A NTY writer basically says 'Good riddance!" to the Mercury Grand Marquis.
I used to drive a Crown Vic. Best car I ever had.
The Grand Marquis is a good example of what a car can be when everyone involved knows what to do and is working towards the same goal. The designers wanted a big, plush sofa on four wheels for relaxed people who wanted to cruise around in comfort. Concepts of handling, performance and even style were ignored and probably would have gotten the person who mentioned them fired.
It’s a great car for what it was intended to be. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. You’ve got other choices.
Heh. I drive a '96 Grand Marquis. I bought it from my elderly uncle who only ever used it to drive to golf games at the country club. It had 35k miles on it when I bought it and I paid him $1500. He left his “Motown Love Songs” cassette tape in there for me, too!
I’ve replaced the stereo system so I can plug my iPod into it. It can easily fit three child car seats in the back. It’s great for shuffling the kids around. I had to put a bunch of bumper stickers on it, though, so that people don’t slow down to 5 mph below the speed limit when I’m behind them.
good for him. Who cares what he thinks? Nobody under the age of 70 bought them anyway, and it only existed to pick up some extra sales alongside the fleet-only Crown Vic.
what a pointless waste of effort, reviewing a car that for all intents and purposes isn’t made anymore.
I inherited mine when my father died.
Yeah, it is an “old man’s” car, but let me tell ya - you step on the gas and that puppy moves! Plus, it is like sitting on a sofa - very comfortable.
I believe it has been ranked number one for safety in head on collisions, due to it being a solid steel frame.
Additionally, when I have visitors and drive them around, everyone has plenty of room and it seats five large adults comfortably.
So go ahead and laugh, but that '97 Grand Marquis I have is a great car, and have had almost no maintenance other than new tires, new battery and the usual oil changes.
I had 2 of them. the last one had about 80,000 miles on it. my wife went to the gas station to get a newspaper. She thought it was a good idea to leave it running while she went in. Some guy thought it would be a good idea to take it. we never saw it again. It has been about 9 years and it still pisses me off.
My father was a traveling salesman who regularly drove 75,000-85,000 miles a year - a lot of those miles weren’t on Interstate highways, either. His company cars were invariably Crown Vic’s or Grand Marquis’.
Of course the Times’ reporter wouldn’t like the Granny. You wouldn’t take a Suburu on I-80 across Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska, either.
Off topic question from a non-American Subaru driver: Why not?
I’d buy one in a heart beat if I could; I miss huge American Iron comfortable cars.
I owned a 1996 Crown Vic LX that I bought from my Grandpa when he became unable to drive. I bought it for $3,000 in 2004 and it had only 19,000 miles on it because he never drove the thing!
I had to replace all the hoses, belts, eventually even the fairly decent tires due to dry rot from it just sitting in his uncovered driveway for so long!
Anyway, it really was a solidly built, comfortable and very predictable car to drive. Horrible gas mileage and horrible in the snow, though. And please, to the poster that claims these cars are fast! Even the Police Interceptor versions aren’t very fast, and neither was the Mercury Marauder.
These were giant sleds on wheels. And yes, the analogy of “driving a sofa down the interstate” is very apt.
My first car, which was my baby, was totaled by a 1984 Grand Marquis. Good riddance!
When I travel with my Wife to Pittsburgh, we always rent a car at the airport. Lately we fly into Akron and drive the rest of the way to Pitt. My daily driver is an SUV, so I don’t mind big cars. I actually like them.
I try to rent either a Crown Vic or a Grand Marquis. What the heck, they are comfy, and work well in case I have to play chauffeur for my in-laws and other extended family.
Last time we rented a Lincoln Town Car. I’m tall, my Wife is not. My Wife really liked it because the seat was so adjustable. And, um, we are hardly the people that you would expect to be riding in a Town Car. Just to say, we are more sandals and hiking boots than high-heels and wing-tips. It’s sort of fun.
I’m taking my 80yo mother to San Diego to see some family next summer. I hope I can find a Crown Vic to rent. (side rant – A Toyota Avalon is not a ‘Similar’ car to a Grand Marquis. I’m looking at you, Budget Rent a Car).
My guess is that the comment was based on the fact that those are fairly conservative heartland states and the Subaru is marketed as a liberal East Coast person’s car in the U.S. especially to certain groups like the down vest lesbian set. They have them in the Midwest of course too but the stereotype is that you would fit in better in a large American car there in the middle of flyover country than with a foreign car with an agenda.
I drive a 1998 Grand Marquis, and I absolutely love it. It has a ton of power, and looks great. One thing about those cars is that the body style didn’t change much over the years. No one ever guesses that my car is a 1998. We live in Georgia, so it’s still in great shape–no problem with ice or salt-covered roads here. It rides like a dream, and I will find another one when mine eventually gives up the ghost. Love it!
I think that anybody who has been here for a while will remember my well-known animosity toward the Crown Vic (and by extension the Marquis), so as you might imagine I’m not sad about this at all. Except for one thing.
Now I’ll never be able to get a de Sade Edition. Then again, now that I think about it they were all de Sade Editions.
Good bye, and good riddance, to both the Marquis and the Mercury marque. There hasn’t been a good Merc since the original 1st-generation Cougar.
The 1949-1950-1951 Mercury represented some of the best hot rod-custom opportunities the USA ever produced. Have you never seen Rebel Without A Cause? The 1940 Mercury (and Ford) coupes are absolute classics. Kids today just don’t know cars.
Come to Ames, IA and get lost in a sea of Chevy Impalas. We rented an '11 model for awhile when flying home, and dang if every 3rd car on the street isn’t an Impala!
And guess what? It’s not bad - not bad at all. Spacious, smooth handling, and well priced for what you get. It’s so dull looking you’d lose it in an empty parking lot, but you can’t have everything.
my dad’s grand marquis is awesome
That was then. This is now. I like the old lead-sled Mercs, but guess what? My dad was an infant when they came out. The cars they have put out since the early 1970s have been quite literally nothing but Fords with a Mercury badge. The last cars they put out with any uniqueness were the last generation Cougar and the Capri, both of which were captive imports from Ford’s overseas divisions.
There was no reason to save Mercury.