The full frame offers a tight ride with no squeaks or rattles. The interior is spacious and well-built. The seats are wide, very comfortable and tilt back so you feel like your sitting in your Lazy Boy. The automatic climate control is awesome. My wife likes the adjustable pedals. The smallish 4.6L V8 engine is adequate and 4 speed transmission (same as in the F150) is smooth. Six quarts of "Mobil One" gives it better gas mileage than I expected from a car this size and better than the EPA estimate. Since I change my own oil, I figured I might as well spend a few more bucks and go full synthetic since Mercury specifies a synthetic blend anyway to acheive an EPA estimate 15/25 mpg. Mercury offers an amazing number of creature comforts that are standard equipment in the LS trim package. They have built this basic model for many years with refinements every year. From what I've seen, heard, read and experienced, the car is very durable and reliable. The 04 Grand Marquis was JD Power's award winner for overall quality in 2004.

This car does everything well and I would buy it again as is, however I think Ford should consider adding dual exhaust to all Grand Marquis models. It's offered as part of an optional "handling package" that includes a different rear end gear ratio and rear suspension and is meant to give the car a higher rate of acceleration from a standing start. Adding dual exhaust to the standard package would boost the smallish 4.6L V8's horsepower and increase gas mileage by allowing the engine to breath easier. Engine noise is more noticable in lower gears, but is not objectionable. The car's size was the reason I bought it, but it might be intimidating to some not used to driving something this big. As with most rear wheel drive vehicles, driving the Grand Marquis in the snow requires snow tires.

I bought my used 04 Grand Marquis LS a year ago with 19,000 miles on it. It now has 29,000 miles on it with no repairs required and no complaints. It's image as the car only for retirees, police cars and taxis is unfortunate. This is a great car and should be recognized for what it is. A lot of car for the money.

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Buick Roadmaster

Good power. Great comfort. Easy handling. Quite--- like riding in a jet airliner in smooth air. Good looking. Great gas mileage---18.5 around town and average 26-28 MPG on the highway. One tank full on a trip to Canada from Texas brought 31 MPG---how's that for a V-8? My son just purchased a new 2005 Ford SUV, the smallest of the SUV's, with a 4 cylinder engine. Gas mileage? 15 around town and 20 on the road. Economy cars? Tiny SUV's? Not for me.

I have had only one intermittent problem. For some reason, in heavy rain, the cruise control, left directional and auto door locks would stop functioning all at the same time. The local Mercury dealer could not locate or fix the problem. Finally, I wrapped all visible plug-ins in the engine compartment with electrical tape. Though I found no connections that were suspect, that fixed the problem. Also, placement of the spare tire directly below the rear window limits storage space.

This Mercury is beige with a dark brown simulated convertible top, chrome liners on the fenders, white walls. Leather interior and conventional dash---I've learned my lesson about having digital dashs that can't be read on cold, cold morning or in direct sunlight. A really sharp looking car and gets lots of compliments. One of the best cars I've ever owned and ranks right up there with another favorite of the past--- the 1985 Grand Marquis. I purchased the car with 39,000 miles and have driven it over 13,000 miles in the last 4 months. I believe this is the best bargain of any US made automobile.

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1988 Chevrolet Caprice Classic (great car), 1991 Olds 98 (glad GM discontinued this model), 1992 Cadillac Sedan Deville (never own another one!).

Reliability; comfort; large trunk; simple "live axle" rear drive design; decent gas mileage for the size of the car; decent handling for a big, low tech car; good crashworthiness according to government and insurance institute ratings; good value.

Dated, old-fashioned interior appearance; back seat not as roomy as it should be in such a large car; digital instruments occasionally hard to read when sun is shining on them; car looks too much like a police cruiser or taxi.

I had a "beater" 1992 Grand Marquis which I kind of liked, partly because it reminded me of the last big rear-drive car I'd owned, a 1957 Chrysler. Since I liked the beater, I decided to buy a better used Grand Marquis. The main thing I didn't like about the '92 other than it's being really "beatery" was that the suspension was to "wallowy," so I looked for a car with the handling package. I also wanted to check the repair history of the car I was buying. I bought my four-year-old car from the dealer that sold it new. I had them check the repair history, and there was none, except for regular maintenance. That seemed to be a good sign that the car was not a "lemon," and it turned out to be a good indicator. I've had no problems of any kind with the car in the 18 months and 16K miles I've had it. The car I bought is a "loaded" LS. With the handling package, it does, in fact, corner a lot better than the '92, but the ride is not as soft. Such are compromises. The handling package also includes dual exhaust for a little more power, and "shorter" gearing for better acceleration. The down side of the shorter gearing is slightly worse gas mileage. Still, I get 22-23 on the highway and 17-18 in mixed urban/suburban driving. For a car this size, that's not bad and is better than most six cylinder SUV's. The car isn't fast, but power is adequate. The leather split bench seats are comportable. The back seat isn't as roomy as it should be in such a large car, but it doesn't get used for long trips anyway. The trunk is large. Overall, I'm very satisfied with this car.

