2004 Mercury Sable

Joined
Feb 21, 2020
Messages
43
Location
New York
I'm in the market for a good used car under $5,000, with a good reliability record and is comparatively cheap to repair. The Mercury Grand Marquis and Toyota Avalon top the list of such cars.

I recently came across a mint condition 2004 Mercury Sable LS, original owner, 41,000 miles, asking $4,500.

Please inform.
 
Thanks for the replies. I haven't heard such negativity regarding the Grand Marquis and Avalon.
 
Originally Posted by Bogdon
Thanks for the replies. I haven't heard such negativity regarding the Grand Marquis and Avalon.


Avalon's are sweet rides, I love the way they drive.

That being said, GET A PANTHER! Nothing drives like a Vic, GM, or Town Car. With a $5k budget, you could find a nice Town Car, which would be my recommendation. I see you're in NY, make darn sure and look for rust (I'm in MN, I can relate). Also, always go for an '03+, they got completely revised suspension and steering which is leaps and bounds better than the -'02.

Hot tip for buying a TC (especially in NY): Don't buy black, or white. Almost 100% guaranteed to be a livery vehicle. Blue, gold, maroon, etc. and you're golden.
 
I have two Ford Taurus's of the same vintage. If it's the Vulcan 3.0 OHV engine it's very reliable. I have one with 100,000 miles and one with 160,000 miles, both with original transmissions. You'll get another 100,000 miles for your $4500.
I side-slip 6 quarts of Mercon 5 once per year and use synthetic 5w30.
smile.gif
 
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My Niece has 2004 Ford Taurus (Duratec 3.0L) that has 290,000 miles on it.....Been a really good car. The AX4N/4F50N transaxle is starting to act up, When it goes it's off the the wrecking yard.

I've seen/had mixed results with buying older cars with low mileage, Sitting is not kind to a vehicle.
 
"That being said, GET A PANTHER! Nothing drives like a Vic, GM, or Town Car. With a $5k budget, you could find a nice Town Car, which would be my recommendation. I see you're in NY, make darn sure and look for rust (I'm in MN, I can relate). Also, always go for an '03+, they got completely revised suspension and steering which is leaps and bounds better than the -'02."

****

I've come across an 02 GM LS with 57,000 miles, original owner from Penn for $4,000. Another offer is $4,700 for an 05 GM GS with 73,000 miles and three different owners, originally purchased in New Hampshire. If I'm not mistaken, the 05 GM GS doesn't have ABS. I'm reluctant to consider a rear wheel drive with no ABS. On the flip positive side, I prefer steel wheels which is what the 05 GM GS is advertised as having.

Concerning the Town Car, isn't it the same engine as the Vic and GM, but on a heavier body?
 
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Originally Posted by Bogdon
I'm in the market for a good used car under $5,000, with a good reliability record and is comparatively cheap to repair. The Mercury Grand Marquis and Toyota Avalon top the list of such cars.

I recently came across a mint condition 2004 Mercury Sable LS, original owner, 41,000 miles, asking $4,500.

Please inform.


Well I had a 2001 Taurus so I could tell you a bunch of things about it. I had the Duratec engine in mine. Look at the vin, if the 8th digit is an S it's the Duratec engine, I think the U is vulcan and a 2 is flex fuel. I got over 200k out of mine. I think the spline was weaker in the transmission after the 2003 model year and your 2004 is the model refresh. But it wasn't that big of an issue. Transmission fluid was supposed to be changed every 30k, use Mercon V which you can get at Walmart with their Supertech. I got over 200k out of mine before the torque converter in the transmission went. It was still drive able, just ended up getting another car, no torque converter lockup so basically 3 speed instead of the overdrive in 4th.

