1988 Ford Crown Victoria LX review from North America

The air conditioner did not blow cold air when I bought the car. I tested the clutch/solenoid and it was OK so I took a chance and got the expensive R-12 recharge (with fluorescent dye included). It is holding well after three months and two thousand miles and the cold air output is very good.

The driver's door window has a group of scratches at mid span running from bottom to top.

The cassette player in the factory Premium Sound stereo system did not work. The radio section worked, but the sound quality was just not there, even with the factory-installed power amplifier, mainly because of inadequacies in the radio tuner but also because the speakers were just tired.

The car had a small amount of oscillation when applying the brakes from warped rotors on the front disk brakes.

I hear a very faint knocking sound when I first start it cold and it lasts for a minute or so. I don't know if it is something like a wrist pin or if it is a solenoid or something like that. The motor is exceptionally quiet after that first minute. It has not used or leaked a drop of oil so far.

This car is the fully-loaded LX version with power everything and it all works (except for the cassette player). It rides like a cloud, but handles nicely and is quick. It is not an old police car, but it does seem to have the police suspension and brakes with front and rear stabilizer bars and 11" drum brakes on the rear.

I have had the car only a short time, but continue to put more into it as it proves it's reliability. The air conditioner functionality is a big one and now since that seems to be staying, I went ahead and put a CD player with new door and rear deck speakers. This is a moderate (200-watt) system that matches the dashboard lighting scheme and fits in with the character of the car. I installed it myself and Best Buy at first sold me 6x8 rear deck (Ford-type) speakers but it turned out the factory speakers were 6x9.

The next thing I will put into it is new glass on the driver door, that is, if the car continues to seem to be worth it. After that, the only thing left is detailing and fixing a minor dent adjacent to the wheel well, under the fuel tank fill access door. The car is exceptionally clean, the overall paint is good and the vinyl top is exceptionally good.

The only downsides to the car that I have seen so far are mainly in the interior. The front door armrest lights and under dash lights are nice and bright, but the ceiling light is dim. This would be OK if it only had a clear diffused cover (like the armrest lights do) instead of the yellowed one it has. The car also lacks little things that they seem to have on a lot of new cars such as cup holders and coin holders. However, the amenities it does have are nice such as seat back pouches, lighted visor mirrors and map spot lights.

A nice, quiet, comfortable ride for $1250 (plus $800 for R-12, brake parts and a stereo). That's sales tax on a new car. The car at 17/23 MPG has economy almost on par with my old Cavalier work car.