I really miss the true Full sized cars

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: sciphi

A full-size short-bed mega-cab pickup with a shell does an awfully good impression of a station wagon. It's a BOF car on stilts.


Hence why i have an avalanche.


Don't need nuttin but a Ram monster cab with Ramboxes.

Loads groceries easy as pie, and nothing can even wiggle no matter how you drive. Decent bed for odd stuff (brought home a door for an old work van from the junkyard), and a back seat that folds up to create a flat floor with cubby holes galore and enough room for an army.

Definitely a new age wagon...

 

[eljefino]

I have little nostalgia for my dad's 1980 fairmont wagon. It wheezed into the 90's so I could "enjoy" driving it on my learner's permit. Sure it had good sight lines and tight rack & pinion steering, so it was a good car to learn on. But it was slow, tinny, and pinged. The seat vinyl wasn't appropriate for cars and would weld itself to your skin in the hot sun. (There is appropriate synthetic material, like MB-Tex. Ford didn't use it.) There was no AC, the radio speakers were only in front, and up in the defroster area. Adjusting the un-split bench seat required the cooperation of the passenger. You had fore and aft adjustments-- that's it!

Pop got the inline 6 (cool) and stick shift (huh?) on special order. He actually USED the parking brake, which led to its breaking, freezing, or needing constant annual adjustment. He parked the car on a hill with a chock behind the driver's tire, got in, pulled forward, opened the door, retrieved his chock from under the rocker panel, and went to work. Sometimes when he had a brain [censored] he'd gun it in reverse to go down hill and drive over the chock. He told us kids not to play in the driveway behind that car, lest it become a rolling stone.

A sticker in the door jamb instructed what tire PSI to run etc "except police". I thought, who would make this into a cop car? The bank robbers would get away!

(There is a scene in E.T. where a bunch of Fairmont cop cars flounder around, to prove my point.)

The cars we see at car shows are the most loaded, top shelf versions. Rose tint is totally a thing.

Car seats killed station wagons as much as CAFE, kids need boosters until they're 4'9" and it's a hassle to "hover" over them with a low roof getting all the straps right etc. It's illegal for them to ride "shotgun" until age 12 so that's effectively made one seat useless for a lot of the time.

And yes I know the Fairmont wasn't a full size. Grandpa had an 80s crown vic wagon. It was a little nicer: they got the seats right. But the 80's 302 had its work cut out with that tank.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
I acquired a 99 Grand Marquis and I really don't appreciate the floaty ride after driving my Mazda. I'm like, why isn't this car going where I'm steering it?

Nothing is broken, it just doesn't handle like the Mazda.


The '03-up Crown Vic/Grand Marquis are much improved... These all have struts in front plus rack rack & pinion steering... Also by using wheels with greater off set, have wider axles... Compared to '02-earlier(owned four) my '07 is a nice all around vehicle...

The '03/'04 Mercury Marauder is the one to have if you the best of this type vehicle... Has the 32 valve(302Hp) engine and firmly tuned suspension... Owned one of these as well...

 

[TiredTrucker]

It has gotten to the point with modern vehicles that, due to trim packaging and other things, one has to pay for a lot of stuff on a vehicle they neither need nor will really use. To get one thing you do want, you have to take the whole package. One of the reasons that hardly any vehicle being made really motivates me to buy it.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
It has gotten to the point with modern vehicles that, due to trim packaging and other things, one has to pay for a lot of stuff on a vehicle they neither need nor will really use. To get one thing you do want, you have to take the whole package. One of the reasons that hardly any vehicle being made really motivates me to buy it.


Like you cant have a econ car with cloth seats, navigation and a manual gear box? It goes straight to the luxury package. Leather, automatic etc.

 

[tbm3fan]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
I just think you old dudes are nostalgic for what was "cool" when you were growing up. Big cars, big engines. Room in the backseat

Fast forward 20-30 years and the guys then will be reminiscing over their rice rockets.

While I loved the simplicity of older vehicles, the reliability and efficiency of newer ones makes me not likely to ever buy a "classic" again.


LOL. I was 14 when this car was built and it was considered a grandfather's car. I was more into Mustangs but many years later it didn't mean I couldn't appreciate it. Is it reliable? Very much so. Is it efficient? Very much no but wasn't made to be when gas was 0.23/gallon. My Focus and 626 triple the mileage of this car. Can it handle like my Focus? Not on your life and I love the Focus. Yet, I love the smooth effortless ride and strong torque of the 410 on the highway.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: sciphi

A full-size short-bed mega-cab pickup with a shell does an awfully good impression of a station wagon. It's a BOF car on stilts.


Hence why i have an avalanche.


Don't need nuttin but a Ram monster cab with Ramboxes.

