I seem to be the Panther whisperer – the 98 Crown Victoria LX, the 93 Town Car, and now to complete the trifecta – my grandmother’s 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis LS. She and my step-Pap purchased it brand new from Lake Ford-Lincoln-Mercury in Lewistown PA, after getting the VIN (and a special discount) from her brother Jack who worked at the Ford plant in Edison NJ for decades. At the time, this surprised me – Pappy Ron was a GM man thru and thru; all his life he worked his way up the Sloan Ladder while simultaneously working his way up to a supervisor position at Standard Steel, with a new Buick or Oldsmobile in the driveway every few years.
Their favorite car was a 1992 Oldsmobile 88 Royale – they loved it so much that instead of trading it after 3 years, they kept it for 8. Which ended up being a mistake, as Olds quit making their beloved car in ’99. So they settled for a 2000 Chevy Impala LS from the former Olds dealer where they had been buying for ages.
And for the 7 years they had the car, they liked it but not loved it. I guess the Olds did have a special feel to it – but by the time they were ready to part with the Impala and move back up the Sloan ladder, Buick quit making the LeSabre. The whole sporty feel of the Lucerne/Lacrosse turned them off, as well as the rising price tag (Pappy Ron did well with his pension, but not “unlimited new car money” well). Uncle Jack to the rescue – along with his UAW/Ford retiree benefits – managed to find this nice, almost fully loaded Grand Marquis LS to solve their problem of what to replace the Impala with.
It was the nicest car they had ever owned – heated leather seats, EATC, wood accented steering wheel, the “Premium Sound” stereo, and much more trunk space for their golf clubs. Not to mention for the first time since the 80’s they had a V8 under the hood instead of a 6. Sadly Pappy Ron only got to enjoy the car for a year or so before he got sick and passed away from cancer. This left it in the hands of Grandma Zelpha, who always loved big cars and never shied away from using the accelerator.
So the years have flown by, and Grandma Z fits the stereotype of the little old lady who only goes to the grocery store and church – leaving the Marquis with only 56k on the odometer. But she’s 87 now, and after suffering a mild stroke in January, is ready to part with the vehicle. Since I was the one who took care of the car after my Dad died a few years ago, she gave the car to me knowing how much I loved it. And I do love it – those seats are really LayZBoy comfortable on long trips, and the seat heaters are going to come in handy now that I have moved north to Pittsburgh.
That’s not to say the car is perfect – it has been garage kept since new, but that didn’t keep the paint from flaking off (a common issue on Ford/Mercury vehicles of this era), and Grandma used the bumpers as guides when parking. But the way it drives and feels is night and day between my Crown Vic & Town Car – the steering is tighter thanks to rack & pinion, throttle control is better thanks to drive by wire, and the ride is still buttery smooth but nowhere near as floaty. Since this is a last gen, it comes with the refreshed gauge cluster that has a bit of a retro look to it – and the somewhat useful driver information center.
And it makes me somewhat melancholy to think that the vehicles (and the people they represent) and slowly fading away. My mom wouldn’t be caught dead in a vehicle like this, unlike my Dad and his Lincoln; but he even switched over to driving trucks by 2001. Buick is still around, but the days of getting a plush Park Ave with a bench seat have been gone for more than a decade. I’m honestly amazed Mercury hung on as long as it did given that you could buy almost the exact same vehicle from Ford (Crown Victoria) or Lincoln (Town Car) – but it did serve a purpose for a time of being just different enough to warrant the slightly higher price.
Pappy Ron was solidly middle class – he and Grandma liked nicer things and bought quality made products even if it meant paying a little bit more money. But they were not overly ostentatious – cars like the Buick Lesabre, Oldsmobile 88, and this Grand Marquis fit them to a T. But time kept on ticking into the future where bench seats, column shifters, and live axles are a big no-no – besides, everyone wants to stand out these days, whereas these cars just blend in.
