My father managed to get a 2002 Mercury Sable for my younger brother for 2,000 right after he graduated boot camp in 2004. It is a v-6 and has leather, 6 disc premium sound system, sunroof and all that great stuff. Of course I laughed at the time, but I indeed ended up selling my little toy sports car in a few years in favor of something a bit more sensible and likely spent 10 times the amount keeping my toy running and selling it. I suppose on the car he got the last laugh as he still has it and at 200K it is still running like a champ.

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1987 MB 190E 2.3 16V- Name Pending
1982 MB 300SD -Old Blue
1965 Ford Mustang - Laura

The seller of the wagon backed out since he didn't buy a truck to replace the wagon yet.

Some alternatives:

1991 Grand Marquis Wagon, 100k miles, at a used car dealer. The dealer replaced the ignition lock tumbler yesterday, left the window open overnight, the driver's leather seat got soaked in the rain. Airbag, wood paneling, good condition, asking $1200 in the ad. It's been on the market for a while. My favorite color combination and leather interior.

1986 Ford Crown Victoria LTD Wagon, don't know much about it, getting more info soon. This has the same AOD transmission and fuel injected engine the 1991 does, correct? It has an even less aerodynamic body than the 1991. Brown color, no wood paneling, dog dish hubcaps.

1988 Crown Victoria, good condition, $1000, good paint and interior.


I'm planning on looking at all three of these soon, as I leave for college in a few weeks, and I need to get something soon if I don't want to take my Mercedes. Where else should I look for a Crown Vic/Marquis besides autotrader, the newspaper, Craigslist, eBay, etc? I might consider the 1986 if it has the same engine/trans combo that yeilds decent fuel economy on the highway. I like wagons for added practicality. Too bad the blue Marquis is at a dealer who probably won't budge on price too much.

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1980 240d
1999 SL500

IMHO the Mk2 Jetta is a great beater car. The vehicle is cheap, parts are cheap, and it's generally very easy to service. Big trunk, room for 4 real people inside. Great lill car.

-Jason

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

The basic engine and trans are the same, but the '91 has a slightly more advanced fuel injection system with a mass airflow sensor. It may be good for an extra mpg or two. I believe the change was in '88.

Drive all three. Go for the one in best mechanical condition and/or best service documentation.

The biggest change in box Panther engines was in 1986 when they went to SEFI and a hydraulic roller cam. 1985 and before came with CFI and got the same or a little worse mileage along with about 20 less horsepower. Really early models (like the '79) came with a carburetor, as did all of the 5.8 (351 Windsor) models. My personal opinion is that carburetors are the work of Satan, but that may just be from my recent Zenith experiences.

Besides the sources you listed, random cars for sale on the side of the road and (no, I'm not making this up) estate sales are pretty good places to find these cars.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

There's a 1985 Marquis Wagon at a nearby Porsche dealer I'm going to look at tomorrow. Thanks for the engine info Skippy, that's what I was wondering about, and which models get the best mileage. I'll keep that in mind when looking for a good one. Hopefully, I can find a good, cheap one that will last 4 years of college demo derby.

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1980 240d
1999 SL500

I bet they got a great price on that trade in!

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine