My 94 year old aunt has a 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis with 49000 miles on it. It hasn''t been started in several months so the battery will be dead but I''d like to drive it for a couple of weeks to see if I want it. I''ve heard that cars that aren''t driven much can be a nightmare to maintain so I don''t want to take on a headache but what should I have checked besides the tires? I was thinking about adding a bottle of fuel conditioner and filling the tank with high test immediately. I''m worried about rust on the brake rotors/drums and bad suspension parts. Anything else I should have checked? Hoses and belts?
Thanks for your advice.

This is my first post on this forum.

Depends on how long it has sat. Oil goes bad after time too. But I''d defeninetly put some new gas in it, as the tank will produce condensation (water in the gas). Check basically anything made of rubber for cracks. The brakes should be ok as long as it has''nt been a realy long time (probably only have surface rust). Check your fluids.

if it was in a garage, a few months won''t matter much except maybe for gas. Vacuum lines (aka rubber part) are a must check. You should also check the air filter box for random critters. the fuel conditioner is a good idea as well as the high octane fuel. the only suspension parts that would be of concern would be the bushings, but a few months won''t do anything there. The belts and radiator hoses should be checked as well.

I agree on the check your fluids. power steering shouldn''t be an issue as long as the system is still holding the fluids and it''s topped off. transmission fluid should probably be checked for sure. if it''s still red, don''t worry. if it''s amber. get it changed (fluid and filter) ASAP. if it smells burnt, get it changed. Brake fluid should be good as well. Oil should be ok, but should be changed soon. The coolant should definitely be checked as well. Your only real issues should be tires and vacuum hoses simply due to the age of the vehicle. Everything else should just be regular maintenance.

A couple of months should not be a problem. Time, weather and temps play a large factor on all vital fluids. The battery may need a jump but depending on it''s age, may or may not need replacing. The alt. should do it''s job recharging. You''ll know if you have developed flat spots on the tires when you drive it. Check the pressure in all 4 and the spare. Pretty much check anything that is rubber. Put in a bottle or two of dry gas if it is a fill-up. And personally I would change all the fluids in the car, with maybe the exeption of the rear diff and power steering. As for rust on the rotors, if a car sits in the rain surface rust can appear in one-day. Don''t worry about it unless the car need brakes. In any case, you should get many, many dependable years with this low mileage car. Good luck and let us know.

IF you have the means to jack the car up, give the steel brake lines a look over.. IF it was in a garage and not out in crappy weather they should be fine.. It seems that from 1994ish till 2000ish US manufacturers used some pretty cheap brake line that tended to rust rather prematurly..


Along with what you and everyone else said, I think I would probably change the engine oil as I''m suresome moisture has condensed in there..

A few months should not cause an issue.


Mine was sitting outside for almost 5 years, uncovered. The only thing I did was drain the fuel (it did not ignite anymore), changed all fluids and belts. Never had any issues from sitting that long.


Still drives like a charme.


Greetings!