Are you the throwback type ? Do you hearken for stories of the good old days when men were men and women loved 'em for it ? Do you sit attentively when Grandpa talks about how things were way back when ? Then this may just be the car you've been waiting for your entire life. The Ford Crown Victoria is definitely rooted in the good old days with a liberal dose of modern technology to keep things up to date. A real honest-to-God full framed, rear wheel drive motor car like Grandpa used to drive !

I have been a State of Michigan certified steering and suspension technician for almost 15 years, and certified in other areas for over 22 years. I have read many reviews on automobiles from aesthetic, interior, engine, warranty, options, etc. points of view. I believe an important but largely neglected area in searching for a new car is from a steering and suspension system point of view, and let me tell you most people are missing a very important part of researching a prospective major purchase by not being well enough informed about this feature. You can find some very well engineered and built suspensions today, but all the same some very weak and suspect ones in my experience, and my purpose is to help you make a more informed automobile purchasing decision. After reading my reviews, read some reviews on other aspects of the car you're looking for from the reviewers here at epinions, and make a more informed choice.

THE 2001 FORD CROWN VICTORIA SUSPENSION:
DISCLAIMER 1st:
The Ford Crown Victoria and its twin the Mercury Grand Marquis have gone almost wholly unchanged in the suspension system for many years. A re-design in 1992 brings us to the current model year, and from 1991 back to 1983 it was the same. 4 years earlier it was of another design and previous to that you could go all the way back to the 50s and things didn't radically alter. Even though the suspension system here in almost 2001 is not radically different in design from the 50s you can be thankful for technological breakthroughs which make this system work together so much better than it did for Grandpa.

FRONT SUSPENSION:
The front suspension on the Crown Victoria is of the SLA or short arm/ long arm type. It is a dual control arm suspension instead of the front strut, front wheel drive type most of us are accustomed to today. But instead of the stamped steel upper control arm that was used until 1991, it is a much better cast unit, almost resembling the tubular fabrications used on modern racing cars. The upper ball joint is mounted to this cast unit via 2 threaded studs and this is where the modernization comes into play. This configuration is what has been used since 1992, so this review is applicable for every Crown Vic and Grand Marquis from 1992 till 2001.

Instead of using the whole control arm as the alignment tool as it was before when you moved it in the slotted holes it was mounted to in the frame, you now have a set of eccentric cams integrated into the ball joint itself and you simply rotate these to the desired settings. This is much better for you, the prospective car owner because it means the alignment stays put much better than in previous incarnations. These are not flimsy units either, like yesteryear. Everything is very heavy duty and sturdily built, which is another plus for you.

The lower control arm is still the old stamped steel kind, which houses the bottom of the coil spring, and there isn't really much you can to improve on this design, nothing radical can really be done to modernize this unit so it was just left alone.

The steering system is also a throwback of sorts. You won't find any rack and pinion steering here, just a conventional frame mounted steering box
and parallelogram steering system like the rear wheel drive cars of old. The Crown Victoria is a very light steering vehicle though, requiring very little input effort to make a steering change. Some cars with this type of steering feel heavy, almost like it is not power assisted at all, but this is one of those one finger steering cars, very easy but also very fast, so be careful when you turn it everything happens quickly. It has a speed sensitive, variable assist power steering system which means that it is effortless across the board. Easy to pull into that tight parking spot as well as at 75 M.P.H. plus on the road.

The anti roll bar package is well put together both front and rear and this will keep things on an even keel for you when either city driving, out on the highway, or even winding down that mountain road cutting through the canyons. It is not a sports car by any means and has never claimed to be, but still handles very well nonetheless.

The steering and suspension components fail in one area though. As with a large percentage of cars built today, the factory doesn't give you very much to look forward to in preventive maintenance and this is no different. None of the tie rods are greasable nor are the upper ball joints. The ball joints hold up fairly well, having only needed to replace a handful of them, but the tie rods both inner and outer fail much too quickly. They are fairly expensive also, at about sixty five dollars each plus labor to install them it would behoove you to have them checked thoroughly prior to your warranty running out.

There are 4 law enforcement agencies that use this line of vehicle in my local area, and I am the one who maintains all 4 fleets, so I have extensive experience with this car. Here's some tips for the prospective buyer, and the already owners of Crown Vic's and Grand Marquis.

SOME TIPS FOR PROSPECTIVE AND CURRENT OWNERS:
I have found that 2 of the four agencies who's fleets I maintain are primarily city driven, with the other 2 mostly highway. If you are thinking of owning this car, or already do and do mostly city driving have your alignment tech decrease your caster angle because if you align it to factory spec you will end up with outer edge tire wear. The factory calls for almost 6º of positive caster and this will cause the tires to angle way out at the top as you turn corners. If you reduce the caster angle to around 3º the tire will rotate in a more straight up and down fashion keeping it from riding on the outer edge as much.

If you drive this car as more of an open road highway cruiser like it was intended, then 4.5º to 5.5º of caster is acceptable. The 2 agencies who spend most of their driving in the city have big problems with outer edge wear because they are constantly turning, whereas the other 2 who spend more time on the open road don't, and this is the primary reason for this.

REAR SUSPENSION:
There is really not much that can be said about the rear suspension on these cars. Being a solid axle rear wheel drive vehicle it is impossible to align the rear so this is out of the question. It is also not possible for it to be independently suspended as some other rear wheel drive cars like the Ford Thunderbird or Mercury Cougar because of the solid rear axle.

It is a simple shock/ spring set-up with a watts linkage, but is very comfortable and the ride is extremely plush. Technology deals you a wonderful hand though with four wheel disc brakes that work very well and anti lock features to boot. It also sports an all speed electronic traction control system so that no matter what the driving conditions are you are in, you will arrive to your destination safely and on time.

If this is the kind of car you are looking for, the rear wheel drive full framed automobile like almost every one was in the past then you have researched the right one and it is an excellent choice. Apart from the fact that some of the components, namely the tie rods do not hold up well, the rest of the package is well engineered and very strongly built. If you have a penchant for a large smooth comfortable automobile then your choice has been narrowed down for you already, this is one that should go toward the top of your list.