Bold claims are nothing new in the classic world, and some stand close scrutiny better than others. Such is the case with this 1999 Ford Crown Victoria LX. It presents well for a vehicle of this type and age, which is courtesy of the sheltered existence it has led. The seller claims it has a genuine 1,295 miles on its odometer, and the overall condition makes the claim seem plausible. It features all the bells and whistles that should make every journey a pleasant experience. The Crown Victoria is listed here on eBay in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. The seller set a BIN of $15,993 with the option to make an offer. Our own Russell Glantz spotted this stunning survivor that appears to need nothing.
Ford released its Second Generation Crown Victoria in 1998. Its styling was largely evolutionary, sharing many traits and some exterior panels with the Mercury Grand Marquis. Our feature car rolled off the line in 1999, with its original owner ordering it in classy Deep Wedgewood Blue. The paint retains an excellent shine, although some of the supplied images suggest it might have accumulated minor chips and marks, including the ones below the passenger side headlight in this shot. None are deal-breakers, but if what can be seen are genuine imperfections rather than photo inconsistencies, there are more than I would expect to find on a car with a four-digit odometer reading. The paint has a few swirls and other marks that might respond positively to polish. I also noticed what appears to be oxidizing on the alloy wheels, which is surprising. However, the panels are as straight as an arrow, and the glass is flawless. I typically recommend an in-person inspection with any classic, and that seems warranted in this case. It will confirm one way or another if the supplied photos are an accurate reflection of this Ford’s condition.
Ford introduced its “Modular” engine range in 1990, with the powerplant available in various guises. This Crown Victoria features the 4.6-liter V8, producing 200hp and 275 ft/lbs of torque. A four-speed 4R70W automatic transmission was standard fare, as was power assistance for the steering and disc brakes. When poked with a stick, the engine offered surprising performance but could comfortably return fuel consumption figures above 20mpg when cruising at 70mph on the open road. The engine bay presentation of this Ford is hard to fault, and if the odometer reading is accurate, that is understandable. The seller doesn’t mention evidence verifying that the car has a genuine 1,295 miles on the clock, but the CARFAX doesn’t flag the possibility of an odometer roll-back. They say it runs and drives perfectly, with no known issues or problems.
This Crown Victoria’s interior ticks the boxes for potential buyers seeking safety and comfort. They will receive a couple of airbags, climate-control air conditioning, power windows, power locks, power front seats with power lumbar on the driver’s seat, leather trim, cruise control, a remote trunk release, a rear defogger, a tilt wheel, and a premium AM/FM radio/cassette player. Its presentation is hard to fault, with no evidence of wear or abuse. The front seats are beginning to exhibit creases that are an integral part of gracefully aging leather, but the back seat looks like it has never been used. I typically hesitate to use the term “perfect” when describing any aspect of a classic of this vintage. However, nothing inside this Ford would cause its new owner shame or embarrassment.
The Second Generation Crown Victoria failed to achieve the sales volumes enjoyed by the Mercury Grand Marquis, and 1999 was the last year the total topped 100,000 cars. Buyer tastes had changed, and full-size sedans found their place taken by alternatives like the SUV. The Crown Victoria would struggle on until 2012, but dwindling sales caused its demise at the end of that year. This one looks like a real gem, but an in-person inspection would be wise to confirm it is all the seller claims. The price is well above the market average, but it might be justified if it is the real deal. If it is, and you decided to park it in your garage, what would be your next move? Would you use it sparingly to preserve its low-mile status or drive it as its creators intended?
Wow! Simply put, the absolute best cars made ever, cops used them for a reason. Regardless of what painful memories in rear view mirrors these may conjure up( I was stopped by more Crown Vics than any other cop car) this is not a cop car, and never intended to be one. If you want probably the closest thing in a civilian mode, 98% new, here you go. I say 98%, because while the mileage is unquestionably true, some issues on very low mileage, older cars are bound to come up, none insurmountable. I think if you want the “Anti-SUV” in vehicles, you can’t go wrong with a Crown Vic, this one in particular. It’s barely broken in, I wonder what the story was?.
I find it hard to believe this car has that mileage. Possible. It’s at a used car dealer near NE Philadelphia. Tread lightly. You can’t touch a car of this build quality anywhere today for the asking price. I own a 146,000 mile 03 Grand Marquis I’ve owned going on 16 years with very few issues. People will be sorry 5 years from now they bought their overpriced SUV and trucks when they could have had one of these.
