2007 Mercury Grand Marquis GS from North America - Comments

Take a look at the Europeans with their big gasoline powered VW Touaregs and BMW X5, plus S series Mercedes Benz, and OK they have diesel power too, but at the rate they drive in Germany and the UK, their diesels cannot be economical.

If you're worried about climate change, look back thousands of years ago; did man have jumbo jets then or polluting factories in Asia producing everything for your green lifestyle?

Saudi Arabia is where the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis are at their best. Statistically speaking, this country probably has more of these two models (per capita) than any other place on Earth. Even most of the used cars of both makes end up in Saudi Arabia. But why? It's not because fuel is cheap (which it really is!) - it's because these vehicles are so unbelievably reliable. Hot or cold - they just start up and keep running. It's not uncommon to see a million plus kilometers (sometimes even miles) on their odometers.

Then it's their space and comfort - seat six full-sized adults in it comfortably and the A/C cools them all down even when the temp outside is a blistering 55 degrees Centigrade!

Last but not least, they are safe - I know friends who have walked out of these cars after being in accidents where both vehicles involved were traveling in excess of 80 km/hr. Parts are cheap, so even totaled cars find their way back on the road.

Kudos to the people at Ford who designed these cars and built so much reliability into them. I live close to St. Thomas (Ontario) where these cars are built - it would indeed be a shame to see their production stopping.

As for the new models from Ford & Mercury, all I can say is that "they just don't build them like they used to".

Hell yeah man way to go! I'm am 19 and the very proud owner of a 1998 Ford Crown Victoria. It makes me proud to see someone else who shows respect for these cars. They are superior to Japanese garbage in every aspect! And as for the Fusion and Taurus: those front wheel drive unibody Japanese wannabees are garbage and could never be considered a worthy replacement to the mighty Panther platform.

My first car was a 1994 Ford Crown Victoria, which is the practically identical Ford version of the Grand Marquis. It was big, outdated and clumsy, but it was also the best car I've ever owned. Durable as a tank, amazing gas mileage and cruising ability for a V8, and extremely reliable with almost 230000 miles on it. These cars aren't for everyone, that's for sure, but they are definitely one-of-a-kind!

My 27 year old son has just returned to the U.K. after spending two weeks with us in Ontario. During his stay, he drove our 1997 Grand Marquis with 250,000 miles on the clock. I'm used to Brits moaning about North American cars - behemoths, lack of handling, gas guzzlers etc. I call it the "great divide". At the end of his stay, my son grudgingly admitted what a comfortable, powerful and safe ride the Mercury was. He was also amazed that it drove and looked so good with so many miles on the clock and could average 30 mpg. Everything is perspective.

You don´t say true. I live in Czech republic and I am one of few people who drive big American sedan (Oldsmobile Delta 88 - 1985). I know German turbodiesel engines; while the output of these engines is good enough, these engines have no torque in low rpm, these engines are lazy against American V8´s. Turbos on these turbo diesel engines is often faulty and is very expensive.

That's not all, sometimes they blow out coil suspension springs at these crappy VW cars. Seats in the Passat are like benches, hard and uncomfortable. Seats in American cars are like chairs.

Suspension in German cars is horribly hard, engine roar inside Volkswagen cabin is terrible.

Grand Marquis is body on frame construction, no German car has body on frame, German cars have crappy frameless chassis.

"Take a look at the Europeans with their big gasoline powered VW Touaregs and BMW X5, plus S series Mercedes Benz, and OK they have diesel power too, but at the rate they drive in Germany and the UK, their diesels cannot be economical."

You think that the Europeans actually drive those? Those cars are exclusively for the American market. In Europe, they drive much more efficient (though quite small) cars.

I'm planning on buying a late model Marquis this week to replace my VW Passat wagon (2003) with 106,000 miles.

I really love my VW. The finish overall, and the general impression of quality is very high and nearly equivalent to my previous 535i BMW, as well as my even older Mercedes 300. It is fun in the corners up to about eight tenths lateral g's. Trouble is that in the last 10,000 miles my VW has come to require $5,500-6,000 in out of warranty maintenance. Breaks my heart. Had I done my research I doubt I would have bought it.

Now that I'm a family guy I like to travel more with my kids. The VW was really great for this, but left me stranded twice in the middle of nowhere with two young daughters. After I started having breakdowns, I started researching and found a lot of other folks had the same exact issues with VWs. Even the guy who sold it to me left the dealer, due to how many folks were unhappy with the needed repairs, (so he said).

The reason the Grand Marquis, and cars like it are so reliable, is that the parts are so under-stressed. To get high specific power output from smaller engines requires getting more work out of the parts. Hence, turbos and superchargers, aggressive cams and multiple valves put addition strain on internal parts to generate more power. Firmer suspension takes more abuse and so-on.

I find that there are no cars that function so well for my intended purpose, as the Grand Marquis. It is ideally suited to American highways. Long straight and boring driving, traditionally ensconced in supreme isolation and comfort.

In the past, I was raised with mostly European cars and I've owned mostly European and Japanese cars and prefer the supportive (some call them too hard) seats and grippier side bolsters. I also love responsive handling and direct steering. I've owned a number of European vintage sports cars, and consider myself somewhat of an aficionado.

I readily agree with both sides of this discussion. Take the Grand Marquis for what it is, a (dare I say it) Classic American dinosaur that has attributes from an age gone by, but whose qualities still have useful value today, (at least in this country). Some of the interior materials on the ones I've looked at are second rate compared to most modern cars, but they aren't really offensive either. I never dreamed I would find such cars so interesting or compelling. You can be sure that I'll always keep something far more sporting as a second car though.

A lovely bit of nostalgia that Grand Marquis... even if I wasn't there to remember the "good old days", I can still have a sense of it today.

Cheers...Ya'll.

I thought Europeans drove Corvettes. Sales are up 300 percent.