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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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#2378 of 3244 CV or Impala by nvbanker Jan 03, 2005 (9:27 am)
Replying to: dhski04 (Jan 02, 2005 7:07 pm) I'd try to get the CV or GM or even Town Car with traction control, and you should be ok-even on your driveway. May take some looking.
#2379 of 3244 2006 by a_l_hubcaps Jan 03, 2005 (9:37 am)
fsv-   There seem to be two main rumors about the future of the CV/GM.   Rumor #1: Restyle for MY2006, total redesign on the AUS Falcon (EA169) platform for MY2010.   Rumor #2: No major changes for MY2006, total redesign on the Five Hundred (D3) platform for MY2008.   It's not clear which of these is accurate at this point. I've heard both from credible sources.   -Andrew L
#2380 of 3244 by nvbanker Jan 03, 2005 (9:50 am)
I thought the Falcon platform was old and not suitable for NADOT standards any longer. I would put more stock in the D3 rumor.
#2381 of 3244 by johnclineii Jan 03, 2005 (5:10 pm)
My guess? The Panther will soldier on with modest changes. FoMoCo makes too much money off this body on frame, RWD, V-8 vehicle to pass up. The tooling was paid for long ago, the customers are happy, sales continue. What's not to like?   Those who want a Five Hundred (like me) will buy one. Those who don't MIGHT buy a CV/GM, but would never buy a Five Hundred. Why give up those sales?
#2382 of 3244 by a_l_hubcaps Jan 03, 2005 (5:41 pm)
johncline-   I'd like to think you're right -- I would certainly be more interested in a RWD CV/GM than a D3 vehicle -- but the Panther sales are slipping. I think the Chrysler 300 might have something to do with that. For the record, I like the 300, but I'm not sure I would want one. Incredible durability is very important to me, and the CV/GM has that while the 300 is unproven.   The D3 rumor seems to be gaining traction lately. I've seen that one around in several places including Blue Oval News. The Falcon rumor is older, but it was bolstered by a supplier document dated 10/04 that leaked recently...actually, I found it inadvertantly while running a Google search, and posted it on BON (it has since been removed) So who knows what we're going to see. Ford seems to be obsessed with optimizing platform sharing right now -- not a bad strategy, in general -- so the D3 possibility would not surprise me. It leaves me wondering, though, how a D3 CV/GM would be differentiated from the Five Hundred and Montego. I mean, which direction would they stretch it? The two platforms already have about the same trunk and interior space. It almost seems like the best option, if Ford wants to go the D3 route, would be to put a vinyl interior and black steel wheels on a Five Hundred and just sell that to the commercial/govt fleets. Not that D3 would necessarily be a good idea. I'm just sayin'.   -Andrew L
#2383 of 3244 And another thing... by a_l_hubcaps Jan 03, 2005 (5:59 pm)
...right now, D3 is running the old 3.0 Taurus engine, which is not exactly a powerhouse. The 3.0 has a 21-horse deficit against the CV/GM V8 (203 vs. 224) and is down in torque by 65 lb-ft (207 vs. 272). I believe the Duratec 3.5 V6 is expected to be ready for MY2008, which would coincide with the rumored debut of a CV/GM replacement, if you believe the D3 rumor. So the upshot is, it's highly unlikely that the Panther will be replaced before MY2008, because if Ford tried to offer a police vehicle with a 3.0 V6 and an unproven CVT, they would never hear the end of it.   And then there's the issue of the St. Thomas assembly plant, which currently builds the CV/GM. I don't think Ford has any substantial spare capacity at the current D3 plant (that's Chicago, I think). So most likely STAP would have to be completely gutted and retooled for D3. If that's going to happen in time for MY2008, I would think we'd have to hear about it by the start of CY2007.   By the way, I'm not any kind of insider, I'm just putting pieces together. So who knows if any of this is actually correct.   -Andrew L
#2384 of 3244 by johnclineii Jan 03, 2005 (6:15 pm)
Atlanta will not be building the Taurus after next year. And...the 3.5 is supposed to be available for the Five Hundred/Montego sometime in 2007. Probably before the 2008 MY, but who knows?
#2385 of 3244 dhski04 by jrc346 Jan 04, 2005 (7:06 am)
If you really want one, then get one. Only suggestion I would make is snow tires and some weight in the trunk. I have a friend with a 94 CV which runs wonderfully at 126,000mi I might add, and he puts on snows and loads about 300-400lbs of sand in the trunk, although he has the rear air suspension so there is no rear end sag. I think I remember him telling me that gas mileage teeters anywhere between 20 and 22MPG with the extra weight. About a 2MPG loss on average. Anyway, the car lives in Michigan and gets just about anywhere my Expedition can. My son also has snow tires on his RWD T-bird and I can't stress how nice they are to drive on in bad weather. They track straight through snow and stick like glue when you take off from a stop light or sign.   My point is, don't let worries of snow stop you from buying the car of your choice. If you equip your car for the winter, in most cases you will be doing much better in the snow than most FWD vehicles.
#2386 of 3244 by ehaase Jan 04, 2005 (4:51 pm)
The rumors I have read is that the D3 replacements for the Town Car, LS, and possibly CV/GM will be built in Atlanta. I get most of my information from Automotive News and from people at other message boards who have consistently proven to be accurate insiders.   Sales of the Crown Vic were down 37 percent 12/04 from 12/03 and sales were down 9.8 percent for 2004 from 2003. Sales of the Grand Marquis were down 32.1 percent in 12/40 from 12/03, and sales were down 8.8 percent for the year. Ford has ridden the Panther gravy train about as far as it can. The cars need either a restyling or the 5.4L or probably both.
#2387 of 3244 Winter Driving; Restyle by jsylvester Jan 04, 2005 (5:23 pm)
All Grand Marquis come with traction control; it is an option on the base Crown Vic. Ditto with the cd player, I believe.   The problem with the Panther is it interior has been unchanged since the 1995 model year, and the exterior since 1998. Actually, on the Grand Marquis, other than a mildly restyled nose and tail, the exterior has been the exact same since the 1992 model year.   I have a 94 Grand Marquis, which I love, but there is really not enough differences between it and a 2005 to make it worth it to me to spend the money. That being said, it is also nowhere near to being worn out, with only 114,000 miles. It runs perfectly, uses no oil, shifts great, and has been very cheap to own. the leather is starting to wear, and the frame has some surface rust, but at least it has a real frame.   Ford has let the car lapse; I'd be happy with the same interior if they could restyle the exterior, put the Mustang 3 valve engine in it, and a 5 speed auto.   Either way, I'm getting another one before the go away, regardless of when that may be. Ford sells no other automobile that is near the durability and longevity of the Panther. I'm saving my pennies for a 2007 (worst case scenario), though I'm sure my 94 will still be alive and kicking then as well.

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