Square. If you could sum up the 1982 Mercury Marquis Brougham in one word, that would be it. The lines are square, and the person who drives such a car could also be described in the language of an earlier day as “a square.” Well, if that’s what it takes, sign me up, because I love this four-door sedan, and the more so at an asking price of mid-13K range (though like many of you, I still remember the days when a four-door was nearly free compared to the coupe version of the same car). If you agree, and are inclined to make an offer, then do that well-prepared to go to Savannah, NY to collect it.
How many people under forty know what the heck “Marquis Brougham” even means? Or the older set—are they aware that a marquis is a person ranking below a duke but above a count or an earl? Or that a Brougham is a closed four-wheeled carriage with an open driver’s seat? Wait, this car has a closed driver’s seat. In other words, this name is a mishmash of stuff that’s supposed to suggest you’re posh if you drive this car. Go on—you deserve to sink into those mile-deep cloth seat inserts. You’ve got rank.
This Marquis certainly got all the advantages: a huge 429-CID engine with a four-barrel carb with only 15,300 miles passed under the tires, vinyl top, full wheel covers and fender skirts, ice cold air, and some mechanicals like new shocks and alternator taken care of. Best of all, the current owner has driven it for a couple of years, including on a couple of long trips. That means you don’t have to be the one doing the sorting that would typically be necessary with a car that looks to have been stored from 1977-2022 or thereabouts. Gas mileage is another matter, as this car, while it takes regular fuel, weighs in at 4500 lbs., surely not a recipe for economy.
A lot of people agreed. The Marquis line had a run from 1967-86. This car represents the long second generation (1969-78), which offered a full range of body styles, including a stunning, visually perfect coupe. The car here may remind you of the Mercury model Jack McGarrett ran on the original Hawaii 5-0 tv series, and it’s close. The car run on the show after a 1968 Mercury Park Lane was a 1974 Marquis. So if you’re ready to pilot a basically two-year-old fifty-two year-old car, then look at this beauty on craigslist and try to imagine yourself a count. Or a knight. Or just a person who deserves to be coddled in automotive luxury.
Ford sunk a lot of hoopla into their wonderful ride. The diamond cutter, the 50 chauffeurs that couldn’t tell the difference from a Rolls(?), yeah, right, and of course, the hilarious SNL mockup of a bris performed, but never called it a Mercury.( a Royal Deluxe ll) I don’t think this car rode any different than any other full sized car at the time, they all rode nice. I’d think the mileage is true, and considering what junk is out there today, perhaps $13 grand for a REAL car, might not be so out of line. They were fantastic cars.
Worth the price just for the interior..awesome
Seeing this listing reminded me of me buying a 1969 Mercury Colony Park station wagon sight unseen off of Craigslist after getting a tip in the Yahoo! station wagon group back in 2007 when I launched Automotive Traveler magazine. I flew into Little Rock, Arkansas, to pick it up, drove it to NYC to attend a publishing industry awards function, then to visit my family in NJ, and then drove it to Jacksonville, Florida, over old US highways (avoiding I-95) after which I shipped it home to California. It was an epic road trip.
Cars like the example here are simply too nice to put that many miles on the odometer. Given that the average person puts 12,000 miles on a new car, buying this one is like acquiring a one-year-old trade in.
My Colony Park had the 429 2V engine with a 10.5:1 compression ratio that while it would run on regular fuel, it guzzled it at a rate of 13 miles per gallon. The trip cost me $700 in fuel alone. As I recall, 13 years ago, I paid $5000 for the car that while nice, was not nearly as nice as this one.
I just located the photos of the car that the previous owner posted which can be viewed at http://farrellonline.com/waggon/69waggon.html
If I had a spare $13,000 lying around, this beauty would be on a transporter on its way to California right now. But because I don’t, someone who is looking for an affordable entry into classic/special interest car ownership is going to be happily driving a real bargain.
If interested, here’s a link to the story of my adventure in my very similar Colony Park. All I can say that it was one of the best road trips I’ve ever taken.
https://photos.imageevent.com/mmm_mag/richardtruesdellfeaturesportfolio/AT%20Colony%20Park%20Ocean%20Drive.pdf
Richard, I remember reading your article about your epic trip with that wagon! It was awesome! I owned a 1970 Colony Park for several years but was always afraid to drive it much (cost or accumulating mileage), which I regret. I drove one state away to meet up with the buyer and it had lots of pep and rode like a cloud. Mercurys of that era were very nice cars, and I’d love to give this one a new home.
Too bad this one doesn’t have the console door panels. I remember the Broughams had that feature. However, this one does have the upper fender chrome trim though. These were fantastic riding cars and very quiet. The 1972 models were detuned from the 1971 models, thus not as much horsepower. This body generation was the last of the big Mercury’s, afterwards the shrink was on to obliviation. I miss Mercury and the CARS they made. All FMC is good for today are trucks and SUV’s. They will regret it. And it strikes me as hilarious that they invested billions into EV’s. FMC management is STUPID!
This car would be fun for someone, retired maybe, who only drives a couple hundred miles a month. Just don’t leave the engine running when you fill the tank or it will take forever.
Right lol I used to work at a gas station in 70’s it was like Wally’s on Andy Griffith and some people would leave their car running and all the fumes with the smell of gas was exhilarating.
Muscle is great but this is a car! As a car struck 11-12 year old these were my kind of ride. We didn’t have anything like it in our driveway but I knew they were special. Love 😍
I grew up in Mercs, my old man got a new one every year from his job. We went to Minnesota every year fishing, Ma and Pa in the front me and the dog in the back. Was like getting ready to take a 12 hour trip on a bed. Same as a Lincoln just not as heavy.
My mother had a 73, it was a wonderful car, and great oblong trips.
My cousin drove up in 1978’ with her dad brand new Merc Marquis Coupe. I said let’s go for a ride I’ll drive. Took it out on the highway and was clipping 80 and it felt like we were crawling don’t forget the one finger steering. Too bad the boys don’t make something American like that today.
All this car needs is a Gear vendors under/overdrive tail shaft for a c6 and free flow exhaust for better milage and performance maybe a different set of gears for that 9 inch
All this car needs is a Gear vendors under/overdrive tail shaft and free flow exhaust for better milage and performance maybe a different set of gears for that 9 inch
All this car needs is a Gear Vendors under/ overdrive for that C6 and free flow exhaust for better performance and gas mileage maybe different gears for that 9 inch thinking about tapping my 401k
Wow , hard to believe these are still out there. What a gorgeous, badass car!
Seller is at 11k I’m at 10k car prices are coming down it’s a good thing because feeding this beast will be expensive
Anybody who knows me would never call me a square but sign me up too. I think these Mercs look better in 4 doors