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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
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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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Sales were down November to November, but GM sales are down 3.8% for the year. Hard to say why November sales changed so much - maybe fleet purchases in 2003 or something. 2004 YTD, the Grand Marquis still makes up 25% of the sales for the Lincoln-Mercury division, with little advertising. |
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...and probably at least 25 percent of Mercury profits. These vehicles were amortized years ago and are both very profitable for Ford Motor Company and a very good buy for the consumer who intends to own the vehicle for a very long time. Depreciation is terrible, but repair costs are low. V8, body on frame, reasonably priced. There simply is NO competition. I own a Five Hundred myself, and for lots of reasons. But there is MUCH to like about the Panther cars! Don't forget to add in the Town Car, which is mechanically very similar... |
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I think this time next year there will be a refreshened Crown Vic and GM for 2006. They will most likely be getting the 3V 4.6 and the new 6-speed auto transmission. There have also been a few rumors about a larger engine. However, with higher horsepower ratings form the 3V motor, and with the 6-speed auto transmission, I don't think power will be coming up short. The CV is not going anywhere for a while. If Ford decides to stop selling it to the general public (highly unlikely) then it will become a fleet only vehicle. |
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| What would even be better than the 3V 4.6 would be the 3V 5.4 from the F150. Ford, with an eye toward fuel economy, could de-tune the engine to about 280hp, but maintain the +350 lb-ft of torque. The added twist would make everyone happy - especially the police. | |
The reliable insiders at the other message boards I read say that plans for restyling the CV/GM have been cancelled. I wish that Ford would have utilized the DEW98 platform much more. I would think that costs would drop if the platform had been more fully leveraged.
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The Detroit News reported very recently that FoMoCo does not like the fact that a very high percentage of its CV/GM buyers are 60+ years-old. And that it has made the decision NOT to increase fleet sales (which are being held at 15% now), but no explanation for that was given. I haven't seen figures on how often various age groups replace a car, but it would seem to make sense that older drivers put on fewer miles per year and would keep them longer. FoMoCo probably wants to appeal to a younger age bracket that drives more and replaces more often. Why, then, you ask, don't ads for these models target a younger crowd? I dunno! My profession is psychology, not marketing! A buddy, retired from FoMoCo, tells me that profit is still there for these models, because costs have been depreciated out and only cosmetic changes are being made. The same Detroit News issue (I believe) carried a story that FoMoCo is thinking seriously of stopping sales of these models to law enforcement agencies. Those rear end collision fires and suits by some states have spooked company lawyers. A large mix is at work here, not just one factor. I've got another 50,000 - 75,000 to put on mine before looking for a new one. If the CV/GM die, the Kia Amanti looks mighty tempting. Maybe with the fattening US population trend, CV/GM models will again become necessary? ;] |
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Fords' large cars continue to be a great value but car manufacturers, and FOMOCO is no exception, are forced to build what sells. Despite the sharp rise in gasoline prices people are still buying large SUV's. At least two issues become evident here: The perception of fashion and superiority in being seen driving a trendy gas guzzling SUV and the issue of safety (partly true due to their sheer size). A fashion statement and a somewhat skewed sense of safety vis a vis high insurance bills and gas consumption. Instead, CV/GM offer safety, comfort, power in one package at a reasonable price. In general, people go for instant gratification instead of sensible choices. Being seen driving an SUV, and a high end European sedan provides certain gratification to the ego that Ford's large sedans do not. To some, their cars are extensions of the self. My two cents. |
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