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You have very sad story. I'd wanted a 1965 Imperial as far back as I
can remember. For some reason, I just loved the taillights and thought the
way the hump is in the back with "Imperial" written semi-circular was so
attractive. However, things happen in life and I didn't think about it
until December 2006. I found the club and joined, then purchased little
things, like a 1965 owner's manual and the 1965 FSM on EBay, but didn't have the
car. In March 2007, I found the perfect car for me. A 1965 Crown
4-door, white, with the blue, biscuit cloth/leather interior. Although
pretty standard stuff for a 1965, it was loaded with every available option and
gadget for 1965. That was the selling point for me. Although I did
drive back to Chicago from New Mexico, getting lost and ending up halfway to
Nashville before figuring it out, I knew it needed a carburetor rebuild and a
new master cylinder for the brakes. Thanks to my roommate, who
accidentally knocked out the electrical, I'm not quite sure where to
start except at the solenoid.
Being from New Mexico, like yours, a paint job and some interior work is in
order; however, after waiting about 25 years to get this car, and especially at
the price I paid for it (cheap), it would take a catastrophe for me to part with
it. It has been sitting, waiting patiently for me to get started on it (I
had a family issue this summer that precluded me from working on the car);
however, I will say that everything the brochures promised was true. I had
a 1977 New Yorker that, although I loved it dearly, was not as comfortable as
this car for long cruises.
I guess my advice is that if the car isn't really costing you any money,
why sell it? If you need storage and it's not available, get a car cover
for it when not in use. Otherwise, I'd spend the money to get the
cosmetics up to snuff and, if you're intent on selling, get the highest price
possible. They're lovely cars and should be sold to someone who will
appreciate them in the long term. There weren't that many built when new
which means there're a lot fewer out there today. BEWARE of demolition
derby people. The guy I bought my car from said they LOVE Imperials.
They can win a derby in the early evening, then take the car to another derby
the same night. He told me, I'm not sure if it's true or not, that many derbies
in New Mexico won't allow an Imperial to enter because of this.
Just my nickel's worth.
Timothy Callaway
1965 Crown 4-door
Hi Folks, I've had my 1965 Crown now for a little over 13 years. In that time I've had a lot of fun with it, spent a lot of money on it, been in love with it and wanted to push it over a cliff. I was one of the earliest members of this club back in the Tony Lindsey days and I've learned a lot here and gotten a lot of support. But now I have to decide what to do with my Imperial. I still love driving it and it's costing me very little to keep, but I don't have the motivation to do anything with it. The cosmetic work I had done to it (mainly the paint) now needs to be redone thanks to the harsh Arizona sun and some unfortunate scrapes and bruises. I have some money from insurance stashed but while it'll cover the damage it won't cover an all new paint job, much less an extension to my carport to give it some shade. I go around and around with this - some days I want just to not have it any more and of course when I drive it I tend the other way, to get it refinished and proceed like I did before. One factor is that I was never a very good mechanic but I was willing to do things like replace the window and antenna motors and change all the dash lights. Nowadays I just don't feel like doing that any more. So I've been sitting on it the last couple of years, buying some parts here and there, driving it once or twice a week, and thinking of how cool it would be if I got back into it. But that doesn't seem to be happening. Since I've owned it I've had practically everything mechanical replaced and/or rebuilt except for the differential. I've had it painted and reupholstered. I've collected a bunch of spare parts including a set of flat-top .030 pistons and a pair of torsion bars which is a long story all by itself. Right now it runs and drives really well but it sure ain't pretty any more. I could never seem to keep it pretty and running all at once - after I got it painted I had to get the engine rebuilt, etc. etc. etc. I had some bad luck choosing shops and people who made some of this much harder than it should have been. I've had good luck too with some good people, but I'm just not in the mood to turn it over to a body shop and go through that again. The car is special to me for the fun I've had with it and especially a couple of road trips between Illinois and Arizona with my Dad which I'll never forget, and driving my best friends from their wedding with a bunch of Schlitz cans tied to the back (another long story). It's hard to think about letting it go - it's a big part of me. But nothing is happening with it and my interests are elsewhere so I'm not sure that keeping it with the idea of re-restoring it is such a good idea. I guess you can all see where I'm leaning by now: it's probably time to sell. I wouldn't feel bad if I sold it to someone who'd pick up where I left off, someone who could see beyond its cosmetic state to all the good stuff underneath. Anyways, let me know your thoughts and if anybody might be interested let me know. John Meyer 1965 Crown Tucson |
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