Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
12Go - you have a good imagination. The Crown Vic and its siblings do have a pillowy ride. But I do not see how you can say they have a better controlled suspension. A Crown Vic will squeal its tires on most cloverleafs taken at any reasonable speed while almost any of the mainstream mid-size imports will quietly go faster.
For a big car, the Crown Vic handles well. Way better than, say a DTS or Le Sabre of similar vintage.
How can you say a Crown Vic has more power? 239 Hp in a 4500 lb car?
I bet any V6 import sedan built in the last ten years will run away from a Crown Vic that isn't a police car. I think many 4 cylinders would.
The reason Ford didn't offer a two door is the same reason no company makes large two door cars. No one but a few nostalgia fans - a disproportionate number of which hang out here - would buy one. It would be a bad business decision.
It is a shame that Ford didn't modernize the Panther cars. I think there are too few RWD sedans. But the market spoke and they said the existing Panthers aren't good enough.
You checked todays epa ratings, which btw toyota has more complaints than all other car makers about owners not getting the rated mpg, but this thread was about vehicles that are not brand new. I also provided what each vehicle got on the trip from St Louis to Knoxville, Tn. As for a camery being as "pillowy" as you put as a Crown Vic, you forget the taxi's you compare it to have alot stiffer suspension than the general public's car. As for space being wasted, you clearly never worked on a car. I'll take the extra usable space of a Crown Vic over the cramped pos camery. The new "space efficient" vehicles are actuly poorly designed nearly unservicable cars. Is the Crown Vic outdated designed? Consider this; There are far more longer running and in use "outdated" designed vehicles than there are old newer designed vehicles. Your taste prefers the ride of a benz or audi, while I've never been able to get half way comfortible in their harsh ride, poor road feel, poor control suspensions, and terribly under powered vehicles. (unless you have 100k for for their top performers) You also are trying to say a $30k or less car compared to a $80k car. It's more of personnel taste, but the new designs are not any better designed than the "outdated designs" as you put it. And I'll take the ability to take more than 1 small suit case with me in the Crown Vic's trunk over the anything larger than a 35mm camera won't fit trunks of the cars you mentioned. Ford's biggest mistake with the Crown Vic line is no 2 door models. But you know what is really fun? Getting better fuel milage, and outrunning a "new efficient" car with an outdated as you call it car. And that my friend makes the older designed vehicle far more appealling then the new junk.
LOL. As amusing as your hyperbole is:
1. MPG depends as much on how you drive than what you drive. Sure, you can probably coax 30 mpg out of a Crown Vic, but my dad got 40 mpg out of a Corolla on the way to Vegas, so so what? EPA estimates are meant for comparison between cars, hence "your mileage may vary".
2. Neither the Crown Vic nor the Camry have what I consider an ideal ride. Both are too floaty and lumbery. I might as well get a minivan for that experience; at least I'd have some useful cargo room. To me, an ideal ride combines smoothness+agility. Get behind the wheel of a Nissan Maxima or a Mazda 6 to see what I'm talking about if you don't want to drop the coin for a premium car.
3. LOL @ calling a M-B or Audi underpowered. The cheapest M-B is the $34k C300 with a 230-hp V6. The cheapest Audi is the $30k A3 with a 210-hp 4-cylinder. Far cheaper than the $80k you say, and much better power:weight ratio than the 4000+lb Crown Vic that can only muster 239 hp from a 4.6L V8.
4. sorry, but I barely see any late-model full-size body-on-frame passenger cars compared to unibody midsizers of the same year. Body-on-frame construction has its advantages, particularly for trucks, but passenger car drivers will find unibody vehicles more suitable to their desires, and the sales numbers show it.
Depended on the engine. A guy at my work has one with the good engine, and its been there everyday at my work... rain, snow, or shine... 100 degrees or 0 degrees, for the last 7 years. Its driven by a little Vietnamese immigrant, too. He looks so small inside that thing.
1. MPG depends as much on how you drive than what you drive. Sure, you can probably coax 30 mpg out of a Crown Vic, but my dad got 40 mpg out of a Corolla on the way to Vegas, so so what? EPA estimates are meant for comparison between cars, hence "your mileage may vary".
2. Neither the Crown Vic nor the Camry have what I consider an ideal ride. Both are too floaty and lumbery. I might as well get a minivan for that experience; at least I'd have some useful cargo room. To me, an ideal ride combines smoothness+agility. Get behind the wheel of a Nissan Maxima or a Mazda 6 to see what I'm talking about if you don't want to drop the coin for a premium car.