I find it hard to believe too George. And looking at the pic of the front of the car, the lines between the hood and the fenders look tighter on the right than on the left. I wonder if it’s been wrecked.
I have a 2007. Nice car.100,000 and still running strong
The included Vehicle History Report shows 3 mileage statements:
6/99: 6 miles
3/16: 1014 miles
12/23: 1443 miles
While that’s not undisputable proof, at least there is no outright discrepancy against the seller’s claims.
Buy it and drive it is what I say.
Cops used them because the body-on-frame construction offered strength and easy repairs in the event of an accident. Once upon a time, they could be had with the biggest, baddest engines Detroit could build, but those days are gone. The paint condition suggests more miles have been applied than the 1295 miles displayed on the odometer would indicate, on the other hand, 1990’s two-stage (base coat/clear coat) paint formulations were known to have problems, so maybe the displayed mileage is correct. Tread carefully, however.
I’d love to find a Crown Vic Sport, with the bucket seats, center console and floor-shifted A/T in this condition!
Likewise on the Crown Vic sport, I’ve only seen 2 of them, ever. I roll an ’05 which I’ve had since 2017, bought with 52k miles on it for $4200 and put very, very little into it (until last year) for maintenance.
One of the best cop cars LEFT, you might say. I remember when the Panther LTD, which became the Crown Vic, first emerged, a year after the downsized B-body Caprice. It came up a distant second, in every way. I’ve driven both and agree with writers’ assesments. The B-body was an unsung classic, more significant than the 1955 Chevrolet, in competence, right-sizing, market acceptance.
The Panther was a slapdash attempt at downsizing, not intended to last long, a Mee-Too stab. It was not accepted as a cop car or taxi until the B-body was discontinued.
Was it improved with time? Doubtless. I never drove a later version. But I knew Fords; they were not oriented as driver’s cars. One designed without that intent, seldom discovered it, later.
GM was, originally, closer to the mark. They had blind spots, too; but the B-body designers had it lined up properly. I’d say the later Panther acceptance was due to a market vacuum and GM’s coming implosion.
Hogwash
Damn these things always pop up when I’m not in a position to make a offer, to answer your question I would use it for my daily except when the snow flys, I miss my 96 that was stolen and totalled.
I use my 2007 Town Car as a daily driver, but seldom need to take it out of garage in bad weather. Ceramic coating keeps it looking great, but don’t want to compromise underside. This beauty hopefully will last as my final vehicle.
I bought a 2000 Crown Vic brand new. I replaced the original wheels and hupcaps with Lincoln alloys I’d bought at a swap meet. Had a guy at work ask me how I could afford a new Lincoln Town Car. Told him the owner liked me better.
With the miles that low there are only two ways to go. Either mothball it to keep the value high and drive it two or three times a year to keep it somewhat limber.
Or make it your daily driver, maintain it by the book and it will last a half million miles.
The New York city livery service folks (taxis, airport cars, etc.) really miss these. Half a million miles was common for Crown Vic’s and Town Cars.
The Crown Vic became the new “Checker”, and just about every cut rate taxi service uses Crown Victorias. Something to be said about a car that makes it through police duty, only to be “retired” to the taxi biz, equally as grueling, if not more. A bit misleading, while yes, they can accumulate half a mil, many are probably on their 3rd or 4th drivetrain.
Don’t forget the idle time, figure twice what the odometer says, cops and cabbies never shut the motor off
Ah, yes! This is my kind of car, but you’ll need to check the plugs for tightness and replace the intake using one with an aluminum coolant crossover. Other than that, you’ll have no issues getting 500k out of this one.
You can run that plastic manifold for a while! Yes, upgrade by 50k, but you won’t have any problems for a few years.
Drive it! Not rare and never considered collectable. These Panthers are excellent units and deliver excellent fuel economy. I have attained an actual 30.9 out of my 94 Town car, albeit under perfect conditions, it averages 18 in town and 26 on the road. Somebody will snap this up!
I have hated these for years. Bland grandpa (no offence meant to the grandpas out there) styling, just awful in my view…..
So we do a family trip to Miami, girls are maybe 5-7 ,around 2011 IIRC. And my wife has made all the travel arrangements as per usual. We get to the car rental counter, and THIS is what they have for us to drive. Nothing available to substitute, we had to take the Crown Vic. To say I wasn’t happy, well….
