Started out my driving career Tony in a brand new 1984 LTD Country Squire station wagon my parents bought when i was in high school. It was tan/beige and wrapped in wood baby! Got my first speeding ticket in it! I think those wood panels made it more aero friendly.........not! It had the 302 in it. My father was always into the v-eights. 👍Had a pretty good senior prom in that station wagon.🤫🤣Have a good one brother!
I remember going with my mom to purchase a new Thunderbird in 1986. The LTD was a considered purchase but my mom was a Thuderbird "girl." I was very impressed by the LTD, though....the car was far better than I ever believed a "gussied up Fairmont" could possibly be. What really stood out to me was the evident care with which it was assembled and the materials used. The doors closed with a very solid feel, the interior was downright luxurious, in particular the choice of materials and the precision with which the car was built. The Taurus, as groundbreaking as it was, didn't feel as premium as the LTD.
That gen LTD (as well as both Fairmont and Granada) was capable handler because of smart engineeering. Ford used a lot of European Granada mk2 components when developing Fox platform.
I drove these as Taxis with the 3.8 TBI they did get great Mileage 20 City 25 HWY and Handled a lot better than the Caprices, in 91 we went to the Bubble Caprices which were Hideous. My 1985 LTD II was a well made excellent Taxi.
Nice cars for their time. An evolution of the Fairmont. The LTD and Fairmont were both sold side by side for 1983. Ford did a good job with making the car more firm in ride and handling. The one I remember driving seemed like the seats were low in it like other Fords of the 1970s and 1980s. The cars were proven technology for Ford and were a safe bet with Ford. They were also economical to develop with Ford's and other US makers shaky finances in the early 1980s. A forgotten car but they could share a lot with the Mustang both being Fox body cars. I wish the 1980 and 1981 Granada did better in terms of sales, Great video! Thanks!
Great show 😊 ! I certainly liked the LTD/Marquis over the Taurus/Sable and wished Ford would produce the LTD longer before replacing it with the Taurus .
I remember back in early '84 reading about the LX & how it came about (Bob Bondurant) & wanted one then. Of course, being only 19 at the time - that wasn't going to happen. I had a good friend that worked at a Ford dealer when these first started to come in - we took one for a ride & I was really impressed! Fast forward to '06? I'm older, divorced & have more "disposable income" about a year earlier I had bought a "Hot Rod" Capri & being into the Fox chassis in general, was perusing the Four Eyed Pride website sales... and came across an '85 LX for sale really close by & not too much $$ either!! I went to look & drive & then made arrangements to return the next day. I bought it & took it to a friend's so he could detail it. The next weekend I was driving my Capri from Chicago area down to Indy for a big Ford show & snapped the crank. After getting the Capri towed home, I went & picked up my LX & drove it down to the show in Indy - through multiple rainstorms & wind. Got to Indy, spent about an hour at a car wash & then drove it into the show. Ended up placing 2nd in "Full Size" Ford!! I ended up doing things to it that could easily be changed back; 15" black "mesh" wheels, true dual exhaust, but the best was - converting it to stick shift!! I put my T5Z 5 speed from my Capri into it, as well as the 8.8 3:73 geared rear axle. Also hung all of my "South Side Machine" suspension parts on it!! I still ran with the CFI - believe it or not, I never had a problem with it!! I had that car until '17 or '18 when my S.O. talked me into selling it... 20 min. after it left on a trailer I was beside myself with remorse. 6mon. later - we're out in the garage & she asks about a fresh motor all wrapped up on an engine stand... it was meant for the LX. I will get another LX - That is for sure!! I still have the Capri - my boys & I are going to completely rebuild it into what I want. Great video!! & yes, I'm subscribed.
I am a Ford fan. I am 63 years old. During my married life. I have had. 76 Granada, 81 Granada, 81 Ford F100 Pickup 2005 Taurus Sel and a 2017 Escape Titanium AWD 2.0 turbo Eco-Boost. I can say the Granada 6 cylinders held there own. Racked up alot of miles on them Ford's. I rented a 85 LTD LX 5.0 during a Summer vacation. It was a runner! Really enjoyed it roomy and a big trunk. Handled fairly nice. Black in color. Shawn.
We had one when I was a kid. As far as I know, we had no issues with it. We lived in the sticks and would burn a hole in the desert driving to Palmdale and back. A/C worked great.
