I Bought The ONLY Unkillable Classic Car! 

My Grand Marquis has 467,000 miles and still runs like a clock. GREAT VIDEO!

Hey TFL, the headlight control is not for adjusting according to the darkness outside, it was a timer. The longer the line, the longer the headlights would stay on after you turn off the car. The time would be up to 3 minutes.

It's so weird to think that these can be a classic car now

I absolutely love my 2011 LS Ultimate Grand Marquis (33,500 original miles). The air ride suspension is so comfortable on long rides. It may look like a grandpa car, but that's OK for this grandpa 🤙. And yeah its true, I'm often mistaken for a police vehicle and have people move over and slow down on the highways for me.

Agreed! Not just indestructible, but you will start seeing these at car shows very soon. This summer in fact, as I’m taking my 1993 Lincoln Town Car to the local show in June.

Memories...This was my Dad's last car. He had a very low mileage '98 Grand Marquis LS in wedgewood blue with a stone gray interior. You just floated down the highway in silence, and it really didn't handle badly for such a large cushy vehicle. In hindsight I wish I would have kept it because it was his and it would probably still be floating along today.

Great CANADIAN car when it was made. Assembly line was in St.Thomas Ontario. Southern Canada 🇨🇦

My ‘97 crown vic was honestly the best car I ever owned. I moved my family from Sacramento CA to Dallas TX in that car. We pulled a 6’x12’ enclosed trailer the whole way. Also my family consisted of my wife and I, 4 children, a dog and a cat. The car was an absolute soldier.

I just bought a 1998 128k Grand Marquis beater with a clean title for $1200. AC works, heater core leaks, the seat is ripped, but I absolutely love it. It drives incredible.

What sold me on these cars was seeing 15 year old models in Saudi Arabia going 80 miles an hour in extreme heat and dusty conditions and were poorly maintained but just kept going and going. So I bought a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis with 87k miles on it and I love it.

$3K is a steal for that car...

My Panther of choice is the Marauder with the 32V 4.6. Friend of mine had a supercharged one. That thing was fast when you wanted and a boat when you wanted to cruise. @5:25... Ford built a longer wheelbase Panther called the Lincoln Town Car "L". That's the one for rear seat legroom.

My dad had the exact same car...2000'.. some of my favorite cars!! Thanks Brenden!!! Never thought I'd see this on TFL..

In September 2003 my dad took my friend and I to Conan O’Brien’s 10th anniversary special. We were just high school kids. He rented a car and it ended up being a gold grand marquis. The ride was so comfortable and made the trip that much more memorable. He also got pulled over briefly in it by NYPD for taking a right on red. Legal in CT where we’re from, not legal in NYC. Great memories. It looks way smaller now that I daily drive a W140.

that Silhouette is Unmistakable! long live the panther platform!🔥

I love my 99 grand marquis, just finished doing valve cover gaskets, intake manifold and replace the ac compressor, at 183k miles and a few bumps it runs like new, these cars are so easy to work on, I do all the maintenance myself.

So true! Awesome ride for what it is! A true under appreciated is the Mercury Maruder! All black!

Great buy! I have a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria LX, formerly LAPD detective vehicle. It's got over 150,000 miles on it and still going strong. Long live the Panther platform!

98-02 are the best! Upgraded rear suspension but still has the steering box setup. Drives like a true land yacht

