As a '90s kid owning a 1989 LX (mine looks exactly like the one shown in the video), this definitely feels like an old great era that will NEVER come back these days. The Crown Victoria, civilian or police (or a taxi), was the LEGEND.
In 91 I was granted me grandparents 73 LTD, and then later I bought a 71. I drove cabs out of high school in 95 for a couple of years and I loved the LTD crown Vic. Drove smoother shifted better and way more comfortable than the caprice classic and whatever Chrysler was making. A diplomat maybe. There’s a reason in 2023 that you will still see a crown Vic cop car on the road. Maybe in a small town, small budget. But they’re getting work still out of these crown Vic’s!
I grew up in a Crown Vic. My father bought one brand new in 1989. 15 years later, he passed it down to my sister. During its lifespan, it has been on road trips from West Virginia to Vermont to Ohio.
Fun fact... an ABS car will take longer to stop than a non ABS car. You can steer the ABS car, but to be clear, IT WILL NOT stop faster than 4 locked tires.
@@kleetus92This isn’t true, just based on physics. The maximum coefficient of static friction between two surfaces is greater than the coefficient of kinetic friction, so tires that aren’t locked will be subject to a greater friction force that will slow the car down quicker.
@@benhasselbring1205 Nope. What you're not accounting for is the time it takes to initiate a slide, recognize it, release the brakes, recognize it, reapply the brakes again, .... wash rinse repeat. By the time the system does that, time and distance have passed. ABS's claim to fame is maintaining control to theoretically avoid an obstacle, not stopping faster.
Having owned both GM and Ford full-sizers from that era (and their freshened 1990s versions) the differences were consistent and clear: Fords were better made and had superior ride quality, few (if any) squeaks & rattles, better materials. The GM products were much better handlers, and when equipped with LT1 engines, way better performers, too. On the highway, my '95 Buick Roadmonster...pardon, Roadmaster, absolutely astounded me by regularly getting 27-30 mpg when driven with 75 mph cruise-controlled decorum. Not too shabby! And when desired, it could lay some nice long streaks of black rubber on the road. But those interior plastics -ugh! And squeaks and rattles galore. On the other hand, the various 1980s and 90s Lincoln Town Cars I've had were all well put together and had a sublime, buttery smooth and silent ride, but handled like a wet sack of rice on roller skates as well as being slow-ish with so-so fuel economy. Still, I miss 'em all!
@@nlpnttil the minivan replaced it in the mid 90s many families had full sized cars and wagons like this. Big wagons from 80s early 90s were popular in the Adirondack mountains of NY in the early 2000s when i was first driving. FWD minivans couldn't handle the conditions
In the early 2000s I had an 87 Grand Marquis that had been my grandparents' car. I have since had Town Cars, a Q45, 2 Cadillacs and 2 Mercedes S Classes -- NONE come close to the comfort of the Marquis.
@@sterlinsilver to me the front ends and the rear was better looking as far as the body they were same pretty much just different in the hoods and fenders and taillights..I had to 84s one 83 and a 85 model and also a 83 grand marquis in which the hood looks identical to the crown victoria and grand marquis from 88 to 91. I also had a 93 crown victoria lx that was a very good car.
@@sterlinsilver to me the front ends and the rear was better looking as far as the body they were same pretty much just different in the hoods and fenders and taillights..I had to 84s one 83 and a 85 model and also a 83 grand marquis in which the hood looks identical to the crown victoria and grand marquis from 88 to 91. I also had a 93 crown victoria lx that was a very good car.
2:11 The way it wobbled and rolled, yes. It *is* a tossable vehicle. My bud had a used one of these and it was funny when we drove on the fast lane, other cars would move to the right as we approached. That was back in the 90's. Memories.
Fleet Crown Vics had vinyl seats and firmer suspension, both good things if you're in back after a night of drinking (protip; call one of the guys with a yellow one to pick you up before the guys with black-and-white ones do).