These were great cars! My mom had an 84, & several years later while in college I bought a used 85, both with the v6. They were quick enough for the time, handled far better than you'd expect, and were pretty comfortable on long drives. Re the handling, I remember a lot of body roll but it was very communicative, you could feel everything the suspension was doing so you knew when you were getting to its limits. They were well built too, neither Mom nor I ever had serious problems with them. I can't say that I'd search to the ends of the earth to find another, but if I came across one available in decent condition I'd seriously consider it.
I remember these. They weren't bad cars. They weren't as fancy as the Crown Vic but were more luxurious than the Fairmont. I think they were aimed at people that weren't in the market for a luxury car but wanted a little more than basic transportation.
I had a 1985 LTD LX for seven years. I built it to be a total sleeper. A friend of mine initially found it in an empty lot in LA in 2009. Up until that time, it sat since 2003. During that time, someone stole the antenna and cut the fuel lines near the tank. Someone might have attempted to steal it. My buddy told me about it and I ended up buying it for $1250. I got it towed home and brought her back to life. I had to replace just about everything to make it safe for the road again. Then in 2011, I decided to drop on a drivetrain from a 93 SVT cobra sans the manual. That meant that I converted it over to sequential fuel injection, put in GT40 heads, crane roller rockers, a trickflow stage 1 camshaft, a ported 1998 explorer upper and lower intake manifold, JBA headers and a hollowed out X-pipe that I got from somewhere. I retained the AOD but I learned the "AOD shuffle". Where you start off on first, floor it and get past 30mph, shifted to drive then immediately slam back down to first. That way you can stay in 2nd gear. Otherwise, the transmission shifted at 4,000rpm. Lame when your engine now can rev past 6,000rpm. I ended up building damn near the perfect sleeper. I surprised bimmers, benzes and I took it to around 120 one Christmas night. I ended up selling it to a friends stepson and now, it's hanging out somewhere in the California central valley last time I checked. I would want the car back, but I have a 1989 Lincoln Town Car that I haven't had the chance to put back together so unfortunately, that's out of the question
In Australia we had the LTD it was unique to Australia and was very luxurious similar to Lincoln.Some versions had a two-door based on the XA/B/C Falcon with a 290 horsepower 351. Thanks for the video.👍
I had three of them I had the Ltd and also a mercury marquis and I had one with the 302 but my favorite is the full size Ltd crown victoria. Love the video
My parents bought an ‘86 wagon with the fake wood trim and the 3.8 v6. They chose it over the new Taurus at the time because of the more classic styling and I believe there were incentives and rebates. I got my license in that car and several tickets. Lots of good memories. How cool would a nice example be today with a Coyote swap? 😎
I wouldn't turn down an LX version today or maybe even a Squire. The LX was a very early content oriented response to what Europe (more realistically Japan) was serving up - along with the Dodge 600 ES, the 6000 STE, Celebrity Eurosport, etc. and thus significant for that alone. The Squire of course was a look back at 1978 and the Fairmont which, people forget, was 'revolutionary' at the time. Around this time my Dad had bought a small firm from the last of the family that founded it. Part of the deal was to keep the founder's son (by now an old man) around for X years, slowly tapering off. He was to get one more car out of the firm and wanted a Mercury. My guess is he thought he would get the Grand Marquis. No. Instead he was offered and took one of these - a Marquis, though it was the Brougham trim. I remember thinking it was kind of a nice car, but it would have been a little more appropriate if we'd have sprung for the full size.
Nice to see a video on this car. I love small tire street car versions of these Fords. These midsize Fords didn't get much attention in the police market vs the early 80s Malibu and the Chrysler M-Body. Midsize sedans were no longer much of a demand in the police market by the mid 80s due to all the downsizing that had already taken place.
When I drove cab in North Seattle years ago, the cab company used these in their fleet, along with other Fairmont-based cars. Sometimes when one got wrecked, they would put a cheaper Fairmont front clip on it. It made for an awkward looking car, but it still did its purpose. Also, my great-uncle had one of these he bought new in 1983, which my folks inherited after he passed away in 1985. One time when I visited them, they let me use the car to visit friends and other family around New England. That was in 1995, they got rid of it a few years after that.
