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Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis

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What is this discussion about? Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, Exterior, Sedan

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#1730 of 3244 jerrym3 .... LOL by cfocfo Jan 16, 2003 (6:50 pm)
You would never trade your wife back for that Corvette with 18,000 miles on it !   My criteria for a recent car purchase was:   Comfort & Fit (I'm very tall) Reliability Safety Value Decent MPG   I would of liked 20 MPG + in the city, but you can't have them all at my size.   Liked the new Corvette, but it took me 3 minutes to get my second leg out of it.
#1731 of 3244 Ride Quality by mercmarauder Jan 17, 2003 (5:59 am)
Yeah, it's all subjective, and my knee probably jerked a little.   I'd characterize the Marauder's ride as firm. After all, it's a performance car.   My car purchases lean toward performance. Mustang GTs, Thunderbirds, etc. Though I had limited experience with Mercs until the Marauder. But I have owned Lincolns and Crown Vics previously.   My Marauder doesn't seem to ride any firmer than the Thunderbirds, and is much softer than the Mustangs. About on a par with my Dad's '98 Crown Vic with handling pkg.   So I'm just assuming that a regular Grand Marquis would be softer and more comfortable.   I think the new rack and pinion steering and heavier sway bars account for the major improvements in the Marauder handling. One complaint I always had about Lincolns, Crown Vics, etc. was that "floating" feeling I'd get when cruising on the interstates. I didn't really feel connected to the car. I do with the Marauder.   IMHO it's a great car. Originally over priced, yes, but now dealers are offering them for under $30K.   Get one today!
#1732 of 3244 new car by jerrym3 Jan 17, 2003 (6:19 am)
I had hoped to hold off till the spring for a new car, but it looks like my 89 Towncar is starting to give me more headaches than it's worth.   Now the fun begins-what to buy?   Short list-2003 Marauder (28+K); 2002-2003 TBird (35-40K); 2003 Towncar (35-37K)(replaces Jaguar S on my list; Jag's too expensive; just can't trust the economy and I'm too near retirement to spend almost 50K on a car).   Merc dealer called me last night; said I could order one in black, blue or silver. But, most likely, I would not get the $3,000 "take car from stock" rebate. Have to check on that.   Does anyone know if the Marauder silver is Silver Birch or Silver Frost? Birch is a much richer color.   I'm still hung up on the Marauder not being the musclecar that it was advertised to be, at least out of the showroom, and I'm not about to start fooling around with chips and 4:10 gears. (Replacing 3:55s with 4;10s means an RPM increase of about 15% which has to equate to shorter motor life, no matter now good the car is put together.)   I, too, have trouble getting in/out of a car like the new TBird with the roof on/up, but 35K for a leftover 2002 (40K+ list) is a good deal.   I like the new TC and the $3,500 cash back, but I keep reading too many rumors about the "possibility" that the 2004 TC may get more power (DOHC 4.6?). That would really tick me off. There's also a new option package which provides an argent colored grille and "wheel pockets". Haven't seen one, yet.   One last choice: since the 89 TC is driven by my wife mostly, there still are a few leftover 2002 Continentals that are going dirt cheap (I get the Ford A-Z plan pricing.) Could be a good choice for her especially in the snow. I also hear that the 2002 Continental is pretty peppy. (I drove one last summer, and I thought it was a pretty nice car, especially with the adjustable ride rear shocks. Dash didn't seem up to luxury car standards, though. Didn't get the chance to nail it.)   Oh, yeah, one more. Firesale on leftover 2002 Lincoln LS's.   Tough choices, like back in 1966 when I sold the Corvette. It was either furniture or the 65 Corvette, so I chose furniture.   The 89 TC is going into the shop Monday for an estimate; car wanders too much; maybe it's just an alignment, but it's got over 130,000 miles.
#1733 of 3244 jerrym3 by mercmarauder Jan 17, 2003 (10:36 am)
The Marauder silver is/will be silver frost.   I consider the Marauder a "muscle car" and I truly believe it lives up to the "hype." It's an awesome performer stock. If you need stump-pulling power then it can easily be modded up with a 4.10 gear. IMHO it doesn't need it:   Stock 0-60 times Car and Driver 7.5 Motor Trend 6.89   Really pulls from about 40-120.   I briefly considered a new TBird as well. Very affordable right now compared to when they first came out. Nice little car, but under-powered. No room for my kids, either.   Have you looked at a Crown Vic LX Sport? Resembles the Marauder, is available in lots of colors. I considered it - but ultimately decided to spend a few thousand more on the Mercury. Got a lot more horsepower, torque, and IMHO a lot more car for my money.
#1734 of 3244 Crown Vic LX sport by jerrym3 Jan 17, 2003 (12:34 pm)
