Hey all.

Stratus had a ton of stuff that came up right before inspection. Power Steering died completely, one of my rotors cracked, the wheel bearing seized, both O2 sensors and some fuel line stuff failed... all at once pretty much.

Soooo that being said, I decided that I should take my grandfather up on his standing offer of an '04 Crown Vic LX Sport for $5k and a no-interest family "loan" AKA, it was the best deal I could get and not have to take money from the bank. It's got less than 40k miles, still has TONS of tread on the original tires.

It was driven as a go-getter car by my grandmother when my grandfather didn't want to drive her. My grandfather used to race professionally so he knows cars and keeps them in great condition. It's loaded... every option the thing came with.

So, what issues do I need to watch out for with a Vickie? I've read you guys talking about the drivetrain being a little weak at speed - is this at constant high RPMs? Or is it torque related?

I've never owned a SOHC vehicle... any big differences from pushrod or DOHC?

You know, all the stuff that you'd tell a good friend about the car. I know it's in near-new condition, so the whole "used car" issues aren't really there.

keep it within 20 of the speedlimit and you wont grenade any rearends. keep your foot out of it to keep your gas mileage in check. the crown vics are a police/taxi vehicle with very few product-specific reliability issues, certainly nothing for you to get concerned about the only thing you will be dealing with are generic granny grocery-getter syndrome that comes from years of short trips and extended periods of sitting.

it's a Ford.
some replacement parts are pricey and only obtained through Ford

Posted by Samurai it's a Ford. some replacement parts are pricey and only obtained through Ford

i expected a novel from you! lol anything other than dealer-proprietary parts to keep in mind?

Posted by Samurai it's a Ford. some replacement parts are pricey and only obtained through Ford

Yup, like the 30-40 dollar a piece U bolts that my stepdad needed to keep the box from falling off his ranger.

Dealer only/Ford only.

Unless you know someone that has a precision machine shop.

Shael

Im starting to wonder if anyone in this forum drives anything exciting.

Posted by big dave Im starting to wonder if anyone in this forum drives anything exciting.

Last I checked you don't drive anything of interest either...

Posted by Agent Skelly Last I checked you don't drive anything of interest either...

dude he has/had tons of Z cars

And I drive an S4

And bandis got a sleeper tercel

Posted by Nismo dude he has/had tons of Z cars And I drive an S4 And bandis got a sleeper tercel

Has/had?

Yes, I know what you and bandi have; I was asking about dave.

dave has had many 240 300ZX type cars

Posted by Shael Yup, like the 30-40 dollar a piece U bolts that my stepdad needed to keep the box from falling off his ranger. Dealer only/Ford only. Unless you know someone that has a precision machine shop. Shael

does the crown vic have a box on it?

is Ford the only manufacturer that has captive parts?

If you break the cupholder off the dash do you really expect autozone to be able to get it?

go to the junkyard theres tons of clapped-out taxis in there, what's the problem?

Posted by big dave Im starting to wonder if anyone in this forum drives anything exciting.

so post something, oh might socal dave!

Posted by big dave Im starting to wonder if anyone in this forum drives anything exciting.

Its not what you drive that makes a car exciting, its how you drive it. I've had more fun in a 88 5th ave driven balls out than my brothers 'Vette.

step, sam, and shael - thanks for the actual help.

Posted by velcrozeppelin step, sam, and shael - thanks for the actual help.

the other good thing about a Vickie is that it does use the 4.6L which is shared with the Mustang GT. So, the usual diet of headers, intake, exhaust system and maybe even supercharger will keep the average hotshoe ricer off balance.

Posted by Samurai the other good thing about a Vickie is that it does use the 4.6L which is shared with the Mustang GT. So, the usual diet of headers, intake, exhaust system and maybe even supercharger will keep the average hotshoe ricer off balance.

The thought may have already crossed my mind... hi/po Marauder clone?

Posted by velcrozeppelin The thought may have already crossed my mind... hi/po Marauder clone?

the Marauder was too penis compensator... it's best if speak softly and carry a bunch of money under the hood.
there is nothing worse than getting beat by a beige luxobarge with hubcaps.

It's white, but I know what you mean. I think I'm looking forward to the dead-simple mechanics of the car... and the MILES of room under the hood to work in.

Posted by velcrozeppelin It's white, but I know what you mean. I think I'm looking forward to the dead-simple mechanics of the car... and the MILES of room under the hood to work in.

believe it or not, but the 4.6L was WIDER than a 429 from the late 60's.

Posted by Samurai believe it or not, but the 4.6L was WIDER than a 429 from the late 60's.

No, I believe it... my mom had a Merc Grand Marquis for a while. It's physically a large engine, but it's spaced well and is easy to work on.