Brings back memories. These were solid vehicles. I believe all of the ones I worked on were either 3.8 or 5.0. I might have seen a 3.3. But i can’t remember ever seeing the 2.3 4 cyl. I didn’t even know they offered it in this car. I thought it went away with the Granada in this series of car. Thanks for the refresher
In the 1980’s, our extended family was pretty much Ford. My wife and sister in law both had 83 mustangs, we had a Fairmont for my father in law, etc. Later on, after he quit driving, we were given the grandfather's 85 Marquis Brougham. It had the Essux V6 and was the last Ford we'd own for a long time. We took it in for a recall and were told that it had “drivability issues” However, Ford couldn't help us. At 19,000 miles, the engine needed a rebuild. Which we did. I won't mention the torque converter failure, HVAC failure, the intake manifold and many other things. By 22,000 miles we'd sold it. The new owner got just another 5k before the rebuilt engine threw a rod. Maybe some were good- ours was horrible. It would be 2017 before we would try Ford again, for a great C-Max. That one was perfect! I wish Ford had done better
@TonysFordsandMustangs the worst part was we had had problems pretty much throughout the eighties. My wife had an eighty three mustang, with the Essex which was doa at 22000 due to overheating issues. It burned up the transmission which Ford was willing to pay half of the repairs. But the dealer couldn't fix the overheating. Then an 86 Mustang that faded to the primer in two years, but Ford was unwilling to do anything bc it was a lease. Then our 88 Sable went through two transmissions! So, yes, we didn't get the Quality is job 1 feeling! That said, there is a 1978 Thunderbird Diamond Jubilee in our garage these days. Awesome videos. Thanks for the time to making these
I owned a 1884 Mercury Marquis. The best car I ever owned. I put 270,000 miles on it before buying a Taurus. The Marquis was still running. I donated it to the Good Will because the heater core started leaking. The Marquis out lasted every car on by block. It sat out side in the driveway as my wife’s car stayed in the garage. The paint held up. The upholstery was in great shape. I replaced the head liner around 200,000 miles. They don’t make cars like that any more.
A 2 door LTD is called a Mustang! This is a Fox body vehicle. My first car was an 86 V6 wagon. It was really a great size for a wagon. I have dreams of building one with a newer Mustang v-6 and a 5 hub brake conversion.
I bought an '83 Marquis in '87 and it was a decent car. Mine had the 3.8L V6 but almost no options. It was pretty basic, but that's one of the reasons I bought it. It was a solid, dependable car. In '93 when I started law school, a guy from out west showed up with an '84 LX. Having owned an '83 Mustang GT for a while, I was impressed. These cars didn't age well, and they looked dated even then, especially when compared to the Taurus. Great car though.
At the time we didn't know where cars were headed. This LTD sold well but was obviously a Fairmont riff. Yet it has aged quite well. The pre-Taurus! So, the LTD 83-86 no longer seems a disappointment compared to what came before 60s and early 70s. Ford now is lost, offering relatively unstyled SUV/trucks. The Mustang being old news in spite of its refresh. But they're good vehicles. Mostly
Hi Tony, you sure had some different cars there in the states. In NZ where i am, and in Oz LPG was and still is to a lesser extent a popular, cheap and reliable alternative fuel. My daily driver is a 2006 Ford Falcon with the dedicated LPG 6cyl Barra motor ( green top) a lot of these cars were sold to the taxi fleet, my one included. With petrol here being around $3.00 a litre for our 95 ( your 91), LPG is half the price at around $1.50. Its a great car to drive with plenty of power for long trips. Cheap to run.
Thanks for sharing. You cars are very different. I am looking into them but 85% of my audience is based in the states so the viewer demand is limited. LPG never caught on here in the states which is odd as we have plenty of here in the U.S. It is used for home heating, forklifts, and space heaters and that's about it.
I remember my mom's second new car was one of of these, she traded in her beloved Granada, it seems it had a v/6 maybe 3.8, after the LTD she went on to a Taraus
Her last car was a 2017 Fusion, the ones I liked best was probably the 59 Ford Fairlane that finally got a family of five out of the front seat of a 63 Chevy pickup and the 68 galaxy fast back with a 390 which I thought was the coolest cars we ever owned, I remember being so pissed when the old man traded it in for a 72 LTD wagon.
These cars were everywhere when I was a kid, some was police cars but mostly Mopar in my city back then. I'd think the 5.0 LX was Ford's first performance sedan followed by the SHO
I always thought these were nice looking in general and the LX was great-looking with the edition-specific features. I always felt these were the four-door spiritual successors to the Fairmont ESS. I am reminded of monochromatic interiors. It seems like Ford was determined to make everything inside the same color… as did GM. When you got a burgundy red interior, YOU GOT A BURGUNDY RED INTERIOR.