The LS was typically the luxury version and more likely to have the Duratec engine which was 200hp instead of the 145hp in the Vulcan. I mean I owned the car for 12 years and put on close to 200k on it. Did lots of maintenance to it over the years. DPFE sensor, plugs, wires, couple of alternators, coil packs (you should have coil on plugs), front/rear struts, fuel tank straps, power steering pump (near the end), hoses, flex pipe in the exhaust, muffler, the usual inner/outer tie rods, ball joints, motor mounts, CV joints, sway bar links front/rear, oxygen sensors, intake manifold gaskets, etc. Never had anything really crazy go bad on it, I mean engine didn't blow up and I ran 5w20 in it most of the time except when 5w30 was cheap. Would you believe I paid 10k for the car when it had 30k on it and then drove it for 12 years? Toward the end I was almost paying 2k a year in maintenance costs like struts, brakes, tires and other front end expenses. Never really had a break down that cost more than a few hundred.

I'm just curious why Chris says it's junk. I think my A/C was fine, had to recharge it a few times and I think I changed the compressor clutch on mine, that was about it for A/C repairs though and it was ice cold when it worked.
 
Really appreciate all of the replies yeah and nay.

My current impression is that the Sable could be something agreeable with me, but not as likely when compared to the Avalon and Grand Marquis.

This particular 04 Sable LS, is advertised as having the V6 engine, with 200 or slightly over 200 (will have to check back on the specs) hp.
 
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My friend has a 1995 mercury villager 3.0 l ford v6 just like the sable with 350k miles ....if body is in decent shape i would buy it for 3k
 
Originally Posted by Bogdon
"That being said, GET A PANTHER! Nothing drives like a Vic, GM, or Town Car. With a $5k budget, you could find a nice Town Car, which would be my recommendation. I see you're in NY, make darn sure and look for rust (I'm in MN, I can relate). Also, always go for an '03+, they got completely revised suspension and steering which is leaps and bounds better than the -'02."

****

I've come across an 02 GM LS with 57,000 miles, original owner from Penn for $4,000. Another offer is $4,700 for an 05 GM GS with 73,000 miles and three different owners, originally purchased in New Hampshire. If I'm not mistaken, the 05 GM GS doesn't have ABS. I'm reluctant to consider a rear wheel drive with no ABS. On the flip positive side, I prefer steel wheels which is what the 05 GM GS is advertised as having.

Concerning the Town Car, isn't it the same engine as the Vic and GM, but on a heavier body?


It will have ABS, Though it might be 3-Channel vs 4-Channel with Traction Control.
 
Originally Posted by Bogdon
"That being said, GET A PANTHER! Nothing drives like a Vic, GM, or Town Car. With a $5k budget, you could find a nice Town Car, which would be my recommendation. I see you're in NY, make darn sure and look for rust (I'm in MN, I can relate). Also, always go for an '03+, they got completely revised suspension and steering which is leaps and bounds better than the -'02."

****

I've come across an 02 GM LS with 57,000 miles, original owner from Penn for $4,000. Another offer is $4,700 for an 05 GM GS with 73,000 miles and three different owners, originally purchased in New Hampshire. If I'm not mistaken, the 05 GM GS doesn't have ABS. I'm reluctant to consider a rear wheel drive with no ABS. On the flip positive side, I prefer steel wheels which is what the 05 GM GS is advertised as having.

Concerning the Town Car, isn't it the same engine as the Vic and GM, but on a heavier body?


The Town Car is longer, a little heavier, and has more sound instulation, but otherwise is mechanically identical to any other Panther. It really comes down to your styling preference, other than the way the 3 cars look they're all the same. That's not counting the Marauder (the version I had), feel free to Google it for a fun read.

The '02 and '05 will both have 4-channel ABS, however I BELIEVE either could or could not have Traction Control. Honestly, it's not necessary. I drove my Marauder all through a typical MN winter without much issue. I ran relatively fat 17" snow tires on the stock wheels, and it was fine. I wouldn't worry about winter driving in any Panther, TC or not.

In your scenario, honestly the best thing to do is find the newest year, lowest mile example of either 3. Non-interceptor, non-livery, and you'll be fine. The good ones are fairly obvious, and the lousy ones are lousy. Don't worry so much about miles, I bought my Marauder with 174k on it and beat the snot out of it for 50k miles, all while enjoying almost 100% reliability, oven-like heat, and frigid A/C. I absolutely loved that car, and would love to have another.
 
