I am at the point where the little niggles my 240 wagon possesses are no longer a part of its charm.

Acura Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Chrysler Citroen Dodge Ferrari Fiat Ford GMC Honda Hyundai Infiniti Iran Khodro Jaguar Jeep Kia Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lotus Maserati Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercury MG MINI Mitsubishi Nissan Other Pontiac Porsche Renault Saab Saturn Scion smart Subaru Suzuki Tata Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo
I am at the point where the little niggles my 240 wagon possesses are no longer a part of its charm. For replacement (which, in actuality I will keep it, but take it off of the daily roster,) I have decided that I want a Panther. My budget is capped at 13k, and even that is a bit rich for my tastes. I know for sure that I do not want some jacked-up hotels in dallas P71, so I am leaning heavily toward the Grand Marquis/Town Car. Which one would be the best? Should I stay above the `03 model year? I am looking hotels in dallas to make my move after the first of the year, so I hope my asking to make this speedy doesn t make me seem like a jerk. Thank you in advance!
Drive. I would not cross out any particular type of Panther. I also wouldn t spend anywhere near $13k on the decontented Panthers of the last five years. Try $5k at most for a well kept and conservatively driven 8 to 10 year old model that has been garage kept and dealer maintained. Mature folks are more apt to spend money on quality hotels in dallas parts, and the gentle Panthers like the Lincoln and Grand usually have owners who are shall we say, cruisers .
This along with a powertrain that will outlast everything but cockroaches and a 1st generation Lexus, is why most of those middle-aged Panthers have little wear on them. Well that and the fact that the engine and tranny were probably conceived in the Neolithic era. Are you sure you want one of these?
Well I guess it all comes down to your personal taste, and that prior owner. The Lincoln will give you luxury par excellence. The Grand Marquis will give you 60% to 85% of the Lincoln s luxury with perhaps one or two fewer repairs over the course of years. You will also have a less floaty ride in the PrecisionTrac models.
But then again you may like a little float. Two of my favorite Steenkin Lincolns were floating clouds of enduring isolation. My most fond memory was a 1997 model in silver. The last year of the Classic Lincoln design combined with outstanding reliability. My second favorite? A 1990 model with 81,000 miles that I bought for $400 in the thick of the Hurricane Katrina gas lines. I also own/finance four Grand Marquis hotels in dallas models at the moment, hotels in dallas all late 90 s models. At the auctions they go for between $1500 to $3000.
Mr. Lang knows me too well. My girlfriend would be jealous, if I had one. That said, the best, fattest content Panther ever was the 1995-1996 Town Cars, especially hotels in dallas the Cartiers. Well 1995 only, if you want to impress smokers hotels in dallas with your super classy, lighted ash receptacles. Plus, they are downright gorgeous, in that neo-classic tradition hotels in dallas of the Detroit Land Yacht. So you get one of them, fix the suspension to your sporting hotels in dallas (by Volvo, Cop Car standards) tastes, or just replace the shocks. Shocks are important on Panthers, since they are rarely replaced. And why would they? The ride is too soft to notice their gradual degradation. hotels in dallas But, as a new owner, you sure as hell should.
Too bad these fat Panthers aren't easy to find, unless you live in Boca Raton. So go ahead and look for a newer Grand Marquis LS or Crown Victoria hotels in dallas LX. While 2003+ models have a little better chassis with rack/pinion steering, it's only a modest upgrade. The 1998+ models have the necessary brake and suspension upgrades, a decent hotels in dallas enough motor (except for the 96-01 plastic intake recalled a few years back) and are super cheap to find just about anywhere.
My guess? hotels in dallas You ll find a 1998+ Grand Marquis LS that looks, smells and drives like new (cough, shocks, cough) for less than $8000 with very little internet searching in your area. But if you re truly picky, the pre-Jac Nasser Town Cars are a (1998 Police Interceptor) brake/steering/suspension rebuild away from being truly impressive machines, inside and out. And much like your 240, these "fat" Panthers are, without question, the best example of the Lincoln Brand in the last 30 years.
Allright, I ll bite.  Why is older than 95 bad?  I ask because I recently got a friend into a low-mile (80k) senior owned  89 Crown Vic for $1200 (nicknamed the brown cloud due to color, pillowy interior and floaty ride).  I figured between the recently rebuilt tranny and the 5.0 Windsor, it would run for many a moon to come.  So far, so good.  Should we expect disaster on the horizon?
