Who can get a handle on tomorrow’s curbside classic?
CC Clue
– Posted on June 24, 2012
Who can get a handle on tomorrow’s curbside classic?
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First generation Taurus.
Nah, Taurus’ had black plastic door handles, not this chromey goodness,
Though it is a Ford product for sure, I recognize that keypad anywhere, i think there are a few Fords that still have that, I always wondered if the guy that invented it had some sort of blackmail plot against the Ford family because they have used them forever, even after remote keyless entry systems became common.
I’m gonna go with either an LTD/Marquis, the little Fox based ones.
Back in my working days I was told the reason they kept the keypad entry for the Town Car was that it was extremely popular among livery drivers, who could leave the car running with the a/c turned on on hot days while they left the keys on the seat and locked the doors to visit the men’s room, then use the keypad to unlock the car. Doesn’t explain why they included it on every other damned model, though…
I had a few cars with this feature over the years and never used it. Using the keyfob to unlock the doors was just way easier. And these days with proximity unlock (touch the door handle with the fob in your pocket), it’s even easier. Did Ford sign like a 50-year take-or-pay contract with the supplier of these things?
Ford dropped it almost across their entire line in 99 but there were lots of complaints from owners who are used to it. The switches are not all the same there are a ton of different ones used over the years.
In the brief period when they were hooked up with Nissan on the joint venture mini-van you could even get a keypad on the Maxima and unlike the Ford versions it was integrated into the door handle and was on both front doors.
Personally I use them on my cars all the time. Back when the kids were young it was great since you don’t need to pull the keys out of your pocket (or purse) and can do it with the infant carrier in one hand and the other kids hand in your other. Then when they get older when they left something in the car they can go out and get it themselves. It is also handy when I want to get something out of the car and the keys to that car are in the house or to as mentioned leave it running to warm up or keep cool and be able to lock the car.
I remember hating keypads when I first got obsessed with late model/aero Fords but after owning a car with one for 5+ years I would miss not having it. I use the keypad as much as I’ve used the Fob over the years.
There we have it – testimony from actual owners who love the feature (that’s not snark, by the way). I’ll stick with the proximity unlock on my Mazda6, personally.
The other great thing about the true keyless entry is you can never lock your keys in the car.
80’s Crown Vic or Grand Marquis with the keyless entry pad over the handle
1988-1991 Mercury Grand Marquis
1983-85 LTD sedan. That hideous-looking small LTD thing they did after they changed the RWD car to Crown Victoria.
’83-’86 Ford Thunderbird
Or ’83-’86 Mercury Cougar
+1
+2
I’m going to guess ’80-82 T-bird/Cougar. Since I have to specify one, I’ll say the Thunderbird. After that, they both had blacked out B pillars. The ’83 Fox LTD had a character line running right through the door handle. And this just doesn’t look like the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis.
Definitely Ford, and definitely 1980s.
I’m going to guess it’s a Fox-platform LTD of the 1983 to 1986 vintage.
1980-83 Lincoln Mark VI?
I’ll go with a Fox Granada.
I’ll say late-80’s Mercury Colony Park wagon, just to be different.
1984 Ford Thunderbird Elan… just like my first car (almost) was. Instead I got a Plymouth Turismo. Sigh.
Lincoln (Continental) Mark VII
Lincoln Versailles