Yes, they’re called granny cars and grandpa cars, because most of the buyers were in fact older, but guess what? Lucy and Harry wanted a big, roomy, comfortable, and reliable car, and the Mercury Grand Marquis checked all of those boxes – and for thousands less than a Lincoln. And guess what else? Lucy and Harry took care of their Big M. They garaged it, didn’t put many miles on it, kept it clean, and maintained it regularly. It’s no wonder you see one owner, low-mileage “cream puffs” like this 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis GS pop up for sale on a fairly regular basis. Here’s one with 46,062 original miles that’s in great shape to be 22 years old and located in Joppa, Maryland, where it’s being offered as an auction at No Reserve here on eBay. As I’m writing this, 25 bids have been submitted with the top bid currently sitting at only $4,300.
The seller says that the car “has all the defects in paint/interior that come with age and mileage” but I’m not seeing many. Almost 100 photos are included and it appears to be an extremely clean and shiny survivor. The black paint presents very well as does the trim, side molding, glass, lenses, like-new tires, and the four alloy wheels. And the trunk is big, deep, and spotless. There weren’t many changes from the previous model year, but 2002’s came with antilock brakes, traction control, and most importantly, redesigned cup holders and a new front seat storage pouch as standard features.
The GS was the base standard trim level but this Grand Marquis is well equipped with A/C, power windows and locks, power seats, power steering, power brakes, cruise control, tilt steering wheel, an AM/FM stereo radio with cassette player, and more. The spotless interior is awash in a tasteful light gray color scheme and, since it’s an American luxury car, the usual dose of faux wood trim on the instrument panel and door panels. Those seats look extremely comfy and are showing minimal wear.
Under the hood is the 4.6-liter V8 that’s paired to a four-speed automatic transmission. I read where highway gas mileage was in the low-20’s miles per gallon range. These engines have the reputation for being bullet-proof and with parts readily available, who knows how many miles are left on this Mercury. With new car and used car prices so high these days, some people are looking at the long-running Panther Platform Grand Marquis (as well as the Ford Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town Car) as a used car option. They sold a lot of them when they were new, and many clean, pampered, low-mileage survivors like this one are still around. I’ll soon be looking to replace my 22-year-old, high mileage minivan. Would I consider one of these? Absolutely. Especially one that’s a clean, one-owner, low mileage survivor like this one. Happy Bidding!
A great example of an older car that’s not a collectable but is still useful. It’s just doing what American cars do best, a RWD V8 sedan that comfortable, reliable and cheap to own.
Australia did it better.
I have a 2002 Fairlane Ghia. (One of one, the only black on black V8 every made)
The Fairlane was available in two options, The Fairlane, Fairlane Ghia (the sportsman doesn’t count)
Even the base Fairlane was available in a straight 4L six or a 5L bent eight.
The base model had everything thing this Merc does, but also has a 6 stacker CD, climate controlled a/c, speed sensitive power steering, electric everything. (comparing 2002 to 2002 only).
The Ghia added full leather, classier alloy wheels and a premium sound system, 11 speakers, and amps. Amongst other things.
But would I buy this?
Hell yes.
I do get the grandpa spec. I’m tired of others looking at my car as a grandpa spec car.
I am a grandfather, but I’m still a hoon.
The only way to teach them a lesson is tail lights and tyre smoke.
I feel that driving that way is very irresponsible.
I am older too,bit save “spirited” driving for the back-
roads,away from residental neighborhoods.
Definitely a Grandpa car. Original factory cassette player, and no tint on the windows are dead give aways. I wonder if the interior smells like Hi Karate aftershave?😂😂😂. Definitely old school, Grand pa cool!👍👍👍
I’m right with the author and with JCA. These were outstanding cars, especially as we now look back at them after being out of production for over a decade.
Who is the mystery author on this one?
I was wondering the same thing!
Pat and Todd, it is me, Ron Denny, and I’m far from an International Man of Mystery. I’m not sure why my name and ugly mug were left off the article. Probably a Witness Protection Program glitch or something. Thanks for reading it and for being members. Long live the Panther platform!
Iam a grandpa owned 2 first a 97 merc gs a gift to me from jack fanelli Packard dealer shen pa sold it for 12oo 6cyears ago still running I bought a 2005 mech ultimate my summer car luv every aspect of these machines I am a car guy 67 years old hade many gm electras and caddies these cars do not take a back seat to any of them by the way the 2005 sits now in the old Packard garage be out next month April go fight win Mike zeckie uholik
To anyone who has never owned or driven a Panther, you’d be impressed by the stock performance, fuel economy and the driveline longevity. My 30 year old Town car now has 180k, have owned for almost 14 years. Parts availability and ease of repairs make these a winner! I have also attained an actual 30.9 mpg, albeit under perfect conditions.
