Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis

1…89111314…61

Comments

  • bthompbthomp Member Posts: 69
    Go for a shock changeout first. Get a HD shock which will firm the ride up and help it handle better. If that doesn't help go to a FORD dealer (or any other place) and buy some Police Interceptor springs....though you might find them too stiff...do shocks first.
    Poster #512, evilpancakewomen, hello haven't ever seen you here before welcome. You might want to check out BlueOvalNews.com for more technical stuff. It's a great forum....of course you might have been there already as Nells.
  • tbear503tbear503 Member Posts: 70
    I have a 99 MGM (PH) with about 33,000K on it. The front brakes have developed a squeal... I'm to get it fixed in a couple of days, but was wondering if this is normal. Any of you out there have a similar experience? Thanks...
  • bdavis8bdavis8 Member Posts: 12
    You may need new front brake pads. They have tabs on them that squeal (scrape the roters) when they are in need of being replaced. The squeal is a warning that your brakes should be replaced soon. Also dirt or brake dust can cause your problem. Hope this Helps.
  • buddyddsbuddydds Member Posts: 1
    I am in the market for a late model used 6 passenger sedan. I am considering the Grand Marquis LS and the Chrysler Concorde LXi. The GM seems to be less expensive, but is it that much less of a car.
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    You will smash your hand palm against your forehead and exclaim," I could have had a V-8".
  • tbear503tbear503 Member Posts: 70
    I have a 99 GM, my brother has a 98/99 2.7L Concorde...with the exception of the Concorde being slightly better on rough roads, to me there is no comparison. Talk about road noise! the Concorde sounds like an old DC 3 airplane! An though it has more backseat legroom, the body dictates an over cramped feeling. Lots of wasted space in front of the dashboard too. All cars are a compromise, except the $50K+ Mercedes and such, but to me the GM compromises are more palatable by far than the Concorde's. Seems to me that all the Concorde'smoney went into the body design... but I get far more compliments on the Merc. One warning: the compliments are often: "nice Town Car you have there!" Despite EPA ratings the mileage is not all that much different. I get about 21 MPG overall.
  • tbear503tbear503 Member Posts: 70
    Thanks for the response on the brakes
  • evilpancakewomevilpancakewom Member Posts: 35
    Personally I would never get a Crysler product.
    I have had 2 and I will never get another. I thought my 2 might have been bad luck until I went into the Chrysler forum. The whole company is bad luck. There parts are way below average in quality in the inside and outside. I have been looking for a car with a V8, rear-wheel drive, and affordable.
    The GM seems to be perfect, and I have been researching for about a year or so.
  • tpkentpken Member Posts: 1,108
    They just get older and older and older....

    So if you're the type to buy a car (buddydds) and keep it till it drops - Grand Marquis will hold in there for the long term. My 1990 has 135K miles and runs as strong as ever. The car looks like something out of the mid eighties - with the square shape and enormous hood, but with the 30K+ that I drive each year it ought to be around for several years to come. Bet you can't say that for a Concorde! Of course I'm lusting for something a little sexier these days and will probably buy another car next year to add to the stable. Chrysler will probably get a test drive - just to see what they're like now but I have no intention of buying one of their cars.

    Turnpike Ken
  • golfnut5golfnut5 Member Posts: 202
    I have a friend with a 99 Concorde, he is disappointed. His Concorde has loud road noise, big rattle in dash and check engine light is on all the time. I have a 2000 GM with the same MSRP as Concorde, no comparison in quality.
  • evilpancakewomevilpancakewom Member Posts: 35
    I noticed that in 1998 J.D. Powers ranked Mercury over Ford for quality. I know that Fords have a lot of electrical powers going by my friends car and past cars. Does Mercury have better quality?
    I know they get their parts from Moto Craft.
  • occupant1occupant1 Member Posts: 412
    I found an outlet for New York City taxicabs! I found them on Excite Classifieds and emailed and called and these cars do exist and the price tags are real cash prices...here's two:

    1998 Crown Victoria, runs and drives, cold air, yellow, no body damage, 150K, $4000.

    1997 Crown Victoria, runs and drives, cold air, yellow, minor body damage, 170K, $2100.

    Of course these don't include medallions or meters or radios or anything, but I have car stereo equipment I can use and I won't be using it as a cab anyway. The lady says she gets offers like this all the time, mostly 96-98 models with 150K-200K, mostly in decent shape. Sure they're taxis but for $2100 or $4000 who cares if it needs a transmission in a week. It's better than buying an $8000 or $12000 (or $22,000 new) Crown Vic and needing a transmission in a few years.

    A flight to NYC/LaGuardia from Dallas on Vanguard is $170 one way. And to think I thought the $2000-$3000 Town Cars were a deal!!! Oh wow, this is gonna be fun!
  • tbear503tbear503 Member Posts: 70
    It aways confuses me when I see reports like that. Since both cars are identical..IDENTICAL... except for trim it must be the perceptions of the owner groups regard what is problem and what is not. Like Buicks are always high in owner quality, but geeez, Buick owners don't ask much from their cars. You see how sedately they are usually driven.

    So don't worry about that & buy the one you want. CV & GM are from the same plant in Canada, and at the right points on the line the desired a body & trim are slapped on the frame (hence the term body-on-frame). Whats underneath is identical; (oh by-the-way) this includes the TOWN CAR too..that is part of what makes the CV/GM such great values. Happy Motoring!
  • johnbonojohnbono Member Posts: 80
    My guess is that the CV has a *much* more severe use on average than the GM.
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    Who knows when the GM Marauder will be available?
  • bthompbthomp Member Posts: 69
    :-)
  • iusecadiusecad Member Posts: 287
    I hope you give that cab some respect and paint it! Unless you like yellow.

    If you do like yellow, you'll probably get a lot of people waving to you from the sidewalk!

    150k city miles in 2 years... those poor cars!
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    Yellow looks better than the taxis they have in Austin. Light green with dark red vinyl tops. Eghlk!!!
  • 1990cvltdowner1990cvltdowner Member Posts: 1
    Well, I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in here....
    I just bought a 1990 CV LTD (302-V8)ex-police car.
    Only had 70K on it!!! It has had maintence EVERY 3K and a maintence record to prove it!! :-)Still has spot light (not hooked up)!!
    Rides like a dream just had to replace the fuel pump is all.
    Thing is..of course since they didn't want you to get OUT from the back..they removed the handles for the back seats from the inside.
    And the instrument panels up front have the "lock/unlock" switches with a screw inserted and don't work...I want to put in the handles and new/used control panels and no wrecking yard around here has anything that is close to usable...
    I'd also like to replace the interior "side panels" just behind the driver/passenger seats...they cut squares out to mount the cages and I think it'd be nice to replace them as they are a bit "unsightly" on a good looking (otherwise) car....

    Any ideas?

    Thanks!!
  • occupant1occupant1 Member Posts: 412
    I would keep trying junkyards. Call more junkyards and ask if they have 1988-1991 Crown Vic/Grand Marquis in your interior color. There are some junkyards over the net. Try different combinations of:

    auto, car, recycler, junkyard, salvage, scrap

    then add .com...

    As to the taxi, you bet it'll get painted. In NYC they paint their bumpers silver so I might as well paint the whole car silver, or maybe medium wedgewood blue, or maybe charcoal gray like the Ohio Highway Patrol uses, with black bumpers. Or all black, and create a high-mileage, low-budget Lounge Lizard. Or maybe not. The only reason I can think of to keep it yellow is to sign on as an owner-operator with Dallas Yellow Cab. It is an idea, but I like delivering packages, not people.
  • gchernya1gchernya1 Member Posts: 43
    Have 500 miles on the new GM and two dealership visits. First time it was point blank, just brake pedal did not fill right, and it was normal for brake in period. Little while after that, trying to use cruise, found it dead. After scheduling appointment, looked at the diagram - and found that cruise in this car dependent on horn circuitry - sure enough, horn was dead too. After replacing horn fuse under the hood, signals went off without stop. I immediately removed the fuse.
    On the dealership they found short in the airbag assembly and ordered new one. It will be there ... in two weeks. I asked them to at least connect cruise. Probably, at some point car was blowing horn like crazy, until fuse went. My question is if you blow horn like this, will damage the horn(horns)? When I inserted the fuse, horn did not sound normal. If horn is burned, I will ask them to replace it too.
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    for the CV could also include panels for the GM & then you would have a Grand Victoria or would it be a Crown Marquis? Either way the interior panels would fit and still be different. Hook up the spotlight. They are great for owl hunting.
  • iusecadiusecad Member Posts: 287
    I thought real Interceptors had the 351 in them?

    otherwise sounds like a nice car; wish mine had only 70k on it... I can't complain though, mines got 161k and only now is the tranny starting to slip, and the valve cover gaskets are leaking so that when I drive around in town, I'm in a nice blue cloud... keeps the bugs away at least.

