Where are they?

[BlackIceLSC]

I've been on a 5 month search and rescue mission for another car....specific year(s)/model(s) apply.
I can not find one ANYWHERE near me.
2006-2011 Crown Victoria or Mercury Grand Marquis

MUST HAVES = leather, adjustable pedals, under 100k miles, under $7k

I stretched my parameters a bit in the price cap, but the mileage has to justify it.
I considered a Marauder, but honestly, I dont need a TOY, I need/want a simple, slow cruiser that isn't on the "specialty" car list. Plus the fact that the marauders are few and far between, and the price is 2x what I have budgeted for.

It seems these cars have all but disappeared. I tried to justify their absence with such thoughts as:
"old folks bought them, and old folks keep their cars until they die, wreck, or can't drive anymore"
"they were driven for over 100k miles, so they all go to auction once traded in and scab-lots scoop them up"
"They are STILL on the road since the engines seem to last forever"
"They were all destroyed when grandpa hit a tree on the way to the golf course or the Elk's Lodge"
"California smog nazi's offered a pretty penny for the gubmint buy-back program to get the boats off the roads"

They just can not be found anywhere near me....like, within 50 miles. I check multiple times daily...classifieds, web sites, used-car web sites, etc...dealer sites...none...well, some, but too rough, too much money, or too few of my check-list items.
All the CV's a Police Interceptors....NOPE...been there/done that. Craig wants LUXURY, not "oh, neat, a Police car"
I want what I use to have...4 doors, leather, RWD, V8, Ford product, but this times, NO modifications, NO "I did this myself" touches....Just a nice, comfy, easy-to-own, cheap to maintain cruiser that I can rely on 365 days a year. I dont need 30 mpg. I dont need 300 hp, I dont need a sound system that makes the license plate rattle, I dont need exhaust that the neighbors complain about when I leave for work. I need comfort, heat, a trunk, no torque-steer, a large gas tank, and something I dont have to constantly read the forums about how to fix the bits that always seem to be the short-comings of a car that they haven't built in 20 years.
OK, I will modify one thing...I will tint the windows...I need tint...I cant have the FISH BOWL look, and since most of my driving is in the dark, I abhor headlights in my rear view mirror that distract me.
Ok, I will also add an aftermarket stereo so I can connect my iphone via USB for Pandora and hands-free calling.

I wont buy off auction sites. I MUST see and drive the car in person. 96 miles away are the closest ones...too far to go 'see' a car.

Well, I loosened the reins a bit and bit the bullet. I found one in Sacramento that fits the bill. I decided to rent a car as a ONE WAY option and make the journey. I leave in about an hour. It's 27 degrees out, and my trusty Toyota Yaris rental is waiting...and for the record, I am at a loss as to why ANYONE would EVER buy a Yaris....EVER. It sounds like a 2-stroke motor cycle just trying to get up to speed, never mind the ergonomics of the driver's controls/seat/steering wheel/pedal lay-out. I am convinced it is just a re-designed piece of poo. But its my poo for a day(hopefully). My local body shop set it up as a round-trip rental option, just in case my potential purchase turns out to be NOT.

Wish me luck, and if all goes well, there WILL be photos later of my new-found steed.

Clif from the Yosemite area will take ownership of my 98 LSC soon.

 

[germansheperd]

There is an 02 CV sitting in my dads garage with 12 or 13k on it .

 

[Jamesvinar]

To be honest with how specific youre being youre gonna have to make a few comprimises. Mileage honestly isnt an issue as long as its around 100k, id draw the line at 125k there. You dont sound like you wanna touch this area of it but a modification like the jmod would be great for prolonging the transmission of the car and personally i dont like power seats mainly because you have the factor of the motor going bad and theyre slow.

 

[driller]

Ok, I will also add an aftermarket stereo so I can connect my iphone via USB for Pandora and hands-free calling.