Loads groceries easy as pie, and nothing can even wiggle no matter how you drive. Decent bed for odd stuff (brought home a door for an old work van from the junkyard), and a back seat that folds up to create a flat floor with cubby holes galore and enough room for an army.

Definitely a new age wagon...


Yep, having had what I always considered my dream car, a Holden full sized wagon (google "HZ Station Wagon"), it was good, my 4Runner was "better", but My Nissan Navara (Frontier) with turbodiesel, 4 doors, STR trim, and canopy on the back is just so much more useful everywhere, and dog smells stay out back.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
I have little nostalgia for my dad's 1980 fairmont wagon. It wheezed into the 90's so I could "enjoy" driving it on my learner's permit. Sure it had good sight lines and tight rack & pinion steering, so it was a good car to learn on. But it was slow, tinny, and pinged. The seat vinyl wasn't appropriate for cars and would weld itself to your skin in the hot sun. (There is appropriate synthetic material, like MB-Tex. Ford didn't use it.) There was no AC, the radio speakers were only in front, and up in the defroster area. Adjusting the un-split bench seat required the cooperation of the passenger. You had fore and aft adjustments-- that's it!

Pop got the inline 6 (cool) and stick shift (huh?) on special order. He actually USED the parking brake, which led to its breaking, freezing, or needing constant annual adjustment. He parked the car on a hill with a chock behind the driver's tire, got in, pulled forward, opened the door, retrieved his chock from under the rocker panel, and went to work. Sometimes when he had a brain [censored] he'd gun it in reverse to go down hill and drive over the chock. He told us kids not to play in the driveway behind that car, lest it become a rolling stone.

A sticker in the door jamb instructed what tire PSI to run etc "except police". I thought, who would make this into a cop car? The bank robbers would get away!

(There is a scene in E.T. where a bunch of Fairmont cop cars flounder around, to prove my point.)

The cars we see at car shows are the most loaded, top shelf versions. Rose tint is totally a thing.

Car seats killed station wagons as much as CAFE, kids need boosters until they're 4'9" and it's a hassle to "hover" over them with a low roof getting all the straps right etc. It's illegal for them to ride "shotgun" until age 12 so that's effectively made one seat useless for a lot of the time.

And yes I know the Fairmont wasn't a full size. Grandpa had an 80s crown vic wagon. It was a little nicer: they got the seats right. But the 80's 302 had its work cut out with that tank.


I had a 4-speed Fairmont station wagon...liked it. Good mileage, bulletproof 200ci six, plenty of room, actually handled OK. (The 10-hole Mustang wheels and tires helped.)

Fairmonts were offered with a police package...those used the 302 V8 and Mustang chassis parts.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: sciphi

A full-size short-bed mega-cab pickup with a shell does an awfully good impression of a station wagon. It's a BOF car on stilts.


Hence why i have an avalanche.


Don't need nuttin but a Ram monster cab with Ramboxes.

Loads groceries easy as pie, and nothing can even wiggle no matter how you drive. Decent bed for odd stuff (brought home a door for an old work van from the junkyard), and a back seat that folds up to create a flat floor with cubby holes galore and enough room for an army.

Definitely a new age wagon...


Yep, having had what I always considered my dream car, a Holden full sized wagon (google "HZ Station Wagon"), it was good, my 4Runner was "better", but My Nissan Navara (Frontier) with turbodiesel, 4 doors, STR trim, and canopy on the back is just so much more useful everywhere, and dog smells stay out back.



I just got rid of my "dream" car (VW turbo diesel station wagon), rather sad still. My four door truck though was always bought to be my "full sized" station wagon, and with a camper shell on the back, it is. Albeit in much less civilized form for daily usage (too high off the ground for the kids, although I don't mind).

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: sciphi

A full-size short-bed mega-cab pickup with a shell does an awfully good impression of a station wagon. It's a BOF car on stilts.


Hence why i have an avalanche.


Don't need nuttin but a Ram monster cab with Ramboxes.

Loads groceries easy as pie, and nothing can even wiggle no matter how you drive. Decent bed for odd stuff (brought home a door for an old work van from the junkyard), and a back seat that folds up to create a flat floor with cubby holes galore and enough room for an army.

Definitely a new age wagon...


Yep, having had what I always considered my dream car, a Holden full sized wagon (google "HZ Station Wagon"), it was good, my 4Runner was "better", but My Nissan Navara (Frontier) with turbodiesel, 4 doors, STR trim, and canopy on the back is just so much more useful everywhere, and dog smells stay out back.


Hmm, I am deciding between the Pathfinder and Frontier, and maybe the Xterra. The Pathfinder seems to be the most versatile, being able to seat 7, and haul a lot of stuff with 5 onboard. In the winter here, climate controlled cargo space is nice too. Sadly, here none of them come with anything more fuel efficient than the 4.0 V6.
The newer crossover SUV's claim amazing mileage, but I'm not a fan $40k fwd based ones for my usage.
If I was a suburbanite, yuppie pavement pounder, I would rather get an E-class wagon over a minivan. The 577hp, 590ft-lb AMG one is interesting as well.

