MW 1982 Ford LTD Road Test | Retro Review

[@joec2231]

Motorweek constantly assumed the LTD/Crown Vic would be axed in the early 80’s. The fact that this specific car was manufactured for another half-decade and the platform continued on for nearly 30 years after this airing is downright impressive.

[@RoadCone411]

To be fair, I don't think Ford was really sure either. The LTD was to the Crown Vic what the Impala was to the Caprice, more or less. Confusing matters was the LTD II, which was basically an aero-nosed Fairmont and not a whole lot smaller than the full-size LTD, and probably just as well if not better equipped. The LTD II was replaced by the Taurus in the Ford family lineup.

[@jayda1k_]

Surely the Fox bodied 1983-1986 LTD was a stopgap model, yes deemed to be replaced by the similarly sized on the outside, larger on the inside Taurus for the 86 model year. They even sold alongside each other for that model year only (one could assume fleet sales account for the former).

[@judethaddaeus9742]

@@RoadCone411The LTD II only existed from 1977-79. The Fox-body LTD from 1983-86 was just called LTD. The Panther was renamed “LTD Crown Victoria” and then dropped the LTD prefix after 1991.

[@johndaniels651]

Crown Vic has to be the best American car ever built, perhaps even the best car ever built, in terms of total robustness. The fact quite a few are still in daily service as police cruisers, despite being discontinued 12 years ago, speaks not only to the outstanding quality of that car, but the sorry state of current police car offerings, that departments would rather keep a 12+ year old car with a quarter million+ miles on it, rather than chance a brand new Explorer, Suburban or Charger; all of which are now absolute overpriced, garbage.

[@malaiseexpert-]

It’s a shame these people really disliked large cars. They are the cars that got families to places comfortably and in time.

[@ralphabreu5022]

A real car This is what we need to go back to

[@624radicalham]

I remember a friend of the family worked in a car dealership and bought a brand new 88 with the redesigned styling and loved it. He said "look, on the the rear lights they've gone back to the styling of the 66 Ford Galaxies". The more I think about it, he was right.

[@joeseeking3572]

1982 I think was the nadir year of US performance. Remember Cadillac's HT4100 with 125hp for a 4,000 pound Fleetwood? I grew up with this stuff. If your parents handed down 10 year old New Yorker 440 you'd blow away everything in the high school parking lot.

[@MrCarguy2]

That would be 1981 IMO. That year the Mustang didn't even have the GT trim and had only 140 HP. And the camaro still was an old gen porker with an absolute wheezer of an engine

[@kokocostanza2036]

​@MrCarguy2 Not even that. For '80 and '81 it had the 4.2 V8 and made no more than 120 hp.

[@mzrzfxr]

My grandpa had a 1983 Grand Marquis with this engine, much nicer interior and more options than this car in the test, but man was it slllow. He lived in Albuquerque and at 5000+ft altitude and laden with 4 people + luggage it was a so slow we had to stick to the right lane on steep hills and I remember passing was really slow. Bad times for the auto industry performance wise.

[@hendo337]

Editors note the Panther remainded in production until Sept 15 2011.

[@uncleshark1103]

Panther Platform: (continues to live for another 30 years)

[@LITTLE1994]

It's so hard to find footages of Crown Victorias made before 1983... I have a 1989, by the way. It is a tough beast.

[@624radicalham]

You can only see them in Hollywood movies as cop cars lol

[@milfordcivic6755]

Ford putting the horn on the turn signal stalk was a stupid idea that started in the Fairmont and pinto

[@twoeightythreez]

At least they finally listened to reason and told the accountants know we're gonna go back to the old way even if it cost us another $.10 per car

[@Atomwaffen-y3s]

And it had the quality of the Fairmont and Pinto.

[@gencreeper6476]

4:36 Ford would go on to develop a more police suitable suspension for the panther platform that actually made them corner scarily good for a car of that size. Sport model "civvie" panthers like the LX sport and the Marauder got this suspension setup too. An old box body on a 4th gen P71 frame would make an a killer sleeper with the right engine.

[@gayasparagus]

7.3 godzilla swap

[@krisone5253]

Funny that Ford said that they were going to stop making this car in 1982. Just three years into the all new design from 79. They kept making this car for nine more years! We had two of them. They had carburetor problems! Recall didn't apply back then. We already traded them for something else!

[@renj6531]

they made them under that name up until 1991 and overall until 2011

[@Doobie1975]

At 3:29 is that a Chevrolet Monza on the right? You rarely see those around anymore.

[@ericbrule4465]

Pontiac sunbird, sister car to the chevy Monza

[@Andrew-bb3lc]

Considering the last year of the Monza and it’s cousins last production year was 1980, I wouldn’t think you’d see them on the road anymore at all given as of 2023, that was 43 years ago and that particular car could even be older...

[@Doobie1975]

@@Andrew-bb3lc Yet I see a decent number of classic cars from the 60's/early 70's driving around, mainly on the weekends.

