20 yr+ experienced lineman couldn't have given two shits as to what they were doing. Body lead in the door jambs of the Imp.'s were finished with stone grinders, & then the painters did their best rendition of Niagra Falls to try to cover the grinder marks. The F body was at the time the most recalled car. Then along came GM to save the day with the X car! Remember those gems? Citation, Phoenix, Omega, & the other abortions that followed. My Mom bought an '81 Diplomat S6 that absolutely devoured fuel! I think that thing got about 12 mpg. My Mom first looked at the Imp, & I'm sure she would've bought one until she heard the price. She said she bought her first house in '53 for less money! There was no talking her into it. I agree that you should never buy these cars to make money or an investment. If I give my 2 yr old my Imp, by the time she retires it might be worth something. But all of these cars have very polarizing styling. You love 'em, or hate 'em, not many riding the fence there. With a Continental kit on the back you'd have a hard time convincing people it isn't a Lincoln. Or add a couple more doors & get rid of the hideaways & you have a Caddy. Not a lot of originality for over $18K. When I get done with mine, I intend to build the car Chrysler should've built for the money they were asking for. I won't have anything that'll match a new car, however, I'll have something that will more than overmatch the '81 standards in every way with the possible exception of fuel economy. I won't go all out performance, but I will up the ante by quite a bit, while remaining totally streetable with every option I can fit in the thing.