Crown Vic

I think I am about to buy a 91' Crown Victoria LX with 140,000km on it - driven only Sundays by an old man. It's in mint condition cosmetically and I'm sure mechanically too. I would like any suggestions about how and what to look for to ensure it's mechanically fit, and how to best maintain the car.

Thanks,

JR

Best thing on a car like that if it trulyis mint is to ask him how often he's changed the oil. Frequently, old people like that won't change it every 3 months, they'll wait for the 5,000km mark which can take much longer to get to.

If he's done it all to the T, then all i suggest is rolling the old car over to a local Lemon Busters and have them look at it. Basically for 200 bucks they tell what future/current problems the car will have based on the condition it's in. They're not a repair shop either, so they don't do the work on the car, just charge a flat fee to look it over.

Either that or bring a mechanic buddy with you.

Some basic things to look at are the hoses and belts, see how dry/cracked they are; this will tell you if they need changing. Check the door seals and see how cracked they are around the tops, over time these damn things crack like crazy (mine have started to go on me) and they leak when it rains.

Take some corners a little fast in it to see how it tracks, you'll find ALOT of body lean, but she should feel solid in the steering.

When cruising at 50km/h literally STAND on the brakes. The things shouldn't have ABS on it, so the tires SHOULD lock and stop you short really fast.

That's all that i've got, hope it helps.

Thanks for the quick response. I'm sure he changed the oil appropriately. The car belonged to my great Uncle who used to work at Ford and I'm sure he took care of it accordingly. Unfortunately he has passed away and the car hasn't really been driven in about 4 months. So you are probably spot on about the dried up hoses and belts. Is there a way to relubricate/moisturize them if they are in that state, or do they have to be replaced?
I have another Uncle who is a mechanic that I will try to get to come look at it with me.

Thanks for the Advice,

JR

PS: landyacht is an awesome name..hahaha

landyacht is an awesome name..

Thanks, nothing but the great big sedans for me!

As far as re-lubricating, all i can suggest is for the belts to spray them with a little WD40, but changing them will certainly be the best thing. The hoses and such which don't move, maybe wrap a little duct tape around the ends as that will reinforce the seal and keep them from cracking more.

These two things will only be temporary solutions, but will certainly make due for the time being.

As far as you uncle being a mechanic, have him look the car over, it'll save you the cost of lemon busters. Those old cars are so easy to work on you can spot problems right away! If the car has been well maintained, then that's in your favour. The old V8s are great, and it's certianly good for another 150,000 miles no problem as long as it's been cared for like you say.

One other note since it's been sitting for 4 months is to make sure the tires haven't gone square on the bottom. It shouldn't be a problem, but the car isn't exactly light! Make sure the tire pressure ip to at least 35psi and no more then 40 psi and you'll see any 'squareness' in the tires as it sits there.

Quick responses is what i do, you're more then welcome for the help and advice. Post and let me know how it works out and if there's anything else i can tell you.

:bigthumb:

Thanks, I will let you know how it turns out.

JR

PS: do you have any pics of your Parisienne? As a child my neighbours had a Parisienne wagon...we had tonnes of fun in it...I love the sedans big and 4 door too.

I don't have any pics mine, but i have a pic of one just like it other than the color, and an action shot of a Parisienne like mine doing a burnout.

Unfortunately i haven't been able to get the burnout to stick or it would be a part of my signature.

Sorry i lied...i made my avatar the burnout pic of a car just like mine doing one...i can do them too, just no pics of me unfortunately....so yea, this sorta what my car looks like from the back.

I can't seem to get a pic to work...how'd you do it?
It's the right size.

Thanks,
JR

In your avatar section of your profile, there is an 'insert image' tab up where you can pic your fonts and all that. What you do is click 'browse' and select the picture file you want in there and attach it.

I dunno how to add a picture to your signature, i still haven't figured that out, but that's how i did it for my avatar.