I suppose that’s one of the reasons I love these vehicles, and a bit of what they represent – my favorite high school teacher called me an “old soul,” and it shows in my choice of music (doo wop & Motown) and cars. I hold no pretensions of sportiness, just like this Grand Marquis – just let me relax in split bench comfort, make miles, and enjoy the pleasant sounds flowing from the stereo. Mercury ads in the 90’s ans early 2k’s attempted to pass these off as sensible family haulers, with safety and comfort being reason enough that a young thritysomething should buy one. But let’s be real: anyone buying this car post 1998 was most likely to have grown up listening to The Andrews Sisters and thinking that dining at Hoss’s was a big night out. Even the Maurauder couldn’t hide the Brougham bones lurking underneath the blacked out trim.
The Merc will continue to have a pampered life here in Western PA – I have a 12 mile commute, and already procured a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer AWD for “winter beater” use to keep the Grand Marquis as clean (and rust free) as possible. Now you may be asking…what happened to the 93 Town Car I won? Well, I had to part with it when I moved from NC to PA – I could realistically only take one vehicle…and the Suburban was it since I had to move myself and tow a trailer with my possessions. Plus the TC had developed issues with the valve guide seals, the ABS quit working, and required more work that I thought to get the HVAC back up and running (the blend door motor, compressor, blower motor resistor, and the EATC needed to be replaced). The Suburban is gone too – two wheel drive in the hills of Western PA is foolish from what the locals have told me, hence the AWD Mountaineer.
The “6 Body Trunk”, complete with golf shoes and afghan for the AARP touch
But the Universe works in mysterious ways, and now I have yet another Panther to ferry me about The Steel City and its ‘burbs in comfort and (a bit of) luxury. I guess I’m just supposed to have these vehicles in my life one way or another – even if I don’t fit the stereotype. But I did just turn 30, so I guess a sensible Mercury fits the bill.
Greetings from a fellow Panther owner! I have a 2006 Crown Victoria LX Sport that I bought new in 2007, about the time your grandparents bought their Grand Marquis.
As you may be able to guess, there wasn’t a real strong demand for new Panthers by 2007 (my car had been sitting on the dealers’ lot for over a year) and the discounts were huge. I bought my Crown Vic for $22,000 for example — the list price was $34,000. At the time, I remember seeing dealers advertising new Grand Marquis for $16-$18,000. That was really a terrific deal for folks who liked the car.
2007 was the last year either the Grand Marquis or Crown Vic was available to the general public… production continued for many more years, but they were sold only to fleet buyers.
Great story here — hope you enjoy your Grand Marquis for many more years!
The Grand Marquis was available for retail order until the end, but dealers no longer were required to keep one in stock.
Right I can remember that Gurley Ford in Gallup, NM kept one GM in stock at all times until production ceased. For a while they kept it in the old used car showroom (building was one block over and they used the former lot for parking customer cars that were in for repair) – the big glass windows of the old showroom had a GM and a Shelby Mustang sitting there. To be seen by appointment only.
Thanks — I forgot about that.
I remember seeing new Crown Vics offered for sale to the general public by Ford dealers on Craigs List after 2007 up until 2011. I also saw the Chevrolet Caprice (which was really a Holden Commodore) also offered for sale to the public by Chevy dealers at around the same time.
I have ridden in one of these and was duly impressed. Room, space, comfort, quiet, easy to use A/C, easy to operate radio, C/D player, and a real transmission lever with an easy to read indicator. What more can one want!!
However, my driveway can not accommodate a beast like this. If it could, I would snatch one up before they are all gone.
Compare the 2007 Grand Marquis pictured here to a 1978 Mercury Grand Marquis and I think you’ll notice the 2007 isn’t ~that~ big. It’s merely a ‘mini-beast’. The ’78 Grand Marquis, is Land Yacht Supreme. I reckon you must have an awfully small driveway to not be able to effectively fit an ’07 in it.
A very nice car, and one that comes with a great story. While I have lots of experience with the older versions these late Panthers intrigue me as I have never driven one. Every now and then I get the itch to look for one of these.
I remember well that time (starting in the mid 80s) when dedicated GM buyers started switching to these. Ford really did a great job in the way they took a less-than-great vehicle from 1979 and kept refining it until it became simply the best in its shrinking niche. The Grand Marquis really was Mercury’s final “greatest hit”.
