Hello all. I need some advice here... I am looking to purchase my first Grand Marquis. I need to know what to look for. Were there certain years that had certain issues? They seemed to have different setups in different years. For instance the digital dash.... not a fan of that. Where there certain things they were prone to...etc. How do all of the electronics hold up inside, ie window motors, lock relays, etc. I appreciate any info I can get.
Thanks

 

always check the power locks and windows. make sure the windows roll all the way down and up and the motor stops turning at each stop. check the power mirrors. test drive it and find a hill with a good incline and low speed limit (or a long hill if it's at highway speeds) and drive up it with the A/C blasting. If the vents stop blowing cold air, there's a vacuum leak somewhere and probably a part needs to be replaced.

On newer models, check the plastic intake for cracks/chips around the edge. If there are any, ask for a $300 knock off the price (it'll cost about $250-300 for the replacement intake with metal coolant channel). While you're under the hood, check for oil stains on the engine. anything that looks like fresh oil (usually near the rear of the valve covers) will have you adding at least a quart or 2 per oil change as you drive. Check the hoses and vacuum lines for bulging and cracking. If you rub a hose and it flakes off some, you'll need to replace it sooner or later. radiator hoses should never reach this state though. They will bulge/burst well before that.

Check for oil leaks around the oil filter and the adapter it's mounted to. These tend to warp and cause more oil to leak. (4.6L model mainly).

Make sure all axis of the power seat work well. Check the vanity mirror lights. Check to make sure the hazards work. basically do your best to push every button and try every setting. after the car is warm, check the heater and defroster.

as with everything else, try to buy it outright. It's always easier on the wallet to own it than finance it.

There's probably more things that can be checked, but this is a basic list for buying any car. the only specifics for MGMs are the intake on later models and the oil filter adapter that is a common issue to all 4.6L engines (at least from the 90s).

 

LOL, you sound like a Dave Ramsey fan.. maybe? Thanks for all of the info. I appreciate your thoroghness! I was just looking at a 2003 with 10k on it for 11.5, but missed out on the deal. So it sounds like the oil filter adapter and the possibility of a chipping intake are really the only big issues. Is the intake that esy to replace? $300 dont sound bad.
I have a friend who has 260k on his... sounds like the motor is pretty reliable then?
Should I avoid the digital dashes?

Thanks again!

 

it's all plastic except for the coolant cross-over (the OEMs were all plastic on some model years - aftermarket has the metal cross-over pipe inside) so the price is low and I think it's 8 or 16 bolts to the heads and 4 on the throttle body, so it generally only takes about an hour to swap out. The motors are rather reliable (as long as you take care of them. regular fluid changes and all). Transmissions tend to need rebuilding every 100-200K miles.

avoid the digital dashes. they tend to have issues after 60K miles (burnt out areas, garbled displays, etc).

 

I have a 1993 grand marquis Ls and i have really enjoyed it.... If you dot want the electric dash i dont know what to tell you because i believe all models have it I Know my car does and i really like it... I havent had any problems out of mine knock on wood... i suggest you get one...

 

they're all electric yes, I was referring to the digital readout ones. The problem you have with the electric ones with the needles is that the little plastic gears in the odometers like to break. I had to rebuild the one in my wife's car by getting a matching gear (tooth count and diameter) and then shaping it with a grinder to thin it out enough to fit. Bit of a job, but it tracks mileage again. Another issue is corrosion of the contacts on the back of the panel in very humid areas causing gauges to drop out/not work.