Ford Crown Victoria regulated to fleet sales

[NickF1011]

I don't want to start an argument, but park a CV and a GM side-by-side, and look.

 

The exterior panels are all different, except maybe the door-skins. Fenders, hood, trunk, C-pillar assembly/roof, front clip and rear clip are all different.

 

See, that's the thing that bugs me the most about Ford's lack of brand differentiation. They go through the trouble of stamping different parts for different models but they don't bother to make them actually LOOK any different. If the GM and CV share so few exterior parts, there's no excuse for them to look as similar to one another as they do, same for the CD3's and D3's.

[Bob Rosadini]

Or more likely, force them into Chrysler's LX cars or GM's Zetas.

Nick- Right on- Wishful thinking if some marketing idiot thinks its a slamdunk that the RWD buyer will automatically defect to a "Taurus". They just don't get it. New Autoweek comes out yesterday. What's on the cover?- new V-12 RWD Caddy. While I'm not suggesting that a V-12 Caddy will be a hot seller I would ask- who is doing better- Caddy? or Lincoln? Next question- Who has the bias toward RWD? Tell you something?

 

And Joe "76", You are correct. Build a GM but not a CV- on the same line- only difference- the CV has a bigger dealer network! Absolute idiots.

 

I have a 07 CV with the sport pkg. Black on black. I put a set of Hella Fogs in the front fascia as well as a pair of Flowmaster 40's- nothing outrageous but there is no doubt its a V-8. The car is an unbelievable bargain in this day and age. Is it old? I guess so. Is it comfortable when you do a 500 trip in one day? Absolutely. do I feel safe in it? You bet. Can it get out of its own way -4.6 2V and all- for sure! Is it bullet proof? -yep one of my kids is driving my old one at almost 220,000.

 

500 bucks worth of tweaks and a little clever advertising and sales would double. 25 grand, 22 mpg, safety and plenty of room. Young kid got in it to move it the other day- fired it up, Flowmasters barked, and the kid said- "Oh- I can see myself driving this"!

 

Oh yah- one other bit of news in this weeks Autoweek- Hyundai is working on a V-8 RWD sedan- what a unique idea!

 

They have to be blind idiots!

[mtl1977]

I mean, some harp on the Escape having rear drum brakes

 

 

Only on the non-hybrids for 08+. The 05-07MY 4x4 V-6s had rear discs (maybe it also required the towing package).

 

I bought a 1999 three year old used GM when I was 24, sweet car - decent power, great handling, fun RWD with the long wheelbase. It sucked up camping gear way better than my 2005 Escape. Dynomax Ultraflo muffler gained some ballsy sound and 3 mpg. Hopefully they finally put a piece of lower body trim behind the rear doors!!! :angry: Looks like the trim piece fell off - but they actually never had one.

 

I started watching that cheesy '24' show. Funny how the Feds all seem to drive Grandma Quis'. The local cops have Crown Vics.

Edited March 23, 2007 by mtl1977

[silvrsvt]

I see my title and subtitled changed

 

Anyways...how many sales of the CV where to Retail customers? I bet it was lower then even what the 500 sold at.

[96 Pony]

 

And once again, in keeping with Ford's long tradition of abandoning a nameplate instead of improving it, Crown Vic takes Taurus' place as the ultimate fleet queen.

 

Oh well - I am sure they are dancing over at Buick, Chevy and Chrysler at this news.

[Deanh]

 

And once again, in keeping with Ford's long tradition of abandoning a nameplate instead of improving it, Crown Vic takes Taurus' place as the ultimate fleet queen.

 

Oh well - I am sure they are dancing over at Buick, Chevy and Chrysler at this news.

CV has pretty much always been that way.....we sold maybe 2 a YEAR...usually to retiree's that are replacing their older CV.

[BORG]

Why do the old folk always drive the cars that are the hardest to maneuver in a parking lot. I can't tell you how many times I've seen one of these hideous beasts in handicap parking spots smashed against the sign post .

[ZanatWork]

 

And once again, in keeping with Ford's long tradition of abandoning a nameplate instead of improving it, Crown Vic takes Taurus' place as the ultimate fleet queen.

 

Oh well - I am sure they are dancing over at Buick, Chevy and Chrysler at this news.

 

 

Let's be honest...it already had that title. It was selling to fleets for years before the first Taurus rolled out.

[Deanh]

Why do the old folk always drive the cars that are the hardest to maneuver in a parking lot. I can't tell you how many times I've seen one of these hideous beasts in handicap parking spots smashed against the sign post .

nothing to do with the car....eyesight and lack of depth perception.....and its a Crown Victoria...not a Catarac.........LOL!

[NickF1011]

nothing to do with the car....eyesight and lack of depth perception.....and its a Crown Victoria...not a Catarac.........LOL!

 

Catarac? Aren't they coming out with a V12?

[Deanh]

Catarac? Aren't they coming out with a V12?

enables one to hit Handicapped signs faster...

[MTU 5.0]

Of, if they're going through the trouble of reworking anything, they definitely won't back track. I mean, some harp on the Escape having rear drum brakes, but, aside from that, I believe that there will be some improvements in the platform for the 09. Nothing drastic, mind you, but, there none the less. What is more likely is that the improvements will carry over to the CV (and cvpi) and GM. So, the differentiation for the TC will likely be available options, sound deadening, and maybe a custom wheelbase. I doubt that there will be more than one engine offered. And, I firmly believe that the engine will be the 4.6L 3v sas it will be needed to raise fleet mpg figures. The F-150 is dropping the 4.6L 2v ( it may exist for a short time as a base engine offering) AFAIK, meaning that the last user of that engine will be the panthers. I can't see that supporting its own engine line. They can't backtrack on power, and we know they'd never do the work to shove a 5.4L in there. Nor would they do the work to shove a hurricane in there. Its got to be the 3V 4.6L. I think that will be a nice middleground between the Charger Hemi and 3.5L. HP will be smack in the middle as will torque. Mpg should be as good as or better than the 3.5L, with performance figures coming closer to the HEMI.

 

The 4.6L 2V and 3V are both assembled on the same high volume line at Romeo. Reducing (but not entirely eliminating) the 4.6L 2V volume shouldn't be a problem.

Edited March 23, 2007 by MTU 5.0

[sranger]

Why do the old folk always drive the cars that are the hardest to maneuver in a parking lot. I can't tell you how many times I've seen one of these hideous beasts in handicap parking spots smashed against the sign post .

 

Well, when you are 100lb over weight, it is easier to get in and out of a big sedan.... Old farts seemto feel safer in a big old land boat...

[wescoent]

No huge loss here... I can't imagine many sales were retail to begin with.

 

I'm hopeful this move is designed to make room for the Interceptor...

[96 Pony]

Let's be honest...it already had that title. It was selling to fleets for years before the first Taurus rolled out.

 

True. My point is that with Chrysler having the 300 and GM coming out with the G8 that instead of throwing up their hands and making it fleet only, that Ford should have instead restyled/re-engineered the Crown Vic/Marquis into a competitor in the retail market.

 

Now if the plan is to bring the Interceptor to market IN THE NEAR FUTURE (and call it Thunderbird) then I guess this strategy would make sense.

 

As for why the geriatrics like them a lot of people feel more secure in a big 'ole car with a V8. Leftover mentality I guess from the 50's and 60's.

Edited March 23, 2007 by 96 Pony

[Topgun]

I don't see from the news release where they are saying they are fleet only. However, go to any Ford dealer - none of them stock a Crown Vic even if you wanted to buy one, and with the difference in rebates, a Grand Marquis is a better buy.

 

If we assume they are going fleet, will the bring back the LSE for the Grand Marquis?

 

I'm hoping to get one more Grand Marquis, sometime around 2012 - it would probably be the last gasoline powered automobile I'd own, as I figure by 2022 hybirds, plug ins, or something else will be available.

 

But hey, if the Grand Marquis is still around in 2022, I'd buy another one then too.

Taxman you better order a Grand Marquis in 08 model year cause there won't be any in 09. Built some 08 Crown Vics and Grand Marquis this week, looked at all the build sheets that were emailed to me from vehicle scheduling all Crown Vics were police or taxi units with there varios options.

[matthewq4b]

I don't want to start an argument, but park a CV and a GM side-by-side, and look.

 

The exterior panels are all different, except maybe the door-skins. Fenders, hood, trunk, C-pillar assembly/roof, front clip and rear clip are all different.

 

 

Uh Ed your thinking of the 97 and earilier CV models. In 98 The CV was moved to the GM Body.

At that point they had different front fenders and rear filler panels. In 2003 the GM's front fenders were dropped and it got the CV ones along with the rear filler panel. From 2003 on there is not one body panel that is different between the two.

 

If you do not belive me check a Hollander interchange manual .

