Estates often prove to be an excellent source of low-mile classics, and such is the case with this 1982 Mercury Grand Marquis. The original owner placed the car into storage many years ago, and following her passing, the family handed it to a dealership, which revived it. The lack of activity means it has a genuine 3,340 miles on the clock and is in as-new condition. Cars of this type don’t appear every day, helping to explain the seller’s above-average price. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Tony P. for spotting the Mercury listed here on Craigslist in Ossining, New York. The seller set their price at $19,500, so let’s take a look to determine whether that figure is justified.
When Mercury released its Third Generation Marquis in 1979, the Grand Marquis variant was the flagship of the fleet. Buyers seeking a luxurious ownership experience received cars loaded with luxury equipment featuring crisp, contemporary styling. The first owner ordered this Grand Marquis in 1982, combining Medium Blue Metallic paint with a Midnight Blue Landau-style vinyl top. Finding anything worth criticizing is seemingly impossible from the seller’s listing images. The paint shines beautifully, with no patchiness of matte areas. The vinyl is immaculate, and the panels are laser-straight. The underside shots confirm the car’s rust-free status, with a sticker on the back bumper indicating that the first owner invested in Steelshield Rustproofing to protect the Mercury from the ravages of tin worm. The trim and glass are spotless, and the Grand Marquis retains its original 15″ wheels and wire wheel covers. So, why is this classic so beautifully preserved? It seems the first owner drove the vehicle sparingly, and, if my research is correct, she placed it in dry storage in 1996. It emerged from her estate in 2024, with the second owner carefully reviving the vehicle so that it was once again ready for action.
Disappointingly, the seller supplies no engine bay images. However, we know that this classic features a 5.0-liter V8, a four-speed automatic transmission, a 3.08 Traction-Lok rear end, power steering, and power brakes. The V8 generates 132hp and 236 ft/lbs of torque, providing acceptable performance for a vehicle from this era. After almost three decades of hibernation, the owner worked through a meticulous revival process, returning the Grand Marquis to roadworthiness. They flushed and replaced the fluids. They installed new front brake calipers, rear wheel cylinders, a new master cylinder, and new brake hoses. The car rolls on new, narrow whitewalls, while a new battery coaxes the V8 into life. The seller doesn’t mention evidence verifying the odometer reading, but the car’s history makes the figure plausible. They state that this Mercury isn’t merely a turnkey proposition, but that it drives like a new car.
As the flagship model, this Grand Marquis is loaded to the max with luxury features. For their money, the buyer receives ice-cold air conditioning, power windows, power locks, a premium AM/FM radio/cassette player with a power antenna, a power driver’s seat, a leather-wrapped tilt wheel, cruise control, a rear defroster, remote exterior mirrors, an electronic digital clock, the “Autolamp” on/off delay system, and an illuminated entry system. Phew, that’s quite a list! The interior is trimmed in Midnight Blue cloth and vinyl to complement the exterior combination. Unsurprisingly, it is in seemingly perfect condition, with no evidence of wear, abuse, or other issues. If Mercury were still a going concern, this Grand Marquis would look at home on a showroom floor.
There is no denying that the seller’s asking price is well above the average for a 1982 Mercury Grand Marquis. However, its condition is extraordinary, and the odometer reading may be the lowest you will find on a Grand Marquis of this vintage. Whether that justifies the price is hard to say, although there may be an enthusiast whose heart rules their head and views the Mercury as a must-have. However, this classic also demonstrates the importance of channeling your inner Sherlock Holmes to perform a spot of detective work. I found an auction from October 2024 for this same car. Its odometer reading at the time was 2,844 miles, and it sold for $12,500. Do you feel the price rise since then is appropriate, or do you believe that the seller is being optimistic? There is one further factor to consider. If the seller purchased this Grand Marquis for $12,500, that information may prove an excellent bargaining tool if potential buyers wish to negotiate. That’s food for thought.
Nice Grand Marquis. Isn’t this the same car which was written up three times last year?
Yes it is. In that time he’s added another 500 miles and lowered the price from $23,000. One of the previous write ups says it was sold about a year prior on a different platform for $12,000. I have a feeling he drags it out to every car show in his area trying to sell it.
Steve R
A luxury liner from the 80s with all the trimmings that you could get back then. Back in the day we younger folk used to scoff at these “old man” cars. Now? We’re old. And guess what, they don’t look so bad. A performance car this ain’t, being made in the middle of the malaise era. But those pillowy seats alone would draw me toward this near-classic like flowers attract bees, since modern car interiors are so bland and anonymous. However, I’d have to sell an awful lot of blood to meet the too-high price for this car. I think I’ve seen this vehicle before as well.
Car is exceptional but price is much too high. Very optimistic!
Its a celebration of mediocrity. Its an ’82 barge with 3400 miles. Nothing really desirable about it other than the low mileage. The whole ad speaks of desperation to build value in a car that might sell for half of the current asking price on a good day.
Some people like “barges”. It’s a really nice vehicle…. just overpriced.
Who suggested that everyone dislikes barges? Show me a 70 Sport Fury GT or a 68 SS 427.
Always felt that paying a massive premium for a super-low mileage car, especially an everyday vehicle like this, seems a little foolish. If you drive it, you’ve soon removed the reason it cost so much. This is nice, and a minor premium is understandable. But $20K. Naw. Unless you plan on just driving it to shows…. and it’s not really in that category yet.
The way the seller justifies the price is by saying that it costs less than half of buying a new car, but what you are getting is a new car that rides much better than any new car you can buy now. And then makes some strange depreciation argument.
I guess that could be true, but after daily driving it for a couple of years, the new owner might want to kick themselves because now they have depreciated the car to what any other one with some mileage on it would be worth.
