What's a 2000+ Crown Victoria / Grand Marquis Worth Now?

[RAR]

I’ve had some time to think and will add this possibility: the Crown Victoria Sport. While it doesn’t look wildly different outside apart from better wheels, inside is where it counts.

The Sport has the console shifter and some other “sporty” features (as sporty as a big land yacht can be).

It is something to consider, even if it will be mistaken for “an old cop car”. 😀

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I’ve had some time to think and will add this possibility: the Crown Victoria Sport. While it doesn’t look wildly different outside apart from better wheels, inside is where it counts.

The Sport has the console shifter and some other “sporty” features (as sporty as a big land yacht can be).

It is something to consider, even if it will be mistaken for “an old cop car”. 😀

Console shift automatics make me sad Column or dial is fine for me !

 

[supton]

Console shift automatics make me sad Column or dial is fine for me !

Column yes, although I really liked having a rocker switch on mine, so I could lock out upper gears—much easier than pulling down the lever (in my case, often it was 3 clicks to lock out the upper 3, the bottom 3 it was fine figuring out what gear to be in).

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Column yes, although I really liked having a rocker switch on mine, so I could lock out upper gears—much easier than pulling down the lever (in my case, often it was 3 clicks to lock out the upper 3, the bottom 3 it was fine figuring out what gear to be in).

I think the panthers have 1-D-OD , no 2. Just like my Cherokee. I do find that frustrating. GM, of all companies, the master of cost cutting, at least had a column shift that would hit all 4 forward gears!

It's so frustrating in the Cherokee. Trying to do hill climbs on a snowy trail, doing good in 1st gear then it just randomly catches 2nd and breaks traction and that's the end of it. Or in deep mud or snow when you need wheel speed it will just shift 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 all day. There's a guy on youtube (Matt's Offroad Recovery) who does sand recoveries with a Cherokee and his does it all the time.

 

[supton]

Yeah, I liked it that rocker. My CRV feels “weird” to me, if I put it in 2nd gear then that is the only gear it is in. I realize that is great in snow, but very often I just want it to start in 1st, and then stay in 2nd—it’s NH, we’ve got hills, and this ain’t got power.

On a 4AT I could get by without it, but even then it’d be nice. Of course… kinda hard to beat a clutch! except when backing up with a trailer…

 

[SwampSurvivor]

On a 4AT I could get by without it, but even then it’d be nice. Of course… kinda hard to beat a clutch! except when backing up with a trailer…

I leave the hubs unlocked on my f350 then just put it into 4l0 for backing up trailers. Works nice! 5.24:1 reverse multipled by a 2.72:1 low range. Creeps nicely!

 

[Silver]

I dunno. I'm less pessimistic about age. I bought an '02 3 years ago and I've had no problems in 40k miles so far that can be attributed to just age. And it's a Ford.

 

[dareo]

I wonder if SuperspeedersRob on youtube still has his crown vic. He's in the NY area and would probably be very cheap....

 

[HankHill]

Hey Guys!
Back in April, I purchased a Crown Victoria:

2010 Police Interceptor
94k
No RUST, NONE!
No noticeable scratches or body defects. You have to get really close to find them
Interior is mint
All law enforcement "gear" was gently removed
Tires were worn winter's

I purchased off a Mass. State Trpr., for $6500. He knew the officer that was assigned the car, and apparently he is anal retentive about preventative maintenance, it showed. Car was from Cape Cod PD. The only thing I can think of that would explain the lack of rust, could be the winter treatments they apply to the roads on the Cape. They do not use road salt there, due to the fragile ecosystem.

 

[Nukeman7]

Console shift automatics make me sad Column or dial is fine for me !

Is Richmond VA too far to consider? No one will mistaken this CV for an old cop car.

2002 Crown Victoria

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Is Richmond VA too far to consider? No one will mistaken this CV for an old cop car.

2002 Crown Victoria

Nice!

But too far

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Striking out here! I came across a few that were in decent shape but they're getting snatched up pretty quick! I may have to rethink it.


I cannot run my truck or Jeep through the winter. Might end up having to get brand new snow tires for the Nissan and use that this winter.

 

[blueglide88]

I had a 2003 Grand Marquis GS. Great car, HUGE trunk larger than any new car you can buy today.
The weak spot is the plastic intake manifold will eventually need replacing. Count on it.
The trans has a shudder around 40-45 mph but Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic trans fluid will take care of that. The motor will run for a very long time. It was a good car I'd recommend it.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Striking out here! I came across a few that were in decent shape but they're getting snatched up pretty quick! I may have to rethink it.


I cannot run my truck or Jeep through the winter. Might end up having to get brand new snow tires for the Nissan and use that this winter.

Get an Avalon. It's the Panther done right

There is also the Hyundai XG and later Azera and Kia Amanti.

If yo're lucky, you might be able to find an Infiniti M45 at a good price. I don't know what used Genesis sedan prices go for, but that is another good choice.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Transverse V6 is a hard no from me.

Get an Avalon. It's the Panther done right

There is also the Hyundai XG and later Azera and Kia Amanti.

If yo're lucky, you might be able to find an Infiniti M45 at a good price. I don't know what used Genesis sedan prices go for, but that is another good choice.

Transverse v6 is never done right. I'm okay with transverse I4, but I don't care for how hard it is to work on transverse V6.

Now a Lexus LS400 from the 90s Now we're talking!

If I were to get a Toyota , it would be a Yaris, Echo or Corolla. But any local examples of those have rusted away.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Transverse V6 is a hard no from me.


