Thanks to YouTube where you can find everything about the American limo
Here’s an old school American limousine. Big, heavy and with a carriage on a ladder chassis. Arie van der Meulen does not like uniform sausages and loves his Mercury Grand Marquis. That V8 enjoyment costs €160 per month on mrb, but by tinkering yourself, he saves a lot on maintenance costs. How good is this almost eighteen year old battleship still?
With a length of 5.39 meters, the Grand Marquis is even ten centimeters longer than the current extended Mercedes-Benz S-class and it weighs about the same. Not to mention the width: 1.99 meters. Arie does not enter the car wash. Why this predilection for a great American? “My wife and I lived and worked in Canada for a year. It was already certain for me in advance that I would drive a V8 there. I discovered that you could buy a written-off taxi at Toronto airport for little money, a Lincoln Town Car. There are a lot of them and they are replaced after 500,000 kilometers. No sooner said than done. And I heard from the same taxi driver that there is a garage in Toronto especially for the maintenance of those taxis that is open 24 hours a day. They really have all parts in stock and you can just get your oil changed in the middle of the night, usually without waiting time. We had a lot of fun driving the Town Car. Back in the Netherlands, my eye fell on a Mazda Xedos 9, not an everyday car either. Not as lavish as the Lincoln and a lot more economical. What disappointed me is that I could hardly find anything about it on the internet, especially on YouTube. I like to wrench myself and then it is useful to first watch a video of someone who has already done the same job. But unfortunately, the Xedos 9 is too rare.”
Mercury Grand Marquis is cousin to the Ford Crown Victoria
The lack of online information was not the only reason to say goodbye to the Xedos. The V8 had gotten under Arie’s skin after the year in Canada. So in the evening after work he opened his laptop and scoured the well-known occasion sites. “It hit a dealer in Coevorden. There was this Mercury. Exactly what I was looking for and at a bargain price. Perhaps people know it as the Ford Crown Victoria, which is often used as a police car and taxi in the States. You can hardly watch a movie or series without seeing a Crown Vic pass by. It’s not necessarily my dream car, but I always get a smile after starting. It’s the same V8 as in the Mustang, albeit with less power. Immediately after the purchase I had an inspection done here at Carrec. That resulted in a nice list of defects, but nothing shocking in my eyes. There’s work to be done! And then the internet is your big friend. Parts are readily available and I order them from the United States. And a video can be found of every repair. In this way, for example, I managed to replace the bellows of the air suspension on the rear axle, as well as the seals of the differential and the rear axle. Soon after the purchase I had a gas installation installed. I will earn that back quickly. And to make parking a little easier, I mounted a camera. That length also has its advantages: I find it quickly in a parking lot, because the nose always sticks out a bit!”
Fault in the ABS
Yet there is one problem that Arie still cannot solve: the malfunction in the ABS. That is also the only point of criticism that judge Joep Schuurman has, except for the occasionally sulky switching machine. “I’m not sure yet. All sensors give a signal, that’s not the problem. I have replaced the computer, that is not the solution either. I can’t find anything on YouTube or in my workshop manual either. If anyone has the golden tip, I’d love to hear it.”
LPG neatly built in
Everything in the engine compartment looks neat. The LPG installation is neatly built in and the intake manifold shines towards us. The underside looks robust with that heavy chassis and we come across quite a few new parts. And also some rust, but that is not an issue for the MOT, because it does not concern any load-bearing parts. The wheels are from a Lincoln and a size larger than the original set. Arie bought the almost new tires second-hand, although they are actually new and come from an Audi, as evidenced by the letters AO (Audi Only) on the sidewall. All in all a well cared for car that can last for a long time. “That is exactly the intention. Driving is fun. I regularly get a thumbs up on the highway. In 2019 we made a road trip through Europe. Cruise control on and you can last for hours. You will be completely relaxed with this car, it does not invite you to drive fast, on the contrary. It is mainly about slowing down, which is also nice after a day of work.”
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl