A co-worker is selling me his '85 Grand Marquis sedan. It has just 38K two-owner miles! His mother-in-law bought the car when it was just three years old, and hardly ever drove the car. It's white with the white vinyl half-top, and blue cloth interior. It also has the regular air conditioning (NO Climate Control!), power seats/windows/locks, tilt, cruise, factory aluminum turbine wheels, and the original working AM/FM/cassette stereo. There are a few minor issues to fix, primarily since it was driven so seldom, and especially in the last two years. The downside of the car is: The brakes are fairly hard, so that usually indicates a booster that is tits-up. The headliner droops. Both rear power windows are in-op, but in the "up" position. One valve cover gasket leaks fairly bad. And that half-top is pretty cracked and nasty-looking. The tires, though nearly new-looking, will need replacing, as they are showing signs of ozone-cracking. The car has spent the last twelve years in an apartment complex parking lot, where the m-i-l lived. The plusses are that the car runs pretty well, overall. It has a new battery and belts. The paint and body are great; a good, thorough detail job should take care of it, cosmetically. The interior is quite nice, the glass is all good, and the exterior trim is good and all there. The registration was just renewed in January for the year. And it has a clear and clean title. Best of all is the price - $500!!! This is going to be my son's new daily driver. He just got his old, seasonal job back, so he needs wheels. What better than a full-sized American car that no one will give a second glance to! Cops, thugs, the general public...it's invisible! And that is what I want right now. Pics tomorrow! I'm going to pick it up tomorrow morning, even if my son decides he does not like the car.
The power windows are probably an easy fix; just replace the three plastic buttons in the gear drive. If you hear the motors hum when you mash the button that's all you'll need to do. The 1985 had the TBI, or electric carburetor. Not as good as the later MPFI, but for $500.00, I'd hit it!
I'm figuring another $500 to get it up to being a dependable DD. Tires, brake booster, fluid/filter changes and a complete detail will be about all it's gonna need. So, for roughly a grand total, there is a solid, low-mileage sedan that'll do about anything that needs done.
Well, the car is going to get donated to charity by the seller, instead! He called me this afternoon, saying it was having a difficult time staying running, and once he got it going, there appears to be a blown head gasket, as well! That's OK, I'd rather him be as straight-forward about it as possible, plus he was concerned about my son getting stranded in it somewhere, too. The search continues...
Tomorrow I'm getting an 88 Grand Marquis GS sedan for $500. Only a 302, but a good, solid, but fairly ugly, 2 owner car with about 200,000 km (125,000 miles) on the clock. Since I'm getting it for very little more than scrap price I can't kick at all!