[@rickymack2611]

Man I love those early to mid eighties LTDS

[@fernandorocha-dx1wv]

Beautiful the Ford LTD 1982

[@thunderray1987]

MotorWeek clearly didn't know Ford was going to continue to produce the LTD/Crown Victoria for another 28 years after 1982. The LTD Crown Victoria nameplate went on until 1991 and 1992 was just Crown Victoria until production completely ended in 2012. Another surprise is the fact that if it was the base model LTD, then why did it have the Crown Victoria grill and quad headlamps?

[@troysanchez776]

The base two headlight front was discontinued in 1981.

[@vonLuk]

Can you post the road test of the Alfa GTV6 from that episode? We'd love to see it! Thanks!

[@MrVideovibes]

Wish I could still buy a new one for 10 grand. Lotta car for the money.

[@twoeightythreez]

I wish people would realize that 10 grand was a lot more money back then. Keep in mind a basic car like a Nissan Sentra in 1982 was around 6 grand. The panther platform cars were always a lot of car for the money, even if they were a lot more than 10 grand at the end . They were basically the same price in 2011, even if the actual dollar amount was approximately three times higher. Even the Nissan example is about the same A basic versa cost around 18 grand, or approximately three times what a Sentra cost in 1982

[@DG-sf9ei]

Yeah just what today's consumer wants.....an inefficient gas guzzling under powered square car that will meet the boneyard within a few years because mechanics can't diagnose where the engine glitch is coming from amidst several hundred feet of wiring under the hood and vacuum diaphragms.

[@McVaio]

@@DG-sf9ei I'd buy one for 10 grand any day.

[@williamegler8771]

It cost the equivalent of $32,750 in 2023. So it was hardly inexpensive for a vehicle with minimal equipment.

[@19553129]

Still a Real American automobile😊

[@Atomwaffen-y3s]

No, it's an insipid turd. Malaise at its worst.

[@sasz2107]

They thought 1982 would be the last model year for these? The smaller 83 - 86 LTD got axed way before these - they went on until 1991 or 1992! This only had a 255 cu in V8? I thought the smallest engine was the 302.

[@rjl9707]

I thought the 302 was base with optional 351windsor.

[@brians8794]

Anyone else notice the typo on the screen at 4:04?

[@Doobie1975]

I would love to own a 1979-87 Ford LTD (I didn't like the 1988-91 redo styling much TBH) and install a Mustang GT 5.0 V8 underneath the hood.

[@Crimson3ffect]

My 88 would make you cry🙂

[@RADIUMGLASS]

The 88-91 redo took me awhile to get used to, but overall it was a good upgrade.

[@624radicalham]

@@RADIUMGLASS I remember a friend of the family worked in a car dealership and bought a brand new 88 with the redesigned styling and loved it. He said "look, on the rear lights they've gone back to the styling of the 66 Ford Galaxies". The more I think about it, he was right.

[@NoName-ik2du]

I felt the same way about the restyling at the end of the '80s. The rounded corners on everything didn't jive with the overall boxy shape of the car. Easily my least favorite design spanning the entire half-century of the Galaxie/LTD/Crown Vic series of cars.

[@bbo40]

My parents owned 3 of this model style run

[@95blahblahhaha]

Is it just me or is the car tilted/leaning to the driver's side??? And why?

[@exxusdrugstore300]

It's definitely leaning. Seems like a defect.

[@RoadCone411]

03:30 Is the LTD smoking? Or is that the dump truck? Or is somebody at MW 35 years ahead of the vaping trend?

[@Andrew-bb3lc]

It’s either a dirty windshield on the camera vehicle or glare on the windshield of the camera car.

[@warriormanmaxx8991]

Three questions being asked ... want to try for four?!? ehhh?

[@krisone5253]

The Variable Ventury Carburetor Was Recalled by FORD! Lots of Starting Issues. Brand New Car,And It WON'T Fuckin Start!

[@AlexT-iy9js]

That badge on the fender that says "AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE"

[@Joesmusclecargarage]

What’s your point rube? The AOD was introduced in 1980.

[@JonGibson-mt3jp]

I had an '82 Grand Marquis.

[@albear972]

1/4-mile numbers, yikes! 20.8 seconds at 69 mph?

[@Joesmusclecargarage]

What’s the hurry? It’s a comfortable, basic passenger car. Grow up rube.

[@weegeemike]

It was a shock to me that they kept referencing the end of this model. In a way it did in, in name only, as for '83 the standalone LTD became basically a rebadged Granada from the year before. However this car, which bevame known for the rest of the 80s as the LTD Crown Victoria, lived on for quite a long time, being redesigned in '92, dropping the LTD prefix. At first, i thought MotorWeek had been listening to some false rumors about this car's discontinuation. However, Ford indeed did imply that this car would be axed for '83. But as the economy improved, gas supplies became plentiful again and prices dropped, the decision to kill this car was put on indefinite hold, as we know now this car went on until '91, was redesigned with its LTD prefix dropped, and redesigned again with its Grand Marquis/Town Car siblings and lasted until 2011 on this very same, mostly unchanged Panther chassis.

[@renj6531]

the only major change was in 2003 when they upgraded to rack and pinion.

