The head gasket issues all seemed to go away with the engine redesign prior to the 13 model year.
Keep or sell Subaru
- Thread starter Lubener
- Start date
Keep the Subaru, sell the MGM to me!
Not sure what I'd do. Maybe ditch the Subaru. It may be wonderful in snow but they seem somewhat problematic as they age (talking in general, and against a 'vic). The Vic is something of a strange creature these days, an old school RWD setup. And it's probably depreciated as much as it will. Since it's not being driven in snow then the RWD doesn't count against it; and if the Subie's a spare vehicle and not being driven in the snow either, then it's AWD isn't of much use either.
I would ditch the Subaru and keep the Mercury.
Bottom line: Both extra cars will require money, even if they are paid for.
If you can find use for them (like for gas prices or travel) then keeping them both might not hurt. Nothing wrong with keeping them for emotional reasons either. In honesty I’d keep my parents cars if they were offered......
Otherwise you could sell both and concentrate on updating the truck when needed.......
If you can find use for them (like for gas prices or travel) then keeping them both might not hurt. Nothing wrong with keeping them for emotional reasons either. In honesty I’d keep my parents cars if they were offered......
Otherwise you could sell both and concentrate on updating the truck when needed.......
If I was in that position I would keep the Grand Marquis. I had several of them and put between 200-300K miles on all of them. I do not fly so drive everywhere. No major work on any of them. Only issues were water pump and a/c work and that was around 150K miles.
It is the perfect long distance vehicle. I got around 24-25 MPG on the highway and used nothing but 87 octane fuel. I lived in Manhattan for awhile and the Grand Marquis took the pot holed streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn like a champ.
Had it serviced every 5K miles. Used zero oil [5w20] between service.
There will never be such a low maintenance vehicle again like the 4.6 Panther.
It is the perfect long distance vehicle. I got around 24-25 MPG on the highway and used nothing but 87 octane fuel. I lived in Manhattan for awhile and the Grand Marquis took the pot holed streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn like a champ.
Had it serviced every 5K miles. Used zero oil [5w20] between service.
There will never be such a low maintenance vehicle again like the 4.6 Panther.
Many of those GM's and Ford Crown Vics were used as both Police cars and Taxis. They ran for MANY miles under even those severe duty conditions. You might sell both vehicles, but if you keep one, the GM hands down. And if and when it requires a part/repair, costs will on average be lower than on the Subie.
One thing I know about the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis in particular is that that model year car had issues with the rear end. I have a buddy who bought one and had to replace the rear end at just over 50,000 miles. Apparently it is a known issue that there is no cheap fix for. He ended up getting rid of the car after a short amount of time because he didn't want to have to deal with the issue again.
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That doesn't sound right. The 8.8" is an extremely durable diff and I can't think of anything that changed in '03 or any other year for that matter that would make it any less so. Lots of 8.8" diffs in F-150's, Explorers, Mustangs...etc.
I'd unload the Legacy only because I had leased a 2012 2.5i premium model and didn't care for it. I didn't care for the super low to the ground seating and low roof line. The low ground clearance makes the AWD useless if you get hung up in deeper snow. The problem with Legacys are they are not a high demand Subaru so resale follows this.
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$100 Site Donor 2021
Could be, but a soft axle shaft wouldn't require the whole rear end to be replaced.
I don't recall that either. New bearings, new axle, some new fluid. Motor on.
But for some people, no whatever the cost is, sometimes that's "just too much". Or a shop that is, perhaps, giving a "go away price" or "here's my next boat payment", or otherwise not being on the up and up. It happens.
I've never owned one, but owners seem to love their Subys....
I would probably keep 'em all, but that's just me.
Good luck.
I would probably keep 'em all, but that's just me.
Good luck.
That is precisely what my friend experienced and like I aluded to earlier this is a well known issue for 2003 model year vehicles at least based on our research. I would agree that aside from this most Crown Vics and their clones tend to be rock solid.
Keep the Legacy.
Its a much more interesting car than a Crown Vic.
Its a much more interesting car than a Crown Vic.
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