These have a few things to look out for. The air shocks in these tend to have the height sensor go bad ( it’s a little arm that’s attached to the axle. It’s supposed to shut the compressor off after it reaches ride height. Age and corrosion can Bork the sensor and it will just max out the rear height. Though it’s easy to replace). Next thing to go bad in these is the shift linkage. The linkage can move out of place which can damage certain gears. They’re easy to tighten up. Next is the brakes, being a ford these things can literally eat brakes. The issue is the rotors are too small for the car though this can be corrected with police car brakes or drilled and slotted rotors which will keep you from warping rotors by having better cooling. The final issues revolve around the power window motors and drilling into the trunk. These cars use cable driven power window motors and the cables to on occasion “ bind up”. This can be a problem if the window is down as you have to disassemble the door to “ force “ it back up, replacing the motor can be a real pain as well. The trunk has a weird shelf in it which has nothing on it, this is where the gas tank is located ( on these cars the tank is placed vertically just ahead of the rear axle. Police units have a fire suppression system there as in a serious enough rear collision the axle can be driven forward hard enough to puncture the tank and cause a spark. ) other things to watch for is bad seem repairs and excessive “ wandering”. Those are indicators of possible serious crash damage ( my 1993 was crashed in Florida early in its life and was repaired rather then totaled. It explains why the front brake calipers groaned when you released the brake, the car needed constant attention to stay straight and the trunk leaked) my second car was a 1999. It didn’t have the issues of the 1st one but it did have a few. The best thing I can say about them is they’re a full frame American barge with a soft suspension and depending on age comfortable seats. The Lincoln town cars and grand marquis are my bet for finding a solid panther car that’s not been hammered to hell or beaten to death by a young kid. Some crown Vic’s are good too but you gotta be sure it wasn’t clobbered or run hard and neglected. The ex cop cars are the ones everyone seems to want, don’t buy one unless you know it’s full history. Cops are some of the worst car beaters out there and since a patrol car ain’t theirs. Alternatively fire chief cars are a good buy as they don’t get used all that much either. Provided you got one that’s not rotted to the core or ridden hard and put away wet they can last. Again my suggestion if you’ve got a Grand Marquis or an ex police crown Vic, buy the Mercury. It was probably only driven once or twice a week and was usually parked off the street or kept in a garage. ( my dad who retired close to 12 or 13 years ago hardly drives anymore. ) the panther is one of the few domestic cars that will go to 300,000 or 400,000 miles provided rot doesn’t take it first

I always liked those rims. The digital dash is a nice bonus.

Been driving a 2010 ultimate edition for 2 years now. One of my favorite cars I've ever owned. No modern car soaks up highway miles like a panther body. I average 23 mpg with about 70/30 highway/city driving

The 03-04 Mercury Marauder is the one I like. Neighbor had one that was a sleeper.

2011 grand marquis/crown vic/town car are the newest 'cars' you can buy with a bench seat.

Just Horsepower mentioned? It's not always about horsepower, it's about Torque

These cars are great and very reliable! The 2003 and up had revised suspension and frames. So these would be a better choice. Anyway, you cant go wrong with the panther plafform!

These cars are almost indestructible, we ran these as cabs in Boston they never died just worse over time amazing cars! I now own now a P71 09' SAP package ex secret service car means loaded for police model, mine is faster than you might think but its really about its durability. I get over 20mpg's always, and by 09' it had 250hp and almost 300ft lbs and tranny is different.

The 2002 and earlier panthers have a better ride quality, the 2003 and up have better handling. To me, the ‘95, ‘96, and ‘97 Town Cars have the cushiest seats. You are spot on about the long engine life being a product of being understressed with low horsepower - do not hot rod the engine!

As reliable as Toyotas are, the Crown Vic is still my standard for long term reliability. So many of them had long lives as police cars, and then went on to have a SECOND long life as a taxi. They just keep going. When I bought my first car, I very seriously considered a Crown Vic. They're spacious, they're reliable, and they're cheap. If I find myself in need of a new car at some point, I will once again consider a Crown Vic. They're just cool cars.

I've damn near run my 2v 4.6 Mustang out of oil while pushing it to redline. When I did a pi head swap every cylinder still had the factory cross hatching. It's approaching 200k miles on the bottom end now making quite a bit more power than original

I was close! lol I guessed Crown Vic when I saw the thumbnail. 🤣

I had a 98 Cartier Town Car which made more power than normal panthers and took premium. Loved that car. Im probably going to get another while I still can.

I have over a million miles on Crown Vics and Grand Marquis. I've been driving them for over 30 years. I am a recently retired mechanic for a large municipal fleet services department. The Ford Panther cars were by far the most reliable make and model of vehicle I ever worked on. Just keep them maintained and they will run forever. I currently have a 2006 Grand Marquis that I bought with 97,000 miles on it. It now has 287,000 miles, and still runs fine. I recently bought a 2007 Grand Marquis with only 36,000 miles on it in like new condition, to replace the 2006 with when it finally wears out. Yes, I paid $9000 for it, but I consider that a whopper of a bargain. My ex wife paid $35,000 for a new 2022 Hyundai Accent, and it is a terrible car, at least for me. It is very difficult to get in and out of, and is the most uncomfortable car I've ever been in. It's noisy, the seats are hard as a rock, and it feels like it has no suspension. By contrast, the Grand Marquis is smooth, quiet, the seats are super comfortable, the suspension makes it feel like you are floating on a cloud, it's big, easy to get in and out of, has a V8 engine, rear wheel drive, body on frame construction, and a solid rear axle. It's 2.73 rear axle and overdrive allow it to cruise at 65 mph at just above idle. It's built like a tank. No squeaks or rattles. Parts are cheap and plentiful, both new and used, and should be available for a long time to come, considering just how many of these cars were made.

