While maybe not an exciting car for many buyers, especially 28 years after it was made, the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis LS is still an impressive car. Its lack of post-2000s technology is a big selling point for me. The seller has this 18-footer posted here on craigslist, just north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they’re asking $7,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Jack M. for the tip!
Vibrant White paint adds to the stealth quality of this Merc, not to mention that more than a few owners of these cars live down south, where it’s hot almost year-round so anything you can do to bounce the sun off of your vehicle, the better. Which always makes me wonder why so, so, so many people buy black vehicles and then tint the windows so dark rather than buying a light-colored vehicle? I guess it’s the TV reality show effect; everyone wants to look like a rock star. Maybe that isn’t it, maybe they just like black vehicles. I’ve owned exactly one black vehicle, my current business road trip car, and it was the only one they had when my other one crapped out at 365,000 miles. The seller shows some additional white wheels that go with the sale, in case those are appealing to anyone. I’d keep the current 16″ teardrop alloy wheels on it, but that’s just me.
This car is so big that it barely fits into the frames! The seller did a pretty good job with the photos, just for the record, especially for a craigslist ad. They even show inside the gigantic trunk. As expected, the trunk compartment looks like new, as does the exterior, the interior, the engine, and everything else that I can see. The third-generation Grand Marquis was made for model years 1998 through 2002.
One thing they neglected to do, however, is to show a full view of the back seat. For such a famous people-hauler, it sure would have been nice to see it back there. But all is not lost, they did show a partial backseat photo, showing the perfect left rear door opening! Speaking of hauling people in the back seat, I’ve always wondered what a two-door sedan body style might have looked like.
They say this almost-showroom-looking car has only been driven in the summer, and I believe it. The engine is Ford’s 4.6-liter OHV V8 with 200 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. Backed by the 4R70W four-speed automatic sending power to the rear wheels, they say that it has a new intake manifold and new tires. For $7,000, I’m guessing you could do much worse than driving this nice-looking Grand Marquis LS. Would any of you daily-drive this big beauty?
If Mercury ever had a 2 door Scotty….. That would be it!!! I like it!!! These are solid cars. It’s been stated on these pages many, many times. The fact that this is 28 years old is just mind boggling to me. This one is practically brand new. I like the blue interior with the white exterior. I’d keep these stock rims too myself. Hopefully it goes to a good new home and someone takes the same care of this Mercury that its had over the last 28 years.
These cars go on forever! Had a nice 1998 continental which was a super running car and no computer issues!
Back when Ford actually knew how to build decent cars.
They still do.
Ha, ha, ha! Ford has an incredibly high volume of recall. They are absurdly high. Do you not read any articles about their recalls? Ford is in serious trouble. Their lots are full of super expensive vehicles that very few can afford anymore coupled with an obscene amount of recalls. These are known facts and not opinions.
Well trucks, yeah. They don’t build cars anymore except the Mustang
Let’s not talk about all the other car manufacturers that have had worse recalls recently.
Dont understand your comment. Ford has a long history of building great cars not merely decent cars, ive always gotten great service from them. Great American company that helped build this country.
I think Tigger’s comment refers to the electronic dependant junk all new cars have become.
This comment by Scotty “It’s lack of post-2000s technology is a big selling point for me” describes a lot of the public now. Although I’d change it to about post 2007 vehicles.
The many issues with these rolling computer systems co-dependent on other systems and shortage of tech’s to fix them is a real problem with new cars people are discovering. As the market recognizes this, pre 2007 ish cars in mint condition and low miles will skyrocket in value.
The industry will try to destroy or otherwise ban these cars as it hurts their business. Something like a new Cash for Clunkers plan.
Sit back and watch it happening. Had a GM truck in for a faulty drivetrain lately, heard of anyone that buys, not leases a new BMW? Did you hear about the Nissan that had a generic hood release module installed and the car stopped running properly? Why does the hood release need a module? Crazy times and every manufacture is playing into it.
Not only things you’ve described but I talk to a lot of Facebook people in Alaska and after experiencing one of the coldest winters in history, I saw many stories where all of the dash lights would come on indicating malfunction because this crap wasn’t able to handle the cold. One Nissan owner said it cost $300 to reprogram. I know, having spent 2 winters in Fairbanks during my pipeline days. But back then, cars ran with proper maintenance and care without all of this garbage. My car is an ’09 Lucerne & hers is a ’15 Equinox. They both look like this Marquis. Too bad the Merc . doesn’t have leather, but it is gorgeous.
I love the Panthers! So yes, I would rock this as a daily. Considering a Marauder with a slightly hot rodded version of this engine would cost you 15-20k in this condition, I would say this is a good deal. Maybe not as fast or sporty as a Marauder, but not too far off.
I’m positive a Clean Crown Vic or even one of these is in my future. Hopped up a bit, maybe even supercharged, love these cars.
