Thread 28585251

>In market for comfy tank
>Don't want a vic'
>Four doors, RWD, smooth V8 for those long stretch trips
>Want parts availability
>I just want a solid daily here fellas, not lookin to beat anyone at red lights.

Which of the two would you suggest?
Impala-Caprice used to be a fleet vehicle so I imagine parts are abundant and cheap as hell, LT1 engine so iron block alu heads galore.
The lexus was one of the best selling sedans ever, but it's alu block and alu heads which doesn't seem as robust.
Aside from that and a power steering pump I can't find no faults in the lexus.

Maybe the lexus doesn't have as many parts for as cheap due to not being an ex-fleet car?
If there's a car I should consider by all means enlighten me

Both are driven by latinx individuals but the chevy MUCH more so

>>28585251 (OP)
>>In market for comfy tank
>>Don't want a vic'
>>Four doors, RWD, smooth V8 for those long stretch trips
>>Want parts availability
>>I just want a solid daily here fellas, not lookin to beat anyone at red lights.
I hate to break it to you anon, but you do, in fact, want a vic.

>>28585271
Don't care, I'm white.
>>28585273
Nope, not buying a vic' not even remotely interested. I don't want people around me to slow down, I don't wanna larp like a cop, I don't like how it sounds or looks. Wrenching be damned.

Pls, ls or capi

>>28585277
NTA but have you considered a LTC or continental instead? They're better than vics

>>28585280
I am fairly ignorant to Lincoln, could you show me the ones you're referring to?

>>28585277
>>28585280
Mercury Grand Marquis too.
My buddy used to have one, pretty nice interior.

I'd also greatly appreciate hearing any fellow wrenchers talk on how easy/PITA each respective comfy cruiser is to work on.

I do all my own work, so I'm a bit attracted to the caprice due to its fleet use (I wouldn't buy a fleet car, it's just knowing there's gonna be parts always)

>>28585251 (OP)
Older Volvo or Mercedes late 70s to early 90s. Reliable, relatively comfortable, but getting a bit older. Better than a Caprice or a Rice Burner.

if you are younger than 40 in a lexus you are wasting your youth and look like you're driving to and from your ed prescription.

>>28585251 (OP)
Take the wagon pill

>>28585251 (OP)
e38 740i.

>>28585251 (OP)
I've seen plenty of bently continental's for under 25k in decent condition
just saiyan

>>28585318
all i know about the ls is the somewhat infamous starter location, under the intake, in the valley between the cylinders. it's a great spot because it's relatively cool and protected from water and dirt, but annoying to get to because you have to remove all the other shit in the way. but kinda cancelled out by the fact that ypu don't replace starters so often.

>>28585601
Mommy.

>>28585292

The Lincoln Town Car is basically a Ford Crown Vic with a luxury interior and air ride suspension. Same reliable engine and transmission, same ease of repair.

I love mine; but it is basically a Crown Vic which OP said he didn't want.

>>28585280
>continental

The Continental is FWD. Good car; but I'd rather have a Town Car since its RWD.

>>28585251 (OP)
>white
>those wheels

The caprice will be much more expensive, I would think. I picked up a running LS400 with no papers for $500. When I couldn't get rid of it after snaking the engine/trans, I had to chop it into pieces for the scrap yard. What I found in doing so left me pretty surprised. The pillars were filled with this squishy, dense foam, and there was a ton of sound deadening. The body harness had these molded plastic clamshell cases running the entirety of it. I don't have much to compare it to besides economy cars from the 70s, but it had me thinking, "Wow, this is a quality machine," the whole time I was chopping it up. Also, the 1UZ is a pretty great engine, albeit pretty slow in that heavy car. It's a shame Yamaha never designed cylinder heads for it. If I wanted to hotrod it, I would find a caprice. If I wanted a cheap luxury sedan, I would get the LS400. Expect the front suspension to need to be rebuilt on the LS400, and the interiors are probably going to be thrashed in most of them.
1UZ
>million mile engine
>6 bolt mains
>all aluminum
>quad overhead cam 32 valve
>a manual swap will cost $$$
>slow
>barely any aftermarket
>pre vvti will have thicker rods for boost
>vvti engines will have almost 300hp

Caprice engine
>probably has a 305 unfortunately
>HUGE aftermarket
>parts are cheap and available
>can build an inexpensive 350 vortex to swap in that will make 400hp just by breathing on it

>>28585784
Oh, a couple more downsides of the 1uz. To replace the starter, you'll need to remove the intake manifold. If the power steering pump leaks, it'll leak on the alternator and kill it.