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1957 Chrysler Saratoga 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis 1999 Dodge Dakota V-8 automatic

Good looks, good handling failrly good ride.

Lousy heater and air conditioner. All bumps in the road feed through the steering and causes wheel jerk,.

First let me say I am 65 years old and have been a Ford fan since the age of 18. I have always wanted a Mercury and finally bought one in 1999 against the advise of several people. ( I was told that Mercuries were no good.) I thought, what the hell, a Mercury is just a fancier Ford, so what could be wrong. I am still asking that question. So let's go---I bought the 1999 new, babied it from new, changed oil twice as recommende, changed transmission fluid three thousand miles early. Problems---front rotors warped, one horn quit, thermostat went south (no heat from an already inadequate heater), keyless entry wouldn't let me enter, front wheel bearing wore out, master cylinder went south, idle control valve belly up, coil and spark-plug kaput ($230), and now my transmission is developing a serious problem and Ford has now idea! The probelems started at 29,000 mil and the vehicle now has 54,000 pampered miles on it. Apparently Ford takes all it's reject parts and makes Mercuries out of them. The people who warned me against buying a Mercury were absoluteluy right!

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None

Power. Reliability. Comfort. Understated good looks. PRICE!

Previous intake manifold (since fixed and now long forgotten - unless it happens to you!). Corporate policy.

Well, where do I start? This is #4, after the bulletproof '84, '87, and not quite as good '90 (in fairness it was a GS, but that doesn't affect the tranny blowing at 50K miles). I have owned it for 3 years and put 55K miles on it (it's got 100k now). Problems: the stupid intake manifold. Since I thought I "knew" Grand Marquis were great I didn't do my usual homework. Sure enough, it cracked :( . I heard elsewhere it was the 95-97 model years, but see mention here of 98s. Dealer says $1800 :eek: . I call Ford (this is a 6 year old car at the time) and stay calm - explaining my status as a long term customer and tell them how disappointed I am. They try to tell me it only happens under "heavy duty" use. Oh brother. Anyway, I get it to $600 out the door, probably could have had it down to $400 or so but a trip was scheduled and I HAD to get it in fast! So. The only other problems I have had is most of the front end (tierods, upper and lower ball joints, stabilizer pins), that kinda falls under routine maintenence, it beebs like the keys' in when it isn't (living with it), and it wouldn't idle once (start and die, and/or stop at a light and die) - this turned out to be a common 4.6 problem very easy to fix, and not expensive, it's called the IAC (Idle Air Control), two bolts on the air intake just behind the throttle body. If you change your own oil you can fix it. My overall impressions: I love it. I didn't think you could get a better ride than the square-bodied 80s Marquis/Towncar. Wrong! Such comfort. Plenty of power. Very reliable. Throughout the 90s I thought the Marquis looked better than the Towncars. Still do. I've never owned a car that got better gas mileage the faster you drove it (past 55). I've averaged about 21 mpg. Not bad, better than most suvs and about the same as a PT Cruiser! When I first got it I was "invited" to drag a mildly tweaked 80s 305 Camaro, it stayed neck and neck till we "quit" at about 100. BTW, I'm no kid. If you want more power I've heard tell the bottom of this engine is overbuilt (and believe it, it's the same block as the 5.4l) that you can add a supercharger and add close to 100 hp with little worry. I plan to do this with my next one. Which sadly will not be a brand new one, due to Ford caving in and giving $250,000 to a certain lobby I will never buy a new product from them.

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Big cars only? The aforementioned 84, 87, and 90 Marquises. 76 Lincoln Mk IV, 79 Lincoln Continental, 79 Olds Custom Cruiser, 75 Olds Cutlass Supreme. RIP, Ransom.

