Talk me out of the Ford Panther platform (NA, obviously)

bnt83 said:
Did that have an open differential or some breed of limited slip? I would think limited slip would be worse than the open diff + traction control.
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I really can't remember what diff it had. It did not have traction control. It was optional, probably more common on the Grand Marquis.
bnt83 said:
All good points and was a concern of mine as well. My winter experience has been positive, all I have ever driven here is front wheel drive sedans till I bought these. My short 10-mile commute is mostly flat and mostly strait roads. If I can get out of parking lots I can get across town.
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You grew up on a farm running all kinds of equipment of different types plus have driven rear wheel drive pickups. Very different than a 16 year old city kid that hasn't ran anything except a bicycle a decade ago.
bnt83 said:
If I had a hospital job such as ER dr, ER nurse or lived in areas with hilly terrain driving weird hours of the day through lots of snowstorms I'd get something else for winter.
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bnt83 said:
I wasn't stuck in these pictures but it seemed close. (again non-studded snow tires on all 4). The owners manual for these tells you to use 2nd gear if 1st is making wheels spin too easy. The traction control just about eliminates rear end fishtail/spinout.

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Crown Vic definitely is not easily stopped by snow, but, at the end of the day is a RWD drive car. Only a matter of time till it gets exciting on a 16 year old up north, best to do that with Dad in the other seat in a parking lot.

I do love the cars and would happily buy another should the opportunity (and need for it) present itself. It really brought back memories of doing ride alongs with my step-dad when I was a teenager (he was a deputy).
 
Do some poking around on the insurance. You may find a 2010+ with better safety aids offsets the acquisition cost. Plus, will last longer for the next few. If you go RWD, get the snow tires. They will reduce the sliding around but any car with enough ponies can break free. Really depends how far you think will drive…college visits…but I’d recommend the 4 cylinders over something bigger. My kiddo got into driving to MI and was at 30k per year post-high school.
 
So this followed me home this evening:

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'06 Grand Marquis with 117k, only driven to church on Sunday by a little old lady. I wanted P71, but they all seemed to be rusty and/or beat up. This one isn't perfect (grandma apparently ran over a bush with it before her kids took her keys), but it's pretty straight and there isn't a spec of rust.

In other news, my wife picked up our oldest at the high school today (in the van pictured) and got backed into by a kid. Sigh.
 
Jim K said:
So this followed me home this evening:

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'06 Grand Marquis with 117k, only driven to church on Sunday by a little old lady. I wanted P71, but they all seemed to be rusty and/or beat up. This one isn't perfect (grandma apparently ran over a bush with it before her kids took her keys), but it's pretty straight and there isn't a spec of rust.

In other news, my wife picked up our oldest at the high school today (in the van pictured) and got backed into by a kid. Sigh.
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um, not a good start with the teen(?) looking at the phone rather than the car.

if you know what I mean...
 
Blend door or heater core. Procedure is basically identical on the 97-03 F-series trucks. Something like 50+ screws/bolts in order to gain access.
 
Jim K said:
:yeahthat:

actually wasn't as bad as it looks. 13 screws and 4 trim panels. Took about an hour to take apart and the same back together. It's all a matter of finding the right youtube video :biggrin:
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SoonerAviator said:
Blend door or heater core. Procedure is basically identical on the 97-03 F-series trucks. Something like 50+ screws/bolts in order to gain access.
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Yup. Had to replace the heater core, so I changed the blend door while I had it open on my 98‘ F150
 
We gave our daughter our old Smart Car (2009) that was in very good shape to take to college. She actually cried, she did not want to be seen in it.

About six weeks later I get a call out of the blue thanking me for making her take it. Turns out she is about the only freshman that can park on campus, (she can use spaces that others can’t) and didn’t have to walk a mile or more from the outlying parking lots.

cheap to buy, incredibly cheap to own, and inexpensive insurance. GREAT kid car, they can’t get in too much trouble with it.
 
Jim K said:
IYKYK
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I took that whole heater box out due to the plastic hinge being broke on the vacuum powered "mode select" door.

Put a new Ford blend door actuator on it while in there.

I removed everything with one hand and a hook but my dad helped me get the dash mounted back into the car. I probably could have gotten it myself but it went a lot smoother with three hands and a hook.

thumbnail_IMG_1354.jpg
 
I drove the 2005 home yesterday, 504 miles nonstop from Parker CO to Lincoln NE averaged 28.6 MPG, the last 200 miles were pretty windy and it was turning into a small headwind the closer I got to home. The low fuel light was on for 17 miles and I put on 17.8 gallon on at my stop, Pretty sure it only holds 19 gallons so maybe another 25 miles till empty.