 

[whip]

To those lamenting the demise of full size cars, are you excited about the Lincoln Continental? Will you buy one?

 

[TiredTrucker]

Nah, just a 3/4 ton 4 door pickup. I don't lament the demise of full size cars. Probably because I wouldn't buy one now and no cars being made now really impress me and what I want in a vehicle. I am not all that impressed with the light truck lines either. I can live with the 2015 2500HD I have now, but that choice was based purely on practicality, reliability, and overall value.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Hmm, I am deciding between the Pathfinder and Frontier, and maybe the Xterra. The Pathfinder seems to be the most versatile, being able to seat 7, and haul a lot of stuff with 5 onboard. In the winter here, climate controlled cargo space is nice too. Sadly, here none of them come with anything more fuel efficient than the 4.0 V6.


We only get cold enough to freeze your drink bottle (the other day, the one inside the car), not your pets.

Would love a new Navara (mine's 2003, and the 3.0L turbodiesel has pretty well stayed at 10l/100km all that time), but $50+ ???

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/gallery...0d23australia02

http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/201...09#.VX3xy_nzp0s

 

[JustinH]

You guys are going to say I'm crazy or whatever.

I bought a 2008 Grand Marquis a few years back a few months before I was moving from NY to Texas.

Drove the thing down here, about 1400 miles.

Had the car about 2 years in total, and sold it for more than I paid for it.

Anyways, the Grand Marquis was not comfortable to me.

The bench seats were not supportive and it reminded me of sitting on a worn out couch. Also you would slide around on turns, and I couldn't go more than 8 hours in that car without having to stop because my back hurt.

The car was reliable from a powertrain perspective, but it never got more than 15mpg.

Its funny, I think my wife's toyota matrix is more comfortable than the grand marquis. It has proper supportive seating.

People love those Panthers, but I couldn't wait to get rid of mine.

 

[d00df00d]

I don't think you're crazy at all. I don't find Panther cars comfortable, either. There's the seat problem, plus excess body motion, plus they don't give me the feeling that I'm in control. Then again, I'm sure Panther drivers would have much worse things to say about my car...

The point of a Panther car is this: low cost, low maintenance, relatively smooth ride, and handling that's just good enough for someone who doesn't really care about handling. Or, just a boatload of trunk space in a sedan format. If that's what you're looking for, there's nothing better.

Otherwise, it's just tech that was outdated 20 years ago. IMO, the ratios tell the whole story: horsepower to MPG, ride quality to handling, passenger space to exterior dimensions, etc. In those respects, Panthers can't even compete.

And yeah, seats definitely can make or break a car. Doesn't matter how good the suspension is if you're sitting on a glorified church pew.

 

[Traction]

Part of my original point is, as far as large vehicles go, high center of gravity, and ride height, adds ZERO to stability, handling, ride, fuel economy, or safety. The older full sized cars were big, and low, and didn't end go upside down as much. A big car with modern tech would be much safer/smoother than a 3/4 ton truck hauling nothing but air.

 

[d00df00d]

Again, couldn't agree more.

On your first point, it's not just that zero is added. A lot is actually subtracted. Higher ride height increases body motion, worsens handling response, and makes the occupants feel lateral movement more strongly. Stiff springs and tire sidewalls can compensate, but then the ride goes to heck. Unless you have super expensive dampers... but those are more failure-prone and expensive when they break. And even then, the best you can hope for is to to be at the level of a cheaper, less sophisticated sedan.

Taller vehicles do have some passive safety advantages, but those come at the expense of active safety, rollover risk, and the safety of others on the road. One step forward, three steps back.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: whip
To those lamenting the demise of full size cars, are you excited about the Lincoln Continental? Will you buy one?


Not if you gave it to me.

 

[artificialist]

My mother and father didn't like such huge cars because it reminds them of their parents. It is also why they hated station wagons of any kind.

I got to drive my grandmother's 1993 Buick Roadmaster a few times and I liked it, but I wouldn't want such a car as a daily driver.

I remember when the 2005 Chrysler 300C came out, and I thought it wouldn't be popular due to its size.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The only car I had that fitted into this category was the '65 Mercury Park Lane, with the rear power window (the "Breezeway" option) so that, if you opened all the windows, including the triangular vent windows, you could cruise on a warm day without the A/C. But it had good air, a 300 hp Thunderbird engine, and was easy to work on -- and got about 15 mpg on the highway in a time of $1.10/gal. gas.

No, it wasn't as reliable or safe as modern cars. But a fun ride nevertheless.