Finally joined the Panther club

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Id love to have one like that but the gas prices up here say NO! 1.40 per liter.. approx 5.50 a gallon. But looks very nice! Enjoy it!


Dude, you guys are getting boned in Quebec

We are paying $1.16/L right now.....

 

[01rangerxl]

Great looking car! Looks like you found a really nice example that hasn't been all donked up. Even has the AM/FM/Cass still!

If you want to replace that, a lot of '98-'04ish Ford radios will plug in and drop right into the slot. I had a "Premium AM/FM/CD w/ RDS" out of a '00 F-150 Lariat in my old Ranger, which originally had the AM/FM only. Plugged right in.

The "Dual Media" AM/FM/CD/Cass used primarily in the Ranger, but also in some Explorers and maybe others, would work well too and has a cassette player if you use that. I still have the one for my truck, but I took it out because it would only eject CDs when it decided it wanted to...sometimes it would stick the CD out a little, then snatch it back before I could grab it.

Of course aftermarket audio is an easy install on this car too. My truck has an Alpine right now due to the original radio's previously mentioned CD ejecting issue.

I love the front bench in those things, and the cloth Ford was using at the time. Looks awesome.

Congrats!!

 

[G-MAN]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Great looking car! Looks like you found a really nice example that hasn't been all donked up. Even has the AM/FM/Cass still!

If you want to replace that, a lot of '98-'04ish Ford radios will plug in and drop right into the slot.


I already ordered a replacement AM/FM/CD unit (4L2T-18C815 DA) that was optional for this car (and a lot of other Fords at that time.) Supposed to be here on Tuesday.

 

[mcrn]

Nice car man!

 

[klt1986]

Congrats on a great looking Crown Vic. I have quite a bit of experience with Crown Vic PI's and they are very solid, safe and reliable cars. Our department routinely got 150,000 miles out of them before they were transferred to other departments. They normally would get several more years of reliable service from them.


Having said that, I recently picked up a Panther myself for personal use. I acquired a 2000 Grand Marquis with 87,000 miles from my uncle. It was well maintained but had not been driven very much the last couple years. I plan to drive it some but it will more than likely be my son's ride. The handling on this car is a little on the soft side but I plan to replace a few things and help with that.

 

[bowlofturtle]

Nice looking car, is a CVPI much different then the civilian model?

If I ever get a panther it must have a push bar and spotlight. But i love how parts are dirt cheap and a dime a dozen.

 

[synthetic_crazy]

Nice looking car, is a CVPI much different then the civilian mod

el?

Yes, the CVPI is quite different from the civilian model. The CVPI has heavy duty frame, hd body mounts, hd wheels, hd cooling, hd suspension (results in higher ground clearance), higher-idle speed, certified speedometer to 140mph, engine oil cooler, transmission oil cooler, power steering oil cooler, aluminum drive-shaft, dual exhaust without resonators, and higher output alternator.

Basically, the CVPI is a heavy duty version of the civilian model. Great cars!

 

[klt1986]

Originally Posted By: synthetic_crazy

Nice looking car, is a CVPI much different then the civilian mod

el?

Yes, the CVPI is quite different from the civilian model. The CVPI has heavy duty frame, hd body mounts, hd wheels, hd cooling, hd suspension (results in higher ground clearance), higher-idle speed, certified speedometer to 140mph, engine oil cooler, transmission oil cooler, power steering oil cooler, aluminum drive-shaft, dual exhaust without resonators, and higher output alternator.

Basically, the CVPI is a heavy duty version of the civilian model. Great cars!


I also suspect there is some different ratios and/or parts used in the steering components.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: G-MAN
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: G-MAN
Thirty years ago the idea of an American car going 140,000 miles and still having its original exhaust system from the engine to the tailpipe was unheard of. (Actually, thirty years ago, the idea of buying an American car with 140,000 miles on it and still expecting to get several years and another 140,000 miles out of it would have gotten a good laugh.)


That goes for any car 30 years ago.

You got a heck of a lot of car there for $3500. You did well!


I disagree. Thirty years ago I would have had no problem buying a well-maintained 240D or 300D Benz with 140,000 miles on it, fully expecting to get at least another 140,000 reliable miles with no problem.


MB isn't American...but I agree with you that it would have been a good choice. You could also have looked at an 80s vintage Jeep Cherokee with the 4.0...still lots of them on the road.

Originally Posted By: G-MAN


Regarding the $3500 price: You can probably see the "No Haggle Price" sign in the windshield. You'd be surprised how quickly that "no haggle" policy goes out the window when you open your check book and tell them exactly what you're prepared to write a check for--or walk.


Amen brutha.

 

[G-MAN]

Originally Posted By: Kuato
Originally Posted By: G-MAN
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: G-MAN
Thirty years ago the idea of an American car going 140,000 miles and still having its original exhaust system from the engine to the tailpipe was unheard of. (Actually, thirty years ago, the idea of buying an American car with 140,000 miles on it and still expecting to get several years and another 140,000 miles out of it would have gotten a good laugh.)


That goes for any car 30 years ago.

You got a heck of a lot of car there for $3500. You did well!


I disagree. Thirty years ago I would have had no problem buying a well-maintained 240D or 300D Benz with 140,000 miles on it, fully expecting to get at least another 140,000 reliable miles with no problem.


MB isn't American...but I agree with you that it would have been a good choice. You could also have looked at an 80s vintage Jeep Cherokee with the 4.0...still lots of them on the road.


I know MB isn't American. But he said what I said about American cars 30 years ago was true for ANY car 30 years ago, which I disagree with--using a 240D or 300D as an example.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Thirty years ago, I would certainly have expected to see 280,000+ miles on anything powered by a slant six, or a Ford truck with a 300.

My grandmother had two early 70's Chryslers (71 T&C, 72 Satellite), and BOTH were running strong past 200K!

 

[SteveSRT8]

Sorry for the rabid Ford fans, but many older model cars in my stable across the last 42 years have done very well for miles.

We love the panther here, my son usually buys the Lincoln platforms in good shape and has used and abused them for a long time. Very tough machines, but maybe not quite as good as their 'legend'...

 

[jimbrewer]

Originally Posted By: G-MAN
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: G-MAN
Thirty years ago the idea of an American car going 140,000 miles and still having its original exhaust system from the engine to the tailpipe was unheard of. (Actually, thirty years ago, the idea of buying an American car with 140,000 miles on it and still expecting to get several years and another 140,000 miles out of it would have gotten a good laugh.)


That goes for any car 30 years ago.

You got a heck of a lot of car there for $3500. You did well!


I disagree. Thirty years ago I would have had no problem buying a well-maintained 240D or 300D Benz with 140,000 miles on it, fully expecting to get at least another 140,000 reliable miles with no problem.

Regarding the $3500 price: You can probably see the "No Haggle Price" sign in the windshield. You'd be surprised how quickly that "no haggle" policy goes out the window when you open your check book and tell them exactly what you're prepared to write a check for--or walk.


Well, I checked. I couldn't find the price on an 1984,but a 1974 240D had an msrp of 11,000, or about $53,000 in today's money. It wasn't until Lexus came along in the late 1980's that MB had to moderate their pricing.

Thirty years ago, it wasn't unusual for a car with 100K to sell for 50% of msrp. I know because I remember paying 2500 for a Toyota with 100K on it that sold for 5K new. (In fairness, the surprising resale value was partly attributable to the relatively high inflation we had then). So thirty years ago, a guy buying say a five year old 240D with 100K on the clock would probably have paid at least 60% of MSRP for the privilege, or maybe $9K, at a time when a very good new car like a Honda Accord cost that much.