Something new and different.... for me anyway

[hoover1060]

this may be old news already to some already, especially if you were in Omaha.
On Sept 10 I went to go to work, and turning the key on the Grand Marquis out in the driveway the car refused to start. Well it would start, it just refused to keep running.
So I called roadside assistance, and they towed the car to the local Lincoln-Mercury dealer in Schaumburg for repair.
I called in sick to work, called my parents to let them know where I was, and parked myself in the waiting room. A little while later, my dad showed up "just to see how it was going" (read he was bored)
Well dad being dad he roamed the showroom looking at the new cars. I commented on one model, and he encouraged a test drive.
So I did.
Well, 2.5 hours later, after some weeping and gnashing of teeth I no longer owned a Grand Marquis, I owned this instead. I drove it home Monday at noon, and Tuesday evening Michael, Fred and I departed for Omaha in it.
It was wonderful!
So here it is, my new ride...a 2008 Mercury Milan Premier V6
its the first NEW car I've had in 20 years!

 

[hoover1060]

front view

after I finished washing all the bugs off it from the trip to Nebraska

 

[hoover1060]

rear view

even a spoiler! First one of those I've ever had on a car!

 

[hoover1060]

driver's seat

this thing is loaded, and to think I chose it for its test drive just because it had a V6...I didn't look at anything else, didn't think I needed to!
This is also the first car I've had with a console shifter...after 26+ years of a steering column gear shift, this is taking some getting used to!
(I even caught Michael reaching for a column shifter once)

 

[rp2813]

Wow the IL DMV sure moves a lot faster than the one here in CA. It would take at least a month to get license plates here and usually a lot longer.

Ummm . . . "faster" being a relative term. I'm talking DMV after all.

 

[hoover1060]

and to say farewell...

This morning I had to stop by the dealer to make an appointment for service, so I had a chance to grab this with my phone.
Here's my Grand Marquis as it appeared on the lot this morning.
It was a good car, and heck it only had 47,100 miles on it when I traded it in!
Farewell faithful friend, may you serve your next owner as well as you served me!

 

[frigilux]

The Milan is a cousin to the Ford Fusion, right? They are the highest ranking US sedans in Consumer Reports, coming immediately after the Passat/Camry/Accord triumvirate. And they're getting great reliability ratings, too. Fantastic! Congratulations----there's nothing like a new car.

 

[~sudsshane]

Good for you Jeff!

Your new car is beautiful! My guess is it will be alot more efficient on gas. Good for you!!
I will be getting a new car myself soon. I would really like to continue buying American, but my other half is insisting I buy import. any suggestions?

 

[zipdang]

That's a very spiffy new car, Jeff! I hope it treats you well, and that you have lots of fun with it.

I envy how quick your purchase was. I'm planning on purchasing a new car in 2008, and I've already started narrowing down what I might get. It's an overwhelming and angst-ridden process. More power to you for getting it done quickly!

 

[selectomatic]

I still think bigger is better,

but I looked at Milans when my Town Car was in for service once. If I had to go smaller, I'd certainly consider one -- I think it's nicer looking than the Ford version, and it had a few exclusive options I'd insist on.

-kevin

BTW Ralph, In Illinois, like most states, the license plates belong to the person and they get transferred from car to car when we buy new ones. It took nearly three months to get new plates when I bought a second car here in Wisconsin.

 

[petek]

It's nice Jeff. The Mercury division was dropped in Canada about 5 years ago now iirc though they continued to sell the Grand Marquis and that ill-fated Cougar a while back in the Ford dealerships. Now I'm not sure if any are available. They were always just a little bit classier than their Ford cousins

 

[gansky1]

Very nice, Jeff! I didn't get to see it when you were here in Omaha. Are you getting used to the "downsized" sedan OK?

Best of luck with your new baby!

 

[toggleswitch]

Nice wheels Jeff!

~I would really like to continue buying American, but my other half is insisting I buy import. Any suggestions?

Only if he is paying for any part of it does he have ANY input, IMHO

Saturn is a subsiduary of GM, with a foreign look, feel and ride.

 

[alexb1186]

the story of how you got it is new to me

Nice car, Jeff. Does yours have the All Wheel Drive option or is it just Front Drive only? And I can relate to the shifter thing, I borrowed my mom's Kia earlier this year while my Fleetwood needed body work done, and I was nearly always shifting the wipers for awhile until I got the habit of the floor shifter

Gene, the Milan is the Mercury "near luxury" sibling to the Ford Fusion and "luxury" Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ, all built on the Ford CD3 platform that the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, and Mazda CX-9 crossovers share, just some fyi's

 

[~sudsshane]

Hi Steve..

"Only if he is paying for any part of it does he have ANY input, IMHO"

Well, that is not how we do things. We make all decisions together.What's his is mine and vice versa. It works for us...=)

 

[petek]

Well at our house sometimes it seems like what's mine is his and what's his is his. Most particularly when it comes to "his" Ram whenever I want to use it for something LOL

 

[~sudsshane]

Hi Pete

"Well at our house sometimes it seems like what's mine is his and what's his is his"

that happens sometimes with us too, but when you get down to it and all is said and done, what we have is ours.God forbid something happens to him everything goes to me and vice versa.
I truly believe that if gays and lesbians expect full equality in relationships, we should demonstrate that at home first and foremost. Our relationship to us is NO different that any heterosexual relationship~~ IMHO

 

[selectomatic]

My dad, and his dad before him, was a Ford Man.

When my mother wanted to buy a Honda with her own money, my dad didn't have any right to say a thing about it. Which is as it should be.

I, like my dad, prefer to drive big Fords. What my mother drives is her own decision.

I wouldn't be caught dead owning a minivan, but my roommate loved his first one so much that he replaced it with another when it died. He loves to drive my huge luxury car, and I love it when he uses his minivan to haul my latest treasures. That way we're both happy.

Symbiotic relationships work best. You get yours, I get mine, and we all benefit from the whole scheme.

-kevin

 

[~sudsshane]

Kevin~

"When my mother wanted to buy a Honda with her own money, my dad didn't have any right to say a thing about it. Which is as it should be"

for them perhaps,but not for everyone..

 

[selectomatic]

I hate to keep derailing hoove's very cool thread, but:

I guess my point is that your relatinship is (despite your protestaion) very different from both heterosexual and homosexual relatinships that I'm famailar with in my own life as well as experiences shared here on AW.org.

What works for you is fine (for you), but to try to claim that one "partner" in a relationship has some right to dictate such things as the country of origin of vehicles simply does not jibe with my experience in relationships where equality and respect are valued.

Again, I hope that Hoover is very happy with his car, and I promise that I'll stop contributing to this absurd derailing of this thread.

-kevin

 

[supersuds]

Sadly, the Fusion/Milan are made at a Ford factory in Mexico. Everyone says they're very good and reliable cars, though. I'd like to have it.

By the way, I think the Grand Marquis was made in Canada, so it isn't like you gave up an American car for an import. You already had one.

 

[hoover1060]

yes

Grand Marquis was made in St Catherines...
Not sure where the Milan was made, but I do know the date, June 26...a Tuesday!

I can say this is like no other car I have ever had before, its tight, smooth, and lots of fun to drive!

 

[~sudsshane]

Jeff is...

a very easy going guy and I am certain he wouldn't mind us discussing this topic.This is not a "derailing" of his thread as you put it.

" One partner in a relationship has some right to dictate such things as the country of origin of vehicles simply does not jibe with my experience in relationships where equality and respect are valued".

trust me, equality and respect are greatly valued in our relationship. My partner does not dictate to me nor do I to him. Fact of the matter is, like most relationships,one partner may be more knowlegable in a particular area than the other partner.
My other half recently sold his 2003 BMW 745LI to upgrade to a new 750LI,he had 10k equity in his car. Most people,including myself are usually upside down. The point I am trying to make is simple,he is concerned if I buy domestic, the car will depreciate quicker than if I buy import.

 

[~sudsshane]

Jeffy~

in need of some Final Touch?

 

[hoover1060]

my 2 cents...

First, yes Shane, we are very much FINAL TOUCH deficient here...