It will be interesting to see what John has to say but I can think of a few reasons.  The early 4.6V8 had a few teething hotels in dallas problems and the AOD and AOD-E automatic transmissions (1981-1995) seemed reliable enough to me but were also confused about when to down shift and why to downshift.  I ve also heard about issues with the auto climate control units but personally have no idea which years were the most affected hotels in dallas by that.  If I got my hands on an old Town Car and lived in a state like mine (New Mexico) where Albuquerque is the only place that emissions inspections happen, I d replace the 5.0 AOD with a built 302 and C4 auto.  Likely get better fuel economy and certainly better drive-ability.  But I do LOVE the looks of the 1981-1989 model.
The two main reasons I recommend people steer clear of the 1st generation Aero s and 92- 94 Grand Marquis is because of their lack of OBDII and the AOD-E transmission. Those are the biggies in my opinion.
There are a couple other issues, I can t think of them off the top of my head. Of course some of this stuff won t matter much to most people, the intake for instance. But those valve seals are a pretty big job. And the tranny is an issue not only for drive-ability but also if it ever needs replacement. Which it probably will if you have the car long enough and the guy before you didn t do it.
In 2004 they updated the transmission shift points hotels in dallas to help with the added heft of the hydroformed front frame.  2003 and later Panthers are very nice driving vehicles.  Definitely drive smaller than they are.
2001 to 2007 model Lincoln Town Car, after the plastic intake manifold was fixed but before they Town Car left production in Wixom, MI.  Signature or Signature L and above trim levels for dual exhaust.  Personally I d want to find one with heated seats but that has more to do with my climate than anything else.  I also prefer the years that had the dash mounted analogue clock because I like that look.  Of the aerodynamic Town Cars I actually like the 2003 and up years for the more upright grille and stand up hood ornament.
Marauders with decent mileage are going for ~$13K, with your budget I d look there first. Then move on to a Crown Vic LX/Grand Marquis/Town Car. Test drive it, make sure everything works, hotels in dallas the typical stuff. Like John said avoid a 4.6 equipped car from 1995 back, and if you re not broke or a teenager (or both, like me!) avoid any P71 except maybe a pampered undercover detective s car.
The tradeoff hotels in dallas for TC luxury is the probablity of having hotels in dallas to do an expensive air suspension repair or rear coil spring conversion once you get north of 10 yrs old / 100k miles.  You can avoid this and the added electronic complexity with the MGM.
Having driven various Panthers and having put well over 140,000 miles on an old Volvo 240 wagon (RIP), be prepared to miss Volvo seats. Actually, it really doesn t matter where you go, Panther or otherwise, you will miss the old Volvo seats.  You ll also miss the visibility, especially to the rear quarters. And you ll miss the tight turning circle.
HEY! I resemble that remark! I d own one of these IF they weren t so floaty the last one I rented for a business hotels in dallas trip to Chicago years ago (2001, 9/10, 11 12 - don t ask how I remember that!) scared me, as it seemed hotels in dallas not to know or care where the lanes on the road were.
Down here in South Florida, you can easily find low-mileage Grand Marquises as late as 2007 for a $13,000 maximum price. hotels in dallas Must be all the old folks. Cars as old as 2003-2004 are down into the $6,000-$8,000 range. I personally would avoid any Panther car that looks like it s seen fleet duty of any sort (police, hotels in dallas taxi, rental, limo duty, etc.) they ve typically led hard lives and are often under-maintained.
I ve never learned to like the soft, rounded post- 97 Town Cars. To me, they look like an old Jaguar Mark X gone to fat in Orson Welles hotels in dallas proportions. I think the best-looking TCs are the 95- 97 models, but they re getting up there in years and random electrical/accessory problems begin to set in.
I might add that if the little niggles (the) 240 wagon possesses are no longer a part of its charm you ll find that after it s been a non-daily driver for a while it may develop the kinds of problems that happen to cars that don t get used much. Otoh if it s garaged and cared for like a well-loved old friend perhaps not.
I prefer the lines of the Town Car, but from what I ve seen they re usually quite a bit more than the Marquis models.  A well-equipped Marquis get you 90% of the Town Car goodness for substantially less, and they re also almost always Senior Owned .
A little worried about the comments re. pre-95s, but am enjoying the 1989 Panther wagon (no visibility problems there!) I purchased earlier this year. Replaced the shocks with KYBs, and it s surprisingly easy to point and fun to drive. No one s mentioned fuel economy or lack thereof, however mine (usually conservatively driven) is 14 city, 17 or 18 highway, so it s an expensive treat.
I think what we re (or at least what I m) referring to in reference to pre-95 models is the first of the aero/4.6 Panthers. As Dan said above, the early 4.6s had teething problems (gutless little oil burners), and the transmissions hotels in dallas were finicky. Heaven forbid you get stuck with a 92 that needs a new engine and you find out it has the old Windsor bellhousing!
I bought A 08 GM THIS SUMMER