Hi, I am new to this site but have always had a love for older wagons.Recently I have been looking for a reliable wagon to help me fulfill my goal of seeing all 50 U.S. states and was told that a mid 80s Country Squire was the car for me, however, I do have one question concerning the MPG. What is it? Being a 5.0 V8 I would assume that the car gets and average MPG in the mid teens however this document that I found from the dealership says that the car gets 18 city 26 highway. this would make the average mpg somewhere around 21 or 22. Is this correct?
Hopefully MAC, Krash or one of the others that had similar wagons will chime in with real world info. Being an EFI car with an OD helps the mileage. Welcome to the forums!
Agreed the EFI post ‘85 is the way to go. My EFI Mercury avg 22-24 on the expressway. Plus they are really great and comfortable cars. An ‘86-‘91 Squire or Colony Park is a really good wagon choice.
Didn't have one of those, but I'm familiar with them. If you're moderate on the accelerator pedal, you could get in the low 20's on the highway. I'd be happy to get 16-17 around town. Your overall average is going to depend on your percentage mix of highway vs. around-town driving. And don't get one older than a 1986. The 1985's did have EFI (first year), but some have said it wasn't quite as good as the '86 and later version. Also, you can consider a Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park as well - same vehicle underneath.
I believe '85 was still CFI. Not many people like it and even fewer people understand it. 1986 was the first year for MPFI on the CV/GM.
True. Congress with support from Reagan changed it 65 in September of ‘86. I think I indicated that the ‘86 was the first year for EFI on the FoMoCo line. Agreed having an ‘83 and an ‘86 I can tell you there is more consistent power with the EFI version. Did some research and the MPG figures for 1987, 65 mph National speed limit were still posted at 17 city 27 hwy.
They called it EFI going back to at least '83, but it was the central fuel injection system that most people loathe.
'83 was the first model year of Ford/Merc to have CFI (Lincoln had it for a few years before), but the port EFI starting in '86, to the end of wagon production was essentially the same, but with PCM tweaks for emission regulation changes. If you drive more than 70% on a tankful in highway driving, you should see 20-24 MPG with just a driver. Load in a family, luggage, and strap dead grandma to the roof, and it'll fall off. Don't forget the dog attached to the rear bumper. So, you want to run whatever tire size that has a 27-28 inch diameter, make sure the tires are aired up to 75-90% of max pressure (depending on loading), make sure the front bearings and the rear axle fluid are serviced, and make sure the engine's fluids and ignition are properly serviced and in good condition. These will all help eke out the best MPG you can get.
He was talking about the tire OD not the rim diameter. The stock tires on my '91 Crown Vic (225/70R15) are 27.4".
The Colony Park I'm buying in June, and Babe, both have 215/70/15;s, and Babe averaged 16 MPG from Washington to Texas while carrying about 600 pounds.