Last Ford Crown Victoria rolls off the line

Cable News Network ^ | September 15, 2011: 8:51 PM ET | Peter Valdes-Dapena

[Olog-hai]

The last Ford Crown Victoria rolled off a Canadian assembly line Thursday, marking the end of the big, heavy Ford cars that have been popular with taxi fleets and police departments for decades.

Since 1979, almost 10 million Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Cars — so-called Panther Platform vehicles — have been sold.

Demand for better fuel economy and performance has choked off sales over the years. The Crown Victoria and Town Car get just 24 miles per gallon on the highway, a figure matched by some large three-row SUVs today. …

The Crown Victoria and its cousins have been popular with fleet users because of their roominess, legendary ruggedness and relative simplicity. Most cars today are built with so-called unibody engineering in which the body sides and roof play a role in keeping the body rigid. The Panther Platform vehicles were engineered with an old-fashioned body-on-frame design that's mostly used by pickup trucks today because, while heavier, it's better able to bounce back from heavy, punishing use. "You couldn't kill it no matter what you did to it," Ford spokesman Octavio Navarro said of the Crown Victoria. For some fleet buyers there's no obvious replacement for these rugged cars. …

[painter]

I have a 97 Grand Marquis with 37,000 miles on it.Bought it 3yrs ago with 3998 actual. Came out of an estate.

I also take VERY good care of it. 25 mpg at 70 mph.

[Armedanddangerous]

cops around here are changing over to Dodge Chargers little by little. And they hate those cars because theyre tiny compared to the crown Vic

[the OlLine Rebel]

If we need a “new” car as our regular family car, my husband would not stand for a “used” 1.

We wear out our cars, but I don’t think he’s too keen on replacing them with already-old cars.

For fun, sure, but I already have a ‘79 TC. Except, it’s been rotting for 10 years.

[the OlLine Rebel]

“but the idea that today’s cars are performance impaired is, I think, a myth.”

They can’t climb mountains real well. That I know without question, especially when loaded for trips.

[Nowhere Man]

My Dad has a pontiac montana that is falling apart but he won’t buy a new vehicle because he is afraid to turn loose of any money with boy blunder in the white house.

Yeah, I'm having financial nightmares myself, I have a 1994 Ford Exploder I need to fix to get past vehicle inspection (although I know a few people, cough, cough) but I can only do it peacemeal. Either that or I buy a 1985 Olds Cutlass Ciera with the 2.5L Iron Duke in good shape. A friend's grandfather drove it until he passed away at 103, he still had his license. Except for some Hyundai's, the Dodge Charger or Challenger and the Ford Mustang, I'm not a fan of today's cars, they have too much (as my Mom would say) "Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon stuff" in them. I prefer pre-airbag cars. If I hit the powerball or something bigtime, I'll put my 1977 Mercury Cougar on the road.

Yeah, the economy sucks I work in auto parts. People are keeping their jalopies more. I know a guy whose 1995 Pontiac engine blew and he had to go back to using a 1979 Plymouth Volaire he hadn't started in 15 years. All it needed was an alternator and battery and he was good to go.

Still every time Dad rides in my Merc Grand Marq. he goes on how he loves that car and wouldn’t mind having one.

I'd love to get my hands on a 1983 Grand Marquis.

[Orange1998]

When its for sale let me know. :)

[sarge83]

Oh he has the money and could buy a new care with cash, he just won’t spend it with that idiot in the white house.

[Nowhere Man]

Oh he has the money and could buy a new care with cash, he just won’t spend it with that idiot in the white house.

Agreed as well. If I was fortunate enough to be financially secure, I still would spend my money very tightly. If I needed something badly, then I would buy it and even so, try to get the best deal as I can with less. My buddy had cash from his mother's estate when he passed on but he spent it unwisely and now is in trouble. Not smart with that idiot in the White House. Myself, I still watch a 1982 Zenith we bought new in 1983, I find it ironic that I am watching the same TV at 45 as I did when I was 16. A lot of people think I'm weird but they still spend a lot of money on the latest TV and video games and so on, I think unless you truly need the former, hold onto as much as you can. I often said that we are in a depression but some people still do not know it yet.