It was a re-christened Ford Fairmont. It served as a bridge until the first gen Taurus and Sable were ready. when they came out with strong 🎉 fanfare in the fall of 1985 sales of the LTD plummeted and was immediately on a fast track to discontinuation.
I had one, a 1984 Station-Wagon with the 3.8L. Was not the best car I had for sure. I wish they'de had the 5L in their Station wagons variant, because the 3.8L was too limit for it's size and head gasket man, these were blowing away like no other cars I had in the past. After the second blown head gasket at 100k miles, I got rid of this car.
My buddy had a mid 80s ltd that he called...the crush buggy...he was a ford mechanic and bought it dirt cheap after being hit in the side. Nice car though. I did beat him with my 89 cutlass... V6 5 speed. It was close though!
@@kennethanway7979 I owned a company and owned a fleet of E250's. We were the only building in a rural industrial park for the better part of four years with mile long straight streets. measured off an 1/8 mile and matched 6 cylinder automatic vans with 200K plus miles against each other. It made for fun Friday grudge races. :)
I drove propane fueled vehicles professionally for 9 years and it is a very viable fuel option. It costs slightly less than gas and performances is identical and it satisfies the so-called green agenda. Ford was way ahead of their time on the propane powered LTD.
I wasn't just Ford there was real push for LP gas in the early 80's. The U.S. had plenty of that resource but it just never caught on with the public and the infrastructure was never put in place to provide fueling stations.
@TonysFordsandMustangs Yeah, if you don't put the infrastructure in place, it won't catch on. The same reason wider adoption of vehicles like hydrogen or CNG haven't taken off. EV's were once in the same category, but with the advent of hybrids and better charging options, the perception is changing.
@@thebionicbassplayer back then the gas companies suddenly found a way to make gas much cheaper whenever another viable option popped up. That happened time and time again.
The second gen Granada, the Fairmont, and the LTD were all Foxbody cars, and therefore GARBAGE. These cars had no real chassis at all. They flexed like a wet noodle. I've never seen one that didn't have a mangled undercarriage from jacking and lifting, as there were no jack/lift points under the car, except the front lower control arms and rear axle. I have owned 6 1993-2007 Crown Vics and Grand Marquis. Wonderful cars. Big, comfortable, V8 engine, body on frame construction, built more like a truck than a car. I currently have two, a 2006 with 381,000 miles, and a 2007 with 36,000 miles, both Grand Marquis.
Im probably the outlier here but i liked the styling of these smaller LTDs, and the square Granada of 81 and 82.
To each their own. I was never a fan of the square bodied cars but they were quite popular in the late 70's and early 80's. Thanks for watching!
Around 2000 a guy offered to give me a running 1984 LTD LX 5.0 but I had 9 vehicles, all needing work (OCD) and I turned it down, yes I regret that.
They are hard to find today for sure.
Started out my driving career Tony in a brand new 1984 LTD Country Squire station wagon my parents bought when i was in high school. It was tan/beige and wrapped in wood baby! Got my first speeding ticket in it! I think those wood panels made it more aero friendly.........not! It had the 302 in it. My father was always into the v-eights. 👍Had a pretty good senior prom in that station wagon.🤫🤣Have a good one brother!
Then you definitely remember these cars! Thanks for sharing!
I remember going with my mom to purchase a new Thunderbird in 1986. The LTD was a considered purchase but my mom was a Thuderbird "girl." I was very impressed by the LTD, though....the car was far better than I ever believed a "gussied up Fairmont" could possibly be. What really stood out to me was the evident care with which it was assembled and the materials used. The doors closed with a very solid feel, the interior was downright luxurious, in particular the choice of materials and the precision with which the car was built. The Taurus, as groundbreaking as it was, didn't feel as premium as the LTD.
The 86 T-Bird with the new 5.0 EFI was the one to get, that Motor is smooth as silk !
We had the Mercury version of this.A nice car.
That gen LTD (as well as both Fairmont and Granada) was capable handler because of smart engineeering. Ford used a lot of European Granada mk2 components when developing Fox platform.
I drove these as Taxis with the 3.8 TBI they did get great Mileage 20 City 25 HWY and Handled a lot better than the Caprices, in 91 we went to the Bubble Caprices which were Hideous. My 1985 LTD II was a well made excellent Taxi.
Thanks for sharing!
