when will the grand marquis production stop?

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Do you have maintenance and repair records for any unibody FWD patrol cars to post up?


I don't make the decision as to what they buy. The biggest reason that they are staying with the Vic is simply because they can remove all of the equipment from one car, and bolt it right into the next one, plus the stock of replacement parts that they already have on hand.

The County and the State Police have gone to Impalas, but I don't have access to those records.

It has been alleged that the history of these cars is a fluke. This data shows that they are not.

They are moving forward to rotate these cars out of service SOONER as time goes on, apparently to avoid some of these unscheduled/more frequent repairs. It used to be that a car wasn't pulled from patrol duty until the first digit on the odometer was a "9" (90,000 miles or more).

Now we're seeing 76,000 miles. That's going the wrong way.

 

[OVERKILL]

How big is the fleet?

 

[caprice_2nv]

I didn't have time to ready every post but I read a few. Anyone here that tries to say that the CV or Grand Marquis are not a good vehicle, are very uneducated. I worked in a Ford dealership for a while and we serviced the local police cars. They were all retired around 100-140k miles but I never saw one transmission failure. Considering the abuse they had very little actual repairs, mostly just maintenance. There were rear axle repairs, front end and lots of brakes, the odd electrical repair but no engine or trans failures. I drive vehicles that are all over 20 years old but if I was to buy a late model vehicle, the CV would probably be the first one I would consider. My friend owns an ex cop car that he's had great luck with for the past few years.

 

[swalve]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Here's another example of a random dud in my local small city PD fleet.

And as noted in the top entry, the engine has an unknown, possibly knocking noise in it... I'd say it is time to stop spending any more money on this one.

In Dec 2008, at 91,994 miles, the alternator and wiring pigtail kit were replaced. The charging system light still remains on, due to an unknown reason. There’s also some type of slight repetitive, possible knocking, noise when driving the car.

In Mar 2008, at 91,249 miles, the cylinder an ignition coil was replaced due to a miss in the #8 cylinder.

In Feb 2008, at 89,430 miles, the rear brake pads & rotors were replaced, along with the rear calipers being flushed. The right rear upper trailing link for the rear axle was replaced.

In Jan 2008, at 89,029 miles, the intake manifold, spark plugs and boots were replaced.

In Dec 2007, at 88,761 miles, the lower steering shaft and the intermediate steering shaft assembly were replaced. Also in Dec 2007, the dash lights and right headlamp were replaced.

In early Dec 2007, at 87,845 miles, the front tires and engine thermostat were replaced.

In Oct 2007, at 85,586 miles, the driver’s side headlamp was replaced.

Also in Oct 2007, at 85,328 miles, the water pump, alternator belt, power steering pump, and alternator were replaced.

In Jun 2007, at 79,078 miles, the cooling fan assembly was replaced, along with the spark plugs & boots.

In Jun 2007, at 78,674 miles, the air conditioner compressor hose assembly was replaced.

In Apr 2007, at 75,919 miles, the air conditioner compressor accumulator, orifice tube and compressor relay were replaced.

In Feb 2007, at 73,555 miles, the power mirror switch was replaced.

In Jan 2007, at 72,766 miles, the power door lock switch was replaced.

In Sep 2006, at 69,827 miles, the driver’s power window switch was replaced.

In May 2006, at 63,375 miles, both rear emergency brake cables, shoes & hold down kits were replaced.

In Mar 2006, at 59,424 miles, the cooling fan assembly, idler pulley and alternator were replaced. Also, the air conditioner relay was replaced with a used one.

In Oct 2005, at 51,434 miles, the starter was replaced.

In Jun 2005, at 43,318 miles, the vehicle was repaired at the dealership due to a recall for ball joint repairs.

In Aug 2005, at 48,236 miles, the serpentine belt was replaced due.

In Jun 2005, at 43,178 miles, the back-up light assembly was replaced.

In May 2005, at 43,081 miles, the wiper switch assembly was replaced.

In Apr 2005, at 40,318 miles, the exhaust manifold flange nut was replaced.

In Dec 2003, at 18,556 miles, the horn assembly was replaced.

In Oct 2003, at 15,144 miles, the trunk lock cylinder was repaired.


Sounds like the mechanic is working hard to justify his existence. Or the cars are being abused.

 

[Steve S]

The models are being replaced with cheaper to manufacture models.

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04

I'm amused at the number of people who think these cars are as bulletproof as an Abrams tank. I know they put up with a lot of abuse, but the problem is, they're not.


Can you name another car currently in production that can hold up better under the same kind of use as a Crown Vic patrol car? Do you have maintenance and repair records for any unibody FWD patrol cars to post up?


Good point. Yeah ask any cab driver with a Panther. I've talked to a few and they said these things run and run and run.
A family member gave me an 85 Crown Vic that was a police car. It had almost 300K miles on it. I drove it for another 2 years or so. Junked it because it wouldn't pass Ca. smog. They said both cats were bad and it was going to be several hundred to repair.
The a/c still worked great after 20 years, and it had all the original parts!

Currently I have an 04 Grand Marquis. Gets great gas mileage especially for a big car. It comes very close to matching my wife's Camry (4 cylinder) around town. The Camry beats it on the freeway MPG though.
Thing is - I barely fit in the Camry and it is NOT comfortable for me. The Grand Marquis is very comfortable especially on long trips. I have gotten close to 30 MPG on a 400 mile trip. Averaged 27 MPG on a 3,000 mile with 4 people and a fully loaded trunk.

Makes me wish I would have bought this car sooner instead of my POS Chevy SUV. Oh well, live and learn!

One more thing I noticed. I am a member of various other forums. At one of the Crown Vic forums, most of the problems mentioned are with the cars that are 10 years old and more. Even at that most of it is pretty much minor stuff.

 

[Beehive_Poker]

Heh, just saw a brand new Fayetteville PD patrol car- a Lincoln Town Car! Not unmarked, but completely stickered and outfitted with a top mount lightbar. I guess they've completely bypassed worrying about the CVPI or the Gran Marquis- time for a Lincoln!

NOW I know why they always complain of being underfunded!

 

[AcuraTech]

For the amount of abuse the police/fleet/taxi cars take, they hold up pretty well. Try subjecting a modern FWD V6 car to the same abuse, it's not gonna hold up for long. I've ridden in many a Crown Vic taxi with 200k+ miles, check engine light on, front suspension knocking like a woodpecker, but still runs fine and rides well.

Full frame V8 RWD cars are something that the US auto makers perfected, nothing can be beat for ride quality, reliability, etc. Problem is that the US manufacturers never caught up to the shift in sales trends toward FWD uni-body cars. The Japanese had a huge jump start with those, the US never caught up.

I love American RWD V8 "boats", great cars to drive. Problem is they just don't make em' anymore, except for the Panther. That's why I drive an Acura Legend, that's about as close as a FWD car gets to the RWD hoopty rides in terms of ride comfort, etc.

 

[firemachine69]

What kind of lightbar? Any "special attachments", such as an AR-15? (Lots of PD's use a vehicle purchase as a way to add rather expensive weaponry).

 

[Beehive_Poker]

Just a standard blue and white strobe bar. I didn't notice any weaponry, but most prowlers here have Remington pumps mounted at the dash. To carry a rifle, you have to be above a certain rank (I believe Lieutenant or Captain) and have spent X amount of hours qualifying for it. You don't see many rifles.

I do think it's great that they let officers carry their personal sidearms now, same deal applies- they have to qualify for it and it has to be on the "approved" list. I'm seeing a lot more cops around here carrying the M1911 .45s.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: Beehive_Poker
Heh, just saw a brand new Fayetteville PD patrol car- a Lincoln Town Car! Not unmarked, but completely stickered and outfitted with a top mount lightbar. I guess they've completely bypassed worrying about the CVPI or the Gran Marquis- time for a Lincoln!

NOW I know why they always complain of being underfunded!


Sure it wasn't taken in a seizure case? They do that here all the time. One local PD even got a Mercedes from a former NBA player.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Originally Posted By: Gannet167
Why aren't they being advertised? If there was a crazy market for this car It would be widely marketed and sold in large numbers.


Maybe not in the States, but in the Middle East these cars sell like hot cakes. It's a shame they're going out of production in the not too distant future. Ford has attempted to cover up with the new Taurus (sold as the Five-Hundred), but the demand for the "Panther" platform vehicles are still high. In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, 8 out of 10 households own a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis. 6 out of every 10 Ford products that leave the showroom floor is either a Ford Crown Victoria or a Mercury Grand Marquis. Reason? Spare parts are available at your local corner store for dirt cheap, it's a vehicle anybody can work on and you can flog the living daylights out of it, yet it will still last. When these go out of production, Ford will be losing quite a bit of market share. Worthy of note, Ford Al-Jazeera of Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest Crown Victoria dealer. As for advertising, here is a recent one from my collection:

Translation:

Quote:
The love of every household at a Great Price...

5,799 Kuwaiti Dinars

2008 Ford Crown Victoria

3 Years/60,000 km bumper to bumper warranty
5 Years/100,000 km drivetrain warranty
24 Hours Roadside Assistance


If anybody's interested, I can post more.

 

[JackFish]

I looked at a lot of ex-police CVs and Marquis because I needed a big car with a V8.
I would have bought one had I not found an unmarked '96 Caprice 9C1 with only 100k on it!
Nothing like a full perimeter frame to make you feel like in an accident you win.

