The second I saw this 2007 Mercury Marquis LS, I thought, “Florida Man! It’s gotta’ be from the Sunshine State!” C’mon, it’s beigy-tan-silver, has only logged 76K miles, and just has that vibe. And sho’ enough, this baby’s from Pompano Beach, FL. I’ll admit it, I like these late Panther platform cars, whether it’s a Crown Vic or a Marquis (they’re that similar!), it doesn’t matter to me. Zen found this retirement community regular for us, and it’s available here on craigslist for $5,900.
Introduced in 1975, Mercury’s Grand Marquis remained in production through 2011, with about 51K rolling off Ford’s St. Thomas, Ontario assembly line in ’07. One body style, a four-door sedan, was all that was offered, and it was available across two trim levels, the GS and LS (again, no De Sade trim level was available at this point). The seller states, “2 OWNER FLORIDA CAR CLEAN TITLE CLEAN CARFAX WITH SERVICE RECORDS OVERALL THIS CAR IS IN GOOD CONDITION FOR THE YEAR.” Well, it certainly looks fine. I’d assume that it has been garaged as there’s no indication of finish degradation as a result of the hot South Florida sun. Often, cars of this nature will reveal evidence of “parking by ear” bumper cover friction, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here.
Inside, we find a living room-like environment, upholstered in soft-looking leather and matching this Merc’s exterior hue. The entire setting is pristine, as is often the case with gently used sedans of this nature – there’s no sign of late-night Taco Bell pig-outs! I also find it remarkable that beige carpet and floor mats can remain as spotless as what’s in this nineteen-year-old, 76 K-mile sedan. Oh, and the A/C is said to be cold!
Standard Grand Marquis power means a 224 net HP, 4.6-liter single-overhead-cam V8 engine, which smoothly modulates its power to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic O/D transmission. The seller claims, “RUNS AND DRIVES VERY GOOD,” and I see no reason to doubt that claim. Of note is the cleanliness of the engine compartment.
The seller states, “priced to sell,” and the $5,900 ask seems very reasonable – a price that likely has some wiggle room. Yeah, this Mercury comes off like an older person’s car, and it probably has been via its two owners. Then again, I’m an older person (I don’t know in the world that happened) and I like this big Grand Marquis as much as I appreciate hot rods and sports cars. Why? I believe these Panther underpinned cars were one of FoMoCo’s biggest hits, and we’ll probably never see another V8-powered, rear-wheel drive sedan, with room for six, from the Blue Oval again. Gettem’ while you can, right?
Personally I like the Crown Vic or Town Car better, I know they’re the same under the skin, but this car is nice for the price. I’d lose the arthritis grip on the steering wheel but everything else is ready for some smooth cruising. One gripe I have with the Panther platform, for such a big car there is a serious lack of leg room in the back. I wonder if Lincoln’s version was the same?
I agree with you. The auto manufacturers just don’t make ‘em like that anymore! My mom had one of the last factory stretch Lincoln Town Cars (Signature L) which gave an additional 6 inches of legroom for rear seat passengers. Six inches doesn’t seem like much but the difference in the legroom was amazing. Ride was significantly enhanced too. Wish we had kept that car. I’m trying not to go out and buy this one (my wife says I have too many cars now) as this Panther looks clean as a whistle!
I don’t want to insure 4 cars but this would be the road trip car that I periodically look at my other cars (2 2-seaters and a current generation Mustang GT) and wish I had.
Pompano is about 80 miles south of me. My first teaching post was at a high school there.
I tried to edit 2-door to 2-seater but alas..
I have a 2011 Marquis and yes you would think that they would have provided more leg room for the back seat travelers. You are right about Florida cars, I bought mine from an 88 year old man and it only had 33,000 miles on it three years ago when I bought it to replace my 2008 Marquis. These cars run forever!
won’t last long at that price. good miles too. a grey hair special for sure!
PLEASE! SOMEONE BUY THIS BEFORE CLEETUS SEES IT!
IF this were a 1986-1989, I would be ALL OVER IT!!! and I am tempted even now, despite Florida being a long trip from the northeast. I hate the look of this generation of Panther, prefer the more formally-squared 1979-1991 Grand Marquis, and especially the 1988-1979 Town Car (which DOES have more rear leg-room and an even smooother ride). But this one, with that 4.6, has better horsepower and better gas mileage, and younger parts. Choices… choices…
I’m a fan of the ‘brick Vic’ right before they went to the Taurus jellybean Vic. When I used to live in SC, the HP cars were IMO some of the most handsome police vehicles made & certainly ominous with just the parking lights lit up.
But…there is no bad Panther. I’ve been saying it for a decade & stand by it, FoMoCo really screwed the pooch when they stopped making these. More than that, it marks a turning point from where Ford made mostly stone-reliable vehicles to the recall-laden junk that passes muster nowadays. Shameful!!!
Mr. Reed, I’ll bring it to you on a rollback if that’s what you desire…I need an excuse for a vacay.
Hello! What is a “roll-back”? — and are you the seller?
Man, 2 almost identical Grand Marquis one day after the other, and priced just $20 apart.
Scotty’s 2000 sold already, so this one should be gone too – 7 years newer and 10K less miles. However, the area that this one is in is probably littered with these.