1987 Mercury Colony Park LS 5.0 gasoline from North America

Faults:

The previous owner replaced the exhaust system at 110000.

Rust has started to form below the doors.

The only necessary repairs have been due to normal wear/tear (hoses, belts, brakes).

General Comments:

The car was purchased for 800. Though a bit higher than "Blue Book," was worth every penny.

I use mine like a truck. Even when fully loaded AND towing a utility trailer, it accelerates faster than most medium-sized sedans. It not the gas-hog I expected it to be, getting around 20mpg on the highway (loaded-down) and 27 (empty).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 11th February, 2005

1991 Mercury Colony Park GS 5.0 from North America

Summary:

Lowest cost of ownership I've ever seen

Faults:

Alternator, starter.

General Comments:

This is by far the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. And I've had over 40 personal vehicles in my lifetime.

I'm a property damage field appraiser and put well over 120k miles per year on this car, and as of the 425000 mile mark the only things (non-maintenence) that have broken is the alternator (310,000 miles on an alternator ain't too shabby) and a starter.

26mpg on the highway, silent, powerful and still makes people smile when they see the wood panelling roll up next to them.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th August, 2004

1986 Mercury Colony Park 5.0 HO from North America

Summary:

A Bullet-proof tank

Faults:

Heater hose blew.

Valve cover gaskets leak.

Antifreeze disappears.

Lift-gate does not shut properly.

Headliner is falling down.

Mysterious electrical idling problems.

General Comments:

This is a great car, the original owner apparently ordered it with police type options.

It sticks to the road like glue, has no problem going 130 mph.

Great beater, nothing can kill it.

Preforms great off road.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th January, 2004

1986 Mercury Colony Park LS 5.0 Liter V8 from North America

Summary:

Great car - too bad Ford discontinued its large station wagons after 1991

Faults:

The alternator on this car has been replaced 5 times since it was purchased in 1995. It seems to last an average of 16 months before needing replacement.

Door Locks, windows and radio have always been a problem.

Door locks replaced once and are now frozen.

Same with window motors.

Radio shorted out some time ago.

Some minor rust under paint.

General Comments:

Other than regular maintenance, (tires, muffler, brakes, etc.) there haven't been any major problems affecting the drive ability of the car.

The engine and transmission are original and have never been rebuilt.

The car is very reliable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th June, 2003

1987 Mercury Colony Park LS 5.0 EFI from North America

Summary:

A wonderfully versatile cruiser

Faults:

AOD tranny rebuilt at about 90k.

Various hoses replaced.

A/C nonfunctional and too expensive to fix.

Worn-out weatherstripping on driver's door and tailgate.

2 window regulators now need replacing.

Driver's seat sagging badly.

Factory brake proportioning valve went haywire, and replacements aren't readily available; replacing most hardlines and installing a Wilwood adjustable prop valve did the trick.

Vacuum line for automatic parking brake release has gotten noisy, and I haven't gotten around to fixing it yet.

The goofballs at Ford left off some important handling equipment, so I got a 1" rear swaybar and Polygraphite front swaybar bushings from PST (www.p-s-t.com). Stiffer shocks help a lot, too.

Stock wheels and tires are too narrow for safety - I recommend 255/60/15 tires on 15x8 rims with 4.5" backspacing for a cheap fix, though I figure 265/50/16s or 255/50/17s would be better if you have the bucks.

Currently a mysterious electrical short, disabling windows, cruise control, and fuel gauge.

Door rust keeps getting worse, and I don't have the time and money to fix it.

NB: DO NOT take an older car to your local dealer, as they won't take your needs very seriously ("I don't see why you'd want duals on that car").

General Comments:

I bought this car because I needed something sturdy and reliable that drove comfortably, but could also haul stuff when needed. What I didn't realize was how much fun a V8 car can be! It's relatively easy to work on, and many parts are cheap and available anywhere so long as you don't mind a little custom work here and there.

The overall driving experience has always been very good. Performance-oriented drivers will definitely want to swap the rolling stock for something more robust and add a rear swaybar. A friend recommended Performance Friction pads for the front brakes, and they've been pretty satisfactory. The A/C unit is in my toolroom at present to neaten the engine bay, as is the stock air box (replace with a standard 3" inlet K&N-style conical filter). I finally have a good makeshift exhaust cobbled together from 2.25" mandrel bends and 31" glasspacks with side exits. An H-pipe will be added sometime soon, as well as the B&M shift kit I got to cure the slushy upshifts. And of course the open diff can make life really weird when driving in snow (you can get sorta stuck with the left rear wheel on dry pavement), so I'm going to be adding a Trac-Lok or Powertrax locker at some point.

Finally, the stock suspension, while sturdy, isn't quite suited for heavy hauling. This was especially noticable when towing a 12x6' trailor from Indy to Detroit. JCWhitney sells various helper coil springs, so I'll likely look into a set of those.

Overall, this '87 has proven to be a very wise purchase. A rering at 150k isn't a likely option, so hopefully I'll eventually have the opportunity to build a slightly more capable motor, perhaps a tall-deck 351W, that works with the stock EFI system. This is definitely a car I will not be parting with any time soon!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd March, 2003