Who is the mystery author on this one?
Mercury knew how to put the GRAND in Marquis. Had a 78 GRAND MARQUIS and later 2007 GRAND MARQUIS LS. Loving plush velvet interiors, I often wondered why fabric was only available on lower GS. Although smaller than 78, the 2007 was still luxurious, comfortable, and dependable. Body styling (not quite as traditional) was some of the best for the time. When opportunity arose, I traded for my current 2007 Town Car Signature Limited. These are great cars, the likes of which are no longer available. This is definitely a Bon Marche!
Factory dual exhaust pkg added substantial HP to these panthers.
I wish I knew why Ford stopped making these cars. They were so popular, Ford couldn’t make them quickly enough. Someone told me the ever increasing federal mandates for more efficient cars was the reason. The feds force us into smaller cars, or large SUVs if you want something big. I dislike changing times, bring back the cars that were big, stylish, and comfortable, rather than trying to be european sports cars.
Zen, I too lament the demise of these wonderful beasts.
From what I have read: late in their (very) long production run, the Grand Marquis had a loyal, but relatively small (28,542 units sold in 2010, down 56% from 2005) retail audience. And the Crown Vic was all fleet. While there is profit in fleet sales, it typically is smaller. The car did not have much modern technology in it, technology that had become de rigueur (whether Barn Finders like it or not), such as info screens, multiple air bags, adaptive cruise control, etc. Plus, as you note, Federal regulations. There simply was not a business case to do an extensive re-work of the car.
What about the Towncar? I wonder about those numbers. And fleets liked them for good reasons.
Town Car was becoming fleet-only itself thanks to Ford’s dedication to cost-cutting removing it from contention in the luxury class. The last ones had a gauge cluster that looked to have been lifted from an E-series van with earlier chrome accents deleted.
Shame it’s not a little newer and with the Marauder package :)
These cars are too durable, they would put themselves out of business.
These cars are what you want for the road bar none.
To my understanding, back when CAFE went into effect, vans were considered as trucks so rules made them exempt. 🤔 That was the beginning of the trend to SUVS and crossovers. Slowly but surely the public was enticed (can’t understand why) to move away from cars. This marked the end of station wagons. Also was told that there was larger profit. Fleet sales to police and limo services were always strong, but those were redirected to SUVS. Like others out here, I believe FMC could easily updated the FOX platform and continued production with minimal investment. BUT, buyers were already sold on SUVS. I will thankfully drive my 2007 TOWN CAR as the Grand finale of traditional American Luxury!
Unfortunately, “times they are a changing”. The Old Timer demographic is getting old and dying off. Same thing happened to Buick. The Park Avenue and LeSabre took a backseat to the crowded SUV market.
good comments above. I’d agree that the Ford 4.6 2V motor is really a very good option. May not have the same legend, cool or old-school history of the “5.0” (289, 302, choose your appropriate units !) but the 4.6 makes reasonable power and can be a very durable motor. I have one in my basic F150 truck and am currently rebuilding the top end of one for a Lemons race car. as noted, with the dual exhaust, and the CV police interceptor intake set-up they can be upgraded quite easily.
I also agree with the comment that this Grand Marquis is in that sweet spot of a car you can buy a really nice example of used, relatively low mileage, well kept, for sensible money. The “grampa” image will put a lot of people off, and I get that, if you were a teenage or 20s car enthusiast you would not want to be driving (or seen in) a car like this probably. However, if you were just looking for an inexpensive reliable car, and old enough (or comfortable enough in your self-image, as a psychoanalyst might put it ! ) to not care about what anyone else might think – you would have a really nice, comfortable, roomy, smooth-driving car for sensible money. We’ve been looking for affordable basic transport for a couple of family or friends recently, and you do see these cars, like this Grand Marquis, or maybe Buicks like the Lacrosse, or even Buick Regals, for sale, really clean looking with low mileages, for realistically low prices – because they are not “cool” or “desirable”.
As for the comment above about “spirited” driving… well, I’m a grandparent, still love my cars, and still like to put the foot down occasionally and enjoy the thrill of speed… I think it’s just a question of being sensible about picking your time and place to do it. Safety is important…too many people die on the roads every year, and I want to be considerate to other road users, but you can still have some fun.
Boy, I could not agree with you more! I never was a speed racer. My favorites were big cars with common motors. I love the boulevard beasts! Big Buicks, Fleetwoods,etc. I own a Cadillac ATS in standard form. A very reliable automobile but the purchase of a older used land yacht has its advantages!
