Hi all,

I currently own a 1993 Volvo 940 with 137,000 miles and a 1998 Volvo V70XC with 134,000 miles. My grandfather is cancelling his drivers' license and wants to give us a loaded (even the digital dash) 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis LS Bayshore with only 65,000 miles and no major repairs ever. I absolutely love this car, but my wife isn't so sold.

We can also only afford to own two cars; it wouldn't be economically practical for us to own three with only two drivers. Their gas mileage is all about equal; so is the insurance cost. My question is: Should I take the Mercury? If so, which Volvo should I get rid of? The V70 has insanely high repair bills but, it is a wagon, so it's good for occasional trips. The 940 is my wife's favorite, and is essentially bulletproof -- no major repairs ever. The Mercury is one of my favorite cars of all time, plus it's soooo comfortable and repairs (if we ever need them) are generally cheap.

So...again...which car should I get rid of? The V70, the 940, or the Grand Marquis?

 

I would keep the Grand marquis. There are reallg goodsolid cars.

 

This being a Mercury site you won't get too many votes to sell such a nice Mercury. They are good, solid, comfortable cars that are relatively easy to repair. They are MUCH cheaper to repair than either of your Volvo's. The V70XC is way expensive to repair. The 940 is not cheap to repair either but they are generally more reliable (as you seem to have experienced).

I have a '97 Mercury GM and it has been a great car. I have done some repairs (as it has over 100K miles) but they are routine and not too expensive. One item to be aware of is the plastic intake manifold. If your grandfather's car still has the original it may go at anytime. It's about a $200 repair if you do it yourself; a lot more if you don't ($700+). The link below has some good info on the intake issue and how to fix it...

http://www.autoclinix.com/Manifold.htm

There are some other good repairs on the site above as well (brakes, tie rods, ball joints, etc.).

Keep the Mercury and sell the V70XC. You won't regret it.

 

Keep the GM but beware the intake manifold issue. Too bad it's not a '95. You would be fine if it were. Also it's not likely, but if the manifold already has been converted to metal you are solid gold.