My new grandpa cruiser, sled, land-yacht..

NYSpeed Automotive
1

I’m the type of guy who likes a low or no car payment, so here is my recent purchase.

Took a trip down to the Pocono Mountains with my brother this weekend to pick up this land yacht for myself. I’m an old Ford Tbird guy ('89,'90,'95,'96), so this is the next best thing since I wanted a 4.6L and RWD.

08 Mercury Marquis, 25k miles, basic options but full leather. New tires, new brakes, ford certified. Balance of Ford Factory warranty (not much left).

Bought at a Ford dealer, trade from a grandma I would assume.

Dealer was asking $11,500. My brother is a great negotiator, talked them down to $9500 for the car, then they gave $2500 for my 03 Saturn Ion with a slipping clutch, suspension problems, and bad bad brake problems.

Walked in there with a 837 credit score, walked out of there with $0 out of pocket but the trade, $143 per month on a stretched out loan with a 4% APR.

Knowing me, I’ll probably pay the thing off in 1 year but honestly its nice to know that interest is only around $100 bucks a year on this thing.

Insurance is $290 for 6 months for full coverage.

It was either this or a new civic lease, which would have been around $7500 also. The merc just seemed to work out better for me, and I’ll keep the car for 5-6 years like I always do, plus I can ride in some comfort (I’m 6’5’’).

Scheduled MODS/MAINTENANCE for the car is going to be

–Send it to my buddies body shop to get the gay carriage top removed. It will probably need some paint work and light body work to fill some holes drilled into the roof, but it should be much nicer looking after that

–Light TINT, a new headunit, and remove the stupid badges and decals from the car

–Take it to my buddies shop for coolant, fuel filter, transmission fluid change, and rear axle fluid change. Car also has one slightly bent wheel, so I’ll call LKQ and get that put on.

Other than routine maintenance, I’m good to go for what 300k miles? I’m moving to Austin soon and I think the 24 hour drive will be an absolute joy in this land yacht.

BTW- I averaged 24mpg doing 75mph home from the Pocono’s. I have yet to see any city mileage, but expect around 17-18mpg. Car is also a flex-fuel, so I may toy with a few tanks of ethanol to see what that is all about.

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2

Could have got a better rate then that with your CS, I got 2.9 on a used car at a credit union. They might even have lower rates now. You should look around and see if you can get a better rate. I like that car by the way. Make it a Donk

3

I don’t like the look of carriage tops. It is really hard to make a argument against a vic or grand marquis. They are really solid vehicles, and they are comfy as hell.

upgrades?
http://www.summitracing.com/search/Brand/Addco/Make/MERCURY/Part-Type/Sway-Bars/Model/MARAUDER/

4

Moving to Texas and buying this. White leather shoes on order? You are retiring.

5

Sounds like you got a great deal…

6

lol,not sure if I would buy one that new and take the hit because its literally the same thing since 93’. My mom has a 94 and its definitely a couch on wheels. :tup:

7

nice buy. i have always liked these, learned to drive in a '96 Town Car.

8

Congrats, sounds like you are happy with your purchase. Personally I don’t get the “attraction” to this car at all, seems as odd to me as “hoggin” “chubby chasin”, etc. To each their own I guess.

X…

9

Trust me, he’s gonna fit better in this than a Saturn.

10

4% sucks if your credit score is that great.
Mine is .49% on a used :smiley:

I rock a Vic as a DD/Beater

11

I thought this was going to be a snowmobile, 3/10 on the title

Nice car, didnt know the still made them

12

I walked in with a 1.99% approval, but the ford dealer wasn’t going to budge on price unless I financed it with them. Saving 2 points on 7 grand, versus saving $2000 off the price of the car. One is much larger than the other.

I was thinking of some shuffleboard, and knee high socks. Just like gramps. This boat does not fit well in my little driveway!

Real tough to find anything DECENT for less than $10k, I couldn’t even get a beat to shit accord for the price I paid for this thing. Also I traded in my crap saturn so that I didn’t have to sell it to someone with a guilty conscience.

13

I also rock a Vic for a DD

14

Carriage tops, for cars that should and will NEVER be convertibles.

15

the front seats look like lazy boy recliners. congrats on the purchase

16

The Crown Victoria platform rocks. Cheap parts, pretty much zero regular maintenance, smooth ride, 20+ mpg highway, plenty of room for passengers, trunk space galore, relatively cheap to insure, and super comfy to drive.

17

I keep seeing a white crown Vic, push bar, spot light and tints. I want 1

Nice pick up

18

very nice, i always loved getting these at work when i was valeting. I didn’t realize how cheap they went for, with 25k its basically a new car.

19

Couldn’t agree more, just wish I had a bigger driveway. This thing is LONG.

I looked at a dozen panther police vehicles, from various agencies. Most are really beat to shit. The last straw was finding auction information about an “undercover” car that was really a patrol car that was repainted, it was beat.

They usually go for 10-12 grand. I’ve been looking for one of these for probably a year straight of scouring autotrader. The deal was the reason why I drove to hick-town PA.