On Nov 29, 1:19 pm, george9...@aol-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (George
Adams) wrote:

The Panther chassis is the last American full size front-engine rear-
drive
car still in production.

The overhead cams are chain driven, very reliable.
They would be the last thing to break if the engine was run with no
oil.
There is no scheduled maint on these that I'm aware of.
Other maintanence cycles are typical of US v8 designs.

The cylinder heads were 'improved' in '99. If performance is a
consideration
the '99 and later models would be a better choice.

The main recurring issue with the 4.6 sohc is the plastic intake
manifold
that develops cracks and will leak. (1996-2002 models.) It was subject
to
a factory recall as a result of a class-action suit. The original
intake was
all composite and the replacement has a metal (aluminum) coolant
crossover
passage across the front. Make sure any vehicle you look at has the
replacement intake with the metal coolant crossover. Otherwise it WILL
crack and leak !

Another peculiarity of the OHC design is that there are no cam
bearings as
such; the cams ride directly on aluminum in the heads. It's not a
major issue
though as long as proper oil and coolant levels are maintained (as
with any engine)

Overall I'd say they are reasonably reliable cars, good luck.

rd