I own an 88 Ford wagon and it's beautiful even with the faded paint and I love the way it drives. It isn't a sports car, it's more like the Millennium Falcon - if you know how to handle it, you can maneuver it with grace. It only has 80K miles and I'm debating selling it and getting a Sequoia, but I know I'll miss it and I'm thinking of giving it a lift and some mild offroad tires to make it more suited to my boondocking and camping lifestyle. These cars are super reliable - I had a previous wagon with 250K miles and running strong. I saw it again for sale years after I sold it and they had taken it through the Gambler 500 and apparently performed well. They had given it a very cheap lift and I test drove it, thinking about buying it again and it still drove great. The wagon bug bit me again a few years ago and I bought my current one and I am not sure I can part with it. They're getting very rare...
I owe my life to an 86 grand marquis. It was my college ride back in the day and after I graduated, I went on one last trip before joining the masses of drones in the machine. I hit a motorhome on my trip back home and ended up doing a 75 mph barrel roll though the center median of I 95 and coming to rest upside down. Wasn't a straight piece of sheet metal anywhere on that car, but when they rolled her back over, every door still opened and closed like nothing happened. Panther chassis was an excellent design. My car had those same blue velour seats that were amazingly comfortable. Loved that car. Put the police package springs and front rear sway bars on it with the larger 225/70 tire, and it would actually handle quite well for the nearly 2 ton tank she was.
Those who don't like or talk bad about big cars is bcuz they live in small countries in tight spaces.. They couldn't own anything bigger than a Honda.. 😆🤣
Because you can have a magic carpet ride without waterbed handling. I love these old boats, but they had a lot of bad habits that turned a whole generation of drivers away.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a comfortable car. I had one just like the car in the video. I loved it. I kind of feel bad for all the people who had to grow up in the age of boring plastic bubbles.
Frankly these were reliable and fantastic on gas outside of the city limits. Low 20s to upper 20s when 55mph was the highway limit. Not bad . Plus one of the nicest looking sedans at the time. Miles nicer than caprice
My Dad, Now in his 90s still owns his 1981 Mercury Marquis Brougham Coupe that He Bought Brand New & as always a Truck Guy got the Mercury for 1 Reason which is For Him & Mom to Go to their Favorite Steak & Seafood Restaurant every Friday. Mom is gone Now & Dad Rarely Drives his Merc. Its always been Garaged, Dealer Kept & Still in Remarkable Condition & as of 2024 has just over 47.000 Miles
@ralphabreu5022 I've never had any problems doing work on my 2010 Accord. As a matter of fact, I had a bitch of a time getting the valve covers off my 2000 Town Car because Ford decided to cram the master cylinder right up against the engine so that you had to remove it to take off the valve cover. It was 20 feet of car, but they couldn't be bothered to move the engine 6 inches forward. That's the kind of engineering these cars had. I loved my Lincoln, but my Accord is a better car in every way except character. The Lincoln had a lot of that.
This is my favourite american car. I drive two Yugo's. One 1989 GV for the US market, and one 1990 Koral 45 for yugoslavian market. Gratings from Serbia.
This was the 1980’s, cars were still choked down with emissions. Though the maximum speed limit was only 55 so that was more than enough for the time period. May not have lots of power, but the million dollar question is, what about torque? For every day driving, a lower horsepower engine but has lots of torque at it’s disposal is perfect for the average person.
@@warriormanmaxx8991 leftist are in their own world. They don’t seem to “get it” even when you explain in full detail, then they start blaming the world’s problems on people who are conservative, conservative as in to not let the government spend money like it’s going out of style and put us more in debt along with rolling regulations back that cause more problems than they solve.
It further staggers that the engine itself is a toned down version of the Mustang's. But once you do modifications to get rid of the parts that choked down the power (which is not hard), trust me, the car will become MUCH faster.
I remember back in those days if a car was marketed towards seniors they were typically more reliable. These cars mechanically were the same as the Town Car, however it seemed the Crown vics and Marquis were more reliable. The Caprice of the same era was never as comfortable or smooth as the Crown Vic. I had one relative who owned both at the same time and the Crown Vic was better.
