1978 Mercury Grand Marquis

Selling a rust free, well maintained low mileage Grand Marquis sedan. We have been searching for a nice Marquis coupe for the past 12 years or so. Every time we come across one, it has a 351 or 400 motor or in some other way it fails have the specifications we are looking for. This spring I found what I thought would be a perfect compromise for what we have been wanting. I came across a very nice example of a Grand Marquis pillared hardtop sedan with 25,000 miles, the 460 motor, and trim level, etc. we wanted. After brining it home, much to my disappointment, my other half failed to warm up to the car because he has been steadfast in wanting a two door coupe for so many years. Driving it to a couple of events and to dinner a few times has not changed his mind, so I am going to move the car out of our collection. The car has a unique story and is in phenomenal shape for anyone who does not mind the two extra doors. It was purchased by a couple who lived in rural Minnesota when they were nearing their retirement years. I was told they kept the car for special occasions and the car was always garaged. It appears the car was registered by the original owners into the mid 1990s, until presumably when they stopped driving. The story I was told by the man I bought the car from was that after the elderly couple passed away the car was bequeathed to family members and remained garaged until he bought it from their estate, as he stated they had gotten into their elder years. Vehicle registrations and a service reminder dated 1989 when the car had 20K miles confirm his story. This gentleman, the third owner was a retiree and a shade tree mechanic who only worked on older Ford products and he got the car running after its long slumber. His work included cleaning and replacing various parts of the fuel system and doing the necessary brake work. He also said he packed the wheel bearings This car starts easily from cold and the choke and appropriate idle speeds engage and disengage as they should and the idle is very smooth. I have a cold start video of the car on my phone for those who message us for a request. to see it. In addition, he replaced the original solid state ignition box and spark plugs. After I took ownership, I went back and forth on having the original hoses, belts and plug wires changed, but ultimately decided to keep it original and enjoy the authenticity of everything that is still clean, without evident wear and clearly stamped, date coded with the original factory markings. The spare is also original to the car but the driving tires are newer and still have nubs on them. This car has the Media velour option and all of the original crinkles of the material type are still present like they were new. In the cars we have looked at over the years with more miles, the velour always seems stretched flat except in the middle of the backseat where no one sat. Likewise, all the plastic welting and piping on the seats is typically cracked in these car if they have any miles on them. All of it on this car is intact and not cracked, as is the vinyl dash top and door trimmings. The steering wheel is perfect, even around the cruise control switches, which seems to be a rarity on the Ford products from this time. All options on this car work as they should, including the 8 track radio. The car has all the books including warranty information and Ford's version of ProtectoPlate warranty card. One thing I did do because it was bothering me more than anything else, is replace the vinyl top. The old top had shrunk and was pulling up in the corners around the rear window. Other Marquis' that we have looked at over the years all have this issue and also have a strange diagonal indentation under the rear pillars where the metal roof is attached and leaded during production. The void causes the vinyl top to sink into said spot and the indentation is noticeable, at least to me it is. The top I chose is of good quality in correct color and grain as the original. No rust was found when the upholstery shop removed the top. Because that diagonal line bothered me, I had them correct the leading indentation so the vinyl would remain flush and uniform. There are some things that I have noticed over the summer and the couple of hundred miles I put on the car. Aside from the aforementioned ease of start and good running, I have noticed how nice riding and tight the car is and how easily all the door open and shut and with no sagging. When driven, it feels very similar to our Lincoln sedans did, but presumably because of the lower miles, the hood and fenders dont flutter and flex when you cross train tracks or tar strips. Also of note, you can leave the car in the garage for weeks and the headlight doors stay closed. I also noticed the seats are still firm and dont sag. Looking underneath the front seat, you dont see the foam making its way through the seat springs like our Lincolns. The exterior trim is good. The chrome on Ford products of this period was not the greatest, but this cars trim is nice and well aligned. I noticed grease markings and quality control stamps are still in a variety of places on the car and engine and the original build sheet for the car is under the seat. I left it alone but did take a picture of it. One thing is certain, you wont see yourself coming and going at old car shows. I still see plenty of mid to late 70s Lincolns from this era on the internet and at shows, but I seldom see the Marquis series Mercurys. Please message me if you have questions. I check messages once a day. If you are bidding and you have very little feedback or purchase history, please message me if you are interested. We had a bad selling experience once and would like to establish rapport with those without established eBay history. Thank you.

Also published at eBay.com

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