>>28585784
>The body harness had these molded plastic clamshell cases running the entirety of it
there are entire threads on ih8mud dedicated to finding the part numbers of these for those that need to replace theirs. i still remember one where OP was looking for one clamped to the firewall, and about two or three years later some guy in pretty broken english somehow managed to find the part number for it, and a few other obscure clamps people had been looking for. then he vanished, just like that.
whoever that was, must've been /o/ jesus.
>>28585791
kinda surprised nobody's made shields to sell, given how the uz has seen an increase in aftermarket support over the past decade or so. saw someone use an empty clorox bottle lel

>>28585813
;_; and I just chopped em up. In my defense, I did try to give it away. I bet you could rig up a shield of some kind now that you mention it. Like the drift guys and their master cylinder heat shields.

How is the LS430? The LS400 is really expensive around here, I guess it is becoming a collector item

>>28585251 (OP)
i know it sounds ridiculous, but the whitest ride I ever had was in a very nice Cadillac Deville on an Uber across Chicago riven by a big lovable black guy dressed to the nines for a job interview a couple hours thence. I couldn't believe my luck, while it lasted.

>>28585760
OP just needs to suck it up and take the vic pill
It's exactly what he wants

>>28585842
it's like the 400 but slightly newer

>>28585842
i think an anon here has one. very comfy barge

>>28585783
fuck up amerimutt

>>28585251 (OP)
CADILLAC FLEETWOOD
Do not get a 1993
Everyone involved with the abs/traction control/cruise control cable module
And the 4l60
Deserve a flaying

>>28585845
stfu faggot niggerlover

>>28585601
No

>>28585922
You will never know the pleasure of driving or riding around in a big, heavy, dependable sedan.

>>28585784
i remember the definitve way to know you were getting a 350 was to see if it had a clutch fan / towing package

>>28585940
That's what I own, your story was just gay

>>28585251 (OP)
get a panther body and put big chrome rims and wheel spacers on

>>28585947
Tiresome cunt;.

>>28585962
well you should have talked about the car itself fuckwit

>>28585842
I own one. Best barge ever made.

>>28585760
Yeah no, I don't like it. Sorry man.
>>28585784
Now we are talkin' finally someone with wits. I'd probably NOT trick' it out just to have a dependable tank to daily. The caprice/impala sounds extremely tempting, the only thing holding me from it is the possibility of failing to secure parts for it because it was a short production run.
>>28585601
I love wagons, but the body lines of the saloon is too alluring.
>>28585588
>Kraut crap
No thanks heinz, I drive 40k miles annually. Can't have that slop fail on me.
>>28585592
This is my third car. I'm tired of my trucc, and my VR4 3k is too much attention nowadays. These two are nice but not TOO nice. If they think I'm old the better.
>>28585702
I would but I'm not in the tax bracket that's justify maintaining said Bentley. One day tho.
>>28585721
Jarvis, zoom out. Is it fugly??
>>28585845
That's what's up, a fellow cracker that knows what's crackin'
>>28585888
Vics are gay bro
>>28585921
I have heard nothing but horror stories of the Northstar engine as much as I love caddy' no thanks.

>>28585277
then get a grand marquis or town car. nobody thinks you're a cop in those

>>28586219
>I have heard nothing but horror stories of the Northstar engine as much as I love caddy' no thanks.

The mid 90s Fleetwoods had 350 small block V8s same as the Chevy Caprice.

Dont touch the LS400, i need the parts.

>>28586219

A few sedan options with LS V8s.