 

[Bror Jace]

I'm somewhere in between with these cars. In general, I think they are a sound design. However, they are and old design and feel rather 'clunky' by today's standard.

My Dad has had Mercury Grand Marquis, several of them, for the past 20 years and I have done a fair amount of the maintenance and repairs on them. Each has had its share of small faults and signs they weren't assembled with the amount of care I prefer. These were things like small body squeaks and rattles; slop in the steering; slop in the gear selector, hoses that gave up prematurely; and the like. At about 50,000 - 60,000 miles, bits and pieces like hoses begin to go ... but some of that is to be expected.

I don't doubt mrsilv04's posts one bit. However, for a police vehicle, I would think at least half those repairs were due to heavy use (abuse) and not the fault of the vehicle.

I'm tempted to say that Ford has cheapened these cars over the years and the last ones (Dad's latest is a 2007) are saddled with cheapened components ... but then I see that Dad's 2007 has what looks like an aluminum cross member up front. I can't imagine they added that to save $$$.

Can someone who knows these cars fairly well tell me if they think that aluminum piece is an upgrade? I think I remember its predecessor being a stamped steel unit ... probably costing half as much to manufacture.

As for why Ford doesn't advertise these cars, I think the conventional wisdom (which is not always correct) believes these cars appeal mostly to older people and they are set in their ways and not easily moved by advertising. So why bother?

 

[GMGuy]

The aluminum piece is an upgrade. The all plastic intake would crack at the thermostat housing. There was a limited recall on the intakes for fleet vehicles. Don't remember if they offered anything but reimbursement for a limited MY range for the general public.

Alex.

 

[gd9704]

I'm an odd case--I'm 39 and I bought a '07 GM about a year ago with 16,000 miles on it.

Why?

I like big cars, I like V8's. For $15k, I got a practically new car.

It's big, smooth, reasonably well-powered and comfy.

I get 22-24mpg on rot-gut gas.

I'm at 30,000 miles now and have not had a single issue to date.

My friends and family gave me some grief, but I'm laughing (comfortably) all the way to the bank!

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: gd9704
I'm an odd case--I'm 39 and I bought a '07 GM about a year ago with 16,000 miles on it.

Why?

I like big cars, I like V8's. For $15k, I got a practically new car.

It's big, smooth, reasonably well-powered and comfy.

I get 22-24mpg on rot-gut gas.

I'm at 30,000 miles now and have not had a single issue to date.

My friends and family gave me some grief, but I'm laughing (comfortably) all the way to the bank!



Thank you! Exactly how I feel.

I'm at 52,000 miles no problems at all.

I made a 250 mile round trip yesterday. Took a family member to the airport in the middle of the night (3 AM). That was about 80 percent freeway driving (70 - 75 MPH) - the other 20 percent city driving.
252.5 miles total - 10.08 gallons to refill (at the same station and the same pump)
25 MPG
I love it!

 

[Falcon_LS]

Originally Posted By: gd9704
I'm at 30,000 miles now and have not had a single issue to date.


You haven't even broken it in yet, loads of life left in it! My neighbour has a '96 LS (equipped with the Handling Package) that he bought new. It's now at 726,000 km (453,750 miles) on the original engine (minus 3 valve seal and guide jobs). He had the transmission rebuilt recently for the first time. He still averages a minimum of 5,000 km (3,000 miles) a month.

 

[Benzadmiral]

A good used Grand Marquis is on my list of possible replacements, if the Buick is totalled and I can't find another.

Yes, a smaller car like a Fusion would be a good choice if gas goes back up again. But if I can buy a well-cared-for GM, I'll have a much lower note, if any, and the price of gas won't matter as much.

 

[gd9704]

Originally Posted By: oldmaninsc
Originally Posted By: gd9704
I'm an odd case--I'm 39 and I bought a '07 GM about a year ago with 16,000 miles on it.

Why?

I like big cars, I like V8's. For $15k, I got a practically new car.

It's big, smooth, reasonably well-powered and comfy.

I get 22-24mpg on rot-gut gas.

I'm at 30,000 miles now and have not had a single issue to date.

My friends and family gave me some grief, but I'm laughing (comfortably) all the way to the bank!



Thank you! Exactly how I feel.

I'm at 52,000 miles no problems at all.

I made a 250 mile round trip yesterday. Took a family member to the airport in the middle of the night (3 AM). That was about 80 percent freeway driving (70 - 75 MPH) - the other 20 percent city driving.
252.5 miles total - 10.08 gallons to refill (at the same station and the same pump)
25 MPG
I love it!



Well, it's nice to know I'm not alone.

Really, they are an outstanding value.