I hear you.
Too bad about the Crown Vic. Ford made some decent cars back when.
I had the Crown Vic for around 20 years before it began giving trouble. For a couple of years it had a problem overheating.
At one time I did all my own mechanics work tho I was never really good. I became disabled around 20 years ago too. I still was able to replace the thermostat but just can not do it any more.
It finally got so hot that I just barely made it home from a 20 mile trip. Every 3 or 4 miles it would overheat to an extreme degree. I would stop and put in several gallons of water with the engine running and the first gallon or two would just explode before I finally got it cool enough to make it another 3 or 4.
When I got in the driveway it had begun to run rough. The next day it would barely run. I am pretty sure it has a few bent pushrods and at one time I would have taken the heads off. Of course it probably needs a new water pump too. I just can’t afford to have it repaired.
A long story but I was once financially comfortable.