mmarshall

Unless they were police or taxi vehicles and got the heavy-duty use and abuse typical of those professions, many used Crown Vics and Grand Marquis tended to have been driven conservatively by older drivers. That, of course, cuts down the wear and tear on things like tires, suspension, brakes, drivetrain, etc....

Some rare exceptions to this rule may have been the few Mercury Marauders built in the late 1990's. They were high-performance competitiors to the Chevy Impala SS....essentially a civilian Grand Marquis with all-black trim/paint /interior and the Ford Police-Spec drivetrain/chassis installed at the factory.

Threxx

A lot of people think police spec Crown Vics have some sort of high power engine. I've even heard police themselves perpetuate the myth. The very large majority of them (95+%) have the same lethargic 4.6L SOHC V8 as the Grand Marquis in the article, although they have upgrades to their oil coolers, trans cooler, etc. Basically not power enhancements, just durability enhancements.

The Marauder came with the DOHC 4.6L... more like what the naturally aspirated late 90s/early 00s Mustang Cobra had.

Even still, I test drove a Marauder once out of curiosity and found it to still feel pretty slow. Seat of the pants told me it was a low 15 second car in the quarter mile. Not sure what it really did.

mmarshall

I test-drove a 4.6L Marauder when they first came out, and I agree, though it was running some 300 HP (303, I think, was the exact figure) its torque was clearly not the equal of the 5.7L Impala SS. But the Marauder's 4.6L V8, still, was clearly a step above that of the bread-and-butter Grand Marquis (which I also drove). But, I agree with you...the Marauder was marketed as more of a performance-car than it actually was. Its looks, though, were nothing short of dynamite...one of the few all-black cars I've seen whose looks I could really dig. (black is not one of my favorite automotive colors)

IS-SV

Agreed, slow with medicore handling/braking by current/common sport sedan standards.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

I know this is old but i just drove a 2000 grand marquis with 18000 for about an hour, i love that car. Now i know why they have such a following, there are sweet. One of the most comfortable cars in the world. It has light fixtures and seatbelts that belong in cars from the 90's a motor that just makes noise, a suspension that never settles, and one of the biggest trunks of all time

nthach

I guess this is the only car a Prius or a Geo Metro can confidently out-run?

Och

iTrader: (3)

Not a chance. Try outrunning police Crown Vics - you'll be surprised what they can do.

mmarshall

That's because, by today's standards, it has weight, a long wheelbase, a fairly soft suspension (though it's a little firmer then you might think), softish seats, long front/rear overhangs, and plenty of sound insulation. Those ingredients, of course, all spell comfort. Take them away, and you often (but not always) pay a penalty in ride comfort and quietness.

In addition to that, the Grand Marquis (and its Ford Crown Vic and Lincoln Town Car cousins) are the last remaining full-size, ladder-frame cars in the American market. That also bodes well for tow ratings......usually better then those of equivalent unibody-cars.

To be honest, though, IMO, the power-steering on these cars s**ks. On the non-Police versions, it is sluggish, almost totally devoid of road-feel, and feels like the front wheels are tracking over glare-ice. I suspect, but can't prove, that Ford purposely over-boosts the power steering in these cars because of the large number of senior-citizens driving them with weak/painful arthritic shoulders, hands, and arms.

Och

iTrader: (3)

That also has to do with the fact that they use recirculating ball steering, which are numb, loose and have a lot of slack compared to modern rack and pinion systems.

With that being said, there are people that just love Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Towncars steering, and these people are not necessary old.

mmarshall

Thanks. Good point. I had all but forgotten about the recirculating-ball linkage in these cars, too. That system tends to get free-play across the middle, especially as it wears some. Pickup trucks and some larger V8 cars were among the last vehicles to give up the recirculating-ball system, though, because, even with its sloppiness and free-play, it was more suited to heavy vehicle front-ends and easier to repair/replace than rack-and-pinion.

Absolutely. Besides a sporty Plymouth Barracuda, I had two used Buicks, which were more or less like the Grand Marquis, before I was 20 years old, and I liked them both.

IS-SV

I've driven plenty of this kind of car back in the day, not missing anything.

When auto divisions have antiquated cars like this, it drags down the entire division (in this case for good).

nthach

I've driven Panther platform cars before...

LexBob2

Agreed. I've driven plenty of them too. Cars like this have had their day and now time has moved on. Times change.

Mr Johnson

I'm pretty sure they replaced it with a R&P steering system in 2003 as my old Marauder (a 2004) had one.

Yeah, a bit loose but it makes for a great cruiser in terms of steering, ride, etc...

I will miss em when they are gone.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

The steerign is just like driving over ice, you turn the wheel, but you can' tell where the wheels are turning ha, i still loved it though