Cash for Clunkers starring the Panthers

[96stang4.6]

To be blunt, I don't believe you. Not when the EPA has the 2000 Crown Victoria at 23 MPG highway. And I assume that you won't drive exclusively on the highway (no one drives 100% highway), which means that the mileage is actually substantially worse than that. (The six 2000 Crown Victoria drivers who actually enter their mileage estimates with the EPA average out to the EPA estimate.)

 

2000 Crown Victoria EPA Numbers

did you read the part on the Epa window sticker that states the low highwayand high highway for instance it will say "ACTUAL MILAGE WILL VARY WIT THESE OPTIONS,DRIVING CONDITIONS, DRIVING HABITS, AND VEHICLES'S CONDITION. REPORTS REPORTED TO EPA INDICATE THAT MAJORITY OF VEHICLES WITH THESE ESTIMATES WILL ACHEVIE BETWEEN 16 AND 19 MPG CITY AND BETWEEN 20 AND 26 MPG HIGHWAY"

[nelsonlu]

did you read the part on the Epa window sticker that states the low highwayand high highway for instance it will say "ACTUAL MILAGE WILL VARY WIT THESE OPTIONS,DRIVING CONDITIONS, DRIVING HABITS, AND VEHICLES'S CONDITION. REPORTS REPORTED TO EPA INDICATE THAT MAJORITY OF VEHICLES WITH THESE ESTIMATES WILL ACHEVIE BETWEEN 16 AND 19 MPG CITY AND BETWEEN 20 AND 26 MPG HIGHWAY"

 

As I said, I don't doubt that 24-26 is doable. I find the 27-29 claim to be doubtful, and the claim of 30 to be virtually impossible, particularly given the claims about how it is driven. As you noted above, actual mileage varies with the driving conditions and driving habits, and given the reported conditions and habits, I don't believe it.

[96stang4.6]

but some times cruise control will save you gas so it may give you a boost over what the EPA says..... As for targeting panthers it is probally because after the caprice was ended and there is not many of them so really crown vics were the only replacement that was avalible with a V8 and a four door but with out the panthers the cops would be sitting ducks with their V6 taurus or V6 impalas or malibus look at what they were used as and how many were made they have panthers as cop cars, Taxis, every day daily drives, executive cars or hearses but if ford desides to keep the panther it needs some major redesigning since the crown vics had have the same look since 1998.

Edited July 29, 2009 by 96stang4.6

[WC-MAN]

the EPA numbers are easy to beat on the highway. I get about 24-25 in mixed driving. In optimal conditions, cruise set on the highway flat roads, I can get as much as 29. I find higher than that doubtful unless you are going downhill. EPA numbers are based on mixed driving, and generally, regardless of the vehicle, seem to involve dragging an anchor.

 

Its the EPA numbers that count though. But the Panther is hardly the darling of CFK. You have to show a 10 mpg gain in a car to get $4,500, again using EPA numbers. That means your car has to have a mixed driving rating of OVER 28 mpg*. In other words, you basically have to be looking at a hybrid, or trading a big car for a compact, which few people actually do (a new 4 cylinder Milan won't make the cut for example). We just took advantage of CFK to replace my wife's Bravada with a Jeep Patriot (Chrysler is where I got the CFK acronym from BTW, and we needed the added 3500 they were offering). I asked, the guy had not taken in ANY panthers. Of the few cars he had seen come in, most were very old Camrys and Accords. But far and away we were in the meat and potatoes of the program. He said at least 5 out of every 6 vehicles they took in were very old, very used SUV's traded for one of the small Jeeps or the Caliber or Avenger. You only need to beat the EPA numbers by 5 mpg if you are buying a truck or SUV.

 

Even though, the program is almost pointless without a deal like Chrysler's. 4,500 sounds like a lot, but small cars are often available for 1/2 price by the time they are 2 years old and only have 24K n them.

 

* I used EPA for a 1999 Grand Marquis for comparison

 

It is important to watch them. They originally were going to count the Patriot as a car. But the EPA classifies it as a light truck.

Edited July 30, 2009 by WC-MAN

[Bored of Pisteon]

'74 Motego WHAT???

 

 

HEY WC-MAN... Make sure you check your spelling on your signature. I don't think any car manufacturer made a "Motego" even though we know you mean MONTEGO!

Edited August 4, 2009 by Bored of Pisteon

[PatFromJersey]

I just finished my vacation trip in Upstate NY, and had 26 MPG in my 2008 Vic.

[msalyer1956]

My 2000 CV, that I just clunkered, many times acheived 26 and a couple times 27 driving 75 to 80 mph from southern Michigan through Ohio to Lexington, KY.

It was a great car. Had my wife not wrecked it and had the body shop not used sub-par front fenders on the repair back in 2002 and if it had less than the 160000 miles on the odometer, it might have been worth more than the $3500 I recieved for it. The interior was still great and it ran and drove great. I would not have hesitated to drive it across country the day I turned it in.

So what I'm saying is THANKS TO ALL YOU FORD EMPLOYEES for making great autos.

[mkonoff]

I have an '02 Merc GM with 56K miles. On a recent trip, I got 28.6 mpg from the Illinois/Indiana state line to the Indiana/Michigan line...about 110 miles. On return trip, with the cruise set at 72 mph, I got 26.4 mpg.

 

I once drove from Illinois to Hazelhurst, Wisconsin and got 27.2 mpg driveway to driveway with only a stop for fuel in between.

[Bored of Pisteon]

This is what I like to hear. Panther owners stepping up and saying. "Hey, we get good gas mileage for a full size car!" (or words to that affect)

 

Keep up the good work!

