Howyadoin! New owner of a '94 GS Park Lane...
Howyadoin,
Just drove her home tonight! She's in Tucson Bronze with 172K, I'm just the 2nd owner. I was driving a Corolla (not by choice, I assure you) before this, but my previous 3 cars were an '80 Coupe deVille and a couple of '90s Sevilles, so I like 'em big. My commute destroyed the Corolla, and I wanted something rugged enough to withstand Boston roads. Oddly, I've owned a bunch of cars over the years, everything from a gagnormous 1970 Pontiac Bonneville sedan/aircraft carrier to an MG Midget, but this is my first Ford product. The Panther platform's reputation precedes it, so I hope to follow in the footsteps.
The original owner maintained this car quite well, and kept good records. I've never seen oil this clean that wasn't still in the bottle! Some of the other fluids (brake fluid in particular is syrup brown) need to be replaced, but there's time enough for that. Starts, steers, stops like a big 'ol girl. The original owner recently passed away, so I was dealing with his neighbor who was acting on behalf of the widow. The original owner was in a wheelchair, so he installed a Bruno Scooter Lift Jr. in the trunk. I'll be looking to sell that pretty soon.
The engine starts and idles very smoothly. The temp indicator doesn't go to the midpoint of the gauge, it sits at about 35% - is this normal? I've checked the windows, they all work (that seems to be a frequent complaint), the transmission shifts nicely, there's no overdrive shudder. The check engine light comes on after about 10-15 minutes and there does seem to be a bit of a whistling sound on acceleration and a bit of knock going up hills on the highway (low RPM in overdrive) perhaps. That makes me wonder if maybe there's a bit of intake gasket leakage? I'll have my mechanic read the code and see what it's complaining about. Thankfully, there's no CEL or emissions testing in MA for inspection for a '94, it's safety only, which is no problem.
Funny story... I was driving home and realized that when I was doing the once-over the day before, I hadn't fully closed the hood. So I stopped and closed it properly. I get back in the car and there is a red LED on the dash that is now lit. I shut the car off, it's still lit. I restart the car, it's still lit. I'm all bummed out thinking that in some bizarre fashion I broke something closing the stupid hood and the LED is some aftermarket dire warning light, or that the scooter lift has somehow been activated and is now beating the hell out of the trunk lid. I get the car home and tear apart the documentation that came with the car trying to figure out what the heck this LED is. Finally, I realize it's an indicator for the DEI alarm/door lock/trunk release system that the dealer installed when the car was purchased, and that it's telling me that I somehow bypassed the alarm system...
So anyway, it's a pleasure to be here, I'll post some pics tomorrow...
-Mark P.
Salem, MA
Just drove her home tonight! She's in Tucson Bronze with 172K, I'm just the 2nd owner. I was driving a Corolla (not by choice, I assure you) before this, but my previous 3 cars were an '80 Coupe deVille and a couple of '90s Sevilles, so I like 'em big. My commute destroyed the Corolla, and I wanted something rugged enough to withstand Boston roads. Oddly, I've owned a bunch of cars over the years, everything from a gagnormous 1970 Pontiac Bonneville sedan/aircraft carrier to an MG Midget, but this is my first Ford product. The Panther platform's reputation precedes it, so I hope to follow in the footsteps.
The original owner maintained this car quite well, and kept good records. I've never seen oil this clean that wasn't still in the bottle! Some of the other fluids (brake fluid in particular is syrup brown) need to be replaced, but there's time enough for that. Starts, steers, stops like a big 'ol girl. The original owner recently passed away, so I was dealing with his neighbor who was acting on behalf of the widow. The original owner was in a wheelchair, so he installed a Bruno Scooter Lift Jr. in the trunk. I'll be looking to sell that pretty soon.
The engine starts and idles very smoothly. The temp indicator doesn't go to the midpoint of the gauge, it sits at about 35% - is this normal? I've checked the windows, they all work (that seems to be a frequent complaint), the transmission shifts nicely, there's no overdrive shudder. The check engine light comes on after about 10-15 minutes and there does seem to be a bit of a whistling sound on acceleration and a bit of knock going up hills on the highway (low RPM in overdrive) perhaps. That makes me wonder if maybe there's a bit of intake gasket leakage? I'll have my mechanic read the code and see what it's complaining about. Thankfully, there's no CEL or emissions testing in MA for inspection for a '94, it's safety only, which is no problem.
Funny story... I was driving home and realized that when I was doing the once-over the day before, I hadn't fully closed the hood. So I stopped and closed it properly. I get back in the car and there is a red LED on the dash that is now lit. I shut the car off, it's still lit. I restart the car, it's still lit. I'm all bummed out thinking that in some bizarre fashion I broke something closing the stupid hood and the LED is some aftermarket dire warning light, or that the scooter lift has somehow been activated and is now beating the hell out of the trunk lid. I get the car home and tear apart the documentation that came with the car trying to figure out what the heck this LED is. Finally, I realize it's an indicator for the DEI alarm/door lock/trunk release system that the dealer installed when the car was purchased, and that it's telling me that I somehow bypassed the alarm system...
So anyway, it's a pleasure to be here, I'll post some pics tomorrow...
-Mark P.
Salem, MA
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