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I am currently driving a 2000 Taurus, LX base model with the 3.0 L overhead valve referred to as the Vulcan engine. Some of the weak points are the cooling system clogging up because of the iron engine block. If kept flushed and clean no problem. There is a vulnerable issue with the timing cover gasket which causes a coolant leak at the timing cover, Fortunately it does not leak into the oil but is an annoying leak. The cam synchronizer tends to go out and need replacement, use only a MotorCraft replacement. The transaxle seems to be a weak point as well. Other points are the oil pan gasket leak. If you can do most of your own work it is economical to repair, if not becomes expensive in relationship to value of car. Goo luck.

Scott
 
Originally Posted by Bogdon
I'm in the market for a good used car under $5,000, with a good reliability record and is comparatively cheap to repair. The Mercury Grand Marquis and Toyota Avalon top the list of such cars.

I recently came across a mint condition 2004 Mercury Sable LS, original owner, 41,000 miles, asking $4,500.

Please inform.

Taurus and Sables were not very reliable. Transmission, broken springs and suspension issues. Would be worth a gamble if the owner has documented proof of maitenance and service records. If they claim they never had problems, be prepaired to be the one when things start wearing out.
 
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In your scenario, honestly the best thing to do is find the newest year, lowest mile example of either 3. Non-interceptor, non-livery, and you'll be fine. The good ones are fairly obvious, and the lousy ones are lousy. Don't worry so much about miles, I bought my Marauder with 174k on it and beat the snot out of it for 50k miles, all while enjoying almost 100% reliability, oven-like heat, and frigid A/C. I absolutely loved that car, and would love to have another.

****

Marauders don't seem as readily available on the used car market as the Grand Marquis, followed by the Town Car. I'm also somewhat intimated by the Marauder's greater engine performance reputation, suggesting that it might be more of a risk in terms of reliability and repairs.
 
"Taurus and Sables were not very reliable. Transmission, broken springs and suspension issues. Would be worth a gamble if the owner has documented proof of maitenance and service records. If they claim they never had problems, be prepaired to be the one when things start wearing out."

****

Exactly what I'm trying to avoid. Currently, I'm the original owner of a 2006 Sentra Spec V at 87,500 miles - a fun to drive car, with some growing repair issues and not having the best long term projected durability.
 
About 8 months ago I bought an 03 Sable LS with the 200 HP Duratec engine with 71,000 miles for $1,200. 4 months later it needed a new injector for around $800. Doing fine now but only has about 78,000 miles now. I still have an 01 Sable Wagon everything almost identical. Transmission is slipping bad around 175,000 miles. It has been a money pit. Broken strut spring, water in heater blower motor - both were known design failures and Ford did nothing for me. Said car was too old but it was never resolved as it had very low miles and was garage stored most of it's life. Now it is a pats car for the 04. I had a 98 that was bulletproof 230,000 miles never did anything but oil, brake and tires changes. Personally I prefer the Grand Marquis over all of them but wife hates driving it as it's too big she says. GM has 216,000 miles and have not done much to it outside normal maintenance.
 
Originally Posted by Bogdon
In your scenario, honestly the best thing to do is find the newest year, lowest mile example of either 3. Non-interceptor, non-livery, and you'll be fine. The good ones are fairly obvious, and the lousy ones are lousy. Don't worry so much about miles, I bought my Marauder with 174k on it and beat the snot out of it for 50k miles, all while enjoying almost 100% reliability, oven-like heat, and frigid A/C. I absolutely loved that car, and would love to have another.

****

Marauders don't seem as readily available on the used car market as the Grand Marquis, followed by the Town Car. I'm also somewhat intimated by the Marauder's greater engine performance reputation, suggesting that it might be more of a risk in terms of reliability and repairs.


I wouldn't focus on trying to find a Marauder. For $5k you probably won't get a very nice one (I paid $4,500 for mine with 175k on it). That being said, they're equally as reliable as any other Panther, but certain unique parts for them are hard to find.

I'd stick with one of the main 3.
 
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