3. LOL @ calling a M-B or Audi underpowered. The cheapest M-B is the $34k C300 with a 230-hp V6. The cheapest Audi is the $30k A3 with a 210-hp 4-cylinder. Far cheaper than the $80k you say, and much better power:weight ratio than the 4000+lb Crown Vic that can only muster 239 hp from a 4.6L V8.
4. sorry, but I barely see any late-model full-size body-on-frame passenger cars compared to unibody midsizers of the same year. Body-on-frame construction has its advantages, particularly for trucks, but passenger car drivers will find unibody vehicles more suitable to their desires, and the sales numbers show it.
lol- you are funny!
1, I have ALWAYS run in the 80 mph range no matter what it is on the highway with the exception of a 4.56 geared Astre drag/Pro-Street car I drove from here to Houston and back. I still ran it at appox. 65-70mph. It was also a 9 second, True Pontiac powered 350 with 350th and on that trip I switched to 29 x18.50 Mickey Thompsons. You know what is funny? I got over 14 mpg with it! So while you can think I pussyfoot the go pedal, I never have and I never will.
2. the cars you mentioned that you like the ride, to me ride like junkyard wagons. They are not very good at all. So ride can be personal taste.
3.If your m-b or audi makes that much as you say they are rated at, why are they so slow? Seriously, they are slow for that kind of power rating.
Ford finally upped the hp rating on the Crown Vics and Grand Marquis. They changed nothing but made the hp rating more in line with the performance of the car with the weight they have. They have under rated the hp for years.
4. Only a head in the sand person would believe the stuff you split out in this one. You say people prefer the ride of unibody cars over body on frame. Prove it. What car has the option of how you can buy it? What model in what line of cars gives you an option? NONE!!! Never have either. I hear this idiot statement from people, and I have yet to get a honest answer back. If there was an option of how you could get your car built, let's say you want mazda 6, and it's up to you which frame/ no frame unibody option was avalible, both for same price, I'm willing to bet that the body on frame would win. Stronger, safer in a wreck, and more reparable. And as for ride quality, the body on frame will out handle and ride better at the same time over the unibody.
lol- you are funny!
1, I have ALWAYS run in the 80 mph range no matter what it is on the highway with the exception of a 4.56 geared Astre drag/Pro-Street car I drove from here to Houston and back. I still ran it at appox. 65-70mph. It was also a 9 second, True Pontiac powered 350 with 350th and on that trip I switched to 29 x18.50 Mickey Thompsons. You know what is funny? I got over 14 mpg with it! So while you can think I pussyfoot the go pedal, I never have and I never will.
2. the cars you mentioned that you like the ride, to me ride like junkyard wagons. They are not very good at all. So ride can be personal taste.
3.If your m-b or audi makes that much as you say they are rated at, why are they so slow? Seriously, they are slow for that kind of power rating.
Ford finally upped the hp rating on the Crown Vics and Grand Marquis. They changed nothing but made the hp rating more in line with the performance of the car with the weight they have. They have under rated the hp for years.
4. Only a head in the sand person would believe the stuff you split out in this one. You say people prefer the ride of unibody cars over body on frame. Prove it. What car has the option of how you can buy it? What model in what line of cars gives you an option? NONE!!! Never have either. I hear this idiot statement from people, and I have yet to get a honest answer back. If there was an option of how you could get your car built, let's say you want mazda 6, and it's up to you which frame/ no frame unibody option was avalible, both for same price, I'm willing to bet that the body on frame would win. Stronger, safer in a wreck, and more reparable. And as for ride quality, the body on frame will out handle and ride better at the same time over the unibody.
1. and I was able to get 35 mpg out of an Acura TL cruising at 75-80 mph. I don't know what we're supposed to be proving.
2. and I think the Panther-bodied cars ride like a fishing boat in choppy waters, so yeah, it's a matter of personal preference.
3. you've got to be kidding if you think a C300 or A3 is slow compared to a Crown Vic. Crown Vics barely stay ahead of 4-cylinder midsizers, while the M-B and Audi are more in line with the V6 versions.
4. The fact that BoF cars are being phased out by their manufacturers says that buyers want something different. If more buyers wanted BoF cars, there would be more options available, not fewer.
