Lovely Rita, meter maid.

[89mercmarquis]

This is my beloved 1989 MGM, Lovely Rita. I bought her for $1400 private sale back in December of '08, I think, and I wouldn't trade her for the world. Dark red with a black canvas roof, 50th Anniversary Edition with about 67k miles on the odometer, she's still running strong and is in almost impeccable shape. I don't have too many great photos of her because, although I'm a photographer, I don't own my own digital camera, but this is what I do have. No interior photos, but I'm sure you all know what the interior of a late 80's/early 90's MGM looks like anyway.

Everything on her is stock, although I'd eventually like to remove the canvas roof and replace is with a vinyl one since the canvas is getting shredded near where it connects to the rear windshield. I'll probably do some custom exhaust eventually, too, and new rims. As for right now, though, she's the same as she was when she was brand new. Any suggestions for what I should do would be appreciated.

01. India Point Park in Providence, RI (with a full-size spare on, haha):


02. Hanging out with a vintage Beetle at Hampton Airfield:


03. Outside of an abandoned meat packing plant:


04. The day after I got the car, my ex drove it into a ditch on the side of the highway accidentally:


05. Lovely Rita and me in North Attleborough, MA:

[p71towny]

Looks clean and straight! There are many mods that not only give the car more power, but better mpg and fun!

[89mercmarquis]

Looks clean and straight! There are many mods that not only give the car more power, but better mpg and fun!

More mpg would be amazing, haha. That's always been my one complaint with these cars. I get about 20 mpg highway if I'm lucky, but since I love my car so much, I'm begrudgingly willing to sacrifice economy.

[Nathan in MI]

Depending on how fast you drive, a completely stock '89 GM should be good for closer to 24 mpg on the highway. When was the last time this thing had a thorough tune-up?

[89mercmarquis]

Depending on how fast you drive, a completely stock '89 GM should be good for closer to 24 mpg on the highway. When was the last time this thing had a thorough tune-up?

Hmm...

I do know that it's overdue for an oil change. Shamefully, I don't know how to change my own oil, but I have what I need to do it. I'm waiting on a friend to give me a hand. It could probably use a new air filter too. Well, what it really gets down to is that the car does need a tune up. She's going into the shop next week, though, so hopefully things will improve.

[Nathan in MI]

Ask them what they replace when they do a tune-up. Here's approximately what you SHOULD hear:

-Oil/filter
-Air filter
-Fuel filter
-Spark plugs
-Plug wires
-Distributor cap and rotor
-Grease front end
-Check all fluid levels and conditions, change/add as necessary
-Check tire pressures, increase/decrease as necessary
-Check condition of belts and hoses
-Check lights

Some of this stuff may not be in their normal list of tune-up procedures, but it should all be done in order to ensure that the car is in tip-top shape in every way. Some of the stuff you can undoubtedly do yourself (checking lights, checking tire pressures), and the rest of it isn't hard to learn if you want to. Let us know when we can be of further assistance.

[P72Ford]

When the car slid off the road, was it stuck, or did you drive it out?

[p71towny]

Shit son, look at that rear wheel. If it was indeed drove out then bravo I say, bravo.

[89mercmarquis]

When the car slid off the road, was it stuck, or did you drive it out?

We tried to drive it out but the snow was caked around the rear wheels so thick that it wouldn't budge. (You can kind of see in the photo; it looks like the wheel is bent, but it's just snow all over the wheel and tire.) It was a really terrible snow storm and there were about four other cars in the ditch, which made me feel a little better, and there were police and tow trucks on the scene already. We ended up getting winched out to the tune of $90.

My boyfriend at the time was driving when it happened, and once we came to a stop in the ditch, he asked me if I was okay. I was huddled up in a little ball with my hands over my eyes, and I just remember wailing, "WHO CARES ABOUT ME! WHAT ABOUT MY CAR?" Haha.

[p71towny]

I was huddled up in a little ball with my hands over my eyes, and I just remember wailing, "WHO CARES ABOUT ME! WHAT ABOUT MY CAR?"

Damn skippy! Until my car has the ability to scab over and heal itself I'll keep protecting it.

[marquisman]

hey, nice to see another pretty lady in a nice panther!

[89mercmarquis]

hey, nice to see another pretty lady in a nice panther!

Well thank you! Rita and I appreciate the compliments.

[Lincolnmania]

very nice!

[marquisman]

Well thank you! Rita and I appreciate the compliments.

your very, very welcome!

[Briglad]

Nice Grand Marquis. Glad to see another New England member

Like the picture at Hampton Airfield. Is the food at the restaurant there as good there as I have heard? I need to make a trip down there sometime.

Brian

PS: I'm not just into nice cars, I've been an airplane nut for most of my life and can contentedly spend an afternoon at an airport just watching planes...