I think my '97 Crown Vic is finally broke in!

[P&R Fan]

I had a thread on here a few years ago about whether buying a Ford Crown Vic made me an old man, as Missus Fan suggests. Several of you of course agreed with her. Well, I ain't old at 50. But I LOVE that car. It's like driving a living room.
Last night I was driving it and it rolled over 100,000 miles.
It's a Ford V8. I think it just got broke in.
Jim

 

[3dots]

I had a 2000 Marquis (same car basically) when I was 49. I bought it from my neighbor for $6000.00, it had 60K miles on it. All my buds were giving me ***t about it being a "Land Yacht", "Grampsmobile", etc. I drove it like I stole it, really had some pep for a yacht. My buds never bitched about the ride though when we would head out somewhere...smooth as glass...

 

[kozmic]

If you're lucky, next time it's broke-in the thieves will steal it too!!!!

 

[soFlaNative]

I had a thread on here a few years ago about whether buying a Ford Crown Vic made me an old man, as Missus Fan suggests. Several of you of course agreed with her. Well, I ain't old at 50. But I LOVE that car. It's like driving a living room.
Last night I was driving it and it rolled over 100,000 miles.
It's a Ford V8. I think it just got broke in.
Jim

Loknload may not agree
Good luck with the wheels. What year?

 

[P&R Fan]

Loknload may not agree
Good luck with the wheels. What year?

It's a '97.
Only 18 years old. Gonna run for another 20 at least.
Jim

 

[4barrel]

I am not a FOUND ON ROAD DEAD fan but a friend named Charles sold me a lift in 1998 & his Ford 1/2 just turned 680000 miles this month with nothing replaced but the rear end & that was because of a wreck 5 years ago. I see it every 2 weeks or so. He said 1 set of brakes & 1 trans fluid change. Talk about a traveling salesman.

 

[P&R Fan]

I am not a FOUND ON ROAD DEAD fan but a friend named Charles sold me a lift in 1998 & his Ford 1/2 just turned 680000 miles this month with nothing replaced but the rear end & that was because of a wreck 5 years ago. I see it every 2 weeks or so. He said 1 set of brakes & 1 trans fluid change. Talk about a traveling salesman.

I have a '65 Ford F100 my Grampa bought when my Mom was pregnant with me. It has 53,000 miles on it. HARD miles.
A guy who owned a Chevy pickup once told me if you want a nice pickup buy a Chevy. If you want a TRUCK.....buy a Ford.
Jim

 

[johngalt]

My 97 Tahoe hit 146,000 miles. The last 3 years have not been low maintenance though. Every time I think about replacing it, somehow talking to a car dealer convinces me that I would rather give the mechanic my business than the dealer.

In the last 3 years:

transmission
fuel pump (now on its 3rd)
power steering pump & gearbox
water pump
front output shaft for 4-wheel drive system
cracked transfer case
A/C compressor

Makes me wonder if it is worth it to keep fixing stuff. But at least everything should be working now.

 

[4barrel]

I had a thread on here a few years ago about whether buying a Ford Crown Vic made me an old man, as Missus Fan suggests. Several of you of course agreed with her. Well, I ain't old at 50. But I LOVE that car. It's like driving a living room.
Last night I was driving it and it rolled over 100,000 miles.
It's a Ford V8. I think it just got broke in.
Jim

That was the best- cheapest car u could buy for the money 95-98.

 

[P&R Fan]

Missus Fan, who is almost 55, hates this car. She thinks it is an "old person's car".
Well, I ain't old. It runs great and is comfortable.
Sure, I still want a Corvette, but this will do for now.
Jim

 

[hushpa]

Had a 97 gran marquis 100 000 miles ran great. Put in 2 heatercores in 5 years. Lost car inboating accident. No real loss.

 

[Model 19 6"]

I am not a FOUND ON ROAD DEAD fan but a friend named Charles sold me a lift in 1998 & his Ford 1/2 just turned 680000 miles this month with nothing replaced but the rear end & that was because of a wreck 5 years ago. I see it every 2 weeks or so. He said 1 set of brakes & 1 trans fluid change. Talk about a traveling salesman.

We always called them FIX OR REPAIR DAILY!!!!!