05-08 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP
08 and 09 Pontiac G8
06-09 Chevy Impala SS
04-14 Cadillac CTS-V
11-17 Chevy Caprice Police car.
14-17 Chevy SS
22-Present Cadillac CT5 Blackwing

>>28586231
I don't want a panther body derivative.
>>28586240
That's fire but idk if I like it as much as the caprice. I'll keep an eye out tho.
>>28586242
What's your experience in sourcing said parts.

>>28585251 (OP)
Caprice but they're too old for daily now.
Maybe nigger bentley?

>>28585251 (OP)
Maybe an XJ40? I've never owned one, but always heard good things about them from friends who did.

>>28585946
You can also look at the casting number on the block, they're visible.

>>28586362
SOVL

For me, its the 98-05 GS400/430

>>28586273
>too old for daily now.
How

>>28586362
>>28586382

I love them; but I'm not sure its reliable enough to be a daily driver. The Ford era 2003 to 2008 XJ8s are about as reliable and easy to repair as Jags get though.

>>28586271
Some tiny run of the mill stuff like filters and rubber seals can be found in Europe, for everything else its USA/Japan/UAE.

>>28586219
For a start what's not to like about the Panther platform? ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4-9ALbPQFo&list=RDGMEMWO-g6DgCWEqKlDtKbJA1GwVMCOVjSuZy2z4&index=4orm?

>>28586585
That don't seem bad at all sweet.
>>28586755
Love panther bodies, I just heard good things about the Ls400

>>28586273
Literally how.
>>28586362
I will never get a jaguar, that's why I ruled out the Lincoln LS.
>>28586364
Is it coded or blatantly said "350"
>>28586435
Not a fan of the bubble eyes

So far I'm leaning to the capri-Pala

Is it objectively cheaper to maintain long term than an LS400?
I assume the lexus breaks down less but when it does it needs more money, but the panther when it breaks down is far cheaper to fix but doesn't go as far as said lexus.

>>28585251 (OP)
Caprice/impala, just make sure the optispark was changed.

>>28586785
May I ask your perspective on why :) I am leaning to the panther

>>28586768
Guy who was posting about the 1UZ here. I just checked the prices of the Caprice in my area, and they're actually super affordable. I think you should get one. Frankly, I think they look cooler than the LS400. Fuck, now I want one.

>>28585251 (OP)
>Don't want a vic
>What is 2 + 2? And don't tell me it's 4, give me a REAL answer

>>28585277
Either get an older one or just buy one anyway because all the cops are driving explorers now, the only people who are going to think you're a cop in a Crown Victoria these days are boomers, I've even got extra radio antennas on mine and I don't think anyone cares at all because these things haven't been cop cars since the Twin Towers still stood.
I'm also quite impartial to the boxy Caprice Classic however, especially the wagon, that goes for the Crown Victoria wagon as well, which is what I wanted, but I couldn't find one so I had to settle for the sedan. I'm thinking of putting a spoiler on it someday to compensate for having this giant trunk instead of a glorious wagon rear end.

>>28586852
Based, that settles it. I'm hunting down a panther.
>>28586860
Vics are gay bro, if you like them by all means give your homie a kiss.
>>28586873
>Nobody will think you're a cop
Not true, the TV show Cops has pan seared and branded the car in the brains of the american population. I rode in my buddies white one and I hated how everyone slowed down around me. The vic is just peak assholemobile no soul like a Capri'

>>28586768
>Is it coded or blatantly said "350"
Casting code, there are numerous different 350/5.7 blocks. Each has its own code. You can also look at the geometric pattern on the end of the heads to identify them.

>>28585277
It's a Caprice, not a Capri, you shitskin. The Capri is a different car. No one calls a Caprice a 'capri.'

>>28586768
>Love panther bodies
>>28586879
>Vics are gay bro
what

>>28585251 (OP)
JFYI, 94-96 Fleetwoods and Roadmasters are the same car as Impala.

>>28585251 (OP)
B body, because it would be infinitely easier to manual swap than the Lexus

Come home white man

*V8 non-SC version 1998-2003

>>28586879
just quit coping and get a vic my man
doesn't even have to be a literal crown vic, any panther platform car is literally exactly what you want
dead reliable, tons of parts, comfy as hell

>>28586917
same thing with euros and esls when they say merc they mean mercedes and not mercury.
it's because they smell bad I guess.

