My Grand Marquis and Crown Vic were hands down the two best cars I’ve ever owned. I’ll probably pick another on up in a couple years when I’m looking for a new to me used car.
I-80 across those three particular states is 900 miles of flatland with almost no curves in the road. You don’t care about handling, you don’t care about finding a parking space you can squeeze into. What you want is a long, wide wheelbase that doesn’t get whipped around when a truck passes you, an overstuffed seat that feels like your great-grandmother’s davenport, an engine and transmission that don’t labor at highway speeds and just enough reliability and durability that you don’t have a breakdown somewhere in the Great Plains.
That’s a job for the classic American car!
My nephew drove a big old '88 Grand Marquis. A car came at him around a curve with their brights on. He went head-first down an embankment and into a tree (the tree won). When the EMTs cut him out of the vehicle, they said if he’d been driving a new plastic car, he’d be dead. Life-flight to a 2 weeks stay in a level-1 trauma unit and lots of rehab later and he’s okay. He’s afraid to drive, and says he’ll never drive anything but heavy metal.
StG
My first love was a 1989 Colony Park … you know, the awesome, “wood” paneled station wagon. My family bought it when I was 8; it became mine after it died and my father had it resurrected (without my mom’s permission), and I drove it cross country four times. It got surprisingly good gas mileage (over 25 mpg on the highways), had a ton of style, carried everything I owned with room left over for me to sleep. I cried when I had to get rid of it. I really, really loved that car. Possibly more than I love my husband. Possibly.
There has to be a reason why most PDs used them-reliable and cheap to service.\Many state PDs run their over 300,000 miles.
Lots of room and lots of power.RWD is awesome!
that’s pretty much the only reasons why. they still used the old 2-valve 4.6 when the rest of Ford’s lineup was running the 3- and 4-valve engines, and not to forget that emergency vehicle upfit equipment is pretty much geared around the CV. Now, with the Charger making inroads into the police market, I guess Ford felt it was time to put the CV out to pasture.
My wife’s grandfather had a Grand Marquis (probably an '88 or so), and drove it (very little) for about 15 years, until he passed away. I’ve heard the Marq referred to as a “terminal car” – as in, it’s the last car its buyer ever buys.
My parents were generous and anxious, and decided to replace my Accord with an '85 Grand Marquis, the better to envelop me in a heavy steel cage during my teenage driving years. I remember driving to my junior prom in it, sliding around on the bench seat because of my big satin dress. I thought it was a really cool car. I probably wouldn’t want one now due to the mileage, but otherwise it rocked.
And yeah, it was totally like floating down the highway on a couch!
Well said!
The GM was a pig, but what a classy pig. Just what you want when you are putting the miles away in a straight line.