We bought a new one in the late 1990s. It always ran okay, but weird stuff kept happening. First the odometer broke, then the turn signals went haywire-till we tracked down the short-next the radio refused to turn off but what turned me off was when the driver’s window refused to close. Minor stuff I agree but we also found random plastic bits on the floor from time to time. We replaced it with a six-year old (‘96) I-30 which was not only more fun and comfortable, but also very reliable.

I was involved in a wreck & needed q ride while I was waiting on the insurance payout. Bought me a P71 panther body & drove her HARD! Full send over speed bumps in a parking lot to test the "police package" suspension lol. It took it like a champ! Sold her for exactly what I paid for her once I got my settlement.

I remember the Lincoln town car was such a cruiser. Rolling around in high school in my buddy's dad's car bumping biggie lol. Now it's a classic, damn? I feel my age.

I love my 2004 Town Car! I just bought it a month ago with 54,000 miles on it. I had a 2007 Town Car in the past and everything was still in perfect working order when I sold it with 150,000 miles. I’ll be keeping this 2004 for a long time hopefully since I’m currently waiting to trade my 22 RAM Laramie 3500 HO Cummins for a 23 Ford F350 HO platinum dually and want to drive the Town Car regularly unless I’m pulling my 20,000lbs fifth wheel camper

They are also fairly simple to work on with reasonably-priced repair parts. Install a 2 1/4 or 2 1/ 2-inch exhaust you get a nice boost in the seat as far as horse power 😉.

Just bought an 03 last month. You are spot on

Nice review on the super reliable, old Grandpa Marquis! 👍 I've heard about these.

If you find a nyc taxi crown vic it was special and sat on the town car chassis. It too received 5in longer rear door for rear legroom

I'v had 2 Grand Marquis thru the years, loved them both. Plenty of power for me

You found one! Awesome. I really want a Marauder.

The auto lamp in my grandparents town car adjusts the time the lights stay on after you turn the car off

I have a 06 mercury grand marquis and I love it and I never have any problems with it great cars!

I had one as a rental in 2002. I was astounded by it's 1980's- 90's technology. Virtually nothing on the car was conceived prior to 1985-1990. I can only assume while it was sold there were enough people around that had an overwhelming desire to live in the 80's - early 90's. Comparing these to a contemporary car of its time would be the same as comparing a Model T to a '57 Chevy.

03 and up would have been a MUCH better choice with the improved frame and front suspension.

My 03 Grand Marquis which is 200 miles under 100k is mechanically flawless. Best cars ever made hands down

The headlight controls are for how long the lights stay on after you shut it off.

I still own a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis and it's funny you say it's third generation because I've had three generations in my family drive that car. My father-in-law bought it new and drove it until he passed away and then I drove it from 2013 to 2018 and my son has been driving it since. We replaced the transmission but otherwise the car is perfect. Needs about a quart every two weeks so not so bad. It's a very comfy car and has that power when you need it

My 1997 Grand Marquis has 255k miles and is my daily driver. I'm the third generation of my family to own it. The car has served my family for 26 years and still runs fantastic. What is so commonly overlooked about these cars is the potential for relatively fantastic fuel economy. The fact that I can achieve 26-27 mpg on the highway is a testament to how fuel efficient the Ford 4.6L engine really was.

We have a P 71 2004 here in South Africa that we got from Saudi Arabia 160 000km runs great and will be my first car (in several years xD)

U r a good brother. That is one sweet ride. Keep fluids clean and filters changed, and you, too, will get 500,000 miles or more out of that beast. Keep an eye out on any cracks/leaks on intake manifold. Those things are notorious for wearing out across the front coolant jacket behind alternator. $3,000 in today's market is a bargain. Happy motoring.