Open up the trunk and I am like “Holy smokes!” – it was huge. Easy to get everything including the kids in and out of the car. Lots of glass, nice sightlines, and a throwback to the 70s where almost everything had a column shift automatic. Great HVAC, decent stereo, smooth driving with the V8 and I am wondering what’s not to like?
I ended up with a whole new respect for these things – they are indeed great cars. GLWTS
bt
I own a 2002 Aussie Fairlane, also black, and the resemblance is uncanny.
And yes mine is “Grandpa Spec” even with its V8, so frustrating.
Yes I am a grandpa, but I never grew up, lol
I would love to have this Vic.
You and me both Dave ,we are on the wrong side of the vast oceans.I love these cars rented one when i was in the U S many years ago.Good luck to the new buyer.Bruce,Melb.AU.
I used to look down my nose at these also. I thought of them as “Granpamobiles”, with a sales demographic somewhere between retired and deceased. I’ve changed my mind, though. Cheap to buy, with stout frames and drivetrains, they can be outfitted as luxobarges or performance cars, depending on your taste and budget. They’re getting somewhat rare and pricey now, but once upon a time, high school and college parking lots were full of ten-year old plus examples that could be bought on a minimum-wage salary at a part-time job, and upgraded on a budget.
The only mistake Ford made, IMHO, was that they didn’t put the IRS from the third-generation (U152, 2002-05) or fourth generation (U251, 2006-10) Ford Explorer into it, but I’ve often wondered if you could drop the Panther body onto a U152 or a U251 (2007-10) chassis, to add four-wheel drive to the mix? That sounds like a job for Dave Kindig or Roush Performance! Roush built a Mercury Marauder Convertible Concept car for Ford a few years ago, but it never saw production. Too bad.
Grandpa spec does have some advantages. My Fairlane is factory fitted with a stall convertor, won a few traffic lights drags.
And if you turn off all the elontric nannies, smokes P Zeros but expensive.
$15grand and change, not bad for basically a brand new car. These cars don’t die easy, many police departments are still using them 12+years since the last one was built, and as mentioned above, many retirees take on a second life as taxi cabs, along with quite a few Joe’s who buy them at auction for daily drivers. I just have one little petpeve, I realize this is considered the 2nd generation Crown Victoria, with the first beginning in 1992, with the sole name of “Crown Victoria”. However, technically, the first Crown Victoria was in 55-56, and returned in 1980-91, so “technically”, this could be considered a 4th generation Crown Victoria. Ok people, tell me I’m just blowing smoke, which I am lol
These cars get 300,000 miles on them and run and ride like a top exactly why police and taxis use them.
You’re absolutely right about the generation of Crown Vic
You are 100% correct. I remember a yellow/white ‘56 in my neighborhood when I was a kid and I owned a 1988 Crown Vic in the 90’s. The buyer of this car will have a winner.
My 89 Crown Victoria LX was a beauty. Inlaws with 91 Crown Victoria always wanted to trade. Unfortunately it was rear-ended. Only a small ding in chrome bumper, but bent drivers seat beyond reasonable repair. Traded for 89 Town Car Signature, subsequently have owned a GRAND MARQUIS, and current 2007 Town Car Signature Limited, as well as several other upscale vehicles. Overall, the FMCs have been luxurious, comfortable and reliable. Biggest mistake FMC ever made ( except EDSEL?) Was dropping them to Focus 😉 on SUVS.
You just don’t know until you live with one. I inherited one with 20K when my mother passed away. Monroe-matic shock absorbers from Pep Boys, sway bars and away we went. It is much faster then it looks and with a just a little suspension work it can be an absolute joy to drive. Everything, I mean everything is available at your local pick u part and a lot of the performance parts from other models fit. I sold it to a young drummer friend of my son in law’s with 170K on it in 2016. He’s still driving it and almost all of his drum kit fits in the trunk. I only sold it because my insurance company insisted I get a “fleet” policy unless I paired down the herd and I couldn’t very well let the English cars go (ahem).
Here in California, nearly all the Crown Vic’s you saw were either police cruisers or Yellow cabs. Now, the cops drive Ford Explorers and Dodge Chargers. The Yellow cabs are minivans, and they’re painted white. (?)
My brother had a friend in Amarillo who owned a taxi service and would only use Crown Vics.
Must have been a reason
Boring, ugly, AND extremely overpriced, all for $16k….. I was embarrassed to drive one of these when I was a teenager, and I’d be embarrassed to drive one now in my 50’s.. No Thanks.