Growing up my neighbors had one of these mini sized LTD’s and it was a bright lime green color 👍
Nice cars for their time. An evolution of the Fairmont. The LTD and Fairmont were both sold side by side for 1983. Ford did a good job with making the car more firm in ride and handling. The one I remember driving seemed like the seats were low in it like other Fords of the 1970s and 1980s. The cars were proven technology for Ford and were a safe bet with Ford. They were also economical to develop with Ford's and other US makers shaky finances in the early 1980s. A forgotten car but they could share a lot with the Mustang both being Fox body cars. I wish the 1980 and 1981 Granada did better in terms of sales, Great video! Thanks!
I agree you did feel like you were sitting lower in these cars. Thanks for the kind words and for watching!
Great show 😊 ! I certainly liked the LTD/Marquis over the Taurus/Sable and wished Ford would produce the LTD longer before replacing it with the Taurus .
I remember back in early '84 reading about the LX & how it came about (Bob Bondurant) & wanted one then. Of course, being only 19 at the time - that wasn't going to happen. I had a good friend that worked at a Ford dealer when these first started to come in - we took one for a ride & I was really impressed! Fast forward to '06? I'm older, divorced & have more "disposable income" about a year earlier I had bought a "Hot Rod" Capri & being into the Fox chassis in general, was perusing the Four Eyed Pride website sales... and came across an '85 LX for sale really close by & not too much $$ either!! I went to look & drive & then made arrangements to return the next day. I bought it & took it to a friend's so he could detail it.
The next weekend I was driving my Capri from Chicago area down to Indy for a big Ford show & snapped the crank. After getting the Capri towed home, I went & picked up my LX & drove it down to the show in Indy - through multiple rainstorms & wind. Got to Indy, spent about an hour at a car wash & then drove it into the show. Ended up placing 2nd in "Full Size" Ford!!
I ended up doing things to it that could easily be changed back; 15" black "mesh" wheels, true dual exhaust, but the best was - converting it to stick shift!! I put my T5Z 5 speed from my Capri into it, as well as the 8.8 3:73 geared rear axle. Also hung all of my "South Side Machine" suspension parts on it!! I still ran with the CFI - believe it or not, I never had a problem with it!! I had that car until '17 or '18 when my S.O. talked me into selling it... 20 min. after it left on a trailer I was beside myself with remorse. 6mon. later - we're out in the garage & she asks about a fresh motor all wrapped up on an engine stand... it was meant for the LX.
I will get another LX - That is for sure!! I still have the Capri - my boys & I are going to completely rebuild it into what I want.
Great video!! & yes, I'm subscribed.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the LX. I'm glad you enjoyed the video and appreciate your support.
I am a Ford fan. I am 63 years old. During my married life. I have had. 76 Granada, 81 Granada, 81 Ford F100 Pickup 2005 Taurus Sel and a 2017 Escape Titanium AWD 2.0 turbo Eco-Boost. I can say the Granada 6 cylinders held there own. Racked up alot of miles on them Ford's. I rented a 85 LTD LX 5.0 during a Summer vacation. It was a runner! Really enjoyed it roomy and a big trunk. Handled fairly nice. Black in color. Shawn.
Thanks for sharing Shawn!
These cars always felt very light to me, I don't know what it was. Just watched the Motor week-retro review of these, great to watch.
I never had one of these but I did want one.
I use to own an 83 LTD with the straight 6, loved it and it is one of the cars I miss the most. Seeing this video brings back memories
Thank you for watching!
My family had the Mercury version of this car, a 1984 Marquis Brougham. Nice car.
We had one when I was a kid. As far as I know, we had no issues with it. We lived in the sticks and would burn a hole in the desert driving to Palmdale and back. A/C worked great.
These were great cars! My mom had an 84, & several years later while in college I bought a used 85, both with the v6. They were quick enough for the time, handled far better than you'd expect, and were pretty comfortable on long drives. Re the handling, I remember a lot of body roll but it was very communicative, you could feel everything the suspension was doing so you knew when you were getting to its limits. They were well built too, neither Mom nor I ever had serious problems with them. I can't say that I'd search to the ends of the earth to find another, but if I came across one available in decent condition I'd seriously consider it.
My grandmother had one of these cars. I remember that when I was a kid. I have had 2 of them also
Pretty cool cars. Especially the LX.
I remember these. They weren't bad cars. They weren't as fancy as the Crown Vic but were more luxurious than the Fairmont. I think they were aimed at people that weren't in the market for a luxury car but wanted a little more than basic transportation.