[630land]

bye bye old taxicabs

 

There will be quite a few in pick n pull boneyards this month, so stock up on parts, since the car dies in 2 years.

 

Old folks now buy SUV's, crossovers, and mid/compact cars. They really don't give a sh!t about BOF anymore. The one who did are now over 80 and not driving anymore. So, the world moves on from auto history. :stats:

[taxman100]

bye bye old taxicabs

 

There will be quite a few in pick n pull boneyards this month, so stock up on parts, since the car dies in 2 years.

 

Old folks now buy SUV's, crossovers, and mid/compact cars. They really don't give a sh!t about BOF anymore. The one who did are now over 80 and not driving anymore. So, the world moves on from auto history. :stats:

 

I don't really care what everyone else is buying - I only care about buying what I know is the best.

 

The Panther is the only quality Ford product left - the rest are merely rebadged and reworked platforms from other places, and I can buy pretty much the same thing from just about any make in the market. So, I may as well buy product with the best reputation and resale value.

 

When the Panther is no longer available, I'll probably buy a Honda or a Toyota.

[suv_guy_19]

The Panther is the only quality Ford product left

 

 

You're completely out to lunch on that. I call bull****.

[Bored of Pisteon]

bye bye old taxicabs

 

There will be quite a few in pick n pull boneyards this month, so stock up on parts, since the car dies in 2 years.

 

Old folks now buy SUV's, crossovers, and mid/compact cars. They really don't give a sh!t about BOF anymore. The one who did are now over 80 and not driving anymore. So, the world moves on from auto history. :stats:

 

That's why I'm getting ready to stockpile as many of these cars as I can get with whatever money I have to work with!

 

If you think that someone is going to force me to drive something that I don't want to drive because every other Jonesy, gotta have one too consumer out there does. I don't think that will happen anytime soon.

[fubbyo]

This is what I like to hear. Panther owners stepping up and saying. "Hey, we get good gas mileage for a full size car!" (or words to that affect)

 

Keep up the good work!

 

My 2003 LX Sport with 3.27s got 19 mpg mostly and the best I ever got was 22 mpg. I did tend to flog it a bit though. My new Focus (which I got after the insurance company bought my totaled CV) gets alot better mileage but isn't nearly as fun to drive.

[rscalzo]

Doubt you will have many to pick over..

 

To ensure that these clunkers remain off the road and aren't resold, dealers must disable the engines and have the clunkers shredded or crushed by a reputable auto recycler on an approved list. This is known as the cars.gov list or National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) list.

[mercury_1988]

I don't really care what everyone else is buying - I only care about buying what I know is the best.

 

The Panther is the only quality Ford product left

 

 

Well said .

[WC-MAN]

NO ITS NOT! Its a horrible terrible CAR! Just ask anyone here who has never owned one! They'll be happy to tell you. Can you imagine if Ford decided the F-150 wasn't worth keeping because they listened to the opinion of Chevy and Dodge buyers!?!

 

The Panthers may not be the cutting edge of tech, but with minor upgrades, bluetooth, sync, etc., they are competent competitors. And they run forever! Don't think that is important? Go to a Jeep site and see how many Cherokee fans traded up to a Liberty. They LIKE the old school look, and Cherokees with the I-6 are infamous for 3 & 400K life-spans. They weren't impressed with the bug-eyed buggy look and un-proven tech of the Liberty. Likewise, there are a lot of OLD panthers still going strong, and I thought reliability was why the Honda and Toyotas were so popular?

Edited August 22, 2009 by WC-MAN

[Bored of Pisteon]

Doubt you will have many to pick over..

 

To ensure that these clunkers remain off the road and aren't resold, dealers must disable the engines and have the clunkers shredded or crushed by a reputable auto recycler on an approved list. This is known as the cars.gov list or National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) list.

 

That's why I'll buy 'em on the cheap. Hold on to them and wait for them to go up in value.

 

Just like what the used car market is going to do after this cash for clunkers shit is filtered through.

[jpd80]

NO ITS NOT! Its a horrible terrible CAR! Just ask anyone here who has never owned one! They'll be happy to tell you. Can you imagine if Ford decided the F-150 wasn't worth keeping because they listened to the opinion of Chevy and Dodge buyers!?!

Here's the difference, F Truck supporters go out and buy new Trucks from Ford.

Panthers supporters who don't or won't buy new CV/GM/TCar undermine the car's future.

Edited August 23, 2009 by jpd80

[wmw1490]

One less P71 on the road--I purchased one a few years back for special use around the farm and in the last two years it had been driven few miles. The cash for clunkers program came along and this gave me a chance to actually get more than what I paid for the 2000 PI. I needed a new car, as my other cars are getting up in miles and this turned out to be a good deal. It was a shame to trade in a working vehicle knowing it would be crushed--but, these cars are really not good for much other than really heavy duty work. The ride is just ok, performance is poor and the build quality just isn't there. Mine was retired as scrap with 90k miles and while it could probably go another 100k-200k it would not have been a pleasant or economical ride.

 

I don't think this program will drive up the value of any crown vics in the used market. The fuel mileage estimates are way off as mine got really close to the EPA estimates.

[armadamaster]

Here's the difference, F Truck supporters go out and buy new Trucks from Ford.

Panthers supporters who don't or won't buy new CV/GM/TCar undermine the car's future.

 

Here's the difference, F- truck supporters have gotten how many overhauled F-150's from Ford since 1998? Three? The Panthers have gotten overhauled how often since that time? None? Kinda hard to keep every Panther owner interested when a 2008 looks just like their 1998 only with fewer features than 1998, worse depreciation than in 1998, and the same price. Chicken and the egg.