Sad day
 

A sad day for me. I have to put down my 04 Crown Vic LX Sport.
Almost 15 years parked on dirt, mud & snow has taken its toll.
Both rockers & both rear quarters are gone. Worse yet is it
still runs perfect being a low mileage car ( 150 K) & has another
15 years in it.

I did buy a new 4WD Silverado but it doesnt help with the pain:tears:
I just wish someone built real cars again but it is what it is.
If I outlive this truck I can imagine what garbage will be sold by
then. Even if they will let the deplorables have cars ! They may just
be for the elite.

73 Zeno:smoke:
LFOD !

In your shoes, I'd be tempted to look for another of that generation with a decent body/frame and a blown engine and do a swap...If the rust free one is a taxi or police vehicle swap the interior from yours too.

I was watching a youtube video the other day of a guy that pours a bit of trans fluid into the bottom of the doors and other body panels of his crown vic to keep it rust free.

Might be worth considering having a patch of concrete or ass-fault laid down to park your cars on.
Though even with that winter salt eats cars...I bought my Suburban 4WD as a winter commute car and a swap meet hauler, but I'm tempted to park it during the passable snow and get a 1K beater Jap sedan to feed to the municipal rust monster.

Yes, it would have been worth the bus fare to go to southern California to pick up a nice rust free Crown Vic or Grand Marquis. I agree they are great cars. Nice handling, luxurious, very smooth ride, and decent gas mileage.

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/sear...toria&sort=rel

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I third the body swap idea. Get rid of all the rust in one fell swoop, hose off the underside daily during winter and wax frequently.

Sorry you had to put your Crown Vic down. I don't know about up there, but there's still plenty of good Crown Vics and Grand Marquis in these parts. Of course, prices have held up since they came off the market.

A really nice, low-miles Town Car or Grand Marquis will fetch a high price considering the age.

Up here clean CV's etc can still bring 8-10K even police cars. Add to
that all the big cab companies snap them up.

To add insult to injury the dealer drove the truck up to town hall
to register it. Sign on the door said they were closed till tuesday
for state training. So I cant even drive it. What next !
Well at least I can drive the CV a few more days.

73 Zeno:smoke:
LFOD !

Considering that only the dealer has driven it and it's not even registered to you, I'm wondering if it's lost any of its so-called value yet. I know a customer could pull out of the lot in anything new, turn around immediately and go back in and suddenly it's worth a few K less to the dealer.

Personally I'd be hunting for a solid shell for a reasonable price, no matter how long it took.

Have 2 TC, 89 and 03.
the 03 is like a hot rod and the 89 is like sitting on an overstuffed couch.
Looking for a radio for the 89, one with the red power button, have 3 non working ones.

Crown Vics are great cars, but tough to beat a Silverado. Enjoy the new ride!

Sucks.

And so do new cars, you're right, they don't make 'em like they used to. Trucks, though, pretty much the same, so Silverado's a good pick.

It isnt too hard to find a CV for 2K west of the Mississippi but not rust free except cop models. I paid 1300 for my 1999 4 years ago. The ex-cop cars are newer and usually close to rust free but run or drive like crap and civilian cars run like a dream but have rust. If you buy a southern rust free one all the rubber will be fried from the heat but no rust. Its all give and take. I love mine and feel your pain. I plan to drive them as long as i can find one somewhere.

On the bright side you did buy a decent new vehicle.

Having been in the car parts business for 30 years, it's appalling how much money people end up spending on cars....and how much on today's cars can't be done without a lift and the correct computer diagnostic tools.

I decided to get off that train this past June and get something that will last for the next decade or more. As long I guard against rust, the rest of the car will never die :)

There you go, the ideal donor shell. Pick both cars clean and transfer everything from the LX Sport into the cop car shell.
Now you're talkin' my man. :thmbsp: New car train, stand by auto-destruct sequence, recognize voice pattern Jean-Luc Picard, authorization Alpha-Alpha three zero five.

I just sold my '89 last year, and it had an aftermarket radio because the factory radio quit. I left the amp in the trunk, and bought a wiring harness for about $15 that left the amp operable.

I remember talking with a car radio tech several years ago who said the problems with that era of Ford radios were usually just a bunch of bad electrolytics. I took one peek inside boards stuffed inside the factory radio and decided to put it on the shelf. I think it's still in the garage. I'll give it to you, and you can have four non-working ones:)

Someone selling an 03 grand marquis for 650 it runs and drives and is tagged.. In Carmichael, CA.... Heck i have a 79 Pinto you could shoe-horn that drivetrain into and i bet it would SCAT... :D

SR