I had a 1985 LTD LX for seven years. I built it to be a total sleeper. A friend of mine initially found it in an empty lot in LA in 2009. Up until that time, it sat since 2003. During that time, someone stole the antenna and cut the fuel lines near the tank. Someone might have attempted to steal it. My buddy told me about it and I ended up buying it for $1250. I got it towed home and brought her back to life. I had to replace just about everything to make it safe for the road again. Then in 2011, I decided to drop on a drivetrain from a 93 SVT cobra sans the manual. That meant that I converted it over to sequential fuel injection, put in GT40 heads, crane roller rockers, a trickflow stage 1 camshaft, a ported 1998 explorer upper and lower intake manifold, JBA headers and a hollowed out X-pipe that I got from somewhere. I retained the AOD but I learned the "AOD shuffle". Where you start off on first, floor it and get past 30mph, shifted to drive then immediately slam back down to first. That way you can stay in 2nd gear. Otherwise, the transmission shifted at 4,000rpm. Lame when your engine now can rev past 6,000rpm. I ended up building damn near the perfect sleeper. I surprised bimmers, benzes and I took it to around 120 one Christmas night. I ended up selling it to a friends stepson and now, it's hanging out somewhere in the California central valley last time I checked. I would want the car back, but I have a 1989 Lincoln Town Car that I haven't had the chance to put back together so unfortunately, that's out of the question
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I had two of the LTDs and one Marquis. all 3.8 V6s. Was a nice car.
In Australia we had the LTD it was unique to Australia and was very luxurious similar to Lincoln.Some versions had a two-door based on the XA/B/C Falcon with a 290 horsepower 351. Thanks for the video.👍
Thanks for watching and sharing!
My Late Dad, traded in a rather lemony 1982 Buick Skyhawk for a brand new 1985 LTD sedan. He put 162k miles on it in 5 years. (Work car).
There's some who claim these Fox cars were called "LTD II", but that was the Torino replacement for 1977-79.
I had three of them I had the Ltd and also a mercury marquis and I had one with the 302 but my favorite is the full size Ltd crown victoria. Love the video
Thank you very much!
My parents bought an ‘86 wagon with the fake wood trim and the 3.8 v6. They chose it over the new Taurus at the time because of the more classic styling and I believe there were incentives and rebates. I got my license in that car and several tickets. Lots of good memories.
How cool would a nice example be today with a Coyote swap? 😎
Thanks for watching. That swap would be interesting for sure!
I wouldn't turn down an LX version today or maybe even a Squire. The LX was a very early content oriented response to what Europe (more realistically Japan) was serving up - along with the Dodge 600 ES, the 6000 STE, Celebrity Eurosport, etc. and thus significant for that alone. The Squire of course was a look back at 1978 and the Fairmont which, people forget, was 'revolutionary' at the time. Around this time my Dad had bought a small firm from the last of the family that founded it. Part of the deal was to keep the founder's son (by now an old man) around for X years, slowly tapering off. He was to get one more car out of the firm and wanted a Mercury. My guess is he thought he would get the Grand Marquis. No. Instead he was offered and took one of these - a Marquis, though it was the Brougham trim. I remember thinking it was kind of a nice car, but it would have been a little more appropriate if we'd have sprung for the full size.
I have an 84 mercury marquis l feel it's a right sized car 3.8 V/6 plenty of power
Nice to hear there's a few still on the road.
Thank you for this video,
Thanks for watching!
Nice to see a video on this car. I love small tire street car versions of these Fords.
These midsize Fords didn't get much attention in the police market vs the early 80s Malibu and the Chrysler M-Body. Midsize sedans were no longer much of a demand in the police market by the mid 80s due to all the downsizing that had already taken place.
Thank you for watching!
When I drove cab in North Seattle years ago, the cab company used these in their fleet, along with other Fairmont-based cars. Sometimes when one got wrecked, they would put a cheaper Fairmont front clip on it. It made for an awkward looking car, but it still did its purpose. Also, my great-uncle had one of these he bought new in 1983, which my folks inherited after he passed away in 1985. One time when I visited them, they let me use the car to visit friends and other family around New England. That was in 1995, they got rid of it a few years after that.
Good history thanks
Thanks for watching!
Brings back memories. These were solid vehicles. I believe all of the ones I worked on were either 3.8 or 5.0. I might have seen a 3.3. But i can’t remember ever seeing the 2.3 4 cyl. I didn’t even know they offered it in this car. I thought it went away with the Granada in this series of car. Thanks for the refresher
Great video. i’m glad to see your channel is healthy and doing exceptionally well. more success is coming your way!
Thank you sir!
