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Sedans Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis
3244 messages, Last post on Aug 25, 2009 at 8:13 PM
You are in the Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
| I have a 1999 Crown Vic with 103000 miles, 65% of which are highway; perfect condition, new Michelen tires, silver, purrs; high 20's on the hwy since new. I am buying a new Highlander. My dilemma: is there anyone out there who would not be scared of the mileage, or should I just forget it and trade it in? | |
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| I would not be afraid of that kind of mileage. That being said, depreciation should be substantial either way. I don't think you would have that difficult of a time selling it privately. Your trade-in woudl not be that great. | |
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OK Guys, here's my dilemma. Wife Wants to get a Camry or Accord for our next car. we've got a 99 Chev Malibu (AKA Boat Anchor) right now. My preference is a good old RWD Full frame Car.Since the Choices these days are limited I suggested the CV/GM. I'm seeking advice as to the reliability of theses two vehicles. Have never owned anything except General Motors products (a few RWD) and have had so-so luck with most of them.Think it's time for a change but not sold on the hype about Japanese cars being better etc.Is Ford a good choice ?Not concerned with depreciation or resale value as We will be keeping this car for the long term. Most likely looking at a 1 or 2 year old model with low mileage. I'm From Toronto, Ontario Canada and we have alot of these cars around here,mostly older owners. I'm 40 but can see the value of having a big car to feel safe while driving.Any Comments or caveats would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks, BD Eyes |
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in the 2 years & 17k miles I've owned it, even though it was an "abused" Sheriff's car. (Actually I feel the deputy that drove it treated it like he owned it.) As to whether you should buy one, the only concern I might have is if you want to go back to RWD in the snow. That's the only thing I hate about having a Vic. But in the past I had a 4x4 to drive, and now this winter I have a Focus and a Taurus, so the Vic can stay in the garage when the snow flies... |
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My last Toyota & Honda were '77 models. Both were extremely reliable, and I never had to argue, plead or fight with either if something went wrong during warranty. Consumer Reports data seem to suggest their reliability is still high. Your wife should take a test drive in cars under consideration. (But a short test drive may not fully bring out the factors cited below.) A buddy and I alternate driving to visit places, with drive times ranging from 2 -10 hours. He has a '01 Accord. He absolutely loves my GM for these trips, because it is comfortable and quiet. His Accord has a stiff ride. It is noisy; you have to raise your voice when conversing at 70 mph. And its seats are lower, meaning your legs are practically straight when sitting rather than having more knee bend in my GM. (My lower back sometimes hurts after a long ride in his Accord.) When we get to our destination, I am happy, because his car is just plain uncomfortable for me. We have no such problems in my GM, and he fully admits that. So - your wife may well find her desire for an Accord or Camry is trumped by creature comfort factors present in the CV/GM. Good luck with the decisions. |
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Thank you two for your input.As for the snow issue, as long as I've put 4 Michelin Snow tires on my RWD vehicles we have had no trouble getting around even in the worst storms.As for test drives I agree that a short dealership test drive can hardly tell you how good any vehicle will perform.I suggested renting the Camry one weekend and then a CV/GM the next.A reasonable way to get a good feel for these cars.My wife is a little spooked by the sheer size difference with the CV/GM but I assured her in a few days she would get used to it.Maybe I'll Just Buy a Loaded Grand Marquis and be done with it! If she Doesn't feel comfortable driving, then that means I'll Get to drive it more!! Thanks Guys,Merry Christmas To All BD EYES |
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You might also want to look at and consider the Ford Five Hundred, which in addition to being FWD/AWD, has a HUGE trunk (even bigger than the Vic) and is very comfortable. I love the CV/GM, but due to the size of the parking spaces at my condo complex, the Five Hundred was a far wiser choice. Gas mileage is better, too. The safety systems and underlying chassis are all heavily influenced by Ford partner/susidiary Volvo. Under Nasser, this car was almost certainly going to replace the CV/GM. Now, thankfully, that isn't happening. But I did think well enough of the Five Hundred/Montego that I bought one! |
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Sorry, I should have included this in my previous post. I live in Michigan's lower peninsula. With OEM Michelins on my '00 GM, I've been stuck just once in snow. Last winter, winds had whipped snow into 4 - 6 foot drifts on roads near my place. 60 feet from my house, I wanted to obey traffic laws, so slowed for a stop sign. Plows had cut the drifts there to 12 - 14 inches, but the whole underside of the car got pancaked onto them. I got a shovel from my garage, made paths in front of all four wheels, two young men stopped and pushed and I got out easily. Had I not slowed, I would have plowed through those drifts just as I had at six or eight others I'd already gotten through. With some foresight and planning, I've always gotten through. I did, though, replace the Michelins with Bridgestones a few months ago, as payback for Chirac's anti-American drivel. Having run Bridgestones, including Blizzaks, on several cars, I'm confident they'll do as well as the Michelins. Re: the CV/GM bulk - I find this GM easier to drive and park than a '99 Sable I had. You can see all four corners of the GM, and you do adjust to its bulk. That's four more corners than you could see on that Sable! And since walking is most of the exercise I get now, I generally park far away from other cars, which saves my car from the door dings that it inevitably would get from clods who don't think before flipping open a door in close quarters. Tell your wife, too, that a 4200# CV/GM will protect her better than a lighter car should she ever be unlucky enough to get smacked. Bulk ain't all bad, baby! Good luck! |
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| Sales of the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis really have dropped a lot lately. In November, the Grand Marquis was down almost 1/3 from a year ago, and the Crown Vic was down about 25 percent. The rumor is that these cars will be replaced by stretched Five Hundreds later in the decade. | |
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| stretched? They need to widen them, not stretch them. The back seat and trunk of the Five Hundred/Montego is far longer lengthwise than the Panther cars... | |
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