Questions from someone considering a wagon

http://easternshore.craigslist.org/cto/1631541486.html
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/1646543292.html

 

well i just got off the phone with him, he still has her and will be home all day tomarrow and is pretty close to my moms house. he said it is very clean. and the only problem the car has is one of the passenger side windows wont go down because the track is loose. but all the rest of the windows work perfectly. it was a relative of his that owned it, she and her husband took trips in it and when he died it got very little use, then he ended up with it 6 months ago. he isnt into wagons and wants a new truck which is why he is selling it. it seems to be in very good condition for a 1990. and as far as old cars go, both my cars are over 14 yrs old....and a lot of guys here have cars from the early 1980's and 1970's....hell some older than that! if its well maintained, the year is inconsequential.

mods......well (this is just me mind you), loud pipes, hot cam, cold air induction and maybe a 5 speed conversion. ..just for starters. remember panthers also use mustang parts just like fox body cars....a panther platform car is just a big fox body car.

 

do let me know what you think of it!

I am 22, and this is my first real foray into cars-- are you saying that panther (a car I couldn't find anything on..) and mustang parts from around 1990 will be interchangeable with the mercury wagon? So I can start looking at what mods I might want, from salvaged panthers and mustangs?

Oh-- is the mercury park and the chevy caprice the same car? Same chassis, same parts in general?
Considering all the electronics that started going in just around 2000, I imagine repair is easier, and cheaper, on the 1990? It reminds me of the movie/musical Grease, where the high school kids build a car as a club activity-- not a possibility today. There's FSAE club in college, and it's serious work.





Finally; what kind of fuel economy do these cars have?
The volvo is around 25 highway, maybe 19 city. The suv I'm driving right now while it's in the shop, and was driving for a year and a half before I got the volvo last month, gets a horrifying 17 highway, 13 city, hahaha.
Was also considering the passat, they have a couple models, and the smaller one can get closer to 30 highway.

I almost exclusively drive mixed; 30-4mph between stoplights, which are every few blocks; rarely stop and go. Sometimes beltway driving at 60-70mph.

 

Oh! A last consideration! I want a wagon for the better fuel economy than an suv, but the ability to haul some things as needed.
Would I be safe, on occasion (once a month, per se), to put up to 500lbs in the back of this car? I've heard that some wagons are built for that; some aren't. E.g., when I was looking at the ford focus for its fuel economy, I was warned against using it to haul much-- that, and its powertrain is supposed to need rebuilding at 100k miles.


I'm an art student (and art history student), so specifically, the marble carvings I work on, cast iron for pouring, maybe lumber, the hydraulic hand truck I use for lifting some of the marble which itself weighs 200lbs.
I do like my cars, so of course put down a tarp
Then again, I do still have access to my 13mpg suv (my father's), if and when it's needed.

 

not all the parts from a fox body car will fit a panther platform car..the mechanical parts will.
the car is not called a panther...its just the common platform name..i.e gm b bodies are buick roadmaster, chevy caprice, olds custom cruiser, they use the same parts between them except some parts that are brand specific. for example the buick wagon has a bigger front bumper and taller grille than the caprice but uses the same headlights.
this may help
Ford: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Panther_platform
GM : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_B_platform
the mercury is easier to work on the body parts are still available new,
whereas the b body is a pain in the tookas! i know, i have 2 of them!

not remotely...one is a Ford product (the mercury colony park) and the other a GM product (the chevy caprice) they have one part in common...they both use a key to start them!

 

You sure said one thing right, A1. If I would have known that I would have this much problem getting parts for my cappy I may have bought something else. And the parts you do find are insanely high priced now that they are scarce. Thanks a lot for THAT GM. Just the stuff for my new engine is hard to find and/or too much money.

 

hmnm guess you should've bought a taurus...

 

Well....I'm not THAT pissed off......

 

Can't put this on a taurus...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TWIN...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item518d715581

 

Well,....will an LT1 fit in a Taurus?

 

here it is

ok just got back to my moms from looking at the merc wagon
OMG! what a deal for $1800.
drove it on about a three mile trip, with stop and go, higher speed and hills and curves....its like new....for real!
tranny shifts smooth, accelerates suprisingly fast for a 302. the windows and doors all work except for the front pass.
the a/c is 134a and is ice cold. the under side is beyond clean!
inside the rear window switch works as to all the switches and the stereo. even the display on the radio works (these are known to burn out).
the only rust on the car is a couple tiny bubbles behind the rear wheel... that arent more than surface rust yet..
I would buy this car in a sec if i had the money or someone who wanted my caprice.
and it is, infact, a colony park. not a grand marquis wagon.

 

clean engine bay ...no burning oil, a/c is ice cold..and has been converted to 134a


back seat looks like it was never sat in.


all switches and gauges work, even the power antenna works ...only the front pass side window doesnt work but that is a quick fix.


driver seat has minimal wear and is not wore out or torn at all.


the carpet is free of stains and is not worn or ripped

 

DAYUM!! Did you buy it A1?? If not, why not?? Someone here needs that wagon! I wish I could get it...that is a beauty and I thought it might be when I first looked at it. Some NON wagoneer is gonna get that. DAMMIT!! Did you drive it?? MORE INFO!

 

yeah i just edited the top post.....mike ...she runs like she looks! id sell my caprice and fender bass for that car. ...any takers?
i went to look at it for our fledgling wagon lover berninicac03, i hope he buys it ....he wont regret it. it will haul all his sculpting supplies with ease.

 

Awwww mannnnn....I just know what's going to happen here. Somebody is going to come along and buy that wagon for his kid. The price is cheap. Then the kid will trash it. I just depleted my check book for engine parts and need to replenish it from a FL account. Otherwise I WOULD buy this beauty. How can you lose??
SOMEONE BUY THIS WAGON NOW!!!!!!!