Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Shitbox Showdown! Today’s search takes us to Boston to look at a pair of old-school body-on-frame American land yachts. Before we set sail, let’s settle up on Friday’s European two-doors:
Yeah. Even with the higher price, that 300CE is too good to pass up. That is a nice car.
You know what wasn’t a nice car, though? That ratty blue Oldsmobile that Chuckie, Ben Affleck’s character in Good Will Hunting, drove. It looked like hell, and probably got about eight miles to the gallon, but it got Will and his friends where they needed to go. Big old American cars like that make good city cars, at least for the rougher parts of a city: the soft suspension soaks up the potholes, the big heavy bumpers and doors shrug off minor altercations with objects both stationary and moving, and they’re not worth anything, so no one is going to steal them. I started wondering what Chuckie might have driven today, twenty-five years later, so I fired up Boston’s Craigslist and took a look. (Oh, like you never wonder about stuff like that.) Here are the two cars I found.
1993 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 5.7 liter overhead valve V8, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Lowell, MA
Odometer reading: 190,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep
This is a car with an identity crisis. In 1985, Cadillac downsized its DeVille to a front-wheel-drive platform, including a top-of-the-line model called the Fleetwood. But it kept the previous rear-wheel-drive platform around (probably to keep the livery/hearse conversion companies happy) as the Fleetwood Brougham. Two years later, after confusing the hell out of customers with two different cars of the same name, Cadillac dropped the “Fleetwood” from the name and simply called it the Brougham – until 1993 when the front-wheel-drive Fleetwood went out of production, and the rear-wheel-drive car regained its Fleetwood badging, and Brougham became a trim level. Did you follow all that?
This car, along with its platform-mates the Buick Roadmaster and Chevy Caprice, gained a serious horsepower bump in the form of a multi-port fuel injected LT-1 V8 – but not until the year after this car was built. This one makes do with a more sedate throttle-body injected version of the good old Chevy small-block. This one is said to run well, and the car has recently had its starter and brakes replaced.
Inside, this one might be too nice for Chuckie and Will and the gang to take to the burger joint. Its blue leather interior looks good, and since it’s a Brougham, it comes with all the toys. I know from experience that on an old Caddy, you can’t take for granted that all that stuff works, but I also know that it’s fixable with a little work.
Outside, the big Fleetwood looks pretty clean, but those stainless-steel lower panels could be hiding some rust issues. It’s straight, though, and shiny from what we can see. Parallel parking it might be tough, but think of it as a challenge.
2001 Mercury Grand Marquis – $2,499
Engine/drivetrain: 4.6 liter overhead cam V8, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Boston, MA
Odometer reading: 103,000 miles
Runs/drives? Sure does
Well would you look at that – another Ford Panther-platform car! This is Mercury’s version, the Grand Marquis, or as an old co-worker of mine at the service station used to call it, the “Grandma-rquis.” Admittedly, when these cars were new, it was rare to see anyone under the age of 70 behind the wheel of one, but these days we can all enjoy the comfort and reliability of these big overstuffed sofas on wheels, and for cheap.
These cars are known for their comfy interiors, but this seller has chosen not to provide us with any photos of it. They do say that the 4.6 liter modular V8 runs “fantastic,” as it should with only 103,000 miles on it. We don’t get much else to go on, but the Panthers are known for reliability and longevity. All the potential issues are well-known and well-documented, so keeping this beast on the road should be easy.
This one appears to be a special edition of some sort, but I can’t make out the little badges on the fenders. The green landau top on a gray car really makes me wonder what color the interior is; if it’s green as well, I’d like to see that. Not enough cars have colorful interiors any more.
It does have some noteworthy rust, especially the bottom of the driver’s side front fender. It looks like the bottoms of the doors might be starting to bubble as well. It kind of adds to the urban-warrior motif, honestly, as do the two missing wheel covers. Rust or not, I imagine this car has quite a few potholes left to bounce over.
Big body-on-frame sedans like this haven’t been produced in many years, but they do still have their fans. They’re tough, simple, comfy, and best of all, cheap. Either of these looks ready to do battle on the mean streets. Which one is more your style?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
The Cadillac was a watered-down version of one of my all-time favourite GM concept cars, the Cadillac Voyage: https://www.thedrive.com/news/42473/the-1988-cadillac-voyage-concept-charted-a-course-for-the-21st-century
As with most concept cars, they should have put it into production as is, with a more practical rear window and conventional front wheel openings.
The Caddy looks too clean to pass up. I rented a Grand Marquis in the late 90s for a very long car trip. The bench seat made me long for a church pew. Every few miles I muttered, “Oh, God. Oh God.”
The answer is always Panther.
The drivetrain is barely broken in. Despite the appearance, the Mercury has everything the Cadillac does. It’ll just keep running longer and with less hassles.
I do like a cadillac, and that mercury looks rough, the caddy’s price seems low for a used car dealer, makes me wonder….. and the mercury has been posted for 12 days….
Still going Fleetwood, but with reservations
I cross shopped these two 5 or 6 years ago.
I ended with the Caddy. Especially if it’s a Texas built one – other than the cracked dash, the WORST Fleetwoods were in better condition than the BEST Town Car / Grand Marquis – and that’s before the hack job on the top of this panther.
Also I’m a sucker for 6 way lumbar.
Caddy FTW.
The Marquis ain’t much.to write home about. No pic’s of the interior which -at best is green and at worst isn’t – and no pic’s of the interior for a car on steelies missing a hub-cab is fairly reliable indicator that the car has fallen into the hands of somebody who don’t giveadamn and drove it for who knows how long just putting cheap gas in it and now suspects/knows somthin bad gonna happen. Oil changes? I don’t think so. Finally: Politeness prohibits me from commenting on that F’in half a toupee vinyl roof.
The Caddy on the other hand looks like grandpa died and the kids just want rid of his pride and joy.
Next question?
Everyone voting for the Caddy has clearly never been to Lowell
I lived there for a year, and I voted for the Caddy, even though my housemates at the time had a GrandMa.
Once again, I say that I always appreciate and love a Panther…but I’m going the other direction. The Caddy is in far better shape, and (more importantly) I actually live in the place that gave this model it’s name. Once upon a time, the Fleetwood Coach Works made some exclusive stuff for some veeeeery rich people, but their pairing with Cadillac put them on the map. Cadillac bought out the company and consolidated everything with Fisher in 1931, but the old factory building still stands, about a mile or so from where I’m typing this right now (think it’s being converted to apartments currently). Even though it’s a Fleetwood by name only, I’d still rock that ride all over this little town with a silly grin on my face.
Fun fact: when the multi-port fuel injected LT-1 V8 did go into these Cadillacs (and also the Buick Roadmaster and Caprice) it was the 2-main bearing version.
The LT1 that went into the Trans Am/Formula, Impala and Z/28/SS Camaro got the 4-main.
Also Iron Heads and only 260HP. but still almost every guy that has an Impala SS or really any of the basic LTI variants in these big cruisers always say it is a Vette Motor, so? What helps get their heads right in the end. Also I think most of the F-Bodies had 2 bolt mains until 96–97 WS6 and SS variants with 305 HP
Of course I’m going with the Fleetwood Brougham. I just finished a 3,000 mile roadtrip to Florida and back in the ’94 version of that car. I’m pretty sure it was the only one cruising around the infield at the 12 hours of Sebring. As Ranwhenparked mentioned, these are not maintenance-free vehicles, but they have great presence when shined up with a proper set of white-walls, and all their jewelry in place.
I had to do some last minute wrenching to drive mine in the form of new valve cover gaskets along with new oil cooler lines, as well as a quick look at the air-mixing door for the climate control, but the car performed nicely throughout the trip. We saw exactly one other Cadillac of this style the whole time.
I wish this one was (much) closer! I’d be going to buy it right now – nothing that clean seems to come up for sale for that kind of money around these parts anymore.
I’ll take the Mercury in this case. It will be the better car most likely once it’s cleaned up.
The Cadillac may have more miles on it, but judging by the condition it was cared for relatively well. That Mercury…not so much. It looks filthy. My grandma still has a Grand Marquis, we always called it the “mamaw-mobile” when I was a kid. Just last year, a lower ball joint failed while she was piloting that barge down a highway at 70+ mph. And my slow moving, morbidly obese, 82 year old grandmother steered that thing perfectly onto the shoulder. Calm as could be when we showed up to pick her up. That woman is a damn good driver. And the Grand Marquis loves to fight another day.
*lives
Normally I am a Panther guy, dyed in the wool, but that Caddy is way, way too nice compared to that Grand Marquis (GS Florida Edition?). Sure it’s basically a Caprice. But it’s a nice one, especially for that price.
Cadillac all day. Fancy version of my old Caprice Cop car from 1991. that tank went everywhere with little fuss. the TBI was rock solid, though distributor modules were something you kept spares of. Still far easier to fix than the dreaded Nopetispark system.
For some reason, I never found Panther body cars all that comfortable. I had a 98 Buick LeSabre and my Father in law had a Grand Marquis. The LeSabre was way more comfortable. The Merc’s seats were a little stiff and the seating position was a little odd for me.
I did have a rental Marquis in the early 2000’s once, the adjustable pedals were kind of trick. I assumed it was so the little old ladies that bought them died less from air bag destruction as it allowed them to not be driving with their chest resting on the steering wheel.
Normally I would jump at the panther. But in this case the Caddy is just too nice to pass up.
I’d get the Caddy, load it with some of my fellow septuagenarians in snappy suits, fur-collared overcoats and Hamburgs, and play crime boss.
Uh, what’s with the front-right tire on that Merc? Is that a giant flat spot?
No matter, if equal condition and price the Caddy will win every time. Since the Merc is in WAY worse shape, this one’s easy.
Love the turn signal repeaters on the fenders. Some of these older Caddy’s also had them on the rear headliner, so you could see if you were signaling in your rear view mirror.
Same price 10 years younger almost 100,000 fewer miles gotta go with the Mercury
This is a pretty easy one: Cadillac, please.
It has more miles on it but appears to be in noticeably better shape than the Grandpa Marquis. And it has alloys, rather than steelies and a wheelcover deficit.
The Mercury doesn’t look great on the outside. Since there are no pics of the interior, we can safely speculate that – like a Tauntaun – the inside is worse.
Also even though a bit less sporty than the next years LTI, this 5.7 TBI will run for far longer and for far cheaper than any optispark LT1 will. The year for this well kept land yacht is a plus for me.
If there was more info I would be tempted by the Mercury, but without interior pics or anything that’s not going to happen. Though if it were closer to me I would be taking a buddy to go look at the Marquis, he’s in the market for cheap and reliable and this could fit the bill.
It looks like the Grand Marquis is a “Park Lane” edition, which is surely a dealer trim package comprising that Landau top, hundreds of dollars’ worth of paint and fabric protectant, and some silly plaque on the dashboard.
Even though the Roadmaster wheels annoy, this is an easy vote for the Cadillac.
Cadillac grade land yachting with Chevy small block dependability.
As long as it’s not DT rusted underneath you can make this do what you want
I had one at one time, most comfortable car I’ve ever owned and wish I still had it – but they are not problem free, fragile transmissions, failing air suspension, and lots of electrical glitches (dead digital dash, window motors burning out, etc), and they only built a bit over 100,000 of the Cadillacs over 4 model years (vs the Town Car, which sold more than that per year at the time), so any Cadillac-specific part is annoying to source. And, despite the platform sharing, GM did love to work those in in unexpected places for reasons
No K-Cars, so off to a good start. While I understand the Panther love, no shots of the interior don’t do that offering any favors. I’ll take the clean Caddy and it’s comfy seats. Also, fender skirts.