[@ralphabreu5022]

When a car was a car. Not today's plastic fantastic car's.

[@twoeightythreez]

The big irony is that when that car was new all the old timers were deriding that downsized LTD as being a tiny plastic imitation of a real car😂

[@ralphabreu5022]

​@@twoeightythreez Compared to today's hunk of shit plastic fantastic car's. I rather have this anytime of the day. This is cheap and easy to fix more than today's plastic fantastic car's

[@DCGuy1997]

We had the 1984 Crown Victoria. It was nice but bouncy. It's a shame Ford couldn't do something more to distinguish it from the Grand Marquis. It was almost identical. GM did a little better job of differentiating their models. Ford basically used the same steering wheel in all their cars and more.

[@j7b951]

Those tires…good grief!

[@exxusdrugstore300]

It's pretty unbelievable that these came standard with 14" wheels, even by the standards of the day.

[@Joesmusclecargarage]

What’s wrong with them? They look quite adequate to me.

[@Dankcatvacs]

255 v8 in 82 im sure thats a hot rod 😂

[@paulhudson231]

The 255 was a dog, especially on some Fox body models with a 3-speed auto and a 2.29 rear end ratio. It had little low end torque. The 302 was better all around and would get the same mileage with the 4-speed auto. I had a 1980 T-Bird with the 302/AOD combo and it would get 26 MPG at 65 when everything was tuned properly.

[@Joesmusclecargarage]

What more do you need in a nice comfortable passenger car you rube?

[@renj6531]

I almost forgot about the 255 even in the smaller fox body it was way under Par performance wise. no wonder why it was abandoned after only one year it was simply a flop and didnt work unlike the Chevy 4.3.

[@milfordcivic6755]

It was better than the 3.8, which was standard equipment on the Impala/Caprice

[@renj6531]

@ I don’t ever remember a 3.8 being standard on a caprice it was a 4.3 V6 a 3.8 could barely move a midsize G body car back in the day

[@ericbritton9346]

M.I.B LTD!

[@dmer-zy3rb]

the downsized full size gm and fords were not inefficient, expecially not as wagons. i dont know where that notion came from. nothing exept minivans (which hardly use less fuel) came close to offering as much space. also they lacked the luxury and smoothness of the full sizers. i just wish ford and gm would have made them aerodynamic sooner, but same could be said about 98% of cars all over the world before the 1980s.

[@RADIUMGLASS]

I never liked those rims but the rest was good.

[@Atomwaffen-y3s]

When malaise truly hit rock bottom. 💩staintastic. The state boys started buying Chevys in droves. My father bought Fords for over 30 years. After looking at one, he actually decided for once to buy a decent car- an Oldsmobile.

[@workingcountry1776]

Only took another 2 decades to kill the car lol.

[@michaelbuzzee1964]

Even brand new, that car looks so old lol Looks like a jalopy

[@milfordcivic6755]

That's why GM sold a butt load of Caprices, Delta 88s and Bonnevilles.

[@warriormanmaxx8991]

Hey @michaelbuzzee1964 - do you criticize much in daily life, too ?!?

[@exxusdrugstore300]

It was hardly Ford's finest hour lol. Thankfully, they were committed to improving it once they realized people still wanted them.

[@Joesmusclecargarage]

Looks perfectly fine to me you rube. Grow up.

[@jimdayton8837]

This review didn't age well lol.

[@Koexistence13]

Cops!

[@landyachtfan79]

"Unlimited technology from the whole universe, & we cruise 'round in a Ford POS."

[@TheGbeecher]

Ahh, the Detroit 'Malaise Era'...😢😂

[@snodgresswilim4817]

They were still in the Jimmy Carter mindset. Pay more, get less, wait longer for it. Oh wait that's Joe.

[@prplcncrd83]

Why does even a retro car review require a political comment these days?

[@exxusdrugstore300]

I have no idea what the string of words is supposed to convey.

[@exxusdrugstore300]

Not sure why everyone is flabbergasted by Motorweek proclaming these cars were on their deathbed. Everyone thought that at the time. No one expected to economy to get any better and, let's face it, these are pretty wasteful cars. I love them and I even own one, but they were mostly obsolete even by 1982.

[@McVaio]

How were they obsolete? The Crown Victoria model had most of the modern features available for cars at the time.

[@exxusdrugstore300]

@McVaio Mechanically. The general design was very old as a concept and didn't really fit into the "compact, efficient" 1980s. The fact that they continued to sell was shocking to everyone, even Ford.

[@exxusdrugstore300]

@@McVaio The minute decent-sized FWD sedans entered the American mainstream, these cars' days were numbered. Once the public realized they could have a Pontiac 6000 or Buick Century that was much smaller, lighter and fuel efficient without losing any of the space and comfort they wanted, there was no point in buying something so big, ponderous and inefficient. As a used car, they're a great buy. They're very cheap to repair, tolerate the the patchwork, potholed hellscape I call home without much complaint, and there's parts everywhere. I can't imagine buying one new, though, even back then. There were just so many better options.