 

Matthew

[Traveler]

The cars are easy to park. Like already said, its the driver. I can parallel my truck if I want to. Just a few days ago, there was a woman in her 50s driving one of those Toyota Echos (tiny little car) and she could not parallel park that car for nothing and she had plenty of room. She drove over the curb 2-3 times before she got it right. They handle really good in a parking lot, although they are a long car. The one thing about the Panthers that can be a bit disconcerting is viewing the rear of the cars because you can not see the long decklid of these cars. Its kind of a guess. Now, for the 2005 model year that is actually helped somewhat by the rear mast radio antenna.

 

As for why people continue to buy them...they do feel safe and they are very tight, quiet cruisers. One of the things I love about the car is driving position and the view from the windshield. I like a long hood.

[Edstock]

Yes, of course.

[taxman100]

Ford must be in worse shape than thought if they cannot even maintain control of a market niche where they are the only real player. Obviously Ford has spent more money on designing floormats on the new Focus than they have spent on the Crown Vic in the last decade.

 

I cannot buy a Chrysler, but in 2009 the Impala is supposed to be coming out, so we'll see how it goes.

[630land]

Well, I drove through Sun City AZ, and guess what? Only Panthers I saw were cop cars or Lincoln TC's. The CV/Grand Marqs are fading away. Lots of Avalons and Buick FWD cars.

 

So, there are really no true retail buyers anymore for Crown Vics. The Town Car still has a soft spot for retirees, but because its a luxury car, not RWD/BOF. If your buying your 'last new car' you don't get a plain CV.

 

Anyway, do the math, the sales numbers are not there, some thinkg "Lots of LX cars will suddenly sell'. To who? Some are so fanatical they think the government should force everyone to buy Panthers.

[630land]

"Ford must be in worse shape than thought if they cannot even maintain control of a market niche where they are the only real player. "

 

As if anyone who's not a fanatic about 'old style cars' cares? The world is moving on, and Ford will too.

[taxman100]

It's a self-fulfilling prophecy - if you ignore a product long enough, people will stop buying it. Why buy a 2007 Grand Marquis when it is basically the same as a 1992 Grand Marquis? I bought a newer Grand Marquis only because the old one was wearing out, not because the new one was better in any material way (Well, I did want a CD player and more storage in the front seats, so I went with an LSE).

 

I can easily get 150,000 miles out of each one, driving 15,000 miles a year, and I already know what will break on them - front end work around 100,000 miles, and maybe one minor electrical glitch between 50,000 and 150,000 miles.

 

If anything, the 2007's are worse than the 2002 I own - the feature deletes and cost cutting are evident everywhere. I'd make a list, but a non-locking gas door on a $30,000 car?

 

All I'm saying is based upon market share and sales, Ford might be moving on, but their customers who bought the Panther are not staying with Ford - they are moving on to other manufacturers.

 

I'll still buy another Panther, but I'll have to buy used low mileage ones. Maybe in 40 years I'll own both my 67 Ford and my 08 Mercury, and I can tell my grandkids about the Ford Motor Company, before the Communist Chinese bought them.

Edited March 24, 2007 by taxman100

[Len_A]

Do you mean we're supposed to think that they will continue to sell GM's retail but NOT CV's? That doesn't make sense. Of course none of this makes sense! Oh wait! We're talking about Ford execs here, so no wonder IT MAKES NO SENSE!

That is precisely what has been going on since spring or summer of 2005. Crown Vics have been in extremely short retail supply since the introduction of the D3's, and only the Mercury dealers were getting an unfettered supply of Grand Marquis's. If you have a hard time believing that, all you have to do is go to www.fordvehicles.com, and then start checking dealer inventories around the country, and then do the same with www.mercuryvehicles.com. I did that a month ago, spent about an hour and half checking major metro markets, like Detroit, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Denver, etc,a nd Crown Vics were few and far between, and Grand Marquis's were plentiful.

[armadamaster]

Sad, sad day indeed. Ford is the only car company I know of that trys NOT to sell something. They pretty much condemned it in sequence with the Five Hundread release anyway. They have something like a $1K rebate on CVs versus a $5K rebate on GMQs. Good luck finding one in stock at a Ford dealership, you'd think they were selling like hotcakes and they can't keep them in stock. Plenty of dusty Five Hundreads though. My wife's uncle went shopping for a 2007 CV and got shoved into a Fusion and told CVs were no longer made.

 

Abandoning the GMQ and TC is the equivalent to Toyota canning the Camry or Honda abandoning the Accord. I can't imagine why they no longer are selling in droves, no advertising, minimal updates, annual decontenting, not stocked, standing orders for sales staff to shove buyers into anything else, makes sense to me, let's use the same sales tactics for the F-150, hey? Fools.