stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Jun 12, 2010 22:19:33 GMT 1
Dear All:
I am in the market for a (new) Gran Marquis, and the cracker is the fact that the dealers been instructed to tell costumers that they are all of stock (so they go to get a new Taurus - fat chance!). This is what happened on the few dealers I been; I finally managed to spot one on my several business trips. The deal will be made on Monday, and I will be owner of a new vehicle. My CVPI accumulated many miles in the year or so since I have it, so I will store it, as I did to the several cars I own (but it still be used as business vehicle).
When I went to 2005 Auto Show, I got inside a Marauder and seriously - I did not wanted to get out of it!
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Post by hemicuda on Jun 14, 2010 1:18:50 GMT 1
Why didn't you buy one, Stanhas87?
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Jun 14, 2010 3:21:23 GMT 1
Dear Hemicuda:
I got it - 2010 Gran Marquis, white on white as my CVPI. The Contract, papers and so on will be filled out tomorrow and I am also picking up the vehicle. Happy that I found it; a very special Merc for me because is the final year of production. This one I will be extremally cautious with - as I am with my other 12 1 / 1 scale cars.
Nick K
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Post by nickvoges on Jun 14, 2010 19:57:53 GMT 1
Congrats Nick, you have a picture of your new car? I drove the Marquis several times in Mexico, but this was a car from the nineties.... but really fun with it. nick
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Jun 15, 2010 0:03:07 GMT 1
Dear NickVogues: Thanks, Nick! I picked it up, and by George, I do love it - I could not imagine a more luxurious Crown Vic, and this is. I will give a picture from their catalog: www.mercuryvehicles.com/grandmarquis/ The one I got is almost exactly like the one in the Picture; the photo also has a 'click and drag' feature, and it shows its front end, rear end and so on. I had to drive to Bakersfield today (100 + miles from Los Angeles) and this is a great car to be in the Highway; on a mini - mall, not so much, but I already learn how to park these vehicles on narrow spots. Total fun, really. Nick K
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Post by hemicuda on Jun 16, 2010 2:49:45 GMT 1
Congrats Nick, you have a picture of your new car? I drove the Marquis several times in Mexico, but this was a car from the nineties.... but really fun with it. nick I don't think they changed much from the 90's. However, for a short two years they dropped in a 300 horsepower engine option into the Marquis, like Stanhas mentioned regarding the auto show, I believe '04 and '05; the Marauder (they still had the base engine, too). The Ford Crown Victoria never did receive this engine. There were a few police departments having problems with street racing who did put a few of the Mercurys on patrol duty, but I don't think the cars were actually made for the police.
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Post by hemicuda on Jun 16, 2010 2:56:16 GMT 1
I had to drive to Bakersfield today (100 + miles from Los Angeles) and this is a great car to be in the Highway; on a mini - mall, not so much, but I already learn how to park these vehicles on narrow spots. Total fun, really. Nick K Interesting that you had to go clear to Bakersfield to buy your car, but at least you got to see how well it could handle going up the Grapevine!
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Jun 16, 2010 5:37:44 GMT 1
Interesting that you had to go clear to Bakersfield to buy your car, but at least you got to see how well it could handle going up the Grapevine! Dear hemicuda: Me and this (old - and huge 1970's) Chrysler were doing quite well up that hill - basically, this is the fun of these vehicles - and all of this on 'suave' r.p.m.'s. Hm., and that explains it: on my neck on the woods, when I was walking to a grocery store I know, I saw a Marauder with 'Police Interceptor' badge, and I could not figure it. You gave me a hint. On the show hosted by John Bunnel, one sees Georgia's State using a Black 1996 Impala SS, and when the Marauder came out, word was that the FBI would have some as Interceptors. The Bakersfield was a business trip, for one of my jobs makes me to be in the road a lot. I bought the vehicle in Santa Clarita - very close to the Grapevine. Nick K
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Post by hemicuda on Jun 19, 2010 0:29:37 GMT 1
Stanhas, I am not sure who used the Mauraders other than the Florida Highway Patrol a few years back. They were having trouble with kids in souped up Hondas and other Japanese lowered/suspended cars doing these bonzai runs through traffic, so they introduced a few Mauraders to the fun. I had seen it on a news clip about the escalating stupidity with these non-performance cars' owners. However, there is sure to be others who used them, such as the FBI, like you mentioned. Off the subject a bit, I have seen rumors of some police Corvettes, but these could just be for PR like those Ferrari police cars (although those Galardo police cars are doing real duty in some parts of Italy).
