SuperMotors.net Forums
rollypolly
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• West Atlantic City, NJ, USA |
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• Registered on 8/14/2011 |
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• 2 posts |
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 Posted:8/14/2011 18:48 |
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Hello. First, let me state that I am a little confused about how I ended up here. I was searching the web for information about a car I am considering buying, a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis (do not know yet if GS or LS). Ideally I was looking for some kind of checklist to use when evaluating a potential purchase. I found a site named crownvic.net that seemed to have very useful information, but the KnowledgeBase articles (where one might expect to find that type of checklist) were restricted to members. So I followed what I thought was the registration link to that site, completed the forms, answered the confirmation email, and now here I am(?) Can someone explain to me what the relationship is between this forum and crownvic.net? Was there an explanation that I should have seen but somehow missed?
Anyway, on to my question, in case there is anyone here who can help me find answers. I am looking to replace my current daily driver, which needs more in repairs (01 Montero Sport 3.0, 168k, needs all 3 cats) than the car is worth. I have been haunting Craigslist for two weeks trying to find a replacement vehicle. I honestly was not looking for a full-size sedan, but a 2004 Grand Marquis with 34,000 advertised miles by owner for an ask right on the Edmunds private party price caught my eye. Further research indicated that this model should be reliable and that the highway gas mileage should be considerably better than one might expect of a car in this category (EPA 23; many anecdotal reports of 25, a few of as much as 28 ). I will try to get an appointment to look at the car tomorrow. I am fairly conversant with autos (light mechanic in a past life), and my other car is an 2004 F250 with the 6.8l modular motor, so I have a general grasp of what to ask and to examine. I was hoping to find a list of items specific to this year and model that should be questioned. For one example, the posts at crownvic.net indicated a possible generic problem with the composite intake manifold on the 4/6l motor used here. I am sure that there are other similar items of which I am currently unaware. Also, there could be items that need closer scrutiny specifically because the car has averaged less than 5K per year. Can anyone out there help a guy out? Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Rolly |
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jdmeaux
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• Lafayette, LA, USA |
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• Registered on 1/5/2009 |
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• 525 posts |
• 1 Vehicle
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Posted:8/14/2011 19:14 |
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Unless it was used for Official Police, Fire, or Municipal purposes, most people bought GM and CV as a large comfortable dependable vehicle. Yes, Ford did have problems the composite intake, but most were taken care of as part of recalls. And as for as the mileage, most who bought these cars were older, more sedate persons "who only drove them to church on Sunday". Just because the miles are low doesn't mean it wasn't driven much at highway speeds. Slow driving actually does more internal damage than highway miles.
Check to see how clean the underside is. Look for oil leaks, transmission leaks, coolant leaks; the usual things most people look for. Talk to them. Find out why they want to get rid of it. Was it granny's car? Want to get rid of it because of driver restrictions(somebody lost their license)? Did they have an accident and the insurance went up big-time? (I took this approach once just talking to the guy about the car, and learned he was getting rid of it for what he thought was a "bad rear seal" on the engine. When I crawled back underneath, I saw it was a leaking oil sensor, and not the seal. $29 later solved the leak, and I got the car at a decent price too.)
Google the vehicle and check out any recalls. This should let you know if there are any major problems.
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PROUD MEMBER of www.crownvic.net
It's just a SUPER-DUTY Mustang GT Sedan. 198K miles and still rolling HARD.
1997 Crown Victoria P71 SVT *** ex-US Marshall service (the CAR)
STOCK?? I bet it was modified. 
13.26 @ 107.24 MPH 1/4 mi w/ me, tools, & full tank of 93 octane
I added CAI, NICHE 19 X 8.5 " wheels with 245/45ZR 19 rubbers, and completely rebuilt the front end with poly bushings, Kooks headers, 2 1/4inch exhaust, TCI 2200-2400 rpm Stall converter
.PLANS:: engine upgrade, 5.4L 2v stroker, rebuild interior in leather w/ buckets, thinking about turbos
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