I did not have a positive view of these because the one aunt who nobody in the family liked had one. Everyone else in the family who went big and traditional went GM although there was an Escort or two among the aunts and cousins. Shades of Lake Wobegon, we were Catholic but Aunt Sue joined a "nondenominational Christian" (read: conservative Evangelical) church.
MW was so arrogant. You can tell they have no real love for this car but I would rather have this brand new then a lot of cars from 1988. MW was always caught up in whatever was hot at the time. Like EVs today. It’s lib backed show.
"Dont ever EVER touch the little red button". "I dont wanna be called son or sport or anything like that cool"? " What you remember is you used to drive that old busted joint. Me i drive the new hotness. Old and busted new hotness".
I would love to have one of these old road-going pontoons. I had a 2000 TC that was quite a boat, but even that had stiffer springs and a watts link rear end.
I miss these big American sedans. My grandparents always had a Mercury Grand Marquis, while my other grandmother had a Chrysler Fifth Avenue.
That Mercury would have been on par with Mercedes models.
As a '90s kid owning a 1989 LX (mine looks exactly like the one shown in the video), this definitely feels like an old great era that will NEVER come back these days.
The Crown Victoria, civilian or police (or a taxi), was the LEGEND.
Agree
In 91 I was granted me grandparents 73 LTD, and then later I bought a 71. I drove cabs out of high school in 95 for a couple of years and I loved the LTD crown Vic. Drove smoother shifted better and way more comfortable than the caprice classic and whatever Chrysler was making. A diplomat maybe.
There’s a reason in 2023 that you will still see a crown Vic cop car on the road. Maybe in a small town, small budget. But they’re getting work still out of these crown Vic’s!
I bought an 89 3 years ago and I love it! Nothing like the ride quality and interior room on these old cars
That's right
I grew up in a Crown Vic. My father bought one brand new in 1989. 15 years later, he passed it down to my sister.
During its lifespan, it has been on road trips from West Virginia to Vermont to Ohio.
I do love my '84 Crown Vic Coupe. It just feels so good to drive.
2 door Coupes are rare, even back then. Great potential hot rod with a 351.
@@rjl9707I prefer a 460ci BBF.. Why go big, when you can go bigger?? Lol.. ;)
My first car was a 91 LTD Crown Vic. I loved that car.
I love these old LTD Crown Victorias.
My mom and dad owned a LDT Crown Vic, It was a beautiful and awesome car. We had many great vacations in ours.
I love Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, wagons is my favorites cars
Impressive braking for no ABS. Decent distance, straight, & almost zero lockup.
Fun fact... an ABS car will take longer to stop than a non ABS car. You can steer the ABS car, but to be clear, IT WILL NOT stop faster than 4 locked tires.
@kleetus92 How? Once you lock up you're just sliding.
@@kleetus92This isn’t true, just based on physics. The maximum coefficient of static friction between two surfaces is greater than the coefficient of kinetic friction, so tires that aren’t locked will be subject to a greater friction force that will slow the car down quicker.
@@benhasselbring1205 Nope. What you're not accounting for is the time it takes to initiate a slide, recognize it, release the brakes, recognize it, reapply the brakes again, .... wash rinse repeat. By the time the system does that, time and distance have passed.
ABS's claim to fame is maintaining control to theoretically avoid an obstacle, not stopping faster.
@@benhasselbring1205
Now back to real physics of braking and force. ABS cannot stop a vehicle in the same time as a 4 locked wheels.
They should still make these! They are just sooo reliable and smooth!
On my 2nd Crown Victoria; first was a 1990, currently have a 2004. Great car that’s reliable and comfortable.
I had a 88 marquis, and I miss it. I love the cool look of these old box cars. I'd buy another one if I could find one.
