On 11/1/05, Mike Busch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Of the three I like the magnum best as it's the newest > design, but at 19K I'm guessing that is a first year > Magnum(03?). I generally stay away from first year > models. Too many bugs. > > Between the other two I would go with the buick. > Nothing wrong with the crown vic, but it is a REALLY > old design. Not nearly as nice to look at. The Ford > 4.6 is a good engine but their Automtatic trannies are > weak. The GM 3.8 is a rock. It's used in more > platforms than you can shake a stick at and is a very > well built workhorse platform.
Yeah, but you were complaining about old designs. That 3.8L pushrod Buick motor dates back to '61 or '62; the only thing that's changed very much is induction and ignition. Not that I think there's anything wrong with that, mind you, but if we're gonna look down our noses at 'old design...' Incidently, my across-the-street neighbor, a GM engineer, has had two 3.8Ls fail at relatively low mileage; both were under 100K. That's not a true sampling of course, and I've had a 3.8L all apart and can tell you it's made out of stout stuff. But supposedly 'strong' designs aren't always. The 4.6L in the Ford is not what I would term a really reliable, strong engine design. That powerplant was originally intended for use only in the FWD Lincoln Continental. Then a round of cost cuts came around and the beancounters said, 'hey, why do we need two V8s? Let's lose the 5.0L and just go with the 4.6L.' I remember reading on blueovalnews.com an engineer complaining that the engine was never intended to be 'our bread and butter V8', and if it had been, it would've gotten stronger stuff in the bottom end. RE: the Magnum. It was new for '04, introduced at the same time the 300 was, and is based on the same platform. The 3.5L V6 and 5.7L V8s are both proven powertrain designs; the former debuted in the '99 300M, and the latter in the '02 Ram. The 2.7 has a similar history, but I wouldn't consider it in a full-size car such as these. --Geoff ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/46t0lB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Web: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dodge_intrepid> Subscribe: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Unsubscribe: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Moderator: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dodge_intrepid/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