So go buy a Prius, and show the world what a good looking car is all about. Whoo whoo lol
For many of us, you couldn’t PRI US loose from cars like this! LOL.
Give yourself another 20 years it will come to you. Just like that you’ll feel totally different. We used to call these The Hog.
I just inherited a 2004 Crown Victoria from my late father in law. It has sat outside its entire life which has dulled the silver paint in a few places and there is some rust in the seam above the roof C pillar.
As I get at some of these cosmetic issues I am having a ball driving it. Smooth highway car and delivers 20-22 mpg around town. The leather seats are in good condition and it only has 105K miles on it. Buyers abandoned sedans for crossovers and SUV’s but I don’t know what they were looking for that this car didn’t offer.
SUVS and crossovers were promoted for profit. Like lambs to slaughter, people blindly followed. These glorified trucks now rule the roads. Just shake my head seeing a tiny senior trying to navigate (no pun intended) one of them! 🤔
There are many reports of issues with the urethane worm gear malfunctioning in the mechanical odometers of 1990’s Fords: odometer stops registering although speedometer continues working normally. If that occurred early in the car’s lifetime and was never repaired, someone is in for a nasty surprise after dropping 16 large for an otherwise unremarkable Crown Vic with “low mileage”.
Hmm, I was a mechanic in Ford garages for years, never heard of such a thing. Speedometers were pretty much all electronic by the 90s. You’ll have to find something else to nitpick
Why not try looking at the picture of the MECHANICAL odometer on this Crown Vic. Then Google Ford odometer worm gear issues. Then let us know what you have to say, eh?
The display may have been electronic, but the gear that used to connect to the mechanical speedometer cable was still there, it just connected to a digital transducer to send revolution counts to the computer instead of a mechanical cable connected to the speedometer at the dashboard. The binary code would be decoded by a microprocessor and drive the digital display of the mileage. Typically a “Gray Code” would be used, to prevent digital errors from creeping into the bitstream.
If you want a nice riding car this is it. I was working at a Chrysler dealership back in 2000 and this man close to 80 years old and his sister drove in with a brand new Grand Marquis. Asked him why he wanted to get rid of it he said it’s an old man’s car. He bought a brand new Chrysler New Yorker loaded leather, bucket seats with console, chrome rims, he felt much better.
I’m sure the commission on that sale made you feel better, too! LOL!
I love these cars, have had multiple crown vic ex cop cars over the past 27 years. In 2005 I got tired of working on my wifes Dodge. She had a crapload of trouble with the heads on the 2.5 litre so I went and bought her a 2003 Grand Marquis. I loved that car, we took it on a road trip to New Jersey and that car got over 28 MPG for the trip. Kept it until we had too many grandkids and traded it off for a Minivan. That was a hard thing for me to do
Here in the retirement community I still see old folks driving these and Grand Marquis,plus older Buicks and Cadillacs most in good condition.
BruceW AU Melbourne (bad luck being in mlb) lol.
Have a close look at my avatar, can you work out what’s so important about it?
I bought a 1995 Crown Vic new and drove it for 18 years. It had almost 300K miles on it and gave me very few problems. A great car!
I’ve owned a 99 Crown Vic & currently own a 04 Lincoln Towncar. The only issue I’ve had in both is spark plugs blowing out. Due to the aluminum heads & or vibration they blow out. I’ve talked to a couple of Ford/Lincoln wrenches & they see it also. Not a major issue to fix with the right equipment. Just sucks to be on the Hwy & it blows out…lol Other than that I’ve enjoyed them both as my daily driver & I am a Chevy guy.
There was a recall for this in the early 4.6L “Modular” engines, along with another recall for issues with the composite intake manifold, but those issues have been successfully resolved.
These Crown Vic’s are tanks, a car slammed into me and took my front end off, but I walked away with no injuries.
95% of the comments on this one speak for themselves.
if someone was wondering whether they should buy a 2nd or 3rd gen panther, this is the thread I’d show them.
I’ve owned Vic’s, Grand Marquis and currently a Town Car and have zero bad things to say about any of them…. Ok, other than the crappy plastic intake manifolds.
I only hope I can find a decent low mileage Townie in a few years when I retire.
Keep looking. Two years ago (after several false starts),I found a beautiful low mileage Signature Limited in CASHMERE at local Ford dealership. Just turned 73,000. Last generation of REAL American Luxury Sedans. But have any carefully inspected. Before current Town Car, I had another checked and numerous issues were found. The biggest problem for many seems to be rust around wheel openings.