Very beautiful Ford Crown Victoria LTD, best full size of Ford.
i think this was a radical refresh - looks so fresh - sleek modern front - no more boxy grill and hood - all rounded out
Having owned both GM and Ford full-sizers from that era (and their freshened 1990s versions) the differences were consistent and clear: Fords were better made and had superior ride quality, few (if any) squeaks & rattles, better materials. The GM products were much better handlers, and when equipped with LT1 engines, way better performers, too. On the highway, my '95 Buick Roadmonster...pardon, Roadmaster, absolutely astounded me by regularly getting 27-30 mpg when driven with 75 mph cruise-controlled decorum. Not too shabby! And when desired, it could lay some nice long streaks of black rubber on the road. But those interior plastics -ugh! And squeaks and rattles galore. On the other hand, the various 1980s and 90s Lincoln Town Cars I've had were all well put together and had a sublime, buttery smooth and silent ride, but handled like a wet sack of rice on roller skates as well as being slow-ish with so-so fuel economy. Still, I miss 'em all!
Henry Ford II was the one who kept this body style going.
That and fleet buyers.
@@nlpnttil the minivan replaced it in the mid 90s many families had full sized cars and wagons like this. Big wagons from 80s early 90s were popular in the Adirondack mountains of NY in the early 2000s when i was first driving. FWD minivans couldn't handle the conditions
@@workingcountry1776Nope, it continued until 2011, that's when the last Crown Vic rolled off the assembly line.. I own an 09 P71..
@@P71ScrewHeadReplaced it in the sense that buyers preferred minivans over land yachts. Not the actual production year.
@@exxusdrugstore300 Sure, but in actuality big cars kept selling for a long time..
I miss that start up sound. Just like my 88 Town Car.
In the early 2000s I had an 87 Grand Marquis that had been my grandparents' car. I have since had Town Cars, a Q45, 2 Cadillacs and 2 Mercedes S Classes -- NONE come close to the comfort of the Marquis.
I like the older ones 87 and back.
Agreed. The boxier look was better looking in my eyes. I do like the side body mouldings on the 88+ ones
@@sterlinsilver to me the front ends and the rear was better looking as far as the body they were same pretty much just different in the hoods and fenders and taillights..I had to 84s one 83 and a 85 model and also a 83 grand marquis in which the hood looks identical to the crown victoria and grand marquis from 88 to 91. I also had a 93 crown victoria lx that was a very good car.
@@sterlinsilver to me the front ends and the rear was better looking as far as the body they were same pretty much just different in the hoods and fenders and taillights..I had to 84s one 83 and a 85 model and also a 83 grand marquis in which the hood looks identical to the crown victoria and grand marquis from 88 to 91. I also had a 93 crown victoria lx that was a very good car.
Real American car
there are not many left that's a shame because this is one of the real american cars.still beautiful.
2:11 The way it wobbled and rolled, yes. It *is* a tossable vehicle. My bud had a used one of these and it was funny when we drove on the fast lane, other cars would move to the right as we approached. That was back in the 90's. Memories.
I miss our family's 1988 Grand Marquis, that smooth velvety ride...
Handling was actually better than the Chevy Caprice of the same generation
Crown Vics are the JAM!!!! 👍👍👍👍👌👌👌👌😎😎😎😎🤘🤘🤘🤘😍😍😍😍
I always thought this was a beautiful, classy, all-American ride…. I’d love to own one today
Fleet Crown Vics had vinyl seats and firmer suspension, both good things if you're in back after a night of drinking (protip; call one of the guys with a yellow one to pick you up before the guys with black-and-white ones do).
@nlpnt = re: "protip" = what would we all do without your "protip" concern joke ?!? ehhh?
Needs the "AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE" badge on the fender
I own an 88 Ford wagon and it's beautiful even with the faded paint and I love the way it drives. It isn't a sports car, it's more like the Millennium Falcon - if you know how to handle it, you can maneuver it with grace. It only has 80K miles and I'm debating selling it and getting a Sequoia, but I know I'll miss it and I'm thinking of giving it a lift and some mild offroad tires to make it more suited to my boondocking and camping lifestyle. These cars are super reliable - I had a previous wagon with 250K miles and running strong. I saw it again for sale years after I sold it and they had taken it through the Gambler 500 and apparently performed well. They had given it a very cheap lift and I test drove it, thinking about buying it again and it still drove great. The wagon bug bit me again a few years ago and I bought my current one and I am not sure I can part with it. They're getting very rare...