I might have bought this fine looking sedan if it were closer, and I’m not a Ford guy.
As usual when a nice one shows up, not too many bad things to say about these Panthers. To me they were peak traditional American full-sized sedan, a market segment which existed for decades. And not expensive.
Good write-up SG. I like the two-door chop.
This engine is known for blowing spark plugs out. I had a 02 Lincoln with this engine. Engine only had 100K on it. It kept blowing # 6 plug. A friend who worked several years for Ford/ Lincoln dealership & he said that was a big fault with that engine.
Whoever you had working on it shouldn’t be allowed near any tools or engines, obvious they didn’t know what they were doing. In my 15+ years of working on U-Hauls & much longer with the Mods as a whole, I’ve done thread repairs to a couple dozen of these engines. No come backs & you can imagine how hard a U-Haul is beaten on. If the plugs are put in correctly to begin with, it’ll never be an issue.
Your “friend” is full of it, never heard of this with the 4.6, only 5.4s & mostly 6.8s. I would surmise this is due to the much higher loads/higher stress those engines were subjected to.
I have two Panthers, an 03 Grand Marquis with 156,000 miles and an.09 Town Car with 39,000 miles. Among the best cars ever built. Never selling them. I
History will show the beginning of FoMoCo’s downfall for discontinuing this platform or at least not continuing it with some very basic, readily available & cheap upgrades (Coyote, trans with more cogs, etc)…. in addition to the current group of “leadership” which is laughable at best.
I drove Ford exclusively for a lot of years after I got my license. Fantastic reliability, never could understand what all the hoopla was about Toyota/imports. I was getting mileage deep into the 300s & 400s with no problem.
Nowadays if you gave me one, I’d sell it off to the next sucka in line. They’ve turned into a GM-type company. A couple of really good engine offerings, Coyote & Godzilla, but alas components by themselves do not a good automotive manufacturer make.
This is a beauty. Maybe not to everyone but sure checks the boxes for me.
Rented one for a couple of months in Miami. I learned quickly to massage the accelerator pedal.
That baby could empty the tank in a minute.
You had to go back a few years, but they did make a 2 door Grand Marquis on the Panther platform. I like you rendering of the more modern body style better, Scotty.
Hey Scotty here’s your cruiser to Grand Marais for fall colors in your Grand Marquis!
Say, I also like your coupe rendition. Reminds me somewhat of the later Mercury Cougar. Nicely done!
I would absolutely LOVE this, if it were a 1979-1989: I never cared for the rounded lines and raised rears of this next generation; besides, I prefer my vehicles WITHOUT air-bags! All of that aside, I still would be tempted if it weren’t all of the way out in Shorewood, Wisconsin (or wherever “just north” of Milwaukee it is) — my mother was raised in Shorewood well over 100 years ago, when hers was about the only Gentile family there: If you were Jewish in Milwaukee at the opening of the 20th century, you lived in Shorewood. I own and drive a 1988 Grand Marquis, and it has 412,000 miles at this point. “Reliable” isn’t the word for this car! — it requires something more superlative than that, to describe it. But it is a bit tired now. It probably has about 70 of its original 150 horses, and the transmission sometimes won’t go into gear right away when it’s cold. The biggest “pain” with these cars is, the electronic door-locks and the power windows. The original air-conditioning still blows super-cold after 38 years, and has never needed re-charging. If you have one of these, you’ll have to change the water-pump when it begins to leak about every 150,000 miles. And they have about the WORST traction on ICE and snow, along with wicked hydroplaning in a cloudburst — and it doesn’t seem to matter what sort of “super” tyres you put on! WORST car in bad weather that I have ever owned! The best was my 1946 Ford that would drive in or on anything! I rescued Police officers and tow-truck drivers stranded in blizzards with that car. And riding on regular tyres, not snow tyres (which I could not get). It was fun to drive on the D.C. Beltway in a snowstorm: I OWNED it! I mean, when it snows in D.C. everyone hunkers-down and hybernates, and nothing is open for business. The locals don’t even own snow-shovels! “Don’t NEED ’em”, they insist: “You just WAIT 24-48 hours, and the snow’s all gone!” Since I live where the kids trick-or-treat through slushy snow, Thanksgiving looks like a Christmas card and Easter usually is still snow-covered, I have a hard time wrapping my head around a place where a January snowstorm melts away within 48 hours. We still have snow HERE: you WANT some?
Once again, what I posted here got removed.
Harrison, I see your post – the lengthy one about your 412K mile Grand Marquis.
Well, I just looked at the listing again, and the seller has raised their asking price to $7,500 from $7,000, as seen on the original listing that I always post a screenshot of.
I saw that price raise as well. People constantly give low ball offers and don’t know a deal on a beefy car. Bet they take $7,000 for the car just for the fact of the low ballers hassel.