CarPlay is where it's at. :thumbsup:

... my trusty Toyota Yaris rental is waiting...and for the record, I am at a loss as to why ANYONE would EVER buy a Yaris....EVER. It sounds like a 2-stroke motor cycle just trying to get up to speed, never mind the ergonomics of the driver's controls/seat/steering wheel/pedal lay-out. I am convinced it is just a re-designed piece of poo.

OMG... rental cars are so awful now with the demise of the Panther platform.

I've been trying desperately to rent a Mustang GT (or even better, a Hertz Shelby) on my recent work trips to no avail. The closest I have come is a V6 convertible. The absolute worst (except admittedly for performance) was a Camaro SS. It sounded like a good upgrade at the counter, but trust me, I couldn't wait to return it.

Back on topic, I hope your trip is successful and the rental was a one way. :wave:

 

[Bangster]

Good luck and hopefully the car is as described and works for you.

I don't want to do it, but I am going to have to replace my 2000 Grand Marquis, as it has 304,000 miles on it, and the little issues are starting to add up.

I went and looked at a 2009 CVPI with 70k miles for 5,000, and the Panthers really got cheap after 2005 or 2006. The doors seem like they are made of foil, sounds so tinny when closing the door. It does run much better than my Grand Marquis, much stiffer suspension, but noisy. I want to go check out this one: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/cto/5923099283.html 09, 80k miles, 3900 bucks. I figure that even with a donor engine and transmission I already have, I would have to put about 2,000 in the Grand Marquis to make it a reliable road car again, it is probably good for another 60,000 miles around town as is.

 

[Jamesvinar]

Are Crown vics getting expensive or something?
All of mine have been bought for less than 1k and had in the 70-100k mile range

 

[billcu]

You're selling your Mark VIII and buying a Crown Vic?:eek-large:

 

[Lvnmarks]

I don't envy your rental options but I hope it works out for you.

I would love to get back into a panther as well.

 

[tixer]

Free to good home - 99 town car... who wants one? :-D

 

[Bangster]

I live where panthers and panther owners go to retire. There are a ridiculous number of CVPIs for sale here, and low mileage CVLX, Grand Marquis, and Town Cars. For the money you get a lot, and I love my Panther, I just think it is time to get something "smaller". The Fusion is really not much smaller:

	Panther	'16 Fusion	'11 Fusion
Wheel base	114.6	112.2	107.4
Overall Length	212	191.7	190.6
Width	84.5	83.5	80.1
Height	56.3	58.1	56.9
Head Room: Front	39.5	39.2	38.7
Head Room: Rear	37.8	37.8	37.8
Leg Room: Front	41.6	44.3	42.3
Leg Room: Rear	38.0	38.3	37.1
Shoulder Room: Front	60.6	57.8	57.4
Shoulder Room: Rear	60.0	56.9	56.5
EPA Passenger	107.5	102.8	100.3
EPA Trunk or Cargo	20.6	16.0	16.5

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I know my wife is done with our 2000 Grand Marquis, and I am not sure I want to try to do enough work on it to keep it around for me to drive, but it is a tank, has survived a number of accidents, misuse, abuse, and generally been a great car that I still like driving for 5+ hours on trips, it just seems to be getting unreliable.

 

[Jamesvinar]

Free to good home - 99 town car... who wants one? :-D

Dont tempt me with another one.

 

[BlackIceLSC]

You're selling your Mark VIII and buying a Crown Vic?:eek-large:

Bill, I've done it before!...I've also sold a CVPI (2000 model) to buy a Mark VIII (95) so I've been down this road.
The 98 LSC, while a blast to own/drive, is going to a good home (Clif...aka HeyBob)
There's something about the way I am programmed...I get bored with a car. But I also have to be able to wake up at 5:00am every week day and know the steed in the barn will get me to work and back (25 miles, each way), regardless of road/driving condition.

The 98 LSC is lowered, with 18" wheels/tires, no heat (broken upper blend door actuator). Fine...it's only cold around here for 3 months of the year, but I shouldn't have to go without heat, and I do not want to spend what little free-time I have chasing a Dorman part, removing the dash, modifying the fault design and re-installing it...I spend 10 hours a day dealing with broken cars and the people who own them. I'm not saying the MGM/CV wont break, but most of the parts are still available, they are easier to work on, and the engineer who put the engines in actually thought about how to work on them!