    ;)
  • whg70whg70 Member Posts: 1
    why plastic intake manofolds on 2000 grand marquis
  • weltronweltron Member Posts: 11
    They have been using plastic intake manifolds on the CV-G/M since 1996.
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    Why? Becasue Ford can either make a $250 aluminum manifold, and sell you the car for 20,000 dollars, or make a $75 dollar plastic manifold and sell you the car for $20,000 dollars. Over half a million units, that little bit of money saved really adds up.

    (The numbers are approximations. I have no idea what a manifold sells for, I'm not sure exactly what a Crown Vic/Grand Marquis sells for, and I have no idea how many of them Ford makes in a year. I do know they make plastic manifolds to save money.)
  • bdavis8bdavis8 Member Posts: 12
    Boy I must be getting old. This is the first time I have ever heard of a plastic intake manifold. Has anybody out there had any problems with these?
  • swong1swong1 Member Posts: 14
    The 4.6L sohc engines starting in '96 had the plastic resin intake manifolds. Got so bad Ford issued a TSB (program 97M91) to address a no questions asked replacment when the intake cracked causing coolant to spew forth everywhere. They came out with a beefed up plastic resin with reinforced passageways near the alternator area but the intakes are still prone to cracking when least expected. Starting in the 2002 model yeat they will come out with another super duper reinforced plastic resin intake but this time with aluminum inserts where coolant runs. I have a '99 CV and don't relish the fact my intake WILL eventually crack leaving me stranded on the road. My 3 year /36k waranty is due to expire this year making me feel even worse knowing that the intakes typically crack after repeated heat/freezing cycles. So much for "Quality being job 1!"
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    intake manifold now, before stranding takes place.
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    Either that, or keep a spare, some wrenches, gaskets, and a few gallons of antifreeze in the trunk ;-)
  • jerry_massjerry_mass Member Posts: 4
    Hi All,

    Today driving my CV to work on I-95 at about 65 mph the rear left tire fell apart. This is a 2000 with the handling package and with 8k miles. I heard some kind of a thunk from the back and about 15 seconds later the tire started a rapid thud,thud,thud,... By the time I got pulled over the tire had completely separated, with some rubber on each side of the rim and the rest hanging loose. These are Eagle LS tires. I was told they were not the best tires by the salesman. How bad are they? Anyone have info on this?

    I called a Goodyear dealer and he started telling me about 'under-inflation' causing problems, but so far as I know these are not under-inflated. Under-inflation = no free replacement.

    Should I go to some other brand and replace all four? I would hate to think of this happening with the kids in the back and in the rain (like coming back from Vermont 2 days ago).

    Aside from the tires I really love this car.

    Thanks,
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    Our 94 had Goodyear GA's and four flats within 60,000 miles. Air pressure was 35 psi and I nursed them along. At 60,000 they were replaced with Michelin X 1's, at 86,000 still no problems or flats. Had one of the GA's tread separated, they would all have been replaced immediately. What price family safety? Under-inflation can not be proved, but a tread separation speaks for itself. Put a lot of pressure on Goodyear as their Product Liability exposure is way out there.
  • occupant1occupant1 Member Posts: 412
    only bad drivers. Of course that is what they will say. The tires on your CV are NOT warrantied by Ford, therefore you have to go to Goodyear to get a replacement for free. No Goodyear dealer wants to replace tires for free, the labor reimbursement rates are too low. They want to sell you a set of four new Goodyear tires by putting the blame for the failed LS in your hands. The only tire that ever failed on me was a Uniroyal Tiger Paw, which everyone knows is the worst US-made tire. And even then, it was bald, and I was driving 75mph in Texas heat.

