To say that I’ve bent the rules this week would be an understatement, so we’re going to end the week with two good old-fashioned used car bargains. You get a lot of car for not much money with either of these, as long as you’re not overly concerned with style, or handling.
Yesterday we looked at two 80s coupes, and I guess I’m not surprised that the Scirocco won. Chrysler products are always a hard sell with this crowd, and that Daytona is going to need a sympathetic owner who’s really willing to put in the time to bring it back to its former glory. The Scirocco, on the other hand, is just a nice old car.
I’ll be honest: if I had stupid money, I’d probably own an example of both, along with several other mediocre 80s cars. It’s just how I’m wired. Keep your Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces; give me a Daytona, and a Scirocco, and a Cimarron, and an EXP. But if I had to choose between these two, I’d take the Scirocco. It handles better, and it’s more reliable – once you learn to speak Bosch fuel injection.
I’ve long held that “grandpa cars” make the best cheap beaters. They’re usually well-maintained, mechanically simple, and comfortable. You’ll have to look elsewhere for a sporting experience, but you won’t be disappointed in your choice if you have to spend time stuck in traffic. I imagine this won’t be the case forever; cars like these aren’t being produced anymore, and even these two are getting a little long in the tooth. But as of right now, if you’ve only got two or three grand to spend on a car, you could do a lot worse than a squishy old-man sedan. Let’s check out a couple.
1997 Buick LeSabre Limited – $1,999
Engine/drivetrain: 3.8-liter OHV V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Zion, IL
Odometer reading: 131,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
If you ask a bunch of people “What’s a reliable car?”, you’ll get the same few answers from most people: Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and so forth. But those in the know can offer a whole variety of other choices, usually with a common drivetrain that’s known to be reliable, for example, the Buick 3800 V6 and 4T60-E automatic transmission. It doesn’t matter which of the many cars equipped with this combination you choose; the mechanical core is what’s important.
In this case, that mechanical core lives inside GM’s H-body sedan, a full-sized front-wheel-drive platform that replaced the old rear-drive B-body. This is a second-generation H-body, new enough to use the 3800 Series II engine, which received a nice power bump and some refinements. This one is for sale from a dealership, and they never seem to provide info on how well a car runs, but I’m going to assume no news is good news.
It’s the fancy Limited model, with leather seats and power everything. These are really comfy cars, very smooth and quiet inside. It looks like it’s in good shape, except for the typical worn-off paint on the steering wheel. These cars would have aged a lot better if Buick had just left the steering wheels black, no matter the interior color, like Mercedes did in the 70s and 80s.
The LeSabre was available in some good colors: a nice maroon, dark green, and a really good sky blue, but I think over the years they have all transformed into this taupe color, because that’s all I ever see anymore. This one is in decent shape, but I think I see a little bit of rust in the rockers. Not surprising for a 28-year-old car in the Chicago area, but it’s worth a look to make sure it’s not worse underneath. These have a front subframe that tends to trap water and rust out; hopefully this one is still good and solid.
2004 Mercury Grand Marquis GS – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 4.6-liter OHC V8, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Aurora, IL
Odometer reading: 180,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
While GM switched most of its full-size lineup over to unibody construction and front-wheel-drive, Ford hung on to the rear-wheel-drive Panther platform for a long time. The Panther is an old-school body-on-frame design, very strong and durable, but heavy and space-inefficient. That strength and durability is what made this chassis such a successful police car. The Mercury Grand Marquis is tuned for comfort rather than pursuit, but the bones are the same.
Power for this car, like all Panther-chassis cars of this era, comes from Ford’s 4.6 liter overhead cam Modular V8, driving a traditional solid rear axle through a four-speed automatic transmission. This one runs and drives well, and just passed an emissions test, which is a good sign. The ad is a little light on details otherwise.
The Grand Marquis is much like the LeSabre inside: big and soft and comfortable. This is the low-level GS model, but it still has all the power toys, as well as leather seats. It’s in pretty good shape inside, but the seller admits the air conditioning is out – and of course they just say it “needs a charge.” I guess you could try charging it and see what happens; it’s worth a shot, right?