 

[jframe]

Missus Fan, who is almost 55, hates this car. She thinks it is an "old person's car".
Wcell, I ain't old. It runs great and is comfortable.
Sure, I still want a Corvette, but this will do for now.
Jim

That's funny; I've got a Corvette, and I want a Crown Vic as a daily beater. Getting hard to find with low miles AND low price, too.

 

[rwsmith]

That's a great car for an old guy.....

My MIL had a Lincoln with a red leather interior and I told her it felt like driving down the road while sitting at a fancy office desk.

I never was a big car type person, but between the arthritis in my back and the stiffness in my joints I'm pretty much out of the compact car/sports car market. Besides, I was just thinking today that people don't pull out in front of you nearly as much when you are driving a big car. Now the little green Buick sedan that we've got just screams, "Walk all over me!"

 

[R.A. Rifleman]

Old persons car? I'm 22 and I want one.

 

[foggood11]

Grand Marq '02 here, with 87k miles on her, so not quite broke in like yours, P&R.

'Tis one of the last, unabashed "old fart's car", and this old fart don't get no respect in it.

It's almost like there's this big ol' magnet on its front bumper, and every other car on the road for miles around that wants to merge, does so right in front of me. Do I care? Heck no!

It's a saweet ride!

 

[Kinman]

My FIL had a late 90's Crown Vic, he got it to replace his beloved '67 Riviera. He was a ship's Captain and didn't put alot of miles on his vehicles, once a year he drove back to the Maritime College for a course that was about the major miles he put on his cars. He spent a night in a Crown Vic cruiser while doing a ride-along with his local P.D. The next day he went down and bought one, he loved that car. I drove it when they came up to visit and it was a very nice car, reminded me of the good old days bombing around in mom's '62 Ford Galaxie. His only had the little 302 but it was a great traveling car for him and the MIL, huge trunk. The MIL thought she liked a friend's husband's Cadillac better, she's never driven a day in her life...what could she know? She kept harping on the old man and he caved and traded the Vic in on a new model Fleetwood, he was never happy with that car and I have to admit the Caddy was a prettier car but really wasn't quite the old car feel that the Vic had, it had that usual Cadillac floaty feeling about it, didn't feel as solid on the ground...I don't think the trunk was any larger.

 

[boatme99]

My current stable is a 93 Lincoln TC for work, a 2000 Continental for my good car, and a 97 f-150 for a truck.

I've had the truck for 14 years. I've replaced the standard stuff, brakes 1, starter 2, ac comp. 2, radiator 1, complete front end rebuild 1, complete clutch assy. 1, top end gasket set 1 inside engine is good, tires 3, light bulbs, etc.
Never any major stuff. No broken housings. No bad rear ends, transmissions, things like that.

Go ahead and say what you want about Ford's, I've got no complaints about the three I own.

I've found that Lincoln TCs and Continentals lose a lot of resale value quickly. More so than Cadillacs. They also tend to have fewer miles on the odometer than Cadillacs of like years (they are old people cars!), so you can get a very nice car for a little investment.


P&R, take a look at the last of the Continentals. Your wife might be surprised!
It's pretty darned nice for a 15 year old car.

 

[P&R Fan]

I just love these land yachts. When I was 31 I bought an '88 Lincoln Town Car. Bet I'm the youngest person ever to do so. I bought it from a dealership my Dad had used for years. The salesman was the grandson of the owner. He was about 20. When we test drove it I laughed and said I couldn't believe I was buying this car at my age. He looked at me and said "Jim, if you buy this, I guarantee you will always have one". He was right. I actually still have it.
About 15 years ago I bought a Grand Marquis, probably a '92. Missus Fan and I were in Illinois on the Interstate. Had the radar detector on and the speedometer pegged at 80 MPH. I figured I'd better slow down, so I took my foot off the gas. Needle didn't move for about 20 seconds. I musta been doing over 100 MPH. It was steady as a rock.
These cars are rock solid, and those Ford V8s will last forever.
I still want a Corvette though.
With a stick, dangit.
Jim

 

[steveno]

258,000 miles on a 2004 Chevy Colorado(5 cyl.). I wish I could say it was trouble free but since I can't afford a new (unless the lottery comes in) truck it will have to do