I actually like the front of the CV LX Sport slightly better than the Marauder. And, you can get a black exterior with a medium parchment interior, a combination I prefer over black/charcoal. (Saw a GM LSE with parchment buckets next to a Marauder. The parchment interior, to me, looked richer.)   I also favor the regular GM rear end treatment, but without the horizontal chrome trim. As is, the Marauder looks too much like a police car from the rear until you get closer to see the pipes and MARAUDER treatment.   Don't care for silver frost; silver birch is much more appealing, IMHO. A Silver Birch Marauder with blacked out Marauder rear lettering, B-pillar, and vertical grille blades could be real interesting; might even consider a very thin black pinstripe, front to rear.   I guess I'm hung up on Mercury's boasting of 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. Some road tests were as "slow" as 8 flat. (I don't get the opportunity to exceed 75-80 mph in the crowded North Jersey area, but I do get the chance to push the 0-? range every now and then.) Just don't care for the idea of beating, or losing, to a Japanese sedan by a few tenths, and I wouldn't risk continuing a race to the 100 mph speed. Insurance in NJ is too expensive even without speeding tickets.   Do you really feel the TBird is under powered? I thought that it was tested 0-60 in 7 flat, and the 2003 could even be a little quicker.   Two seater would work for me. My kids are either married or too old to drive around with mom and dad, anyway. (My daughter has her own 99 Mustang; pretty quick, for a six.)   For the few thousand difference, I'd still go for the Marauder over the CV LX. The CV LX seems like a car that would become "just a car" too soon. Nice package, though.   Dealer told me that the 3K rebate would be applicable assuming that the vehicle was delivered in a month when the rebate is still valid(?).   How's that for a crapshoot?
#1735 of 3244 More by mercmarauder Jan 17, 2003 (2:07 pm)
I didn't know that Mercury claimed 0-60 times of under 6.5 seconds. But it probably wouldn't take much to get there since the Marauder can do it in less than 7 stock.   The Thunderbird "feels" under powered to me. Don't get me wrong. I love it! But I guess I feel about it the way you feel about the Marauder: it doesn't live up to the expectations created by its looks. But I think the 'Bird gets 30 or 50 more horsepower for '03. That should make a difference.
#1736 of 3244 Mercury claims by jerrym3 Jan 17, 2003 (4:14 pm)
I went to an autoshow in the Jacob Javits arena in NY City. The Marauder (a total disaster; different shades of black) was on display. On a Mercury provided podium was an informational description of the new Mercury muscle car, the Marauder. Along with motor size, horsepower, etc was the following statement "0-60 in 6.5 seconds".   Couldn't be any plainer; it was there, bold as could be.   I have yet to read/see/or listen to a Marauder road test or discussion that agrees with Mercury's claim; Motorweek TV called it, and I quote, "a pussycat off the line".   But, everybody that owns one says they are so fast. Then why are so many buying 4:10 gears and Reinhart chips? I don't want to buy a 28K self proclaimed muscle car and drive to Reinhart motors in Florida to make it run; that's not what I bargained for.   Am I p****d? You bet. I have always liked Mercurys, even when the "kids" of my age were jumping at 442's, GTO's, and Chevelle 396's. I flipped the first time I read a roadtest on the 1969 Cyclone CJ 428. Finally, a Merc that ran!   Fast forward to the present. Here, so I thought, was an American car company bringing us (me) back to the good old days when America ruled the highways, and only strange and weird people bought Datsuns and Toyotas.   (I worked for a Datsun dealer in Leonia, NJ, in the early 60's. While driving a Datsun to the dealership from the Port Elizabeth, NJ docks on a dark, rainy night, the electrical system just died; no lights or windshield wipers st 70 mph on the NJ Turnpike. Great car!! My co-worker bought a Datsun Fairlady, a Datsun sportscar. What a joke.)   The USA used to rule when it came to the automobile market. But, we decided to forget about cars and build Explorers, Durangos, and whatever. So, we lost the car market to the Germans and Japanese. How long before we lose the SUV market?   Yeah, Fords are built in Canada, and Japanese cars are built in the good old USA, but where are the profits going?   Sorry folks, just had to vent. We lost the electronics market, we lost the car market, and we will soon lose the truck (excuse me-SUV) market.   But, my kids can always get jobs as telemarketers.
#1737 of 3244 by johnclineii Jan 17, 2003 (4:19 pm)
Bordering on OT, but where are the profits going? To the suppliers of Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, to their employees, and to the communities where the plants are, in addition to the investors from Japan.   You think "American" cars are built of "American" parts? Hardly. Why even that Marauder you were speaking of is built in Canada. Not that there is anything wrong with that.   And there is a Marauder board here at Edmunds which would be a good place to read and post about the Marauder. This here is the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis Board!
#1738 of 3244 Jerrym: Seattle Ford dealer selling 03 T Birds for $34,500 by kinley Jan 17, 2003 (11:22 pm)
and they're brand new. Recently I found a very slightly used 03 Black Executive Towncar up in Maine for 27 and change in "autotrader.com". I have also heard the 04 TC will have the Aviator engine, but that's 18 months away from getting one for 30k so let's buy the 03 and enjoy now.
#1739 of 3244 marauder board by jerrym3 Jan 18, 2003 (6:29 pm)
Marauder board went dead; very little posting. Even the once lively Lincoln LS board is very slow.   Thought I'd try to liven this board up a bit with topics a bit off the beaten path, but if you folks feel that the Marauder's not a car to be discussed on a Gran Marquis board, ok with me.

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