In the 1980’s, our extended family was pretty much Ford. My wife and sister in law both had 83 mustangs, we had a Fairmont for my father in law, etc.
Later on, after he quit driving, we were given the grandfather's 85 Marquis Brougham. It had the Essux V6 and was the last Ford we'd own for a long time.
We took it in for a recall and were told that it had “drivability issues”
However, Ford couldn't help us.
At 19,000 miles, the engine needed a rebuild. Which we did. I won't mention the torque converter failure, HVAC failure, the intake manifold and many other things.
By 22,000 miles we'd sold it. The new owner got just another 5k before the rebuilt engine threw a rod. Maybe some were good- ours was horrible. It would be 2017 before we would try Ford again, for a great C-Max. That one was perfect!
I wish Ford had done better
Sounds like you got a bad one. Maybe not the best service work at your dealer?
@ terrible!
We also had an 89 Tracer that the trans went out in two years. They couldn't fix it
@@Mr6384 There are good and bad dealerships out there as well. Sorry about your luck.
@TonysFordsandMustangs the worst part was we had had problems pretty much throughout the eighties. My wife had an eighty three mustang, with the Essex which was doa at 22000 due to overheating issues. It burned up the transmission which Ford was willing to pay half of the repairs. But the dealer couldn't fix the overheating.
Then an 86 Mustang that faded to the primer in two years, but Ford was unwilling to do anything bc it was a lease. Then our 88 Sable went through two transmissions!
So, yes, we didn't get the Quality is job 1 feeling!
That said, there is a 1978 Thunderbird Diamond Jubilee in our garage these days.
Awesome videos. Thanks for the time to making these
I owned a 1884 Mercury Marquis. The best car I ever owned. I put 270,000 miles on it before buying a Taurus. The Marquis was still running. I donated it to the Good Will because the heater core started leaking. The Marquis out lasted every car on by block. It sat out side in the driveway as my wife’s car stayed in the garage. The paint held up. The upholstery was in great shape. I replaced the head liner around 200,000 miles. They don’t make cars like that any more.
Awesome thanks for sharing!
A 2 door LTD is called a Mustang! This is a Fox body vehicle. My first car was an 86 V6 wagon. It was really a great size for a wagon. I have dreams of building one with a newer Mustang v-6 and a 5 hub brake conversion.
I bought an '83 Marquis in '87 and it was a decent car. Mine had the 3.8L V6 but almost no options. It was pretty basic, but that's one of the reasons I bought it. It was a solid, dependable car. In '93 when I started law school, a guy from out west showed up with an '84 LX. Having owned an '83 Mustang GT for a while, I was impressed. These cars didn't age well, and they looked dated even then, especially when compared to the Taurus. Great car though.
At the time we didn't know where cars were headed. This LTD sold well but was obviously a Fairmont riff. Yet it has aged quite well. The pre-Taurus!
So, the LTD 83-86 no longer seems a disappointment compared to what came before 60s and early 70s. Ford now is lost, offering relatively unstyled SUV/trucks. The Mustang being old news in spite of its refresh. But they're good vehicles. Mostly
Ours was a 1985 LTD Crown Vic with 302 V8. This is in Canada. Real nice car, decent mpg. It was traded for a Taurus, which is still on the road.
Hi Tony, you sure had some different cars there in the states. In NZ where i am, and in Oz LPG was and still is to a lesser extent a popular, cheap and reliable alternative fuel. My daily driver is a 2006 Ford Falcon with the dedicated LPG 6cyl Barra motor ( green top) a lot of these cars were sold to the taxi fleet, my one included. With petrol here being around $3.00 a litre for our 95 ( your 91), LPG is half the price at around $1.50. Its a great car to drive with plenty of power for long trips. Cheap to run.
Thanks for sharing. You cars are very different. I am looking into them but 85% of my audience is based in the states so the viewer demand is limited. LPG never caught on here in the states which is odd as we have plenty of here in the U.S. It is used for home heating, forklifts, and space heaters and that's about it.
My dad rented on of these for a while in 84
LTD=Limited, limited to how many they could sell, lol. All my mom would drive back in the day.
This was my Driver's Ed car in 1985.
I remember my mom's second new car was one of of these, she traded in her beloved Granada, it seems it had a v/6 maybe 3.8, after the LTD she went on to a Taraus
Mom had good taste! Thanks for watching!
Her last car was a 2017 Fusion, the ones I liked best was probably the 59 Ford Fairlane that finally got a family of five out of the front seat of a 63 Chevy pickup and the 68 galaxy fast back with a 390 which I thought was the coolest cars we ever owned, I remember being so pissed when the old man traded it in for a 72 LTD wagon.