I recently drove a 2007 CV for a day at work. I was really impressed. It had a little over 100k but felt really tight. The steering, handling and ride where all excellent. It made me think this might be a car to get. My problem is I’m really not into sedans.
I have a 96 Roadmaster wagon with tow pack (heavy duty suspension) and upgraded Bilstein shocks and I have to say the CV felt better. Perhaps it’s a tire issue, as the tires you can get in 15in whitewall are very limited and I’m not happy with mine. I believe you can still get major brand whitewalls in 16in sizes found on Panthers (because Panthers are still common). Also Panthers don’t look terrible with blackwalls, unlike B-bodies.
I own a couple of B bodies and looked at used Roadmasters. The Panther has the advantage of 10 years further refinement and development over the Roadie, for better handling and steering. Also the good Roadies rarely come up for sale, while solid Panthers are cheap and widely available.
Right. I bought mine a few years ago with 78k and no rust out of AZ. It wasn’t cheap. I would definitely be interested in a late Panther if they had a wagon. I use the wagon features too much to replace mine with a sedan.
Absolutely. A Roadie wagon is a great thing, but are collectable and expensive. A modern Marquis wagon would be fantastic. Even the last of the Marquis wagons from the 80’s are rare and a bit pricy.
Not sure how much “refinement and development” occurred in those last ten years….They mostly just lingered
My father was (mostly) a lifetime GM man, too, but by the mid-80s he was done with them, for some reason.
The ’81 98 Regency coupe was replaced by an ’83 Grand Marquis, then an ’85 Town Car.. Then he retired and stopped getting new cars every 2 years.
Actually, the Crown Vic didn’t compete with the Grand Marquis at the end. For several years, only the Merc was marketed at retail.
And even before that Crown Vics were always scarce at Ford dealers while every L-M dealer had scads of Grand Marquis available. Even in 1993 when my mother bought her CV LX (in the second year after the big restyle) it seemed like you were lucky if you could find 2 or 3 Vics in stock at even a large midwestern Ford dealer – where they should have been able to move them easily.
From 2001-2014 I put 210K miles on a GM. Love those cars.
There is good reason to think that aging cars remind us of past times and the people that owned them who were in our lives. These people paid a lot of money to buy these possessions of pride and joy and they lived a good portion of their lives, through good times and bad, in them. Like houses that were once our homes, their continued existence are memory lures. But unlike houses that may get renovated and become unrecognizable, the cars remain mostly unchanged. Maybe restored and repaired, but still much as they were when new.
Nice story.
And as for the Andrew sisters, the middle one looked just like my sister.
Welcome to Pittsburgh, Big Tom!
That “DAY” plate dates back a good 15 years, the current generation of PA plates began with “D” waaay back then. Whether the color gradient of the old-current plates or firm color division of the current-current plates is best, is a matter of personal taste. I don’t think PA has had a plate to get excited over since the “You’ve Got A Friend” ones 35 years ago.
As to the Suburban, I’d think with a good set of studded snows you’d have been fine. A friend of mine drives his BMW Z4 to Foster Plaza – atop Greentree Hill – year round thanks to Blizzaks. And my employer replaced their 4WD Tahoes/Suburbans with 2WD as a cost cutting move.
But that said, FWD/AWD/4WD is the default ’round here.
Any GM W-body, to me, meant settling. And those Impala/Monte Carlos were only an improvement upon the Lumina/Monte Carlos they replaced, definitely not competitive with anything else at that time. Glad those days seem to be long gone at the General.
Hope you get a lotta years out of your Panther. Truly the last of a fine breed.
Thanks Chas!
The only W body I want to own again would be a 97-05 Buick Regal, supercharged if you please. I owned a 95, and it was the most reliable car I ever had aside from the Panthers.
The DAY plate is from 2000 – I remember it came with the Impala…the picture of Grandma Z & Pappy Ron buying the car along with a Leidy Chevy calendar hung up in the kitchen until they sold the house in 2006.
I’m sure I would be OK with the right tires in the Suburban, but I would rather not find out the hard way in a snowstorm on unfamiliar roads – my job is in Gibsonia off 910, and the turns are bad enough in a rainstorm, let alone snow/ice.
I do miss all the space in the ‘burban compared to the Mountaineer…but not the cost of filling it up!
Nice car, great story! There is definitely a melancholy one gets when thinking about the passing of generations. The Panther cars used to be the official cars of retirement. They still are to an extent, but every year the number of them in the hands of their original owners gets smaller and smaller. Now a lot of baby boomer retirees drive Toyotas and other such cars that most of the WWII generation wouldn’t look at.
Anyway, My grandmother also gave me her Panther (a low mile 92 CV). I liked it, but not as well as the cars I had at the time, so I sold it quickly. I can empathize with having to get rid of cars you like when moving. I sold two cars I really liked when relocating to TX from AZ.
Never been to Pittsburgh, but I feel a connection with it because my preschooler loves Daniel Tiger, the animated TV feline human child based on Mr. Roger’s neighborhood. After every episode, they have a short live action segment showing kids doing activities like going to the zoo, visiting a fire station, playing at a park, etc. Since the show is produced in Pittsburgh, these are filmed there and I feel like I have toured the city.
What is it about beige cars and old folks (not me)? Both my parent’s last vehicles were that color. Dad’s was a 1999 Camry. This is California. Mom’s were a 1972 Skylark that grandma gave her and a Dodge class B motorhome she still owns, but no longer drives.
Something about it not showing dirt, I think.
Because it helps keep open the option of moving to Florida.
I’ve driven and ridden in a few Panthers (ironically never a square one from the 80s) – a first year “areo” CV that was owned by my High School History teacher. He was a lifelong bachelor but replaced the CV with a Chrysler Town and Country minivan. He was famous for “driving like he stole it” regardless of what his wheels were. It was a lower trim model (cloth seats) but I remember that it cornered well as he hustled us off to a regional geography bee my senior year.
I got to drive a similar one in college when M&O (which I was a student worker for) got charged with returning the vehicles that the college was renting for coaches as they went on recruiting trips. It was a base model and had some miles on it (one of the local dealers would rent used cars off the lot) and the base 190 hp 4.6 but was capable of kicking in the traction control when pushed.
My dream Panther would be a Town Car Touring (rare breed from the early years of the jellybean looking Town Car) make mine Forest Green with tan leather. Next in line would be a Grand Marquis LSE which is a Grand Marquis with the CV LX Sport treatment.
The Marauder leaves me cold because it was a little too much show and not enough go.
I’m two generations beyond feeling any affinity for these battleships and wouldn’t be caught dead in one myself, but I will gladly give my respect to them. Simple body-on-frame sedan with a lazy V8 and utility, comfort, and longevity as priorities. That’s a nice talent set to have around.
My thought is that Ford still sells panthers…as the F150 SuperCrew RWD.
Absolutely, they do, and these “new Panthers” sell incredibly well.
There’s probably ten of those parked on my block.
Lovely article, thank you. Count me as a fan. I own two Marquis, a loaded ’93 and a 98. I bought the ’93 on a whim because it was cheap and very solid. Around here, the used Marquis are the best used-car bargains. No one wants them so fine examples are very affordable.
The early ’90’s GM had a long list of options, a base model GS is a pretty basic car, almost like a fleet rental. The LS is more upscale and, when loaded looks and feels like a short wheelbase Town Car inside. Ford had done this for years, positioning the loaded GM as a Lincoln alternative for the more practical buyer.
My ’98 is also loaded but has a different feel. It has all options including leather, the Touring suspension, dual exhaust and the Tow package with a 3:55 rear end. The original buyer was a police officer and knew how to order the good stuff, and bought essentially a luxury police car. Fords decontenting is visible when comparing the two. Despite both being loaded top-line LS models, the 93 has more elaborate interior appointments, better seats, more sound insulation, thicker carpet a more sophisticated digital cluster and a cast aluminum intake manifold. The 98 simply feels like a slightly cheaper car, more Crown Vic and less Lincoln. But it is faster and handles better.
I love driving both of them, solid useful affordable luxurious cruisers.
“…–besides, everyone wants to stand out these days, whereas these cars just blend in.”
WHAT? And silver CUVs/SUVs DON’T “blend in” like the Anonymousmobiles they are?? BMWs are dead common, Toyotas are like “houses made of ticky-tacky and they all look just the same.”
At least Malvina Reynolds’s “little boxes” came in colors…”There’s a pink one and a green one and a blue one and a yellow one…”
Be proud in that “New-to-you” Panther!
Oh, I am very proud! I meant mostly that these cars aren’t really on any ones radar…which works out in my favor on the highway and with the local police force.
Wish these still came with all the crazy interior colors – Bordello Red would be my choice!
That’s a superb car! I had the privilege of riding in one on my first trip to the US in 2009 when my formwr brother-in-law had a metallic blue Crown Victoria as his hire car. It was incredibly comfortable with amazingly soft seats, and to a Brit like myself it was huge. He hated it when they picked it up and hated it even more after he rode in the Chrysler 300 that I got at the hire desk.
As the owner of a Panther (’96 Crown Vic), I’d have to say, besides the mid 90s Panthers, the last years of the Grand Marquis are my favorite. I like the grill/ design elements and the mechanical updates. But I find the back end looks too much like a police car.
I left the house in Houston at 5:15 this morning, arrived in San Saba, TX at 9:18, 245 miles, no stops, ready to work. My ’07 Town Car provides a great combination of economy (24.0 MPG), comfort and the ability to eat miles. More often than not, the above items are the most important part of a trip and the Panthers certainly pay off.
I daily an identical Merc; same year, same color, the only difference is my car lacks heated seats and has the bizarre dark grey dash that doesn’t match the light grey interior.
My biggest complaint (besides the ETAC) is the 2.73 rear end. With the A/C on merging into fast traffic requires a full throttle start.
The 4.6, while buttery smooth and extremely durable is no powerhouse; but of course it was never designed to be. However these cars cry out for a least a 3.08 gear. My ’92 Grand Marquis had a 3.08 rear end, and felt notably faster than my ’07 with the granny gears, despite being down on power (190 vs 224ish).
However, the flip side of wimpy gearing is excellent fuel economy, this picture was taken on a recent cross country drive, which I verified later calculating it the old fashioned way, and finding the computer to be accurate to within .1-.2 mpg.
I’ll expand more if I’m lucky enough to do a COAL series
I love the 2.73 rear end in mine. I get an honest overall average of 23mpg, calculated at the pump and not by the trip computer. Trip computer in my ’02 is accurate within +/- 1.5mpg, usually better than that, enough to keep me in the ballpark.
With my first Panther a 92 CV it had the 3.23 gears as part of the HPP package and it could pull down 26.5 cruising at extra legal (except in MT) speeds with the AC on full blast. Of course that was back when you could buy real gas. The 93 GM that suplemented it had the 3.08 gears and it did not do any better and it would not stay in OD as much. Not sure how much of that was due to the gearing or the switch to the AOD-E from the AOD. The AOD definitely was easier to make it pick my desired gear purely from throttle input.
In my normal day to day driving the 3.23 car actually did a touch better thanks to the ability to stay in OD on grades that would have the 3.08 car dropping down a gear.
The best we’ve ever done in the 01GM with the 2.73s is 25.5 but that is on E10.
My favorite uncle (my father’s younger brother) owned a silver GM much like this one, although his was older, probably from the early/mid-nineties. It was the last car he purchased after working his way up the GM ladder. I’m not sure why he ditched the General and purchased the Grand Marquis, other than he liked it. Unfortunately my uncle’s health started to deteriorate in the early oughts and it became painful and finally impossible for him to drive. As a result the GM sat in the garage for weeks at a time, only seeing the light of day when my cousin would come by, start it up and then drive it around town for 30-40 minutes. After my uncle finally passed a few years ago my aunt sold the Grand Marquis; it only had 33k miles and it still had the original tires. From what I was told the tires still had some tread but of course they were dry rotted past the point of being safe to use. Reading this article really brought back some memories.
In April of this year my friend’s great aunt and uncle passed away at ages 96 and 93. The family was looking to settle their estate and I was able to pick up their low-miles 2002 Grand Marquis LS for a modest price. With the understanding that this is no performance car, I’ve really come to appreciate the comfort and roominess of the Panthers, especially on 7-hour highway runs. Now I’m wondering how I ever lived without a body-on-frame, RWD, V8-powered, American full-size sedan. As cheap and as reliable as they are, I can’t understand NOT owning one.
“Mercury ads in the 90’s and early 2k’s attempted to pass these off as sensible family haulers, with safety and comfort being reason enough that a young thritysomething should buy one.”
As a current “young thirtysomething” (early millenial) myself I’d have to agree that this would make a very practical family hauler. But I am an eccentric outlier and recognize that very few of my peers feel the same way.
A few years ago they were pretty popular around here with young families as a cheaper alternative to a minivan or SUV both of which were much more expensive to buy and feed and no other car would fit 3 car seats across the back.
Although I’m a die-hard Mopar guy, these and the older early to mid-90s Town Car were some of the cars I wouldn’t have minded as a first car in HS, even though I was looking for anything from a first-gen Vision/Concorde or second generation Intrepid ES to a Lebaron J-body convertible or H-body LeBaron GTS hatch sedan to a second-gen Chrysler Sebring or Dodge Stratus sedan.
Ultimately I bought a 1997 Chrysler Concorde LXi, but I would have been happy with an ’98+ Grand Marquis or a ’90-97 Town Car. In fact, since I was born in ’92, I see myself as a ’92 Town Car. Dependable, conservative, old-fashioned and brawny.
I want one of these things so badly for college. It would spare my Studebaker the necessary wear-and-tear but would also be something I care about at a fundamental level. You see, one of my relatives was a chief engineer for FoMoCo and only owned Mercuries even though he could have easily afforded Lincolns instead. He just felt at home with those cars named after nature’s only liquid metal.
Mercury was named after the Roman god of travel, not the element.
For many years the Mercury logo included a depiction of this god. My 77 Mercury has that logo on the hubcaps. Perhaps mythology meant more to people when the division was founded 70 years ago than it does today.
Agreed. Mercury was just never the same to me after the winged messenger god of the Romans disappeared from the cars.
Lovely weather today, all autumnal and with coloured leaves flying around in the breeze.
My mother (long deceased) had an ’84 GM during retirement. She liked it but when she started hitting things (moving cars, parked cars, garage doors) she was “dowszed” (by me) to a much more reasonable ’89 Camry.
The condition and mileage of this ’07 GM is slightly attractive but even though I am well into retirement years the only Panther that appeals to me at all (as an official gearhead/petrolhead) is the Marauder. My friend has a 15K mile Marauder for sale. He wants $22K for it. I don’t like it that much, but I like it.
Tom Lawler ~ beautiful article about your “new” Grand Marquis, but also beautiful insight of/about your family ~ very much evidenced by how dedicated to and how much you love your family!
Here is a photo of my second generation “Shalomobile II”! HUGE trunk ~ with plenty of room to fit all my drums in it! I had a ’94 before this 2001! You are correct, these Grand Marquis’s have all the comfort AND all the POWER when needed! Keep on rollin’! 😉 שלום
My first brand new car was a ’99 Grand Marquis LS, custom ordered black with a white leather (yes!) interior. I had chosen that combination to get one didn’t look like a rental. As it turned out, many people thought it was either a cop car or a limousine. I could certainly clear the fast lane on the freeway with ease.
It was a great car, fully loaded with the handling suspension package. It rode and handled very well for a large car. I lived in San Francisco and surprisingly it was not a problem to park it. I only kept it for 3 years. The call of the Lincoln LS was too great!
Just got her Sun😍 PanthPurrrrr😏
Update: Grandma Zelpha passed away April 6th at the age of 92 from complications of dementia and old age. Her afghans and other knitted creations live on in our home, along with her CD collection of Big Band era tunes.
The Mercury unfortunately was totaled in an accident 3 years ago, so it is no longer running around.