Hey all, I was poking around NADA and was wondering what is the Grand Touring Package on the Colony Park? and where there other options? Also did they ever come with the jump seats in the rear?
'Grand Touring Package'....? Never heard of such a thing. What year are we talking about? Regular third seat available up through '66, I think. Dual-facing rear seats available '65 - '91.
Poking around NADA classic car values for a 1973 Colony Park, dosen't mention a 10 passenger option just 6 and under options like engine size, A/C, etc. It had "Grand Touring Package" tried my google-fu but came up with nothing. Apparently if the car has that option the value goes up 20%. They also said the MSRP was 4,550, don't know how accurate that is, but in today's dollars (24,518.86) that's a fully loaded wagon for less than most cars full size cars now ($34,207.00)
The N.A.D.A. guide is not the same as as the manufacturer's brochure, or even better, the dealer's ordering book. Here's a link to the full-line '73 Mercury brochure. Couldn't find any on-line source for the specific 'Marquis/Grand Marquis' brochure. I don't recall Mercury using the phrase 'Grand Touring Package' at all. I think the NADA guide is incorrect. I always liked using the Kelley Blue Book a lot better.
Yeah they probably are, but uh Krash... there's no link? Wonder if anyone even has an original Dealers ordering book?
Well, duh......... http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/mercury/73mer/73mer.html And since I screwed up so royally, here's a link to the '74 Mercury wagons brochure: http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/mercury/74mwag/74mwag.html And people list all kinds of stuff on E-Bay. Here's a search I did for 'Mercury dealer book': http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...ook.TRS0&_nkw=Mercury+dealer+book&_sacat=6000
I know in 1967 and 68 you could get both the 9 pass or the 10 pass with jump seats. Either one. I had both and they were correct. I couldn't say about '69 and up though.
Ok, my 73 colony parks got the side folding seats in the way back, but only one belt per side... so three in the front, three in the back, two in the way back... eight total... am I missing something here?
If it has eight seat belts it's an eight passenger. Ford/Mercury advertising said you could fit a family of ten in the car before. the seat belt laws went into effect in '68. The laws showed the cars were really designed to seat six or eight adult passengers.
Ford called them DFRS--Dual Facing Rear Seats. Started in 1965,ended in 1991. Even a '56 Ford Country Squire was really only an 8-passenger vehicle (forward facing 3rd Seat with a 2nd row right side folding section so you could get back there).
This page of the big Ford brochure for '65 mentions 'family of 10', as BV stated. I think I checked on this issue once, and couldn't find any mention of '10 passengers' after 1967.....
Funny thing is you could fit two kits per seat in the back, its big enough... you could squeeze two petite adults in the space as well, probably could stack four or five midgets back there...but when they mandated safety belts, that ended that... Ah well, nice that I have the option, in case my family grows, right now with two kids its fine... Another thing that sucks though is the stupid mandated car seats/boosters till you're 4'9"... heck I know a lot of you weren't 'lucky' enough to have to ride in them... but even as 'lucky' as I was, I was out before I was three, four tops... sucks when you got a classic you can't fit that useless crap into...
Hell, I wasn't even buckled in! I played with my Matchboxes and Hot Wheels on the backlight tray (the one wagon we ever had, I was only a wee toddler when I rode in it. Dad gave it to a farmer's kid for shop class because it was in Pennsylvania and was not going to pass inspection.