Had new 1984 Marquis. Same as Ltd. Not a bad car. Traded in 1988 Ford Taurus LX.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I remember those cars.
There's a few that do! Thank you for watching!
These cars were everywhere when I was a kid, some was police cars but mostly Mopar in my city back then. I'd think the 5.0 LX was Ford's first performance sedan followed by the SHO
I always thought these were nice looking in general and the LX was great-looking with the edition-specific features. I always felt these were the four-door spiritual successors to the Fairmont ESS.
I am reminded of monochromatic interiors. It seems like Ford was determined to make everything inside the same color… as did GM. When you got a burgundy red interior, YOU GOT A BURGUNDY RED INTERIOR.
I bought an 1986 LTD wagon in 1996 after my divorce. I loved that car.
It was a re-christened Ford Fairmont. It served as a bridge until the first gen Taurus and Sable were ready. when they came out with strong 🎉 fanfare in the fall of 1985 sales of the LTD plummeted and was immediately on a fast track to discontinuation.
Pretty sure that's the story in the video. Thanks for watching.
I would love to have one of these in my collection. But it would not be stock
That would be awesome!
How about the evolution of the Foxbody?
I had one, a 1984 Station-Wagon with the 3.8L. Was not the best car I had for sure. I wish they'de had the 5L in their Station wagons variant, because the 3.8L was too limit for it's size and head gasket man, these were blowing away like no other cars I had in the past. After the second blown head gasket at 100k miles, I got rid of this car.
My buddy had a mid 80s ltd that he called...the crush buggy...he was a ford mechanic and bought it dirt cheap after being hit in the side. Nice car though. I did beat him with my 89 cutlass... V6 5 speed. It was close though!
Races like that can be exciting because they are so close for such a long period of time :). Thanks for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Hahahaha!...tis true!
@@kennethanway7979 I owned a company and owned a fleet of E250's. We were the only building in a rural industrial park for the better part of four years with mile long straight streets. measured off an 1/8 mile and matched 6 cylinder automatic vans with 200K plus miles against each other. It made for fun Friday grudge races. :)
It's a car patrol to TJ Hooker tv show with William shatner, Adrián Zmed, Heather Locklear and James Darren wear this Ford LTD sedan LAPD police car
Could we have gone into the future WITHOUT gas shocks. And I could only imagine how quickly they lost charge back in the day 😂
40mpg highway? I doubt that!
A 4- door Mustang
Torque on an engine is measured in pound/feet NOT foot/pounds. There is a difference. Look it up...
Thanks I'll note that moving forward.
I drove propane fueled vehicles professionally for 9 years and it is a very viable fuel option. It costs slightly less than gas and performances is identical and it satisfies the so-called green agenda. Ford was way ahead of their time on the propane powered LTD.
I wasn't just Ford there was real push for LP gas in the early 80's. The U.S. had plenty of that resource but it just never caught on with the public and the infrastructure was never put in place to provide fueling stations.
@TonysFordsandMustangs Yeah, if you don't put the infrastructure in place, it won't catch on. The same reason wider adoption of vehicles like hydrogen or CNG haven't taken off. EV's were once in the same category, but with the advent of hybrids and better charging options, the perception is changing.
@@thebionicbassplayer back then the gas companies suddenly found a way to make gas much cheaper whenever another viable option popped up. That happened time and time again.
🥝✔️
These cars were forgettable
The second gen Granada, the Fairmont, and the LTD were all Foxbody cars, and therefore GARBAGE. These cars had no real chassis at all. They flexed like a wet noodle. I've never seen one that didn't have a mangled undercarriage from jacking and lifting, as there were no jack/lift points under the car, except the front lower control arms and rear axle. I have owned 6 1993-2007 Crown Vics and Grand Marquis. Wonderful cars. Big, comfortable, V8 engine, body on frame construction, built more like a truck than a car. I currently have two, a 2006 with 381,000 miles, and a 2007 with 36,000 miles, both Grand Marquis.
Taurus was way ways better. 1986 was the year of the future and first year millennial.
I agree and uploaded a Taurus video this morning.
@TonysFordsandMustangs yes for sure! I'm also an 1986 model myself haha
The only good Ford back them was the crown Vic, v8 t bird and big trucks
The small Ltd was a real junk
I hated these from the unimaginative name to the unreliable 3.8 to the horrid seats and ugly styling