Grand Marquis / Town Car (GM/TC) reliability and durability?

Hello all,

New member here: Sam from Houston, TX.

I am planning to buy a used GM/TC, 2002 to 2006. I need advices from members with extensive experiences with these cars. Thank you in advance for your time.

1) How prevalent is the 'spark plug ejection' problem? 1 out of 100 cars? 1 out of 1,000 cars?
2) What are the other common problems with the GM/TC? Both major and minor.
3) How reliable, how durable is the GM/TC? I have owned three 4th gen Maximas (1995 - 1997). The 4th gen Maximas are incredibly reliable and durable. Can I expect the same from the GM/TC?
4) Is it true that you can get 25mpg on the highway at 65mph?
5) Would you recommend a 2002-2006 GM/TC to a member of your immediate family?

Thank you,
Sam

To me it depends on what you're using it for. The town car is incredibly comfortable and reliable, but wih all the bells and whistles it's just more stuff to break like air ride suspension. I personally own a 2006 crown victoria police interceptor and it's my third one. It's got more hp, heavy duty cooling, oil cooler, transmission cooler, power steering cooler, and suspension. The interior may be plain jane but to me they're the most durable and if you find the right one also the best bet for your money. I've had mine since 97,000 miles and all I've done is plugs, no coils, fuel filter, serpentine belt, coolant flush, and Mobil 1 5w30 high mileage oil changes with motorcraft filters every 6,000 miles. I believe the 4.6 is the 7.3 powerstroke of gas engines. You see them as cop cars, then taxis. How many Maximas do you see taking that kind of abuse? So come take the leap and join the rear wheel drive panther club I guarantee you won't regret it. And yes I've gotten 24-26 mpg on the highway.

Quote:

1) How prevalent is the 'spark plug ejection' problem? 1 out of 100 cars? 1 out of 1,000 cars?

Late in 2004 Ford added more threads to the spark plug hole to "help" with spark plug blow out, it still happens due to improper installation of plugs though. If the plug is cross threaded or the threads are otherwise damaged, the plug threads are compromised and can fail later on(like after the next plug change).

Quote:

2) What are the other common problems with the GM/TC? Both major and minor.

2003-early 2004 had an issue with soft axles, check for service on the rear axle or for leaking fluid at the outer seal and play in the axle.
Timing chain guides were an issue up to 2004 mostly, look for a marking on the valve covers, it's a specific marking X... going down the front of the valve cover to indicate repair.
2005 was the first year of electronic throttle control and throttle response was a bit lazy, improved with 2006 models or an updated program from Ford on a 205(aftermarket tunes are another opton)
2006 was the first year of the new cluster(with tach) and that cluster is a little buggy, some have gone dark mostly due to bad solder connections within the cluster. There are repair services online for these clusters if you need it.
There is a current recall for 2003-2005 CV/GM/TC for the LCM(Lighting Control Module) for a known failure of the headlight relay. This part is replaceable by the dealer upon inspection, there is a known fix if your LCM fails but getting the recall done is not going to cost you anything but a little bit of time.
There is a current recall for 2005-2011 CV/GM/TC for the lower intermediate steering shaft, the shaft can corrode and bind. The part is on back order at many dealers but should be replaced, shortly after registering the vehicle you would get a letter in the mail regarding the recall or you can go by a dealer and see if there are any open recalls on the vehicle(Ford service websites and CarFax will tell you as well)

Quote:

3) How reliable, how durable is the GM/TC? I have owned three 4th gen Maximas (1995 - 1997). The 4th gen Maximas are incredibly reliable and durable. Can I expect the same from the GM/TC?

Have you seen the million mile Crown Victoria on ebay? If taken care of, these cars will last for a LONG time, even if it's been drained of oil, it will probably get you home.

Quote:

4) Is it true that you can get 25mpg on the highway at 65mph?

Yes, a Grand Marquis or Town Car has lower gearing in the rear for economy so you can do that if the car is properly maintained. I got mid 20's on a cammed 2005 with full exhaust "at" the speed limit.

Quote:

5) Would you recommend a 2002-2006 GM/TC to a member of your immediately family?

Yes, I'd probably check it out to make sure it was a good car but I'd definitely recommend one.

Thank you MFAYH for your reply.

Do all TC have air suspension? If not, is there an easy way to know which ones do and which ones do not?

Thank you hondaclf.

If you have to choose one year model between 2002 and 2006, which one would you take? All other thing being equal.

Correct me if I am wrong, but 2002 appears to be the best choice. It was not mentioned in the list of problems.

Yes they all do unless they've been replaced with springs. I'm sure you've seen many continentals and town cars sagging their back end. There's usually an on/off switch in the trunk for the air shocks. I agree with honda about gauge cluster issues, my old 06 had a problem with the odometer going dark but it's actually quite simple to remove the cluster and send it out if it happens to you.

All good cars up to 100K....then stuff needs to be replaced.
Weak areas are air susupension, power windows, power seats....all switches, etc.
Plastic intake manifold on 2002\\'s and earlier can fail.

Update: I bought a 2005 Grand Marquis GS with 83Kmiles. Condition is good to excellent. Car is stock. The previous owner has already replaced the LCM. He also added 2 airbags inside the rear springs. I'm keeping them at 20psi for now.