>>28586891
What's the best one to look for?
>>28586917
I'd sell you rope if you could afford it, incase it wasn't obvious I am very much new to these cars.
>>28586920
>>28586981
Vics are just fugly, seriously I'm good m8.
>>28586967
I don't want a Jaaaaaaaaag
>>28587000
Mercury? Dead meme

>>28586929
Good to note, but the caprice/impala looks nicer.

>>28585251 (OP)
lol, i own 5 94 to 95 Caprices currently (i'm on an acre of land), all are fleet package 2 are former NYC taxis and the rest are cop cars. because of GM and their shitting quality plastic interior parts good door panels are a few hundred dollars and a lower dash bezel goes for north of 1,000 on ebay regularly, dash pads go for 800. the body parts are cheap enough though, anything interior related aside from the seats is expensive. they are fun cars though.

>>28587099
How are they to wrench on? How rugged are they long term?
Seems like heaven given how much space there is in the bay and simple GM construction.
If the interior is scuffed I'll just restore bit by bit. Flock dashes, re skin the seats, etc.

>>28587013
>incase it wasn't obvious I am very much new to these cars.
yeah google is really hard too, since you don't seem to know what a panther is

>>28587013
You said you wanted a rock solid comfy tank to daily. Panther platform cars are exactly that. The last generation of body on frame cruisers. There's a reason you still see tons of them on the road and hardly any of the cars you're looking at.

>>28587116
Day drinking is a helluva experience
>>28587120
Cool story bro but I'm gonna buy a B body.

>>28587099
>>28587107
This is the main issue with the GM vehicles of that era. Solid reliability but they have absolutely terrible build quality. I'd suggest staying away from the 90s cars s families. They are getting old and parts are becoming harder and harder to find.

Since you're against the panther platform, you best bet for a full size V8 sedan will be a post facelift LS430. I own one and they are in the top 3 for best car ever made. Construction and quality of build rivals euro luxury marks while reliability is unmatched by literally anybody except other Toyotas.

>>28587245
*90s cars as dailies

>>28587245
Not interested in the 430. Only the 400.

I'd imagine an American car is easier to get parts for than a Japanese car.

>>28587254
Get the LS400 then.
>American parts are easier to get
You are already thinking about how your car will need parts. My LS is built so well that I don't need to worry about parts (but they are available). And remember, these are parts for 30 yo cars, so the stockpile of spares is decreasing everyday.

If you buy the caprice, buy two so you have a car to cannibalize for spares.

>>28585251 (OP)
The correct answer is a up trim panther body like a mercury marauder, nice interior and dirt cheap to maintain. Was in production until the early 2010s so parts are still reasonably available.
LS400/LS430/LS460 is the next best, get the nicest one you can for the best price, newer the better (with the exception of the 460, early models have a known weak point in the suspension and it costs 4 figures just for parts iirc) Most parts are cheap but most mechanics will charge more than they should because "luxury" car, and some lexus exclusive parts are expensive but not by a huge margin.
Caprice/Impala is the worst choice, for a non-ruined example your over $20k for a car that is realistically worth $10k at most. Their interiors are mediocre 90s shit and parts are going to get more and more scarce, the platform effectively died before this millennium. Also if you do get a B body Impala SS it will be stolen if you park it in the wrong place.

>>28587262
You have a very naive perspective if you think just because I'm considering parts available it means the car is gonna break.

Just because you put blind trust in something you probably don't maintain doesn't mean it's valid. The lexus was never a cop or rental car. The Caprice Impala was.

>>28587265
>Panther
Nah.
>Ur car will b stolen
Nah, I always put in anti theft measures in my shitboxes.
>20k caprice
Lmao one I'm looking at is a 40k miles sedan for 4k. You're smoking the crackpipes in the trunk with your perspective
>muh interior quality
Don't really care to be honest, I'm looking at the road most the time

>>28587274
>want comfy daily
>don't care about interior quality
So you're just retarded, got it

>>28587269
You are naive because you think that using a platform that has been out of production for 30 years as a daily is reasonable.
>The lexus was never a cop or rental car.
Its a Toyota. Many toyotas are more reliable than any cop car ever used in the US.The LS variants were used as limos in Japan and all over east Asia and the mid east. In those markets it was known as the Toyota Celsior. They were used similarly to our Lincoln town cars. They were never cop cars because cop cars are like Humvees, built to be cheap by the lowest bidder. Plenty of unreliable shitboxes are rental cars btw.