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Post by cfesmire on Jun 19, 2010 0:51:37 GMT 1
but these could just be for PR like those Ferrari police cars (although those Galardo police cars are doing real duty in some parts of Italy). Well heck, they spent the money, why not get some work (read:fun) out of them.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Jun 19, 2010 23:37:29 GMT 1
Dear All:
See, I have a Ford CVPI and now a Gran Marquis, and regarding the former, this is the best spot about it: it is the Beast and the Beauty on the same package and the CVPI's can take impacts as high as 75 m.p.h. So is fair to say that these kids and Hondas did not had a chance when the Marauders joined the Party. Too bad I did not had the opportunity to see that.
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BillC
87thScale addict
Posts: 2,541
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Post by BillC on Jun 21, 2010 10:50:37 GMT 1
I've owned for Mercurys and they were great cars but it was time for Mercury to go. For most of the past decade, Ford has been selling Fords, nicer Fords and really nice Fords under three different brand names. There are no unique Lincolns or Mercurys.
In the old days, Mercurys were different cars; they had longer wheelbases, different styling and better trim. They also often had hotter engines (the California Highway Patrol used Mercurys in the mid-1950s and again in 1970).
Ford has decided to focus resources that could have been used on Mercury on Lincoln, something they really need to do. As bad as Mercury was, Lincoln is even worse. From being the first luxury marque to outsell Cadillac in nearly 50 years, it has fallen to eighth among luxury brands, behind Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Cadillac, Acura, Infiniti and Audi. Looking back over the disaster that was Ford's Premier Auto Group, I have come to the conclusion that no one at Ford has any idea how to sell anything but Fords. They really need someone like Mark LaNeve, the guy responsible for the renaissance at Cadillac. They also need at least a couple of vehicles that aren't clones of Ford products, but I don't know if they have the money to do that. Ford didn't have to take any government loans but that's because they mortgaged the company to the hilt the year before the bottom fell out of the credit market. Ford has the heaviest debt load of any of the Detroit automakers and they're going to need all the cash they are making now to pay off the notes as they come due.
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Post by hemicuda on Jun 21, 2010 21:09:50 GMT 1
I agree with you on Lincoln. A few years ago, they had the LS which had much potential, but they saddled it down so as to not compete with Jaguar; they kept the styling very subdued, and the power so-so. They could have put in the 320 hp Cobra engine of the time, but they kept it with the Jag V8 with around 260 hp. A big marketing move they also could have done with that car was to drop the big, awkward Town Car, and simply renamed the LS the Town Car. Voila, instant performance-ish car.
The least they could do is to bring in the Australian sedan (I think it is still called the Falcon) and spruce it up and offer that as a Lincoln. Or use the Mustang chassis and offer a small 4-door rear drive luxury car, ala the Lexus 250 (or whatever it is called).
The diamond in the rough is the 2011 Mustang for me. Having owned an '86 Mercury Capri 5.0 and a '93 Mustang GT, I like the idea of having a bone-stock V6 Mustang with more power than both of my cars had, or the choice of the new 5.0 engine with enough power to take on lower end luxury cars. However, for a muscular sedan, I either have to shop at the Chrysler dealers or wait for Chevy to offer civilian versions of its up and coming Holden-based police car (or a used Pontiac G8).
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Post by hemicuda on Jun 21, 2010 21:10:45 GMT 1
Well heck, they spent the money, why not get some work (read:fun) out of them. I like your idea of work !!
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Jerry
Junior Member
Posts: 139
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Post by Jerry on Jun 22, 2010 2:35:14 GMT 1
This is sad news, indeed. My first automobile I owned was a !955 Mercury Monterey hardtop. It was light blue inside and out with dark blue accents. It had just 15,000 miles when I purchased it. My second Mercury I purchased new was a 1957 Monterey sedan, black with white on the tail area. I would be very happy to have either one of them today, but especially the "55". Oh how sweet she was.
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