Seriously, I love the Mark VIII's...but LOVE and NEED are different with the VIII's, for me. I LOVE, WANT, and NEED a Panther.

 

[BlackIceLSC]

Mission accomplished. it took every bit of patience my soul could muster to not walk away from buying the car. But I did it. Left at exactly 7:00am....headed east with the brightest, blinding sun in my face, staring out through the filthy inside of the windshield of the rented Yaris. Connected Pandora via iPhone 7S and had Christmas music playing to set the festive mood. Plugged in the address to the built-in NAV thingy Hertz had installed, and I headed east. 27 degrees, but I had heat.

EXACTLY 2 hours later (to the minute), and nearly BLIND from the glaring sun, I arrived....also EXACTLY one hour before the lot opened. I had passed a IHOP a few blocks earlier, so I went in for some comfort food. Brenda stayed home, and I dont often eat out alone, especially breakfast, but this was my proverbial "walk-about" in a strange town. Bacon and eggs with a Belgian waffle with strawberry syrup and a cup of Joe.

Upon exit, I spotted the Hertz rental return building, and set out to meet the Mercury.

The lot owner had arrived early and washed all the frost /dew from the car, dried it and had it running with the heater on. His name was Muhammed....I am not profiling, but I was not surprised.

2 immediate issues: 1) air bag light on, and a warning chime (5 beeps, a pause, and 5 beeps...it does this 5 times every 30 minutes) His mechanic scanned the code....seat belt sensor. To me, that code means "money off the price".
second issue = climate control (EATC) stuck on HOT, regardless of MAX A/C and temperature set at 60. This too means money off the price.

I took her out on the highway. Slight drift to right if I let go of the wheel but tracks straight with very little effort. TPMS light not on, so I know it probably isn't a low tire...She drove like a dream. 0-78 mph, not a hint of vibration. NO air suspension(I didn't care either way)...Cruise control works perfectly, sound system is nice(I brought my own CD's for the ride home, should I purchase the car.). brakes are smooth and quiet, from 70 mph to 20 and from 40 to zero, no pulsation or shimmy.

I take it back and open all doors, trunk, and hood. Engine is clean, but not too clean as if to hide anything. Battery is new-ish. Belt looks good. Oil is clean and full, trans fluid is clean and power steering reservoir is full of clean fluid. Brake reservoir also shows clean brake fluid.

I perform the FLOOR/OFF button test on the EATC and get code 25. I check vacuum lines and find one barely plugged in. Climate control begins to work perfectly. I re-run the self-test and it comes back perfect. (I keep this info to myself).

I go inside and play the game. a deal is struck, and now I spend the next two hours listening to him talk broken English about his home, his family, his extended family. His other extended family, his years of buying cars, and other businesses he has. We go return my rental up the street, come back and his printer is broken. he has to write the contract by hand....YES, those long forms.

2 hours later....I am filling the tank and heading home. About 30 miles out, the air bag warning chime cycle begins....and ends....then my gut sinks.
I am on a 12 mile stretch of Interstate 80 that is desolate of homes and businesses. The battery light comes on. A hundred thoughts race through my mind....what will I do? I have AAA with 100 miles+ but not now...PLEASE not now....As I begin to plot my next move, and start to power off the radio and climate control, the battery light goes out. I spend the next 65 miles glancing down every 10 seconds to see if the light is on, knowing it will die soon.
The light never came on again.

about 2 miles from home, I turned EVERYTHING on....headlights, radio/CD player, climate control, interior lights, you name it. I NEED to know if the alternator is on its way out....But the battery light did not come on...and everything works...I was relieved to pull in to my driveway and be home. I got out and realized, THAT was, although a very stressful day and ride home, it was also THE most comfortable 2 hour+ ride I had ever had.

I also know that I will fix everything I can to make Clif's ride home in my 98 a joy instead of a stressful ride like mine just was.