It won't make the same trip west non-stop it always burns over 19 gallons going that direction. Right on the edge of max range at 75-80 MPH.

There were at least a dozen cars, that passed me 4 times or more on the trip west, like they were stopping every hour, that would really make a long day.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Blend door or heater core. Procedure is basically identical on the 97-03 F-series trucks. Something like 50+ screws/bolts in order to gain access.
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Does the "cut a hole from the glovebox" trick not work on the Panthers? My dad just did this to his beater F150 and said it was 45 minutes to get at that pesky door.

That is some serious surgery in that photo. :oops:
 
I was going to cast a vote for any of the GM full size 3.8 V6 cars. Very reliable, good on gas, FWD for safer handling and better inclement weather traction, budget priced, and new enough to be safe. But seems you have already made a decision. Should be a good car and hope she likes it.
 
schmookeeg said:
Does the "cut a hole from the glovebox" trick not work on the Panthers? My dad just did this to his beater F150 and said it was 45 minutes to get at that pesky door.

That is some serious surgery in that photo. :oops:
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Nope. The heater core is pretty far over and the top of the plastic box it sits in has about a dozen bolts holding it down. You even have to disconnect the radio antenna mount because there isn't enough slack the pull the dash out for access. Ford learned their lesson on it and redesigned the dash into a 3-piece unit for the 04+ trucks. To be honest, the part I disliked the most was having to remove/install the passenger side airbag, lol. You also have to drop the steering column down in the F-series. I did my repair in the driveway of one of my college houses in an afternoon using a forum write-up.
 
My Marauder is still pretty cool...

milan.jpg

Maintenance is no biggie, except for the special Marauder parts. Keep all drag racing to the dragstrip, though...
 
TCABM said:
Is that Little River?
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Milan Dragway in Milan, Michigan.

Taken during Marauderville 3 in 2005, when we drove 50+ Marauders in a line up Woodward Avenue. Man, that was fun!

I won three plaques for best 60 foot for a non-power added car, best R/T and best 1/8 mile. Not fast, but quick!
 
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IK04 said:
My Marauder is still pretty cool...

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Maintenance is no biggie, except for the special Marauder parts. Keep all drag racing to the dragstrip, though...
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Someone in Tulsa has a supercharged Marauder w/40K miles on the clock for around $30K. Crazy price (although I think they were roughly $30K when new), but I'm sure they are getting into the rare-collectibles territory these days.
 
Jim K said:
My oldest kid will be taking driver's ed this year. I always figured I'd buy a project car and have her help fix it, but life is way too busy right now and she has zero interest in cars. We rented a Malibu in Texas, and she thought that was great. That or a Tesla she says :rolleyes:

Anyway I'm shopping for something that she can drive to school & work, and hopefully will last through the next couple kids. I've set an arbitrary budget of $5000, as I don't want a 16yo destroying something nice. I really wanted to get a manual, but I'm not doing a clutch job on a FWD, which pretty much leaves Rangers (possibility) and Mustangs (usually rough and/or 25 years old) . At least four seats would be nice so she can haul her siblings around for us.

I'm seeing lots of Focuses, which would be fine. The occasional Corolla or Civic. But I'm also seeing lots of Town Cars, Grand Marquis, and Crown Vics. It just seems like so much more car for the money. I've ridden in panther platform taxis with well over 300k miles. I'm not sure even a teenager could destroy one, especially if I get a crown vic with the pushbar still on it.

I'm sorely tempted to go that route. I know the fuel mileage will be worse, and it'll be harder for her to park, and she'll be the one hauling all her friends around in her giant car.... but I think one of these things might make it through all 5 kids (if one doesn't wreck it). If they do wreck it, i can't think of anything in this price range I'd rather they be in. My wife says it'll be embarrassing for her, but I see that as a feature... motivation to save her money and buy her own car.
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Having just walked this path for my sixteen year old daughter I'll share just remember I don't pass this on as gospel. Just the best SWAG for me and the wife unit.

We looked at bigger and cheaper cars with the idea of it being the first car for all the kids. What I found was they really were not that much cheaper. The liability of my kids hitting other cars in a parking lot driving the big sedan is very real. Smaller is better sometimes. Also the newer compact cars all have the airbags for every seat, crumple zones and abs some of the larger/older family sedans missed. The larger interior was not a benefit, I don't want my 16 year old squirrel driving with passengers for a while...

We ended up with a 2010 mazda 3. New enough for all of the safety features and last through college, old enough to not have a touch screen distraction built into the dash and still affordable. Small enough to discourage lots of passengers and reduce parking lot risk. Just seemed to be the best overall choice.

Good luck.
 
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