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Topic: Had to do it. (Read 3994 times) previous topic - next topic

Had to do it.

As some of you know, the only cars I've ever driven in my life are Mercury Cougars:
  • '67 XR-7 (My first car. Got it when I was only 15...drove in high school/college)
  • '87 20th Anniversary (Parents bought in '87. I was 17.  I "inherited" it in my college years when the '67 died...RIP)
  • '97 30th Anniversary (My first brand new car. HAD to get it to match the 20th...and this was when we knew the Cougars/'Birds were going away.)

Part of me died back in June when Ford officially announced the end of the line for Mercury. Like most of us...I always held on to the small glimmer of hope that the Cougar would rise again some day...

Well LONG story short - I decided if it can't be a Cougar, then at least it will be one of the last Mercurys.

May I present my new baby: 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis LS

Had to do it.

Reply #1 –
That is nice, I like the look of the grill on that one. Even the rims stand out, that has to be a comfy ride.
1985 T'Bird 5.0
1987 Cougar 3.8
1992 T'bird Sport 5.0 HO

Had to do it.

Reply #2 –
Very nice.  They are reliable cars.  You won't be dissappointed.  Good luck with it.

Had to do it.

Reply #3 –
I had been considering it for some time. Found out a few months ago that there were going to be "2011" models for sure. This made me think I had PLENTY of time to just keep considering it....then a few weeks ago I read an article (that was already about a week old) that the last Merc (for retail order anyway) had gone down the assembly line.  That plus the well-timed mailing from Ford of a $1000 voucher made me run to my local dealer the next day!

It was too late to "order" one. We had to search dealer inventory for my particular color combo/options. Had to match my Cougars' colors! And had to have ALL FIVE (!) options available. (More on that later. :D )

Had to do it.

Reply #4 –
You can't go wrong with a Grand Marquis, that was a good buy.
Matt
1984 Thunderbird - 89 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl, Mustang headers, Jegs o/r H pipe, Dynomax lers, Mustang AOD and shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, 3G alternator, Mustang front and rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 Turbo Coupe shocks and struts, and 11" front brakes.

1988 Mustang GT - GT40 heads, Explorer intake, 70mm throttle body, 70mm MAF, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 deluxe handle, aluminum clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster, o/r h pipe, Dynomax lers, 3G alternator, aluminum radiator, and 3.27 gears.
 
1986 Cougar 5.0, 1989 Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 1980 Mercury Zephyr 4 door (sold)

Had to do it.

Reply #5 –
I like it.  Is it torridor red?
Mike

Had to do it.

Reply #6 –
That's a pretty sweet vehicle. If my explorer dies within the next year or so, I think I' gonna pick one of those up or a towncar. Not brand new of course....
-'88 Tbird 3.8
-2012 Altima 2.5 BASE. 
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Future: Budget 5.0 300 HP.

Had to do it.

Reply #7 –
Sweet ride man. I've always wanted a grand mark. They're way nicer than the crown vics. I've always preferred Mercury's styling over Ford's, so its a real shame that they're all going to die.
--Steve
[thread=28690]1988 Cougar V6[/thread]
2012 F-150 3.7L
2011 Mustang 3.7L

Had to do it.

Reply #8 –
Gorgeous car in that color.  Well done.
Armed Forces Car Club
Eastern Sierra Chapter, California
WEB:  armedforcescarclub.com

Had to do it.

Reply #9 –
Quote
I like it. Is it torridor red?


Yes. It's official name:"Dark Toreador Red Clearcoat Metallic." The exact same color on my '97 from 14 years ago! I'm looking forward to a sunny day (rainy down here now) when both are maybe shiney at the same time for a group photo session!

Here's the wheels. (They were the optional ones.). The second pic is the "Ultimate Edition" badge, which is something of a mystery to me. This was an optional package on the Grand Marqs several years ago...but from what I can tell by scouring past years of online reviews and photos, Ford just decided to slap these bages on ALL 2010 and 2011 models.

Had to do it.

Reply #10 –
Mercury - New Doors Opened ;)

Had to do it.

Reply #11 –
See (most of) the rest of the options here:
  • heated front seats...for the 3 or 4 days it gets cold down here!
  • wood/leather steering wheel with redundant radio and climate controls
  • "Dual Media" radio (This means it has CD plus a CASSETTE PLAYER! (yes I paid extra for this...:cool:)


And the final option (not shown here) is the "smoker's package." I don't smoke, but for $10 I got the lighter element and a little ashtray inside the pull-out cupholder. :rollin:

Had to do it.

Reply #12 –
See (most of) the rest of the options here:
  • heated front seats...for the 3 or 4 days it gets cold down here!
  • wood/leather steering wheel with redundant radio and climate controls
  • "Dual Media" radio (This means it has CD plus a CASSETTE PLAYER! (yes I paid extra for this...:cool:)


And the final option (not shown here) is the "smoker's package." I don't smoke, but for $10 I got the lighter element and a little ashtray inside the pull-out cupholder. :rollin:

Had to do it.

Reply #13 –
Single or Dual exhaust?

Had to do it.

Reply #14 –
Sadly, single. Upon inspection, the headers seem to each go to their own cat. coverter, then merge (is this called a y-pipe?) into one and go down to the ler and tailpipe.

Dual was available in very recent years, but dissappeared some time ago (don't have all my Panther platform details memorized yet - not even close!) I figure since some had it, there should be room to route it if I want to change it later, like after the whole 3 yr./36,000 mile thing.