1. and I was able to get 35 mpg out of an Acura TL cruising at 75-80 mph. I don't know what we're supposed to be proving.
2. and I think the Panther-bodied cars ride like a fishing boat in choppy waters, so yeah, it's a matter of personal preference.
3. you've got to be kidding if you think a C300 or A3 is slow compared to a Crown Vic. Crown Vics barely stay ahead of 4-cylinder midsizers, while the M-B and Audi are more in line with the V6 versions.
4. The fact that BoF cars are being phased out by their manufacturers says that buyers want something different. If more buyers wanted BoF cars, there would be more options available, not fewer.
Considering this is a topic about the longest lasting cars made I would definitely consider the Crown Vic to be one of the top candidates regardless of what opinions on handling and power output one might have.
As for your earlier comment on the body-on-frame design... The reason you aren't seeing them in most newer cars has little to do with the wants and desires of the consumer but rather has to do with the wants and desires of the manufacturer. Bottom line is that it's cheaper to make a unibody as opposed to a body-on-frame.
Body-on-frame inherently is far more durable and robust than any throwaway unibody design.
I had a Chevy Impala, 2000 in year and it was a 3.8 with a cold air intake we added, we had to replace the upper and lower plentium gaskets at about 100,000 miles but that was because they are plastiuc elbow type pieces that over time will crack, and that was a pain because they were inside the top part of the motor but overall this car has been dependable and with the cold air intakea nd tune up it ended up getting better mileage, this is why I like this type of car it has power and is decent on gas mileage. I have since wrecked it and am looking for a new one, it wasn't my fault but the person had no insurance I love Impala's and think Chevy, well American made cars have easier access of parts thus making them cheaper to fix and you are keeping money in America supporting factories that manufacture the parts you need not to mention saving money at the same time, I love American cars and America as a whole and will never buy another foreign car. There are some goood ones out there but my heart belongs to American made and the Impala!
Like the guy w the Mickey's and who races, that is awesome we are a fam of gear heads!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 12GO
lol- you are funny!
1, I have ALWAYS run in the 80 mph range no matter what it is on the highway with the exception of a 4.56 geared Astre drag/Pro-Street car I drove from here to Houston and back. I still ran it at appox. 65-70mph. It was also a 9 second, True Pontiac powered 350 with 350th and on that trip I switched to 29 x18.50 Mickey Thompsons. You know what is funny? I got over 14 mpg with it! So while you can think I pussyfoot the go pedal, I never have and I never will.
2. the cars you mentioned that you like the ride, to me ride like junkyard wagons. They are not very good at all. So ride can be personal taste.
3.If your m-b or audi makes that much as you say they are rated at, why are they so slow? Seriously, they are slow for that kind of power rating.
Ford finally upped the hp rating on the Crown Vics and Grand Marquis. They changed nothing but made the hp rating more in line with the performance of the car with the weight they have. They have under rated the hp for years.
4. Only a head in the sand person would believe the stuff you split out in this one. You say people prefer the ride of unibody cars over body on frame. Prove it. What car has the option of how you can buy it? What model in what line of cars gives you an option? NONE!!! Never have either. I hear this idiot statement from people, and I have yet to get a honest answer back. If there was an option of how you could get your car built, let's say you want mazda 6, and it's up to you which frame/ no frame unibody option was avalible, both for same price, I'm willing to bet that the body on frame would win. Stronger, safer in a wreck, and more reparable. And as for ride quality, the body on frame will out handle and ride better at the same time over the unibody.
Location: Butler County Ohio and Winters in Florida
929 posts, read 2,723,125 times
Reputation: 635
Here is another vote for the Crown Vic.
I travel alot and need to rent vehicles.
I love driving Crown Vics.
They seem rather quick, handle well, huge trunk, and I always averaged about 20mpg.
If you put the front seats all the way back, there is about 3 inches of space before the back of the front seat hits the rear seat.
Maybe it is the torque of the 4.6 V8 not the horsepower that makes it seem quicker than it really is?
Also, the cops and their fleet managers love them for reasons.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
I love Impala's and think Chevy, well American made cars have easier access of parts thus making them cheaper to fix and you are keeping money in America supporting factories that manufacture the parts you need not to mention saving money at the same time, I love American cars and America as a whole and will never buy another foreign car. There are some goood ones out there but my heart belongs to American made and the Impala! 
Like the guy w the Mickey's and who races, that is awesome we are a fam of gear heads!