Welcome home, to my 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis LS. Light Tundra Clearcoat Metallic with Light Chestnut leather interior. The EXACT colors I wanted/searched for. I wanted the adjustable pedals to make it as comfortable as possible, and got them. Dual power seats, no sunroof(dont want one), no air ride(didn't care, but preferred to NOT have it). 98, 890 miles on it....with some bumper to bumper traffic for about 6 miles, I still averaged about 23.6 mpg which is amazing to me. I would settle for 17-20, and am not looking for a economical car but getting decent mileage out of a 4000 lbs barn sure makes for good icing on my cake.

I still need to remove the driver's door panel to retrieve the keyless entry code since the trunk hinge sticker is missing. But it's a MGM, so removing panels is easy. Only 1 key and one remote, so I also need to get spares.


More pics after I get her cleaned up. Next weekend, = tint job and I might sneak out and buy a stereo today...we'll see. Merry Christmas to ME.

 

[tixer]

I'm glad to see that you finally found it!

That super clean engine bay, pleases me greatly. It looks like a very nice ride.

 

[mlschultz]

Congratulations, Craig! Best of luck with it! :thumbsup:

 

[BlackIceLSC]

Thanks guys...I abhor a dirty engine bay so I was glad I didn't have to clean it myself. A clean engine like this is easy to KEEP clean.
There's just something about the way a Panther rides...suddenly all those pesky bumps I avoid in my commute are invisible.

 

[billcu]

Beautiful Grand Marquis Craig, congratulations. They really are great cars.

You know I was just joking with you about selling the Mark VIII.

I know you don't have a problem selling your Mark VIII's like I apparently do.

 

[Bangster]

Congrats, nice car!

I don't go through cars very often (89 Cougar bought in 94? Still have it, 97 Cougar bought in 03? wrecked but still have it, 2000 Grand Marquis, bought in 01 still have it, etc), but as long as you aren't taking a giant hit with a new car every year or so, shouldn't be a huge financial drain. At some point keeping a car too long can be too.

 

[driller]

Merry Christmas to ME.

Indeed! :wink:

 

[BlackIceLSC]

Congrats, nice car!

I don't go through cars very often (89 Cougar bought in 94? Still have it, 97 Cougar bought in 03? wrecked but still have it, 2000 Grand Marquis, bought in 01 still have it, etc), but as long as you aren't taking a giant hit with a new car every year or so, shouldn't be a huge financial drain. At some point keeping a car too long can be too.

I never "flip" cars, for one...I tend to always "lose" money on them. BUT, that being said, I always get what I paid for, and expect to lose money when I sell them. I see it as "cost of ownership". I typically OVER-pay for a car because I follow my own guidelines:
If I like it, and can afford it...I buy it. I then drive it for a while, fix this and that and eventually get bored with it, OR tired of fixing stuff on it.
My time is too valuable to waste searching for a 'deal'. I also dont like to spend countless hours trying to sell a car. if a buyer comes along and offers me "enough", I make the quick sale. But when it comes to the day I decide to buy another car...I fall in to a pattern...I get obsessed...it's a weakness. Once I know what I want, I am constantly looking for IT. I wont buy it if it's not the exact car I want, or if it has too many issues. But we're talking a $5k car here.
When I bought my woman her 2009 Chevy HHR SS, it was up to her which one to get. We sold our racing operation, and she's a gear-head like me, so having a car she enjoys and takes pride in makes me a very happy man. But she likes to keep her cars for a long time. Hell, her 97 LSC sat in the garage more than on the road, but it was HER car. She paid for it, and I let her do what she wanted. But when we bought our home, it was sold to buy her a "driver" since the Mark VIII was a garage queen and was worth a LOT of money to someone we knew, so she sold it and bought a whip....years later, she sold that and drove my 06 HHR....we traded that in on a 2005 Chevy 2500HD to tow HER race truck to the track. When we sold out our racing operation, it was only fair SHE got to pick a car for her.
Now ME on the other hand...she gets tired of me changing cars every few years....but it's my way...and this is yet another example of me doing what I do.