In the old FWF there was a car buying thread. Has it migrated to any of the successor sites? I might be trading in the old crown vic for something with modern safety features.
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I sure hope the mob swoops in to talk you out of this 
I too wanted to ask for some car buying advice, hoping that some of the car enthusiasts from FWF are on FD. But I think my question was too generic and might warrant its own thread â âwhatâs the best car for the moneyâ, broken down into ~$5K price ranges.
Sounds like great material for the Wiki post.
Might I suggest that there are few features safer than âbig ironâ. Having not been in a crown vic for some years, it may no longer have the heft of previous versions. The old ones provided a sense of safety, knowing that the little econo-bugs would just go splat as you cruised along, wrapped in a couple tons of steel.
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One thing I can say is many cars (not suvâs But real cars) are being given away by the manufacturers right now. Got my wife a 2017 Buick LaCrosse a few month ago, new 7:70 warranty for about 22k pretty well loaded. The sticker was $45k. We added wheel and tire protection because it has low profile tires and the roads in metro Detroit are awful. Itâs 5 years unlimited miles for the wheel and tire protection.
Normally I never buy new, but cars are cheap in metro Detroit and this was a price that simply could not be beat. On top of it they gave us more on the trade than it was worth.
The fact is no one wants a car anymore (Ford is killing most of their cars soon) so, if you want to buy new, the cost might actually make sense now in some cases. Ymmv.
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Sticker is meaningless in this case. There are plenty of cars under $45K way better than this. At 22K it wouldnât make my top 5. No offense.
None taken but youâre missing the point.
I suspect the crown Vic wouldnât have made your top 5 either, but it was still an outstanding deal or value. The point of my post was just to illustrate that Cars are where the best deals are at right now, and that is a fact thatâs true of almost ANY car thatâs out as SUVâs are driving the market. (The Tesla comes to mind as an exception, there are others)
My tastes are probably different than yours and thatâs probably true of most people that are going to post in this thread. Nothing wrong with that. We are all going to have different tastes and requirements in a vehicle.
This purchase was a deal because I will be able to sell it for what I paid for it for the next 18-24 months.
I never owned a crown Vic but Iâve owned several grand Marquis, never lost a dime owning one.
It does sound like you got a deal on your LaCrosse, but this statement about resale is far from guaranteed. Autotrader currently has 8 2015 Buick LaCrosses with under 30k miles for under $17,000.
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Previous versions? There were only two versions. The second generation was made from 1998 to 2011. Have you not been in a Crown Vic made after 1998?
This statement is extremely wrong. Please look up crash test results for old cars compared to new cars. Keep in mind that how a car looks on the outside (all smashed up) is not a good indicator of how much damage the passenger compartment sustained.
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2017 is a new body style with other improvements. A 2015 model is not a fair comparison because the body style has transitioned. Seen several 2017 used models w/miles go for 25k or so. Nevertheless my 22k was out the door taxes, wheel and tire, etc. and Iâm good with it (spouses tend to be more picky and less of a fragile deal mindset)
If I sold it 2 years for 17k Iâd be shocked but it would still be a win. Realistically she will keep it at least 4 years.
My only point with the post was to say if youâre not tied to an SUV and youâre not leasing then cars are being given away right now. Seems to be true of the imports as well. So itâs worth asking the question, do you really need an SUV?
If you can lease, many good SUV deals now as well. Equinox / terrain regularly at $150-$200 a month out the door, 15k miles a year low or zero down. And Crown Vicâs are getting much harder to find. Cheers
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Iâm not comparing the 2015 to the 2017. Iâm pointing out what the 2 year older car goes for right now because you said you will be able to sell it for the purchase price âin 18-24 months.â The price of a 2015 in 2018 will be similar to a 2017 in 2020. Since it is a new generation, it may be higher, but the fact that you got such a good deal doesnât bode well for resale either. If they canât sell 2017s, what makes you think they will be able to sell 2019s? If I can buy a 2019 new off the lot in 2020 for $22k, why would I buy yours?
Agreed. Like I stated, it does sound like you got a good deal. And your point about cars vs. SUVs (and to go even further, wagons) is correct. But it doesnât only apply to new cars/wagons. Lots of great deals on used cars/wagons too.
The Crown Vic platform has terrible side impact crash ratings pre-2008. One thing unibody has over body on frame construction. Once they added the side impact airbags they got better.
My â01 is long in the tooth. Will need a new brake booster pump and is randomly throwing misfire codes and abs sensor codes.
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I think the word youâre looking for is âsedanâ.
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That surprises me. Thanks for the info.
This idea may have gotten stuck in my head when there were so few SUVs and so many small imports. I figured two tons vs 1 ton was better, kind of like the one eyed man thing. Itâs good to know that my wifeâs current car isnât necessarily unsafe ⌠unless sheâs behind the wheel. 
Oh, and I have never had the pleasure of riding in a Crown Vic. The closest I got was a late 60âs or 70âs LTD.
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then you havenât really lived!! Search âCrown Vic donkâ for the full effect 
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Lol. Thanks for that. I have seen tons of these, but didnât know there was name for it.
That is so funny. Now Iâve got something to point to if my wife ever again says something about me buying more fishing tackle. 