29th Jun 2016, 03:57

How is the Panther platform overrated? All three cars are extremely capable of going beyond 200,000 miles, they are body on frame and built like tanks. The ride quality is unlike or better than any luxury car today, and the platform lasted over 30 years.

Anyways, this is the way that I look at my 20 year old Town Car with over 200,000 which I drive everyday and anywhere.

29th Jun 2016, 04:45

Once again, fleet cars and company cars are maintained with a fleet budget. This means there is more than enough cash on hand to cover even the most expensive repairs, and there is no inconvenience to the driver because there are other cars available to drive in the fleet. If you buy a used fleet car, it has most likely had quite a many repairs done to it already, so it may be reliable enough for the low price you're paying, but may have been a problematic vehicle during its initial service. Individual owners on the other hand have to deal with costly repairs first hand and the inconvenience of going to the repair shop.

The writer of the review bought this car brand new and gave insight of the kinds of problems these cars have that he has dealt with first hand. I respect and admire the writer's review and I believe these big Fords are not all they're cracked up to be. My brother bought a used 2001 Grand Marquis with around 115k on the clock that was not from a fleet because he believed all the great things he heard about them. He had quite a few problems with his too; such as the chronic "check engine" light, squeaky ball joints, occasional stalling, and a spark plug popped right out of the cylinder head. Not the reliable car he heard about, but it was smooth, quiet, and had great acceleration for a boat.

29th Jun 2016, 11:07

Why buy a car with over 100k on it? It's bound to cost repairs out of warranty too I might add. I like buying 2 years old with under 15000 miles on them. There is plenty of warranty left. Cars are for sale from dealers all over the Internet at great pricing. Nowadays you can get one with exact options and even down to the exact color you want. If you gave cash in hand you can do a 100 even 250 mile vehicle search and drive it home. Doing this I have gotten better buys than even the one that ships the cars from other dealerships. Their prices are good, but fixed no haggling. I found many dealers have Internet pricing yet they want you to buy. I would rather keep what I have for a while. Then pay cash for one with little miles but with at least a year warranty left. I had new Marquis and they were very reliable back then. Sold before they hit 50k miles. I don't buy brand new cars now, but certainly don't shop for cars over 100k miles with at best a 30-60 day warranty.

29th Jun 2016, 11:16

After driving dozens of these are at work, I would bet money that a properly maintained one would outlast any new car on the market. The way these things got beat on is beyond words, driven around with very, very low oil or any other fluid, running 24/7, the list goes on. Fleet vehicles DO NOT always get proper maintenance; I know ours didn't. Great cars! Sorry the writer got a lemon.

29th Jun 2016, 19:38

Most cars made in the last 20+ years or so will last 200-300k easily if routine maintenance is performed such as changing the oil, coolant, transmission fluids and so on. The last 5-6 cars in our family all were well past the 250k mark and were still fairly solid. These were all over the road as far as types of cars. We had an Avalon, Camry, Prius and now Chevy Volt. The Volt has now past the 80k mark and still looks, drives, and handles like a new car. Material handling, fit and finish and engineering have all improved across the line for basically all major automakers. While the Crown Vic was indeed good for the day, just about any car today will last that long or longer quite easily.

29th Jun 2016, 21:52

Routine maintenance is fluids, filters, tires and brakes. I have found more however. Fan motors, sensor lights, ABS, air conditioner failures, window issues, seats cracked, headliners drooping, and paint deterioration come to mind. An average person keeps a car 6 years. I guess you can overlook much of this, but it makes used ownership annoying and time consuming. There are a lot of old heaps on the road. Maybe recession oriented rather than a desire to hold onto them.

29th Jun 2016, 22:42

I fully agree with you about purchasing low mileage cars with plenty of warranty left. That's how I buy mine. However, everyone is not as fortunate so they have to deal with older, cheaper cars that can hopefully get them around with reasonable reliability.

My brother bought that car because it was in his price range and was a one owner - it was also very clean. He heard that those big Fords were some of the most reliable cars ever made with minimal maintenance cost and would last 200k-300k easily. That was not the case with his Grand Marquis, which had plenty of minor and a few serious problems. All of which I don't even know about, but that popped out spark plug was an expensive fix because the shop claimed they had to examine the head to make sure it wasn't cracked and repair the threads for that spark plug hole. I have no doubt those big Fords would last 200k-300k miles. But they won't do it easily or cheaply... or reliably.

30th Jun 2016, 18:43

You can have new with a small monthly car payment. Judging with a broad sweep on all others is tainted when buying a high mile used car. The one owner could have stretched oil change intervals and other neglect. My experience with Crown Vic's was up to 1999. New ones. I use to drive mine 100 miles into New York-Long Island calling on customers. With drive up pay phones, I would sit in a cool idling car in hot weather. In winter with my trunk full of demo equipment and literature. The added weight prevented getting stranded or stuck on snow covered roads. Maybe the spark plug issue was someone over-torqueing the spark plugs. When removed the threads were carried out with it. At any rate I gave high praise for both Crown Vic's and the Marquis. I have had both and they were new. Since I did not own them, my comments carry zero bias.

As far as 300000 mile vehicles, be realistic. I can see 200k, but most cars have issues that are expensive. Cars can be rebuilt or need a trans etc. The one owner can be a cream puff or a lemon. I do not go just by that.

1st Jul 2016, 03:25

I don't know how anyone can review a car that they bought with over 100000 miles already on it. Some are flood damaged, hail damage or have even been in wrecks. Carfax does miss some of this with backyard mechanics. One owner purchased new helps if zealous maintenance was performed. You have to read many reviews to get a clear picture. Plus look at the recall history.