This one has some pretty serious rust along the rocker panels, but since it’s body-on-frame, the rockers aren’t structural, at least. It’ll probably be all right for a while yet. Cars this cheap, you don’t expect to keep forever anyway.
So that’s all I’ve got for you this week: a couple of old sofas-on-wheels that have seen better days, but still have a few miles left in them. You’ve got all weekend to decide between them. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back here on Monday with more poor choices.
The answer is always Panther.
everything else being equal, I would normally select the Mercury.
But in this case – lower miles, less rust and lower price mean it’s the Buick.
My son had a ’98 LeSabre,same colour as this (what else?) and that car was amazing. He currently owns a ’95 Grand Marquis. That car is indestructible.
I went with the LeSabre.
My family inherited almost that exact LeSabre from my grandma, and my dad sold it to one of my friends eventually. It was super comfortable, and I kind of wished I’d ended up with it, but didn’t need another car at the time.
I have the snow tires from it on my Saabaru though.
This was easy too…Grandma Keith!
Ha ha…I really like these “grandma” cars…they are big comfy cruisers…plus V8! You can find them all over the place for decent $ and lower miles. I like the Lesabre too
I see Panther, I vote Panther. It’s a condition.
Much as I think nobody should have to drive a Panther anything unless they are wearing a uniform and getting paid to do so, at least with the RWD Grand Marquis de Sade you can slide the things around and pretend you are a cop while reveling in their incredibly pathetic ride and handling mix. And it will likely be cheaper (and definitely easier) to fix.
The GM FWD turdmobiles are just completely fun-free zones that I am extremely happy have long since left the rental fleets of the world. They were bad as brand-new cars, I can only imagine what a well-aged one is like.
And of course it “just needs a charge” – after you fix whatever is leaking or otherwise broken in the A/C system.
I find it amusing when people say these cars are “comfortable”. Anyone who thinks American barge seats are comfortable has obviously never spent any length of time in a car with *actually* comfortable seats. Those sofas belong in your grandma’s living room, not a car where you need to drive all day. And a ride that makes me car sick even when I am driving on anything but the smoothest of roads is hardly comfortable either. Again, obviously never been in a car that actually rides properly.
Nice touch, old man yelling at clouds about old man cars that float like a cloud.
Clouds really aren’t particularly comfortable. They tend to be rather soggy and unsupportive. Much like these cars.
My friend’s perpetually-broke sister needed a car and I sent him so many links for GM 3800s – and they went out and bought a Fiesta with a Powershift. Good luck.
The Buick is the better option: cheaper, in good shape, less rust. But I’ve always wanted a Panther, and the heart wants what it wants.
Buick for me. Same interior space, better fuel economy, less mileage and costs less.
Voted RWD BOF V8 out of conservatism, but after reading the comments the FWD 3800 sounds pretty sweet, especially on MPG.
At least that Panther isn’t the face-eating kind (I hope!)
Buick all the way- I had a 99 Park Avenue for 6-7 years. Even with the larger body (it is 6 inches longer than our Sienna), it went forever. Our oldest sone is driving it now, at 310000 on the odometer. It will make the trip from Vegas to Salt Lake on one tank and if I don’t need to stop for bathroom breaks, I could drive it in just over 5 hours. Set the cruise at 83-84 mph and it soaks up the miles, keeping speed on the hills with no issue. My only concern would be the GM radio/electronics gremlins that can afflict those models.
I’ve been wanting one of these Buicks. Pending a thorough inspection underneath, I’ll have that.
I like both but since they’ve spent their lives in Illinois I wouldn’t bother. However, it’s fun to play with house money so go with RWD.
Went with the Buick since the AC maybe works.
The Buicks of this generation are cockroaches…so many of them still running around in my area in various states of neglect. I had the cousin: 99 Buick Century for a couple of years. It worked fine got 30mpg easily on my commute but couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Hated the slush box sofa handling. I had to actually drive below the speed limit on I40 running through the mountains into NC due to excessive body lean on the curves. The 07 Focus I replaced it with just shrugged off the same curves.