You seem dead set on a b-body. Buy two like I said.

>>28587000
cope where i live only latinx individuals drive mercs

>>28587269
Hey retard, cop and rental cars don't have to be reliable, they just have to be cheap. Consider that when you have a whole fleet of cars with parts and a dedicated garage on-hand, one car being down is way less important.

>>28587269
>Caprice Impala
you're so fucking ESL it hurts. kill yourself

>>28587317
This faggpt doesn't know about the caprice impala that was just a rebate for certain markets.

>>28587284
>>28587310
>>28587317
Post toolbox

>>28587325
>certain markets
brown ones
>rebate
lol

>>28587374
Fuck I hate auto correct. Rebadge. Not rebate. Fucking gay phone making me sound like a shitskin. Fuck.

>>28586879
>that settles it.
HYB (hell yeah brother)

>>28586917
Yo, the Mercury Capri is pretty sick. That rear bubble window is the bees knees. I would not cover it with louvers.

>>28587428
I always heard that the Mustang guys would swap over the hatch from Capris because the bubble glass was more aerodynamic.

>>28587432
Interdasting. That's not something I would have expected.

>>28587013
the anon that posted >>28586920 was trying to tell you that crown vics are a panther platform car

>>28585251 (OP)
both basically the same car
PICK ONE AND MOVE ON

Jesus... these levels of indecision were once reserved for women only, now common among "men" make no wonder birth rates continue to plummet

>>28586837
Because GM in their infinite colossal retarded wisdom decided to put the optispark right underneath the water pump which has a tendency to start leaking right on to the optispark after a few years and makes it short out. Most owners are retarded basketball americans and aspiring landscapers or boomers who neglect to do this and you'll end up needing to change it yourself.

>>28587510
Poor design as expected from GM.
>>28587492
OP is petite latinx boy. This explains why he is having trouble making this decision. This mostly explains why is having trouble between a nigger carrier from the 90s and a luxury japanese chariot with more examples still on the road than his obese mom has had "boyfriends".

>>28586879
>Cops
Yeah, the late model crown victoria, if you get one from the 80s or 90s then nobody is going to look twice at it and you're still going to have that panther reliability, bonus points for having the glorious ford 302
However, alternatively, has anyone suggested the Roadmaster wagon yet?

>>28588031
you'll still have old car shit to deal with even if its a low mileage car (actually more likely to deal with shit in that case) and the 302 is an anemic non HO motor

>>28585251 (OP)
Lexus start motor is under the wet intake manifold

>>28585271
why are poors obsessed with cucking themselves out of good cars because minorities also drive them?

>>28586219
2005 and after the northstar is much better. But even with the early ones, a head bolt kit install isn’t so bad, and when pared with a 4L80, is a solid 300k mile setup. The engine is actually great to drive.

>>28588501
most likely an organised effort to make sure Whitey can't enjoy himself
I am perhaps being hyperbolic put I wouldn't put it past certain groups

>>28588495
>wet intake manifold
the cooling system doesn't go through the intake at all. it does go through the throttle body, which is easy enough to bypass

>>28585292
The Continentals go like a mad bastard. They have the same DOHC 4.6 as the MkVIII, but they're FWD. It's a very durable engine, but the '90s models had uncomfortably few threads, holding in the spark plugs and yes, they can work loose and even rip the threads.

>>28591843
Seems like a good job for some high temp threadlocker. Rocksett, Vibra-Tite Hot-Lock, or Locktite 2422.

>>28585280
>>28585310
>>28586231
>"I dont like the look of the crown vic"
>"Hey OP have you considered *a car that looks exactly the same as the car he doesnt like the look of*?

Are you being retarded on purpose or something

Unless you absolutely need to have 4 doors, this is what I'd be looking for.