I love my panther. daily drive it in Sweden, where gas prices are insane. Comfort is superb, and i really enjoy driving it every day. It's a 2000 MGC LS but with single exhaust so "only" 200hp, but it's enough. With "only" 120000 miles it's a fun and comfortable car to drive. I'd like to have that steering wheel though, i only have cruise control on mine. The 2000 MGC has the traction control button in the glove box, btw. A yellow button, unlabeled...

Okay who else remembers the Mercury Cougar?

Mine (model 2003) has a little bit over 368k kilometers, on the original Engine, still pulling great, traveling an average of 10k to 15k kilometers per year, just the regular mainteinance AND a few mid (i would say) repairs...awesome car

I have the same model & trim level. I love it.

I have the Crown victory P71(2005) but I've had it tuned & bigger throttle body put on, so it makes a little more HP's than a standard P71.

The Dodge Dart/Plymouth Valiant platform of the 60s and 70s were the true unkillable classics, especially if it has a slant six.

I have a 2009 Crown Vic P71 with 135k miles, amazing daily driver 👍

Loved my '88 GM. I put so much love and care into that car. I had just put on new tires, brakes, all new fluids, battery, etc. when I ended up having to quickly sell it to a family member for peanuts because I had to move out of state and wouldn't have parking. Later found out he just let it sit and rot and eventually junked it. He never even moved it from the spot where I had parked it eight years earlier. 😔

The bad part of the 98-02 is the intake manifold was plastic, so they would handle heat worse than the rest of the block and crack after a while. In 03 it was replaced by a metal unit.

Dude speaking of Toyota my 99 4Runner is on its last legs I just picked up a 5th Gen TRD OR. My grandpa had two GM's and they were freakin awesome. I've been thinking of getting a project car or just some beater sedan to get on the side. This is now on my watchlist!!

Panther platform cars are the best! My dad has had an ‘88 Town Car for over twenty years that he’s the second owner of!

You literally underestimate the Mercury Grand Marquis. Especially the GS and LS. The Grand Marquis is actually the "sweet spot " of the Panther Platform vehicles. Plus, you can literally get one with factory chrome-trim add-ons. And Mercury doesn't exist anymore. Keep that in mind.

Great buy, thank you!

Yep those r great cars, 2 days ago I bought a 2000. Now I’m up to 3 panther cars

Great car. But Ford placed the heater core behind the passenger side dashboard ... they will go up at around 150k, they all do and it takes forever to swap, mechanics hate doing it too... On the plus side i was able to get 28-30 on an almost all highway 2 hour drive i used to make once a week. I loved the digital dash and watching the instantaneous mpg. Also the door keypad means you will never need a locksmith... and if you stop to run in the Wawa you can leave the AC on for your pup and not need extra keys. I had a 2000 model and it served me well, only the fuel pump stranded me in 5 yrs.

You should have got him the LSE version with the floor shifter, bucket seats, handling package and performance rear gears.

Thanks Brendon, classic car/modern classic, compare to early 90s Roadmaster/Caprice line

Camry and Crown Vic (Panthers in general), top of the line in similar ways but… Panthers are rwd, v8’s, body on frame. Nothing a Camry can compete with!

I loved those cars.

07 Buick LeSabre with the 3.8! The 4.6 is also a crazy reliable engine. My friend has a f150 with over 300,000

Cool ride😊

Iirc, the back seat in a cop car has more space. It is a bit "firm", since there's no padding, but you can hose it out!

2002 and older smear a huge glob of chassis grease on the bump stops to prevent the loud popping sounds in a parking lot with the steering wheel cut as sharp as it can turn- do this at each oil change. watch the engine oil level, these can burn a quart every 1,500 miles or so... do an intake manifold every 10-13 years and a blend door actuator every 10-13 years. OEM only... drop the transmission pan and a new filter and 5 quarts of new transmission fluid every 45,000 miles. reuse the OEM pan gasket. these are easily 500,000 mile cars with no problems....

Cool car. Cool review.

Cool I owned a 2001 Grand Marquis , it was such a reliable and comfortable car .

Interesting car, I wonder what other cars you would compare too? Ford AU Falcon? as they were use as taxis, choice of big 4.0lt straight six or 5.0lt V8.

I’ve always wanted to own one of these as my first car since my childhood. One day, I’ll be able to own and drive one of these!

