I have found my DD beater! :)

I've waffled back and forth trying to decide what platform would best suit my needs for a nigh indestructible, obscenely common work car/truck. The Panther chassis keeps cropping back up.

A local stealership has had a '97 Town car languishing on it's back row for a few months. The price was already cheap but they've dropped it by a bit over 20% and now is the time to pounce.

Sadly I keep an eye on the "mechanic special" inventory of the local dealerships enough to know that this dealership in particular does one big price drop then auctions the cars off to a wholesaler or scraps them.

It looks like the rear suspension has bit the dust and it has 170,000 miles.

Are there any other failure prone widgets?

The digital dash maybe?

The plan so far:

Snag it for a song, swap in HD rear coils, buy 215/65R16 General Grabber AT-2's for the pre '03 P71 wheels I have, do the usual fluid and filter changes, dial in some positive caster, possibly install a hitch then proceed to drive it into the ground over the next decade.

That is assuming it runs and drives...I may have the cart waaaaaayyyy out in front of the horse again.

I have no idea why the pic zoomed in like that.

Of course, after posting the above, I just stumbled onto an '03 Grand Marquis LS with 140,000 miles for Challenge money. lol

Edit: slightly above challenge money.

I tried to use Google's Reverse Image Search to get a better look at the car in your photo and this is what I came up with.

I had to use google image search to find out what the hell that was! I've never heard of a Modelo.

I'll try again:

In reply to The_Jed:

Yes, you need that - for the pic of AT2's on a Town Car if nothing else!

In reply to petegossett:

I just ran out there to verify that it was still on their lot and it is. The engine is CLEAN but the coolant reservoir is EMPTY. I have my fingers crossed hoping the engine isn't cooked. Should find out tomorrow morning.

Air suspension = trouble. I presume with enough parts, iron springs will go in. Remember that Ford is very bad for orphaning cars by neglecting to produce replacement parts, so if the heater decides to stick on high, you are berkeleyed.

Dear Jed,

I love how your taste in cars leans toward luxury barges marketed to septuagenarians, yet you want to hoon them with white letter tires.

This strange disconnect has me clicking on your threads with a mix of joy and fear. Keep it up good sir

Hey Jed - actually my friend may have the perfect car for you: 1988 LTD for CHEAP. Needs an alternator, heater core, and only the driver's window works - but it's CLEAN...and did I mention CHEAP??? I'll link a pic off his Facebook page onto mine.

Edit: Here it is too.

The_Jed wrote: I had to use google image search to find out what the hell that was! I've never heard of a Modelo.

That may be what they called them in Paraguay, but it's just a 1978 Subaru. I had a '74 two door that was essentially the same, minus two doors. It was a truly awful car.

Well now you have to buy it so you can roll thos Dayton wires on some cut springs...

In reply to Jumper K. Balls:

If you had to live with it, you would be balancing between fear and irritation

(Says she who is still hoping for a bush-bar and oversized tires for her Outback)

I like where this is going! Staying tuned for further developments.

Streetwiseguy wrote: Air suspension = trouble. I presume with enough parts, iron springs will go in. Remember that Ford is very bad for orphaning cars by neglecting to produce replacement parts, so if the heater decides to stick on high, you are berkeleyed.

I was planning to swap in coils. Out of curiosity I watched a video of a guy swapping in rear coils (the front has coils from the factory) and I was shocked at how simple it was. Much easier than my Mark VII.

In reply to Jumper K. Balls:

In reply to petegossett:

Hmm...

I do love boxy Vics.

I'll keep that one in mind. If the engine in the '97 is fragged I'll move on to the '03 and if that fizzles for whatever reason I may go after the LTD.

In reply to The_Jed:

No prob. It's a good car, low miles, etc. My friend bought it from the original owner & never had the money to get his license back(from a DUI almost a decade ago). I'm pretty sure he'll take a grand, or possibly less for it.

Over Thanksgiving, I finally persuaded my Pop to give me his '00 Cartier Edition TC that he drives once a month or so. High miles, but runs great and maintained religiously. I got tired of going down there and seeing it sit, so I badgered him for a year or so.

Wow, that's a big price drop!

When you say "low miles" how many miles are we talking about here?

Each of the three cars has their own advantages and disadvantages but pushrods, in my book, are a big advantage!

Is the transmission healthy?

In reply to JFX001:

Cool! I searched here for Town Car knowledge and the common theme was "keep the oil changed and enjoy for 300,000 miles". I definitely think for me a Panther is the answer.

Without giving it much effort at all I've stumbled onto a set of variable rate rear coils with insulators for $65.

Man I hope the engine isn't hurt in the '97!

Even though, if it were, that would mean I'd set my sights on the '03 and it has 31 spline axles, more power and a much better suspension and steering system.

Is it worth $2k to go from a '97 Panther to an '03 Panther for an anvilesque reliable DD, strictly from a mechanical upgrade point of view?

In other words, forget any other variables (mileage, cosmetic condition, etc...) except what was updated/upgraded in the '03 redesign, do you (the GRM populace) think those updates are worth a $2,000 higher purchase price?

Those square town cars are still alive and well as livery cabs in the outer boroughs of NYC probably pushing close to 500,000 miles and still looking good. The are like cockroaches.