2nd, I was on and off the phone with Michael when buying this car, I value his opinion first and foremost, and 2nd because we need a car big enough for the dogs to ride in together. Michael was more concerned that I was getting the best deal than he was with the brand of car I was buying.
I don't know that it occurred to me or to Michael that we would dictate(or even influence) what cars we have.

Thanks too for the nice words Shane!

 

[programcomputer]

My question is...

HI Jeff,

Well as you know I just got a "newer" for me 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis, with a shade few more miles on it then the one you traded in; nearly at the same time that you got your new Milan. The Milan is a wonderful car, and I did look at one on the showroom floor Monday afternoon, and out on the lot the Sunday before I bought my car, when I stopped to look at (what is now) mine.

Being a larger individual, and needing the utmost in space and comfort, I objected to it ( the Milan) on different grounds, mostly the fact that I like what I know, and that like old vacuums newer concepts are NOT as good as the older and more proven ones. Especially to the already convinced.

I could have gotten one for about $75.00 more a month and was actually seriously considering the option. I could have swung it if I wanted to, but unfortunately, I wasn't interested on paying for a car for seven years, I may wake up one morning and hate with a passion. And I am of the belief that, if you may end up hating something later that you think you love now, it's ALWAYS best to hold off and make a wiser or more well informed choice; then later still, begrudgingly making your higher payments every month for the balance of the terms you have set for you..

On the other hand I thought...WOW a brand new late model 2007 at a huge end of year discount.... and well mine would NOT have been as well optioned as your's is..i.e. , there was no leather, and less creature comforts and the like. But still a brand NEW car.....

And finally , the Crown/Grand/Town platform is WELL proven at this point, has an incredibly high loyalty rate, and one of the highest frontal crash rating in the USA, despite it's one glaring deficiency, which is higher fuel consumption; yet as I have stated it's No worse than all SUV's and sporty type cars in most cases, save hybrids and the fuel sippers.

Well my question is this: with so few miles , and a much better and solid track record of durability and build quality, and something that you obviously love so as you stated... why ( and you can tell me off here if you wish to) did you not just repair the "older" one.

Certainly that would have been a cheaper alternative.. And it's not as if your car was worn or even "well" worn out by any sense of the word. Most owners drive these cars anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 + miles...

I did have a issue with my Town Car cranking but not starting last summer. I found out thru my local L-M outlet, that it was the crank position sensor that was causing my pain. About three hundred dollars later I was on my way and drove my car another 15,000 miles before I smacked Bambi's mother to death with my Lincoln...

Anyway...i am just curious....

Chad

 

[toggleswitch]

Choose your battles! A tiny bit of sovereignty/autonomy is n

~We make all decisions together. What's his is mine and vice versa. It works for us...=)

Well sure! But in the case where there is an impasse each can safely do what he wants with his own car without it really impacting the other in a meaningful way!Are there really any horrific consequences to getting the "wrong" car? So I'd say "Do whatever makes you happy".

I have seen in some cases:
Ok you be in charge of A,B,C (cause it ain't my thing) and I'll handle X,Y,Z. Your way assumes there are two equally reasonable mentally-fit adult-like partners who are willing to bend, share and communicate and know how to think. That ain't always what you end up with!

I meant no disrespect, It's just that I would never assume to dictate to a partner what his car should be. (read: you have to deal with me in SO many other ways, here is free reign on this item.)

 

[toggleswitch]

So I'd say "Do whatever makes you happy".

TO MY PARTNER! I meant

 

[jaxsunst]

If it makes your other half feel better. The new Saturns are rebadged Opels (GM in Europe).

To be honest, I'm done with GM after this 2004 Malibu LT. Mechanically, it is OK (not the best I have ever owned), but the rest of it is falling apart.

The best car I have ever owned was a 1986 Subaru. I drove it for 7 years and almost 200K miles. It is the standard from which I have judged all cars I have owned since. Also, our Dodge Grand Caravan lasted 205K miles with only one unscheduled repair. We replaced it with a Chrysler Town and Country. I'm sticking with Chrysler or Subaru from now on.

 

[toggleswitch]

~Only if he is paying for any part of it does he have ANY input, IMHO

REPHRASED, with the above-posted caveats in mind.

~Only if he is paying for any part of it does he have any FINAL input, IMHO

Better?