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wtb late model panther for friend

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    wtb late model panther for friend

    A good friend is in financial straights and needs a car.
    Her truck needs $2500 in work, and she doesn't even have that. I do NOT know if $2500 is the last word and makes it perfect, or, if $2500 just puts the suspension back to road-legal and then it needs brakes tires and god knows what else on top of that... that might be part of it.
    Of course, this is a difficult question (where to find a cheap car). I know full well that about $3000 gets you a working car, whether you buy it for $3000, or buy a $600 car that "only needs and engine, but otherwise it's great!" so then you put $1000 into an engine, get it running , and discover another $1000 in other work

    So where to find a cheap car, that might still be serviceable and pass inspection, or at least cost next to nothing to get it there?
    Why, a panther of course!

    I'm in the Baltimore area.
    Looking for around $1000 I guess. Preferably late model, with hydraulic roller lifters, the improved double timing chain, EFI, some of the other improvements made. 1989 would be perfect, or 90-93.
    Could go a state or two out of the way for a good deal.
    Hoping a member here might have a car they've babied, but tired of and want to pass on to a new owner.
    It's risky buying a panther from a non car nut; if it has original coolant hoses, original spark plugs, 12 year old tires, and just overhaul hasn't been tended to, it could still easily end up being a $3000 car or more by the time I've brought it back to eminently roadworthy condition.

    Let me know!
    -Bernard

    #2
    check these out

    Here's a few rides:

    box CV http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/2877553251.html

    box CV http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/2873279323.html

    box CV http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/2847757991.html

    baby LTD http://york.craigslist.org/cto/2810472332.html
    '79 Continental Town Car
    '90 Crown Victoria LTD
    '94 Crown Victoria

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      #3
      In the for sale section here there is a Silver 97 MGM for 2K.
      2020 Volvo XC90 T6 Momentum (Ice White / Blonde)
      2022 Ram 1500 4x4 5.7 Etorque, Built to Serve Edition, (Granite Crystal / Black)
      Past Panthers
      1989 Grand Marquis LS (Cabernet/Grey), 1989 Lincoln Town Car SS (White/Blue), 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis Ultimate (White/Black)

      Originally posted by Lincolnmania
      if its got tits or tires it's bound to give you trouble

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        #4
        hey by the way, if I go with a box,
        what year do I want?
        I'm looking for high durability, fuel injected.

        I know that in 1986+ there's EFI, so definitely 86+
        I know that in 1989 there was an improvement in transmission output shaft lubrication. I'm not sure that that's anything that matters, truly, for someone driving a stock car, like a stock car. Mostly I hear people lose overdrive, not that people's tailshafts start binding or whining or whatever it does when that wears excessively.

        Were there any other important years, with significant improvements to make one year much more attractive than another?

        I already know about the 1990 dash and bomb bag; nothing there that I really consider necessary.

        When again was that weaker timing chain that liked to stretch? I remember hearing something about such a thing, browsing threads.

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          #5
          i dont know if many would agree with me but, 1987 seems to be a good year, from my experience.

          1981 Mercury Marquis Brougham 2-Door 302/ 5-speed -special blend (GMGT)
          1987 Lincoln Mark VII 5-speed (Errand runner)
          1989 Mercury Grand Marquis (Base Runner)
          2007 Lincoln Town Car Signature Limited (Hustlyn)
          2011 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (Down with O.P.P)

          Comment


            #6
            alright, sounds like I'll go with this one: http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/2847757991.html
            "I'm selling a 1988 Ford Crown vic lx ltd 5.0L egine, power locks power windows. Runs but has been sitting for a long time. Car has transmission problems from sitting. I do have spare transmission in the car. So it will drive, just no overdrive."


            He says it legitimately has 30,000 miles (not 130,000-- we all know they have just 5 digits, and sellers don't always think about the missing 1 or 2 that would have preceded the 30000)
            He did some sketchy work on it; but he says it's rust free and very clean. Hey, I'll check it out. He says that it got new tires and shocks 3 years ago, AND that he did a heater core himself. So that's some hundreds of dollars that doesn't need to be done.

            The transmission question is an odd one. I asked my transmission guy about this, and he said he doesn't really run into age-related issues quite like this, although maybe it's a stuck valve or governor or something. The seller says the original transmission wouldn't get out of 1st gear. So to get it running he replaced it with an AOD from a cougar I think he said, at any rate, an AOD which has a different linkage, and since he didn't bother to find out how easy it would have been to swap linkages, somehow he made the wrong linkage work. How the fuck he did that, I don't know-- or for that matter, if the tv cable and gear shift cable are now both screwed up in the process. Hope not.
            As it happens I have an extra running AOD, and I've R&R'd an AOD twice now, so it's not a dealbreaker.
            Still curious what could have doomed the old one.

            I figure I'll look for other signs, of 30k, or 130k, or 230k miles. And the title; if it was really transferred just 3 years ago when he bought it off a friend, and it says say 20,000 then, then he's probably honest. Besides condition of the seat leather (it is leather), what else would hint at true mileage?
            But if it's clean, rust free, and has new tires, which saves me $400, I'll buy it for the $900 he says he'll accept. Oh, and if the soft top is OK. Never owned a cloth topped vehicle; are there any hidden leaks that I need to watch out for, or will it be readily apparent whether it's dry rotted, or not? If it is, I assume that's a bitch to remedy (new fabric, that you need to cut to fit?)?

            Finally, if say the seals dried up in the transmission from sitting, given that low low mileage, I presume that engine seal leaks, pinion seal, power steering seals, and of course rust in the coolant, will all be issues also? I can always crawl under there with a flashlight and check for engine leaks, which would be the most difficult to take care of if it's not just valve covers or the pan, but instead a main seal.
            If I buy this car, I'd drop $1000 in parts into it, probably just going ahead with fresh coolant lines and a new radiator before the old one inevitably fails on me.

            Comment


              #7
              That trans would def. need to have the TV cable adjusted, and look at the grommet on the TB. If it's brass then good. If not, then replace it with a brass one. Missing OD is usually the first sign that the adjustments are out of whack and that kills AOD's really quickly.

              As far as mileage hints, take a look at the steering wheel and see if it looks worn, and also look at the brake pedal cover. I know by the time my 84 got into the 400K range the pedal cover has some serious wear on it.

              A new vinyl top is a PITA as it is glued on w/ what appears to be epoxy. Usually have to grind the residue off before installing a new top. No leaks usually, but you will be able to tell right away if the top is shot as it will have little 1/2" or so cracks all over the place as the vinyl is shrinking/drying out from age and lack of maintenance. They make replacement tops but I have a feeling that it will be cost prohibitive for your friend at this time.
              These are highly engineered precision vehicles, the first step in diagnosing the problem is to strike the suspected offending part sharply and repeatedly with a blunt object, then re-test.

              Comment


                #8
                It doesent always work, but sometimes if the numbers are not perfectly lined up then its a good indicator its gone around once, twice, mabye three times. Although then again sometimes the odometer just gets out of whack from age, so thats not always 100%


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