Makes me think of Andy Griffith who drove one and the next Crown Vic after this in Matlock.
I owe my life to an 86 grand marquis. It was my college ride back in the day and after I graduated, I went on one last trip before joining the masses of drones in the machine.
I hit a motorhome on my trip back home and ended up doing a 75 mph barrel roll though the center median of I 95 and coming to rest upside down. Wasn't a straight piece of sheet metal anywhere on that car, but when they rolled her back over, every door still opened and closed like nothing happened. Panther chassis was an excellent design.
My car had those same blue velour seats that were amazingly comfortable. Loved that car. Put the police package springs and front rear sway bars on it with the larger 225/70 tire, and it would actually handle quite well for the nearly 2 ton tank she was.
These condescending reviews of big American sedans always get to me. What's wrong with a comfortable car?
Those who don't like or talk bad about big cars is bcuz they live in small countries in tight spaces.. They couldn't own anything bigger than a Honda.. 😆🤣
Because you can have a magic carpet ride without waterbed handling. I love these old boats, but they had a lot of bad habits that turned a whole generation of drivers away.
Absolutely nothing wrong with it at all. I love them in fact! If I could afford one, I would love to own one
@@mds2465 You can afford one.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a comfortable car. I had one just like the car in the video. I loved it. I kind of feel bad for all the people who had to grow up in the age of boring plastic bubbles.
Love and.miss these legendary luxury sedans...hate the SUV , refuse to buy one
Panther platform was only 9 years old at that point.
There were a bunch of these on the Taxi Cab fleets in New Orleans, and with the NOPD alongside the Chevy Impala/Caprice
Frankly these were reliable and fantastic on gas outside of the city limits. Low 20s to upper 20s when 55mph was the highway limit. Not bad . Plus one of the nicest looking sedans at the time. Miles nicer than caprice
Not anymore
Personally, the refreshed front and rear look fantastic and formal on this sweet Crown Victoria. Every bit as classy as a Town Car.
Wow, I love this car! alif
They're using it in the Gulf right now!
If Ford built an early 80s Oldsmobile Delta 88 it would look just like this
I agree,I always thought of an 80s Delta rwd when I first saw the back end of an 88 Crown Victoria.
Unpopular opinion, the box crown vic looks a bit better than a box chevy....
My Dad, Now in his 90s still owns his 1981 Mercury Marquis Brougham Coupe that He Bought Brand New & as always a Truck Guy got the Mercury for 1 Reason which is For Him & Mom to Go to their Favorite Steak & Seafood Restaurant every Friday. Mom is gone Now & Dad Rarely Drives his Merc. Its always been Garaged, Dealer Kept & Still in Remarkable Condition & as of 2024 has just over 47.000 Miles
Such a beautiful car !
These automotive companies need to start building these again.
Not the modern plastic fantastic car's.
These were mostly plastic too, just plastichrome lol.
@@exxusdrugstore300
But it's a real car
That you can service
Not like modern plastic fantastic car's that service and parts cost thousands.
@ralphabreu5022 I've never had any problems doing work on my 2010 Accord. As a matter of fact, I had a bitch of a time getting the valve covers off my 2000 Town Car because Ford decided to cram the master cylinder right up against the engine so that you had to remove it to take off the valve cover. It was 20 feet of car, but they couldn't be bothered to move the engine 6 inches forward. That's the kind of engineering these cars had. I loved my Lincoln, but my Accord is a better car in every way except character. The Lincoln had a lot of that.
lol at that intro, like he really did not want to review it
The P72 police model could be optioned with a 351
@firefightingvet9181 - what would we's all do without you knowing about police model engines ?!?
2 couches and a V8 ! Had an 86 wish I'd kept it...
I had an '86 as well. I miss that car. I didn't have a clue how bad the auto industry was to become
This is my favourite american car. I drive two Yugo's. One 1989 GV for the US market, and one 1990 Koral 45 for yugoslavian market. Gratings from Serbia.
have an 85 and it wont die
Awesome thanks
I GREW UP IN 1 OF THESE CARS AS A TEENAGER
There are none of these left on the roads anymore. They disappeared overnight compared to the Caprice
Hey @milfordcivic6755 - do you tend to "exaggerate" much in daily life, too?!? ehhh?