Probably the best example out there, but what do you do with it? It has limited show appeal, and anyone who tries to make a daily driver out of it will discover that many components wear with time alone. The nearly new odometer reading does not guarantee a nearly new ownership experience.
Maybe if Cleetus, down in Florida, keeps trashing all those Panther platform Crown Vic’s. These cars will become worth the investment. As of right now? This car is way overpriced.
First time seeing this. Thanks.
Reminds me of Car and Driver complaining every year that Mercury failed to offer a de Sade option. But I agree with others here who say that other than the low mileage, this is a fairly mediocre vehicle from an era of mediocre products.
Overpriced? You try finding an ’82 Grand Marquis that wasn’t pampered and restore it to this condition and tell me how your bank account looks afterwards. It would easily be double the price he’s asking.
Again, there is zero collector market for these cars. Your point is moot. But thanks for chiming in!
A car is only worth what somebody will pay. Somebody has purchased this car multiple times since it’s $23,000 asking price a few years back. You can saddle your moot and take it for a long ride, Sanchez.
Get along little Donnie! Take the old Merc and hit the trail!
This era had the variable venturi carburetor which could be problematic with the alcohol fuels that were being introduced at this time.
Great examples of what are objectively mediocre vehicles, maintain an intrinsic value, as they are still rooted in what obstensively is a fair price for a well preserved piece of transportation. For this vehicle, the price paid @ 12k or so was pretty much the ceiling, I would guess. But, you never know. This could possibly be the exact type of car someone got lucky in for the first time, and 19K may be a bargain to them :)
Great examples of what are objectively mediocre vehicles, maintain an intrinsic value, as they are still rooted in what obstensively is a fair price for a well preserved piece of transportation. For this vehicle, the price paid @ 12k or so was pretty much the ceiling, I would guess. But, you never know. This could possibly be the exact type of car someone got lucky in for the first time, and 19K may be a bargain to them :)
Try “Ostensibly.” Aside from your rambling post.
Looks like it was pampered out of the Sun all its life. By ’85 our LTD Landau in the same color blue was oxidized and the padded roof loosing its finish. As for performance they were more than adequate. Our 302 VV accelerated nicely and returned 20+ mpg.
I love ford’s and mercury but nothing from 82 ran good I had a 79 with a variable venturi carburetor that was running rich and smoking catalytic converters I had to switch it to a 2 barrel with a points distributor to get it to run right
Ours ran awful until the dealer got it off and dialed it in. They also replaced the intake gaskets. Ran like a champ after that.
This guy is a little over an hour & 15 mins from me in NYC. I love this square model years. but this guy has it on C.L. on & off 2- 3 years now. some people are just not willing to go down on a more realistic price. points added for low milage / conditions, but ultra-premium price don’t justify this particular model even when new, buyers were older. I’m willing to offer $ 10,000 flat respectfully w/o insulting anyone.
I would love this FOUR DOOR Grand Marquis at a real world price — and yes, it has appeared here at least three times before. These were highly reliable vehicles, as I can attest, with my 1988 Grand Marquis having 413,000+ miles so far, with nothing rebuilt, and no garage to protect it — and I live in serious Adirondack snow country, yet I still have only a couple of spots of surface rust and the paint still shines somewhat. The vinyl still is good. The velour seats have worn like iron and are still supple and comfortable, with no sagging. I’m starting to lose the ability to maintain speed at 65 m.p.h. up a long and steep hill, and my mileage has slipped below 20 m.p.g., to 19.6 m.p.g.; yes, it’s tired. HOWEVER, you will notice that nearly all Mercury Grand Marquis cars from the 1979-1982 generation vanished from the roads many years ago, whereas those from 1985-1989 have held up well, and they are not an entirely rare sight as daily drivers. I am glad that this is the sedan and not that ugly coupe version, which FoMoCo thankfully discontinued relatively early-on owing to poor sales. It would be neat to own an ’82, because you “never” see one. Nevertheless, even though I don’t generally like modifications to all-original cars, I would be tempted to add the fuel-injection and other refinements which so improved the 5.0 powerplant’s trouble-free operation and increased its horsepower to 150. I might even add the duel-exhaust option which was available. But at this price, I’ll admire THIS Grand Marquis from afar and let it be.
@Harrison Reed, No doubt about reliability. they were use in many police dept back then w/ the Ford LTD prior to be call Crown Vic of course w/ the HD police package if I’m not wrong. NYC Taxi w/ the HD package normally go 400 – 500K before motor burns too much oil.
I had similar car, 1985 but with leather interior. I loved that car, would love to have it back, however not for 20 grand. LOL
From the photos it looks like an almost flawless car, and it is probably one of, if not, the lowest mileage Grand Marquis’s left on the planet, but I think the previous selling price of around $12k or a bit less would be more in realistic line of it’s value, even with the condition.
Good luck finding someone to work on that VV carburetor.
this was 4 sale awhile back. to at that time i thought the price was high but now Mr. flipper wants 20k. low miles yes, clean yes. but not seeing 20k more like 7500.00. it’s just basic transportation. a person that was too old to drive bought never drove it and died. not a collector car. if were at a B/J or mecum auction and there were some boozed up bidders maybe 20k
“I know what I have!”
“So do we!”
$10k on its best day.
No more comments on this lonely Mercury??
Where does the front licence plate mount?
He is on Hemmings auction last week if I’m not wrong. bidding was like $12,000 + up right away – I’m a little suspicious.
Is it SOLD?
Highest offer on Hemmings $14,500 right away could be his friend? no deadline date. lic plate bracket missing?
Something very strange here, methinks