Big, Tough, Powerful

Difficult to park in small areas

About a couple of months ago I purchased a new 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis LS. Let me tell you, this car is great and loaded with alot of luxury features. Such as A.B.S., cruise control, leather seats, dual air bags, power seats/mirrors/windows, storage compartments, power adjustable foot pedals, compass, map lights, automatic garage door opener, theft system, key code, keyless entry system etc..... Ford Motor company is the only one building cars like this. The Grand Marquis is related to the Ford Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town Car in every way. These three cars drive exactly the same. When you drive these three big old fashion cars, it feels like your back in 1979 due to its old interior and exterior design. The car has a 4.6 Liter V8 engine which produces around 224 horsepower. 224 horsepower for a 4,000 pound car. Don't kid yourself, the car will hit 0-60 in less then 8 seconds. The engine in this car should really have a 6.0 Liter V10 engine which produces 345 horsepower. That would be really great if Ford did that in the future. Can you believe that the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and the Lincoln Town Car are longer then most full size suv's. Such as the Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and Cadillac Escalade. Then you must know that the cars must be really big. So basically if you're looking for a nice old big traditional car and don't want to spend alot of money on full size suv's or pick up truck then the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and the Lincoln Town car is right car for you.

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None

Has plenty of power for living in the mountains, very roomy, big trunk, nice to ride in.

Heavy Car, dosn't take corners to well over 70Mph.

Purchase this car on thanksgiving of 2000 with 60K miles. I know have 210K on it. I have had no major problems. Only thing is the EGR valve acts up every 30-40K miles. Other then that, it's been a great car, considering I drive it hard, and I'm sure my dirt road with a ditches that could stop a tank doens't help. I'm now graduating to a 1999 Lincoln Town Car (Cartier).

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1999 Lincoln Town Car.

size,safety,comfort and not too bad on gas

parking is a minor hassle but if you want the comforts of a big luxury car this is a worthy sacrifice

I went from driving a jeep wrangler that beat me almost to death to driving the grand marquis.What a difference!!This car is top notch!It glides across the road like a dream.For a 2000 model it was really low on miles,12800 to be exact.The power of this car is amazing!I'm enjoying the comfort and roominess.Going from no trunk to this trunk is great.

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ford full size van

Coventional American construction, strong like hell. Here in the Netherlands, the car is exceptionally rare. That makes it even more fun to drive.

With prices up to 7 dollar for a gallon of gasoline, the gasstation is often a reason to cry..

Awesome car. Although it had driven 140K when I bought the car it still drives like new. Smooth, powerfull and comfortable, thats's what it is. Due to the rear wheel drive it is sometimes tricky cornering when the road is wet. I have the dual exhaust model, wich provides the extra 20 hp.

Modern looking body (not changed much even from the 2004s) went down the road at 80MPH with one finger driving. Comfortable, decent mileage for a big car, cavernous trunk. With GOOD tires it even handled well on snow.

Dealers SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nonwarrantied design flaw in the valve seals. Interior panels "snap" into place and tabs break off easily during any repair.

Bought this car in 1998 when it only had 30K and the engine supposedly only had about 1K (dealer replaced due to bad block). Once again the Ford dealership network is doing its best to beat the life out of a fairly good product. Engine was replaced in 1995 while under warranty due to the original have a sand spot in the block - allowed the coolant to pour into the oil. Took the original owner 3 years to convince Ford to address the problem. After the repair the PO parked the car due to his wife's death. I bought the car after he traded it. Good power considering the low HP rating of the 4.6 and the heavy body its dragging around. Averaged 20-24 MPG on every tank of fuel run through it except when a O2 sensor had gone bad. Lots of room, good ride, well optioned. Dealer soured me on the car. Brought it in for transmission flush - they broke the windsheild. Brought it back to replace the windsheild and they installed the new one incorrectly - whistled and leaked water. Installed another windsheild and they broke the mirror off the side of the car (one man installation attempt). Another trip for new mirror - installed incorrectly whistled (LOUD) when going down the road. Had work done on the cruise and power window - every interior panel they touched they broke and did not repair. Final straw came when it started blowing blue smoke (odometer showed 119K - engine should have only had 90K). Early 4.6L V8s have a problem with the valve stem seals shrinking with age & use and allowing oil into the combustion chamber. Results in massive amounts of blue smoke after stopping at stop lights even though it is only burning a small amount of oil. Brought it to a shop, they pulled the engine serial number - turned out the dealer had installed a USED engine when it was replaced under warranty back in 1995. Instead of a new engine it was a used 1991 engine from a Town Car (guessed fron build date). This was checked because the mechanic was surprised an engine with only 90,000 miles was have the valve stem seal problem. Good chance the engine had 50K-60K when replaced and now had 150K - 160K miles on it. Sold it instead of paying the near $1000 repair bill to fix it.

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99 Taurus, 1992 F150, 1982 Marquis, 1979 Crown Vic.