    The Goodyear dealer has no choice but to replace the tire unless he can PROVE it was underinflated (scuff marks on the sidewalls, excessive wear, etc...) but if your tire is a jigsaw puzzle, what can he prove?
  • pbishoppbishop Member Posts: 2
    The 1998 and on CM/GM have a Watt's linkage suspension which is supposed to improve handing. Can anyone give me a description or a lead on where to get information on this suspension system...Thanks...Pete
  • golfnut5golfnut5 Member Posts: 202
    I have a 2000 GM with 24,000 miles, after traveling for several hours and I slow down to pull into a driveway, I hear a Squeak which I think is coming from the suspension. The squeak seems to be coming from the front of the car especially when I turn at slow speeds. Has anybody experienced this problem and know what is causing the squeak?
  • golfnut5golfnut5 Member Posts: 202
    The solution to all tire problems is, buy Michelins.
  • weltronweltron Member Posts: 11
    I have seen alot of CV-G/M owners go through the squeak in suspension and go crazy trying to find it. That is because the majority have found out after lubing everything under there up that it is the hood hinges. Lube everywhere the hood attaches to the car. Also the 98 and up have metal steering stops these also need to be lubed periodically.
  • golfnut5golfnut5 Member Posts: 202
    Weltron, thanks I'll give it a try.
  • joelincolnjoelincoln Member Posts: 100
    Hi all,
    I'm new to this forum and I have a question. My father is looking at buying a Marquis but is bewildered by the fact that it is not offered with heated side mirrors. Can someone tell me why it is not offered and if they can be added aftermarket? Are they going to add them back in the near future?

    I can't understand why a car in this class is not offered with these when even the Focus is.

    Thanks,
    Joe
  • golfnut5golfnut5 Member Posts: 202
    Joe, heated side mirrors used to be standard on the LS several years ago. My 95 GM LS had heated side mirrors. Heated side mirrors may have been eliminated with the 98 model year, probably to save money. I am on my second GM a 2000, the GM is a very good automobile. Heated side mirrors were never that big of a deal anyway. I am bewildered by all the cars on the market with many options, but with half the ride and comfort of the GM and higher priced.
  • johnbonojohnbono Member Posts: 80
    My 95 CV LX has them, I don't know if they are standard or not.
  • joelincolnjoelincoln Member Posts: 100
    golfnut5, johnbono,
    Thanks for the reply. Yes, they were available at one time but are not now.

    I think the climate you live in proves whether they are useful or not. Here in NJ, we get a good ice storm once or twice a year, and a couple of good snow falls too. When this occurs, the heated mirrors can be as important as the rear defroster. Granted, this is the exception, not the rule, but it doesn't seem like a lot to ask for in a car like this.

    Joe
  • johnbonojohnbono Member Posts: 80
    Take a look on the mirror itself. On my mom's '00 taurus there is a defroster-type ideogram on it. On my '95 it says "heated" on the mirror. I don't think ford dropped heated mirrors, it may be that all the CV/GMs out there have one.
  • swong1swong1 Member Posts: 14
    disagree with you johnbono! If you look at the late model cv's they has ducting (you can see the black donut whever you opened the driver side door routing warm air over to the door itself) which was the medium which warm air was directed over the the side mirrors. They did away with it starting in the '98 model year. I know this for a fact since I had to replace both side mirros when my car got vandalized necessitating replacing both of the side mirror asemblies. BTW, the r/r of the side mirror assembly is a no brainer...total r/r time is 20 minutes!
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    'Scuse me for asking a dumb question, but please un-abbreviate r/r for me. Thanks
  • golfnut5golfnut5 Member Posts: 202
    Swong1, there are no donut rings on my 2000 GM and no heated mirrors of any form.
  • occupant1occupant1 Member Posts: 412
    r/r is short for remove/replace, a mechanic's term used to price labor. Yeah, replace the mirror, as opposed to leave it hanging off the door frame like some ignoramuses here in Dallas.

    Wonder if Crown Vic LX models had heated mirrors. Would GM LS or CV LX heated mirrors fit a 98-up model? You could wire it up through the defroster button. Hmm...
  • leepedleeped Member Posts: 2
    Was out shopping today and saw a GM "Chesapeake" Series. It has all leather interior with part vinyl top with 20K mi for $13,888. Does anybody know whether the Chesapeake is an LS or GS? Actually I had only been considering a Camry or Altima up till now but I sure liked the ride in the GM. Any info on the Chesapeake or opinions about the GM vs Camry or Altima would be appreciated. I have read about all these vehicles in Edmunds and other sites but would like some more opinions.
  • leepedleeped Member Posts: 2
    Sorry, the GM I saw was a 97. Also, any opinions on the asking price?
  • joelincolnjoelincoln Member Posts: 100
    I've just gotten new info. It seems that the 2002 model GM WILL have heated mirrors. I guess someones listening.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles