31st Jan 2009, 10:11

The Crown Vic/ Mercury Marquis is kind of a unique beast. It is based on the Ford Panther platform which is 35 years old. It has been widely used for police cars and taxis in the US so it has benefited from decades of continuous problem finding and fixing. So it has exceptional long life and reliability and also very good crash test ratings. But it is not really a typical domestic car.

I always look forward to driving my elderly parent's Grand Marquis when I visit them. It handles like a boat, but in kind of a fun way. Lots of power, very quiet. But I would not want it for my daily driver.

31st Jan 2009, 13:09

"See there are people who believe whatever Consumer Reports says, and then there are the ones who actually know about the vehicles they own, plan to own, or are researching."

That's because some of us think that the experiences of hundreds of owners are more conclusive and accurate than the ramblings of an uncle as a research source.

It's amazing how many people blog criticisms of CR without knowing the first thing about their mission, data, method, or even their information source. I constantly hear about how "biased" CR is. Yet those who make that comment often aren't even aware that CR simply compiles data from actual owners and compares it to the average vehicle (for reliability info). Moreover those who make that claim do so because they simply don't like the outcome not because they have any evidence of bias.

31st Jan 2009, 13:11

"Having been cursed with a Honda, I'll take a jug of pee any day."

Yeah but the seat isn't nearly as comfortable.

31st Jan 2009, 13:18

"It's basically survival of the fittest!"

Yeah, and the American automakers are on artificial life support. You may want to rethink your paradigm.

31st Jan 2009, 13:24

I used to own an 04 bucket of crap. I currently own an 08 jug of pee. I also own an 07 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon... bag of puke. Perhaps I'm not a gourmet, but all three have been very good.

31st Jan 2009, 15:58

I am the commenter on the the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Town Car. Being 19 and owning a 98' Crown Vic might seem strange, however after much research I settled on the Vic for its durability and appearance.

Yes most domestic vehicles are garbage and aren't up to the standards of the body-on-frame rear-wheel-drive vehicles of the 70's and 80's. The Crown Victoria is still built to those tank-like standards, and that has a lot to do with its solid durability.

Standards have lowered and you now get much less for your money. Even the Vic's don't have the chrome bumpers and all the chrome trim they used to.

All this being said, my next car will be another Vic, Grand Marquis, Town Car, or Chevy Caprice.

2nd Feb 2009, 01:35

"The guy bought a 10-year-old vehicle, probably with no idea of the maintenance history, and the first time it needs some maintenance, he'll be back on here proclaiming how domestics are crap."

Actually, sir, I bought the truck from my father-in-law who just bought a 2009 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab and did not need the truck any longer. He bought the truck new and has maintained it perfectly. It did need a transmission replacement, I have had it done and for now it is running fine.

"I do salute you for giving an American car a chance again, but I wonder if it's fair to pin the quality of the entire American automotive industry on a 10-year-old GMC pickup. Now really, to be fair, are you going to catch up on all the regularly scheduled maintenance that the previous owner may have neglected? Or will you just drive it without ever lifting the hood?"

Yes it is fair. If these are to be such good vehicles (American, that is), I should be able to purchase any model year and count on it every time I need it. So far they are doing good as no interior trim pieces have fallen off (as was the case with my last GM). As I said, I replaced the transmission which I knew about and will get it aligned this week. When the weather is warmer I will replace timing and drive belts and will use high mileage oil. The truck was maintained to a tee as he used it everyday. It is never wise to drive ANY vehicle without occasionally taking a peek under the hood. I did it with my last one and it still fell apart like a house on rocks. If this truck lasts me until December with no major involuntary repairs, I will include Malibu and Avenger on my list of cars to shop for next year.

2nd Feb 2009, 01:42

"That's because some of us think that the experiences of hundreds of owners are more conclusive and accurate than the ramblings of an uncle as a research source."

I've researched that way too, so not only do I have the ramblings of an uncle as my source of research, the vehicle I've owned has very FEW sad faces ;-)

2nd Feb 2009, 13:49

The part of Consumer Reports that is doing the collection and analysis of reliability data is the part that I have great respect for and I rely on. Fortunately CR passes that on relatively directly and it is very useful to us consumers.

But there is also the part of Consumer Reports that has to write interesting stories and entertain people. Whatever they can do to keep those subscription dollars coming in.

I know this is ancient history, but the market place realities of where CR is trying to survive are largely the same as when they were involved in the libel lawsuit with Bose Corporation. Before suing CR, Dr. Amar Bose met with the editorial board to see why his speakers had gotten such bad reviews. The head of CR asked him, "Dr. Bose, why do you think people read Consumer Reports?" Dr. Bose replied "I suppose so people can make informed decisions." The head of CR then replied, "No Dr. Bose. People read CR because they want to be entertained. They want to read that you can buy something for $10 that is just as good as what someone else paid $500 for." Twice CR lost the libel lawsuit because it was proved they made harmful false statements in print and they had done no objective testing before making the claims. But CR won at the Supreme Court level because Bose was not able to prove that CR intended to harm Bose. (That is US law, in the UK intent is not needed to prove libel.) I got this out of either Stereo Review or High Fidelity magazine from the mid 1980's. Like I said, it is ancient history, and CR has changed a lot since then and it is more responsible. But if you are looking for it, you can still see at times when the entertainment mission is there.