It passed thru several of my relatives dying an eventual death a few years ago, north of 300k, which is remarkable considering the extreme neglect they subjected it to. Might have been the transmission? I had to replace the valve body at 80k. Was a little cheezed about that since I had just bought it around 75k. They had also dealt with the intake gasket/coolant issue at the 80k repair. Probably only real repair done to it.
I can’t say “no” to a 3800 and that 4 speed.
Probably would have gone with the Merc if the Buick didn’t present the way it does. All considered, it looks pretty damned good inside and out. I can’t say the same about the Merc. It looks a little rough around the edges and the aftermarket wheels are hitting me wrong. As for the air conditioning thing, sure…add some refrigerant, it’ll probably work until it doesn’t. Maybe that’s a year, maybe that’s a day. If it truly needs refrigerant, there’s a leak somewhere, and there’s a better chance of it being an expensive fix than not.
Tough to criticize either choice.
About 18 months ago, and now into my Social Security/Medicare years, I took the plunge on a 2004 Town Car. What had been holding me back were the rear air springs. Every Wheeler Dealer and other “car fixer upper TV show”always had extensive and expensive problems with cars with air ride suspensions (even though the cars were usually makes like Range Rovers and expensive Mercedes.)
Once I “got with the program” and finally switched to watching more YouTube videos and less cable TV, I realized my fear of Panther rear air springs was simply paranoia. Well, not completely as I paid $350 to a shop to replace the rear airbags (with who-knows-what quality aftermarket units) after buying the car. The airbags and air compressor are readily available in the aftermarket for reasonable prices.
The Town Car is a terrific freeway cruiser and will begin another 2000 mile round trip in a couple of days. This will be the car’s 8th round trip of at least 1000 miles and I enjoy the soft ride (partly due to the rear air springs.)
I made a really dumb purchase of a 2013 Mustang at the Mecum Auction last spring (for which I take responsibility) but that is somewhat counterbalanced by the terrific Town Car I bought in 2024.
My mom drove some variation of a white Grand Marquis for close to 30 years. Now that they don’t make them anymore, she and dad share a Lincoln Nautilus. It just doesn’t feel right.
Panther for me. The last, best classic American sedan.
Dude, raise your sights a little! Anyway, going with the Buick solely because of the air conditioning thing. Otherwise, it might be fun to try and find the cop parts to bolt onto the Merucry.
Assuming the rust isn’t too bad, the Buick is the easy choice for me. The 3800 provides plenty of power when needed and pretty efficient when it isn’t.
A TV station I worked at went from Olds 88s (basically the same car) to Crown Vics when a Ford dealership got in arears and did a big trade out. I left that station and moved out west before winter, but friends told me the difference between the two in the snow was a big step backwards. They ended up having to buy a second set of (winter) tires to get around when it got snowy. The FWD Olds did fine on just all-season tires.
When the area actually catches snow, having all-season tyres is idiotic.
Proper winter tyres on RWD is heaps better FWD on all-season.
I get that, but they didn’t have winter tires when we were FWD. They only bought them because they had to.
Honestly, if there is going to be snow, there should be snow tyres.
Legally required in some places, rightly so.
I’ve driven panthers (among many other RWDs) in winter, proper winter, no issues at all, just a set of decent snow tyres and I passed SUVs and pick-ups in ditches left and right. AWD and all-season is apparently worse than RWD and snow tyres…
I don’t doubt it.
I owned a 1997 Bonneville through college and it’s the most comfortable car I’ve ever had. Gimme a 3800 Series II any day. I drove mine across the country many times and you can fit 3 half barrel kegs in the trunk. What else can you ask for?
LeSabre for me. Mid 30”s MPG on way at 80 MPH, stupidly comfortable and is really just a great and easy car to drive
Can anyone guess how I voted? A hand-me-down 94 LeSabre was my first car, it used to be grandma’s. It was also the first car I ever drove at about 7 years old, with her permission in a wide open empty lot. Haha