There's nothing cooler than a Grand Marquis

I remember renting these in Florida on family trips when they were new

Ford really needs to bring these back the car you buy before you die

My '96 T-Bird has the 4.6L. It has 155,000 on it right now. Hope to make 300 without any major issues. I'm probably going to have it opened up in the next year to check on the timing gears and chains and to replace the timing chain guides.

It ate the streets of NYC for me for 10 years without a hitch. Only sold it becauseI moved. Have a 2001 Lincoln TC hearse now with 65K

Just purchased an 07 for my new daily driver after finally selling my SN95. 130k miles, hopefully she's still only just getting broken in.

They are so comfortable to drive.😍😍

I have a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis the frame is completely rotted out of it but the thing just keeps going. So long as nobody hits me I should be okay. And it can take one hell of a beating too

Nice choice. Although the '98-'02 Grand Marquis is my favorite Panther in terms of styling, in their pursuit of cost cutting, Ford unfortunately took away the "identities" of these siblings when they started sharing the roofline in 1998. By 2003, every body panel with the exception of the header panel and bumpers, was shared. The '92-'97s, in contrast, were quite different. Granted, by then it was a niche market product, considering it had no direct competition after GM discontinued the Caprice and Roadmaster in 1996. You're hard pushed to find body-on-frame SUVs these days with the exception of a select few, and these were the last sedans made with that type of construction. They're easy to work on, dead reliable and as long as you keep up the maintenance, will run for a very, very long time while still getting decent fuel economy with the 2.73 rear axle ratio. No variable valve timing, no AFM/DFM/DOD or whatever you choose to call cylinder deactivation, and no direct injection issues to deal with; just a proven, honest, port injected SOHC V8 with coil on plug ignition. Fast forward over 2 decades and I still love my '01 for multitude of reasons. Granted it has gone through quite the transformation, starting with major upgrades to the 4.6 that bumped compression up to 12.5:1, it remains a favorite in my home fleet. Going back to it after driving the '23 Yukon XL Denali still puts a smile on my face.

Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercury, Buick make good sedans that was under powered to last. Like all cars if you take care of them they will last longer than expected. But for the money they are a better buy than Toyotas or Hondas.

I killed my 01. It was well past its expiration date when I bought it. Please take care of it a little

HAVE A BEAUTIFUL WEDNESDAY EVERYONE...

These grandma cars were so good at being a big American sedan. They would run almost forever.

After moving to Vegas, I picked up a used Crown Vic. A few weeks later, a friend came up for a festival and we hung out after his flight then I dropped him off at the Casino he was staying at. After he grabbed his bags some dude walked up and tried to get in as I started to drive off. He started yelling at me for "refusing a paying fare" and he wanted to speak with my manager. I told him to get stuffed and leave me alone because it was my personal car. Security guard comes up and asks what the problem is. Dude rants about the "cab driver (me apparently)" refusing a fare. Security guard asks me what the problem is, I told him that I am in my personal car (even has veteran plates on it) and that I just dropped my friend off at the casino and this guy runs up to my car and tries to get in then throws a fit over me telling him to "Get stuffed" and trying to drive off. Security guard looks at my rear bumpers, looks at the other guy and says (while pointing at my plates),"You blind or something? There's no cab registration, no advertisements, and no on duty light. This *IS* his car, and you should call for an actual cab and leave him alone." So yes, if you live in a US tourist trap city and own a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis that is bone stock, people MAY try to get into your car. You have been warned.

We had 1984 grand marquis in 1996 my wife car from her Aunt that passed away with just 75,000 had the 5.0 v8 what is a great car.

I like them, they are awesome cars!

I drove one 155m round trip everyday 12y ago. Put 320k before it died. Replaced with a Toyota Tacoma it threw a rod at 190k. Now in a 22 6.2 trail boss with 88 k on it still going strong.

transmissions are the only flaw. well and tensioners for the timing chain.

The Air Suspension is a potential problem area. It went out on my Town Car. Not cheap to fix either.

Hey youngster get yourself a 1960;s Dodge Dart slant six . those were unkillable. overheated to the point when trying to add creek water to the cooling system it spit it back out at you. eventually you could get it to take it when it sat for a little while . Add a few baseball hat full of that water and then you are on your way. No adverse effects it just kept running for years. That same creek water would get you home in the transmission. next day pull the tranny pan new filter new fluid , same thing keep driving it for years. Teenage years were fun.