1990 Mercury Grand Marquis - Pennsylvania

What do you think? I went to see this car today and it has 232-233k (EDIT: 230k) miles on it. It's in pretty good shape for its age, location and miles compared to most other cars around here; There's some bubbling on it in some areas but that's minor and it hasn't been driven in the winter. Spare tire well is solid.

It has the third-seat, a roof-rack, power windows and mirrors, a tape deck and a power antenna. No trailer hitch. Air conditioning works too and the headliner is in fine shape. It's also inspected until November and I think it would be easy to inspect come inspection time.

I'm still on the fence of whether I should buy it or not. The seller said he's looking at about the $3,000 area as far as asking price goes.

(Also, What are the differences between the GS and LS models of this car?)

http://classifieds.pennswoods.net/classifieds/viewad.cgi?adindex=3037480

Per the ad:

"For Sale: This is in excellent condition, inside and out. No rust, never driven in winter and has been garage kept. It has been well-maintained and has a new exhaust. It does have high mileage but the couple who own it are in their late 70's and were the only owners. The only reason for selling is to make room in the garage...asking best offer...keep in mind it does not need to be sold so no low ballers and only serious inquiries. This car is a gem! If you want more pictures text (Number not in wagon forums post) if you have questions about the car please call (Number not in wagon forums post). Thanks for looking."

 

101, the car does look to be in fine shape and that it was apparently well maintained. With those kind of miles, however, I might tend to think that $3K might be a bit high. $1500-$2000, in my opinion, is a more realistic #.

 

Thanks, That's what I was getting from Edmunds as far as the car dealer asking price goes; $1,700-$1,900 range. The doors are in finer shape than those on the Chevy Caprice I drive.

 

I agree with snooterbuckets. Closer to $1500 +. Keep in mind the mileage and are you willing to keep it awhile. I'm sure you'd never get $1500 if you wanted to resale it.
I'd never buy anything with much over 150,000 miles on it unless dirt cheap.

 

Difference between GS and LS. The LS is the top of the line.
I don't know for sure, but I believe it mostly involves better seats in the LS, and maybe a nicer stereo. Also possibly a power passenger seat vs. a manual one in the GS - not sure on this last part.

 

I ended up buying it. 50+ mile trip home, Working well. I need a bit of help with the tailgate though, I put the rear window down and now I think the rear-door is somewhat open but at the same time still closed. I drove home clear from a gas station to home with the rear window open. We'll get it there.

 

You're gonna love that wagon.......
Congrats on your purchase, 101volts!

 

Congratulations 101. She's a real beauty. Best of luck with it.
The tailgate should be an easy fix. I would suggest just making sure it's closed securely. Sounds to me like it isn't. Also, you've got to remember, if it's open one way, say like the door, never pull up the other handle to make it a tailgate. That really screws it up.

 

Congrats! Good looking wagon!!

 

Thanks everyone. It was a one-owner car too, And the owner never waxed it either yet it still has a lot of shine to it!

Oh dear, I wonder if that's what I did. The thing is, I opened the rear-window with the key on the back and then tried to open it as a tailgate from the inside. That didn't work and I tried to close the window, it didn't work then. What's happening?

I'm certain there's a way to get it working fine though.

Also, there's another thing: The driver's power window jiggles a bit so that should have attention.

 

Congrats on your wagon.

 

Yeah, congrats, I've all ways been a Colony fan.


BTW though, we have unwritten ...................



good ones

 

A couple of things about the magic tail-gate....yours is the same as what I have on my 85 Colony Park. First, you need to make sure the window is completely down before you try to swing it down like a tailgate. If you couldn't raise the window with the key, did you try using the switch up on the dash? When I bought my 85 from the original owner, I could not get my tailgate to swing down either because it had not been opened that way for many years. It is an easy fix though. If possible, open the tailgate from the outside like a car door. Remove the chrome handle on the inside of the tailgate....one screw. Next, remove the plastic trim liner on the inside of the tailgate. Mine has a screw on the top left corner and the top right corner. Then gently pry to release the trim clips as you work your way around. Focus now on the area where that inner door handle mechanism is. It should have a long threaded rod that connects into it. This rod is adjustable. I had to thread mine through farther, in essence tightening it. It was sloppy and not releasing that latches that would allow the tailgate to drop down. After adding more tension, it worked immediately.

If you are still having issues with getting the window up, you can look at the window motor while you have the tailgate trim off. The motor rests at the bottom in the center. You can reach inside the access holes to feel for where it is. It is held in with 3 bolts. I ended up having to drill 3 holes inside the tailgate to access these bolts so that the motor could be removed. When you turn the key to try to raise the window, listen to see if you can hear the motor running. Chances are it will be. The motors in these cars are infamous for this problem. The good news is you can fix it yourself for less than 10 bucks. There are 3 plastic window regulator gear plugs inside the motor where the gear sits. Over the years, they will disintegrate and eventually fail. When this happens, the motor will still turn, but the window won't move. These gear plugs are each about the size of a pencil eraser. They come in a 3 pack (enough to rebuild one motor) at most parts stores. You can also look on eBay. If you search, there are other threads on here that detail exactly how to replace them. My mechanical knowledge is limited, but I was able to do this easily. The window motors in your other doors will likely have the same problem, and can all be fixed the same way. I have had to do 4 out of the 5 motors in my car since I purchased it 2 years ago. If you need more info or help, post again and I will get back to you.

I think your car is very nice. Don't be afraid of the mileage. If it has been maintained you should be able to get plenty more out of it. Mine is getting ready to hit 176k and still runs like a top.
The window motor gear plugs look like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Power-Window-Regulator-Motor-Gear-Plugs-Pins-Rollers-Delrin-/151306570715?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item233a930bdb&vxp=mtr
That is a link to the part in eBay. It is Dorman Help! 74410
They have tons and you might be able to find it cheaper.
Best of luck with your new Mercury. Mike

 

Such helpful replies, thank you. I have photo and video cameras but no pics in this reply.

The problem with the door is it won't swing out. I can open it as a tailgate fine.

My Father and I worked on the car today, as far as the rear window goes I think it's a broken wire somewhere in the rear-end because we ended up unhooking the window motor wire and wiring up a 9-volt battery and the motor ran; But voltage isn't coming through the wire from the car battery.

Since we needed the window up, we now have the cable directly to the window motor sticking out from under the paneling. It's the only way to work with it at the moment before the break in the wire is found and mended or replaced.

If I stuck the paneling back on with the door not swinging open, I would've needed to drill through the paneling to get at the electrical wire to operate the rear window.

So, It's drivable in the rain now and we're getting familiar with it.

 

Another question: Where does the engine coolant go when it's time to add some? I think it's next to the windshield washer fluid in the same box, but not in the same compartment.