Sweet car! Back in the 90’s I was choosing between a Crown Vic and a GM. Met a regional director at the Mercury dealership who told me the GM actually had a thicker under padding for the carpet to make it quieter. Made sense since it is higher on the food chain.
Nice car I see this being snatched up by yellow cab getting painted yellow and spending the next 400k miles hauling passengers around a major city
I had the same nightmare, and my only thought is; Please God, No!
Panthers aren’t really cost-effective cabs anymore, not when you can get a Toyota Sienna or Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan with twice the capacity and twice the gas mileage including no idling stuck in traffic.
One slight problem. I had two Mercs like this both bought well used. Both had the same problem, heater core. This isn’t a cheap or easy job since the whole dash needs to be pulled out. It was a much easier and simpler job on seventies full size Ford products. Half dozen screws on a box on top of a box under the hood, pull the hoses and it’s out.
When the OP listed this as a Grand Marquis GS (for Grand Sport, apparently), my first thought was that it slotted one step below the Marauder, but then I got a look at the pictures, and Steve Martin came to mind (BUT NOOO!). IIRC, this was 24-valve version of the 4.6L “Modular” V8, the 32-valve version was exclusive to the Lincoln Mark VIII, and T-Birds got the base 16-valve version.
Again, if Ford had kept these going, I could see adding the IRS from the 2002-10 Ford Explorer, possibly with the Explorer’s 4WD/AWD option. I would have LOVED to see the Mercury Marauder Convertible Concept Car built by Roush Performance in showrooms! Here’s a link:
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15137079/mercury-marauder-convertible-concept-auto-shows/
I used to disparage cars like these, with their wallowing, pillow-soft rides and numb steering, but the Marauder proved that it didn’t have to be that way! The Marauder and the Impala SS proved that cars like this could be made to handle, and be, dare I say it, cool! Throw in the ability to carry up to six (6) full-sized adult human beings and their luggage in total comfort for over three-hundred (300) miles between fill-ups, and these cars can rock!
The only thing the Marauders had going for them was the look. A Honda accord had more horsepower with a V6 than the Merc with an 8.
Maybe, but can you fit six (6) adults into an Accord? The power output of the Modular V8 has been fixed, so if you crave more power for your Marauder, there are a number of supercharger kits available. Then there’s also a Coyote crate motor available if you want to stick with normally-aspirated power for your full-size Amistrassenkuiser! That’s German for “American Street Cruiser”, for those unfamiliar with German!
You obviously know nothing about the engine used in the Marauder…… Smh
I just wish that more people took the Sport option for the Crown Vic, so it came with the same floor shifter and console as the Marauder! Prices on Marauders have gone into orbit lately, but if I could find a Crown Vic with the floor shifter and console, I could get the same or better performance at a fraction of the Marauder’s price! Take the Crown Vic Sport, and upgrade the suspension bits with Police Interceptor hardware, and breathe on the stock 4.6L mill, either with high performance upgrades, or a new crate motor, and get Marauder performance at Crown Vic prices!
Dude, if you add suspension parts and drop a different engine in it it’s no longer at ‘Crown Vic price.’
Suspension parts are cheaper than the premium a Marauder commands. Also, I didn’t just suggest a crate motor, but upgrades to the stock mill as a lower cost option. Then there’s the option of pulling a motor from a wrecked Mustang for short money. There lots of ways to get more go and still save money over what Marauders are bringing these days!
The two reasons I don’t suggest ultra-cheap Police Interceptors is that those cars were run hard and put away wet, and need significant work, and the PI cars were all column-shifted (no console), so they had room to mount all of the cop equipment (radios, Computers, gun racks, etc.) and room for the officers gun belts when they were seated.
What a nice Merc I would buy it but my 08 Grand Marquis only has 94,000 on the odo. Now you can’t beat these cars for ride comfort,excellent drive train,style and oh yes class. Not everyone wants all that technology that is outdated when the car is 4 years old. These Mercs are drivers cars. Mine is my 3rd and although I am older now I wasn’t old when I purchased my first. They weren’t always old people cars they once were for the car a family man or woman would drive as a symbol they were doing well financially. Imo Good luck with the auction and to the buyer enjoy.
They were one of only a few good cars from fomoco.I believe it’s because they were built in ontario canada
I’m reminded of Barry Schwartz’ talk of buying jeans. Crown Vics were for cops cabs, and Town Cars limos, but the Mercury version was for buyers who looked at the in retrospect much more varied than now mid-2000s new-car scene and said “I want the kind that used to be the only kind”.
Hi, when the dead come to find a ride they looking for…the living should take notice! known to be able to survive the dead because they can’t turn the key