No, they're out there. Just rarely.
These Panthers were possibly the best cars ever mass produced.
Nice 🥰
The engine was very reliable on the crown Victoria, but the transmission was kind of weak.
How can that be fixed?
That is true. I have an '89, and the motor is indeed strong, but the stock trans had no real power without modifications.
@@LITTLE1994 how do you modify the transmission?
@@ubiased23 I don't know, right now.
@@ubiased23 Get it fully rebuilt at a Transmission shop. With maybe a Stage 1 upgrade
It just staggers me that a 5.0 litre V8 engine only made 150 hp... 🤷♂️
This was the 1980’s, cars were still choked down with emissions. Though the maximum speed limit was only 55 so that was more than enough for the time period. May not have lots of power, but the million dollar question is, what about torque? For every day driving, a lower horsepower engine but has lots of torque at it’s disposal is perfect for the average person.
@LeftisBest001 - 1. are you still "staggering"?!? 2. if so, get rid of the "leftist" mentality !!
@@warriormanmaxx8991 leftist are in their own world. They don’t seem to “get it” even when you explain in full detail, then they start blaming the world’s problems on people who are conservative, conservative as in to not let the government spend money like it’s going out of style and put us more in debt along with rolling regulations back that cause more problems than they solve.
It further staggers that the engine itself is a toned down version of the Mustang's. But once you do modifications to get rid of the parts that choked down the power (which is not hard), trust me, the car will become MUCH faster.
They managed to get something good to say about this car,but I'm sure they would prefer one of those foreign jobs.
We need to bring back the large square sedans. They far classier than today’s vehicles. Maybe it could come back as an EV?
Need ford crown victoria 1995 please
Not just built for “older customers “.
I remember back in those days if a car was marketed towards seniors they were typically more reliable. These cars mechanically were the same as the Town Car, however it seemed the Crown vics and Marquis were more reliable. The Caprice of the same era was never as comfortable or smooth as the Crown Vic. I had one relative who owned both at the same time and the Crown Vic was better.
Making drivers sweat when seeing one in the rearview mirror for many years..
MPG?
Why the need to know MPG?!? did you do any research, or is asking questions easier??
Canadian.
150 hp
It's considered a cheap thrill to stand on the gas pedal on the way up a highway entrance ramp and hope for the best.
Compared to Taurus, the LTD looks like a car frok late 60s
Taurus is like passat when compare to LTD
Although the Vic debuted in 1979
@@LITTLE1994 Exactly. And was around in the 1950s Fairline Crown Victoria
*from (do you proof-read before replying??)
I did not have a positive view of these because the one aunt who nobody in the family liked had one. Everyone else in the family who went big and traditional went GM although there was an Escort or two among the aunts and cousins. Shades of Lake Wobegon, we were Catholic but Aunt Sue joined a "nondenominational Christian" (read: conservative Evangelical) church.
@nlpnt - do you have any OTHER family information, that no one asked for ?!? ehhh?
MW was so arrogant. You can tell they have no real love for this car but I would rather have this brand new then a lot of cars from 1988. MW was always caught up in whatever was hot at the time. Like EVs today. It’s lib backed show.
Exactly! While I was in elementary school throughout the 1990s and i liked these vehicles!
This was not a review. It is what is known as " hit piece".
gata gatey
I disagree, these cars are monsters and can be thrown around pretty easily
Not a boat. 78 ltd brougham is a boat.
"Unlimited technology from the whole universe, & we cruise 'round in a Ford POS."
"Dont ever EVER touch the little red button". "I dont wanna be called son or sport or anything like that cool"? " What you remember is you used to drive that old busted joint. Me i drive the new hotness. Old and busted new hotness".
Crap
I would love to have one of these old road-going pontoons. I had a 2000 TC that was quite a boat, but even that had stiffer springs and a watts link rear end.