Here’s a car I’ll bet you don’t remember. The Eagle Premier, which was a luxury car developed by American Motors before Chrysler purchased them in 1987 and then sold under the Eagle brand from 1988 to 1992. The car was designed to compete against the likes of Audi and Volvo, but its sales never blossomed, and it soon faded away. The seller has an apparent survivor from 1990 that has recently been serviced and comes with a bunch of spare parts. Located near Pottstown, Pennsylvania, this reminder of the former AMC is available here on craigslist for $6,000. Thanks for the latest tip, Tony Primo!
When this car was dreamt up by AMC in the 1980s, Renault was a partner in their business as the company continued to find ways to remain relevant. Perhaps the vehicles were to be sold with both AMC and Renault branding, but the sale to Chrysler changed that and an Eagle division came to fruition at Chrysler for a time. The Eagle brand also included the 4WD sedans and wagons also developed by AMC with its experience learned from Jeep.
AMC/Chrysler had hoped to sell 150,000 Premieres a year, yet 45,000 was the top number the market would support (perhaps due to boring styling?). So, after demand dropped below 5,000 units in 1992, the car was gone. Only 14,000 Premiers found owners in 1990 when this sedan was built. The seller describes it as being in excellent condition and may only have 45,000 miles, though that cannot be verified. It’s powered by a 3.0-liter V6 that is fuel-injected and has an automatic transmission.
This car has all the bells and whistles of a 1990 luxury sedan. Such as leather seats, power accessories, and factory air conditioning that still blows cold. We don’t know the history of this car, but someone must have stocked up on hard-to-find parts as the trunk is full of them along with shop manuals for the do-it-yourselfer. The fluids have been changed, as has “the belt” which we assume is what used to be called a timing chain. These cars are unicorns after four decades – do you have a soft spot for the Eagle Premier?
These and their siblings the Dodge Monaco are rare indeed. Can’t remember the last time I saw one. Looks like it’s really been cared for, and that trunk full of parts is great. I had forgotten these had the dreaded motorized seat belts, but other than that and the damage on the dash under the radio, I’d love to have it.
As I recall, the Monacos were so bad the dealers were selling them for almost fire-sale prices just to get them off the lot.
Back in late ’80’s the factory-owned A/J/R store I worked at got a pre-production Premier making the rounds of stores as a early glimpse for salespeople of the future. It sat forlornly on the lot so I snatched it up and squired it around for a month or so until it was whisked away to parts unknown. Nice ride, quiet, good handling for a vehicle its size, and the legendary French-engineered seats. Decent power (for the day) too. Too little, too late. I am a fan of the styling, then and now. This one is a rare bird indeed.
My Grandma had one the exact same colors in Ohio. She sideswiped something (I know, I know…) and since I worked at a body shop in 1996, I was able to repair it. I haven’t seen one since, until now.