Transverse v6 is never done right. I'm okay with transverse I4, but I don't care for how hard it is to work on transverse V6.

Now a Lexus LS400 from the 90s Now we're talking!

If I were to get a Toyota , it would be a Yaris, Echo or Corolla. But any local examples of those have rusted away.

I agree on the transverse V6 thing

I just thought you wanted a big luxury-ish car. Yeah the LS400 is awesome, and so is the LS430 that came after it.

Yes, the Echo is awesome, and people hate them for no reason. Do you like this Yaris? Or this LS400

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I agree on the transverse V6 thing

I just thought you wanted a big luxury-ish car. Yeah the LS400 is awesome, and so is the LS430 that came after it.

Yes, the Echo is awesome, and people hate them for no reason. Do you like this Yaris? Or this LS400

Oh - got it - I actually don't like luxury vehicle or large vehicles oddly enough. I just really like the Panther cars because they're built pretty rugged. Full frame, same engine/trans as a f150 and the 8.8 axle is pretty good.

Those are some pretty good examples of both, but out of my range for what I'd trust my truck to tow. The Yaris/Echo aren't particularly fun/nice cars, I guess, but they will run forever as long as they don't rust out. And they're small and get decent MPG.

Still pretty confident I can't fit a crown victoria/grand marquis on my car trailer. The car is just as long as the trailer including tongue. And I have a toolbox just forward of the deck so you can't overhang the deck at all. I did some measurements and angle finding with a friend who has one and it would stick off the back by 4' . The bumpers might not like the climb either.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Oh - got it - I actually don't like luxury vehicle or large vehicles oddly enough. I just really like the Panther cars because they're built pretty rugged. Full frame, same engine/trans as a f150 and the 8.8 axle is pretty good.

Those are some pretty good examples of both, but out of my range for what I'd trust my truck to tow. The Yaris/Echo aren't particularly fun/nice cars, I guess, but they will run forever as long as they don't rust out. And they're small and get decent MPG.

Still pretty confident I can't fit a crown victoria/grand marquis on my car trailer. The car is just as long as the trailer including tongue. And I have a toolbox just forward of the deck so you can't overhang the deck at all. I did some measurements and angle finding with a friend who has one and it would stick off the back by 4' . The bumpers might not like the climb either.

If the car runs and you get a temporary plate, there is no need to put it on a trailer because you can drive it home

If you're close enough to PA and buy a car there, they make it very easy to get a temp tag. Otherwise, you can get one from Vermont.

If Corning isn't too far, I found this Yaris, and it is from a dealer, so they will give you a tag to drive home immediately.

And remember to rustproof whatever car you end up buying!

 

[javacontour]

I've been shopping for a CV or GM to replace my Subaru as DD duty. I don't want to run too many miles up on the Leaseon and my two vehicles are pretty close to the end of their life.

Had to make a high speed emergency trip up to my parents yesterday and of course all I could smell in the truck was burning oil. 3rd gear synchro grinds now. Tires that aren't round, etc. Plus the 13 MPG isnt the greatest. Don't want to replace it, yet, so running that truck this winter isn't an option.

Looking at these cars. Always wanted one. Figured I'd buy one now. It seems that anything decent is $4000. That's more than I want to spend, but for a low rust panther platform car with around 100K miles it doesn't seem terrible. I know I'll be able to get a few years out of it.

I don't want air ride, digital dash or leather. I prefer the steering box setup, but I guess the rack and pinion is better. There is currently a decent one for sale, no rust 80K miles, 2001 for sale. But it's a Grand Marquis LS - so it has all that. And apparently the exploding intake manifold. But it's $4k. I found a 2007 with 117K with moderate rust, but it's a GS and checks all the boxes otherwise.

We've also determined that one won't fit on my car trailer, so will have to rent or borrow something flatter to get it home. Distance isn't really an option, because then I'm renting a truck and paying mileage.

I sold my 1999 GM (LS I guess) with 103-105k miles for $2500 a year ago. It had the intake manifold done, and still had good rubber. No rust, just the parking lot dings from both my 90 year old GMA from whom I got the car and my youngest daughter who used it as her high school car.

It was costing me about $800/year in insurance and tags, so I cut it loose. I still see it at a customer site. One of the security guards there bought it and is still driving it.

I'd expect one in decent shape today to be in the $2500-$4k range. The great thing is you'll likely get most of what you have in it back after a few years.

The downside is for a car of this size, the interior really isn't all that space efficient. It has a big trunk, but the passenger compartment is NOT optimized.


I had my mechanic do the intake manifold and it was on the order of $800. But I had it for 6 years, so it served me well.

Even the air ride still worked. But if it goes out on one, you can replace it with standard springs.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

If the car runs and you get a temporary plate, there is no need to put it on a trailer because you can drive it home

If you're close enough to PA and buy a car there, they make it very easy to get a temp tag. Otherwise, you can get one from Vermont.

If Corning isn't too far, I found this Yaris, and it is from a dealer, so they will give you a tag to drive home immediately.

And remember to rustproof whatever car you end up buying!

Fluid film in the doors and body cavities, Bar and Chain oil / kerosene through an old PowerKraft paint gun underneath .Seems to be a pretty good DIY combination. Corning is .... on the limit. There's lot of hills between there and here. I don't have problems going down hill, but going up hill is not easy.

NY doesn't do temp tags AFAIK , except for dealers. I do have plenty of friends with trailers that one WILL fit on so I may have to go that route.