Guy bought a Chrysler Imperial but the seller disappeared before he tried to start it and for good reason
- Joy quickly became resentment when a 1982 Chrysler Imperial turned out to be dysfunctional
- The car itself has a complicated star-studded history and is no stranger to infamy
- Even the Car Wizard was scratching his head over it
Published on Jan 22, 2025 at 9:48 PM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Jan 22, 2025 at 9:48 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
An American car enthusiast’s dream car very quickly became a nightmare when he won a 1982 Chrysler Imperial Frank Sinatra edition in an auction.
The seller told him that it runs and drives great, but as he embarked on his 200 mile journey home, that became the furthest from the truth.
The seller stopped responding while the buyer was left to deal with multiple problems like heating, missing gauges and speed issues.
After a visit to a fellow YouTuber and mechanic, the brutal truth was a very bitter pill to swallow.
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The History of the 1982 Chrysler Imperial Frank Sinatra
Tyler Hoover, known online as Hoovies Garage had found the most expensive Chrysler of its day – a 1982 Chrysler Imperial Frank Sinatra edition.
The car came with copies of Sinatra’s tapes inside and his signature on the center console.
The model was only available for two brief years as despite its price tag, it was an extremely unreliable car.
The car was so badly reviewed that Frank Sinatra asked to have his name removed from the model, as being associated with the vehicle was too embarrassing.
Hoover loved the way the car looked and when he spoke to the seller, he was reassured that it ‘runs and drives great’.
However, when he became face to face with his new car and the seller was nowhere to be seen, it became clear that he had been sold a lie, like this man who bought a $31,000 scam supercar from China.
Tyler’s journey
Described as ‘one of the most uncomfortable drives of [his] life’, the reason the seller had ghosted had become increasingly clear.
Faulty electronics and fuel delivery problems led to Tyler’s drive being an extremely cold one, as the heating didn’t work.
Not only was he frozen, but he also had to drive extremely slowly, and the car could barely handle inclines.
His journey ended up being two hours longer than it should’ve been and with the sputtering performance and bad weather, it was not a pleasant one.
The YouTuber took the car to fellow creator and mechanic the Car Wizard to see whether he could fix the problems.
The issues with the car ran deep as a lot of the outdated technology would be nearly impossible to replace.
Hopefully the two YouTubers can use the car to create something really amazing as a result of the scam, like this guy did.
It’s disappointing that this car was such a let down, but as Frank Sinatra himself would say, that’s life.
Daisy Edwards is a journalist who started her media career after graduating with a degree in History and Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London. With 5 years of experience writing about literature, history, politics and pop culture for various magazines, she also has a passion for country music, dogs and working on her many craft projects.