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Great vehicles that will easily last upwards of 200K miles with basic maintenance and care. Engines are nearly bulletproof and because there isn't a lot of tech, there isn't much to go wrong.
My only suggestion would be maybe take a look at a Lincoln Town Car, I imagine it'll be priced similarly and it's built on the same chassis as the GM but with a little more in the way of luxury features and amenities.
That would probably be the reason I'd steer away from the Lincoln, if begrudgingly so. Uppity luxury parts I bet are a bit tough to get ahold of and for a decent price these days. A Grand Marquis would be a good mix in my opinion.
I'm just thinking if Ford doesn't stash stuff like towing mirrors for the 04-08 F-trucks or cabins air filter setups for the Heritage era F-trucks (I installed a filter anyway, but that setup went away after just a few years into that body style), I can hardly imagine how badly Ford will slack on the Panther cars...and I know their EATCs and mirror heaters tend to go.
Anyway, I guess the good thing about these cars is that they should have the 4.6l with the beefier threads to hold the spark plugs in place. It's the two-valve heads that don't have the silly variable cam timing issues, either. That's a bonus, in my opinion.
Yes, they are great cars. Not bad to drive either. They really don't have any problem areas in the later models (unless minor).
They're old tech, have an old tech suspension, old tech interior, old tech everything. If that's OK with you, then it might be a good match. There are a lot of benefits to having old technology, mostly that it has been proven.
This is what I am looking for. I used to love the old highway floaters from the 70's, and figure this may be my last chance to buy and enjoy an old school car.
I am finding a lot of 2005/2006 with under 50k on them. Is it because the drivers are older and just not using them much? And what miles would be too low to cause a problem- meaning the cars are sitting to much, or don't warm up before they are shut down, or are these cars so good, it probably is not an issue?
This is what I am looking for. I used to love the old highway floaters from the 70's, and figure this may be my last chance to buy and enjoy an old school car.
I am finding a lot of 2005/2006 with under 50k on them. Is it because the drivers are older and just not using them much? And what miles would be too low to cause a problem- meaning the cars are sitting to much, or don't warm up before they are shut down, or are these cars so good, it probably is not an issue?
I would say that, yes, the low mileage reflects the demographic that has mostly owned these cars. 5K on an 8-year-old car is nothing to worry about; if it were a 1995/1996 with that kind of mileage you might have some issues.
Cars such as this one were just one of many reasons why the 'cash for clunkers' program was idiotic; these cars were bulletproof, Ford/Mercury got their $$$ out of them over a decade ago, and they run forever with minimum expenses for maintenance.
I would say that, yes, the low mileage reflects the demographic that has mostly owned these cars. 5K on an 8-year-old car is nothing to worry about; if it were a 1995/1996 with that kind of mileage you might have some issues.
Good to know. I have always heard that cars that don't get driven a lot can get a sludge problem. I would have to guess that a 7-8 year old car with 40k on it was mostly driven to church or the market.
Good to know. I have always heard that cars that don't get driven a lot can get a sludge problem. I would have to guess that a 7-8 year old car with 40k on it was mostly driven to church or the market.
A lot of older people change the oil religiously. They'll do it by time even though it isn't due by mileage yet. As long as the oil gets changed you shouldn't have to worry about sludge in the engine.
8 year old car with 40K isn't that "out there". I have a 1987 Chevy with 59,000 miles on it. And if you browse craigslist you'll see cars from the 80s with 30, 40, 50K for sale. I've seen 80s models with as low as 23K before. But the only downside is, they are always city miles and this means the car sat around a lot.
Good to know. I have always heard that cars that don't get driven a lot can get a sludge problem. I would have to guess that a 7-8 year old car with 40k on it was mostly driven to church or the market.
It's less of a problem on later model vehicles mainly due to the shift to lower-viscosity oils in recent years. Maintenance is the key, and most older people today follow vehicle maintenance schedules fastidiously.
Back in 1986 I bought a 78,000 mile 1967 Plymouth Fury from the estate of an old man who had probably never taken the car out of town. It ran fine when I bought it but I started driving it like a normal person would drive and it threw a rod in less than 6 months. No regrets, though, I only paid $75 for it and had some good times along the way.
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