I had a chance to inspect a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria today. These things are perfect for the jobs they have been assigned. They are big, simple, tough, reliable, comfortable, quiet land-yachts that can idle all day or cruise at 65 without stopping until you run out of gas. The 4.6 liter V8 isn't all that powerful, but it has plenty of torque to make it feel like you're going a million miles an hour and they have potential to be far more than they are from the factory. It is a workhorse. That said, they have almost all been used as such and are showing their wear. This example was no exception. The odometer read 132,xxx miles, but that was hard to believe considering the type of use it had and the amount of wear on the seats. Even still, driving around town in it was easy enough for grandma to do and with enough comfort for her as well. It is surprising how little effort and money it takes to make these cars run and drive like new. There were so many made that finding parts is as easy as anything else you can drive and all of the components are overbuilt so as to make them low stress even under heavy load. It's no wonder they were so popular. It's no wonder they continue to be so.
