Town car?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I had a new town car signature as a rental. The question I would ask is "Why?"
 
One of the flaws that comes to mind

Heated seats on low - could not feel
Heated seats on high - torture

Nothing in between!
 
Based on my sons experience the old full size lincolns on the panther chassis are GREAT cars. He has run many of them to death, out to almost 400k miles on all original drivetrains and he's no maintenance freak.

Plus he drives the snot out of them as many young boys are known to do.

I would rate them quite highly if you value quiet and smoothness.
 
Last edited:
I personally favor the early production '03s, but anything '03 and up is good. I would suggest '06+ if the budget allows it.
smile.gif
 
I have about 200,000 miles in the Crown Vics, 1992-2000 police cars, and just bought my 04 marquis. They are smooth cars that get good gas mileage for their size and V8 engines. The 4.6 is absolutely bullet proof given good maintenance and is a fantastic smooth runner. The early ones (92-94) tended to smoke a little with high miles, but they got it right in later years. My Marquis cost me $8400 with 40K miles, it has leather, power everything, power lumbar, etc, gets 26mpg on the highway and is one of the more comfortable rides there is. It is very easy to find a babied low mileage example (median age of new buyer...retired). You really can't do better for the money in my opinion. If you want to improve them there is good aftermarket support (mustang cams, P71 brakes,P71 swaybars, marauder airboxes, etc). Parts are very cheap and very prevalent. I dig em.
 
Its funny how the 4.6 in cars is highly respected,while the 4.6 in trucks is to be avoided (gutless).My take is the 5.4 never was what is was cracked up to be,and then went 3 valve and now all the spark plug issues(breaking/spitting out/coil on plug).Of course,now with Ford's new engines that is taken care of...however for the next 20 years,the infamous 5.4 will continue to dog owners,repair shops,and auto parts stores.
 
Consumer Reports rate the model years from 2002 to 2009 extremely well.Bullet proof engine ,transmission,and very good electrical system.
The only reported issues were climate controls.
So,according to Consumer Reports,any recent model year would be a good buy.
You may also want to consider buying a Crown Victoria.
Taxi drivers in Edmonton buy these cars -ex cop cars,for a song from the auction bloc.
The cars have 100000 miles or the equivalent in kms and they put on an extra 400000 miles before selling them to the poorer drivers.
You may pay a few extra hundred dollars/year in fuel cost but will probably save thousands in maintenance over the life of the car.
 
I think later would be better. I think that after around 02 or so they may have made a little more horsepower. Dual exhaust models were rated 224 about HP. The air springs will go bad, but as mentioned they can be converted to springs. The acceleration is adequate. The Town Car/Panther bodies advantages are that they should be quite reliable and parts should be plentiful. After the depreciation hit by the first owner, vehicle cost over time should be quite reasonable. Tires on some models are 16" compared to huge 18-20 inch wheels on competing vehicles. Quite a few tire options for these cars with lower costs for being smaller in diameter($140-150 vs 200+ for larger sizes)
 
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Its funny how the 4.6 in cars is highly respected,while the 4.6 in trucks is to be avoided (gutless).My take is the 5.4 never was what is was cracked up to be,and then went 3 valve and now all the spark plug issues(breaking/spitting out/coil on plug).Of course,now with Ford's new engines that is taken care of...however for the next 20 years,the infamous 5.4 will continue to dog owners,repair shops,and auto parts stores.


The 2V 5.4L's were great, we've owned three. Other than the potential for ejecting plugs (and the 4.6L and 6.8L both share this issue) they were bullet-proof.
 
In the middle 70's my father bought a brand new one that was so big it stuck out of the garage.

He had to build a new garage on the property just to hold that beast.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top