Paralegals On Deliveries Overlook 17 MPG To Pay Homage To A Great Vehicle

The Daily News has the headline of the day — “Ford to Town Car: Drop Dead”:

For the aspiring Wall Street titan or the mobster looking to make an impression (or maybe dump a body), the Lincoln Town Car is the ride of choice.

Now it could be the end of the road for the smooth-riding sedan that’s as familiar to New Yorkers as yellow cabs and Ford Crown Victoria police cars and has been part of the city’s landscape for more than 25 years.

To cut costs, Ford is expected to close the Michigan plant where the Town Car is built — and hasn’t committed to building it beyond next year.

“The black cabs are a part of New York just like the old Checker cab,” said James McCowen, 23, a Manhattan paralegal. “I would hate to see them go away.”

“They’re really nice cars,” added Alex Weiss, an investment banking analyst at Lehman Brothers who uses a car service at least four times a month. “It’s spacious, the leather seats are nice and it’s just a nice ride.”

Drivers love them, too.

“This car is No. 1,” said veteran driver Mike Ali, 44, of Staten Island, whose 1999 Town Car has 194,343 miles on the odometer. “It runs forever and, if I need to fix it, I can fix it for cheap.”

Ali said he is not impressed with the cars likely to take the Town Car’s place — Ford’s Mercury Grand Marquis or DaimlerChrysler’s Chrysler 300. “I don’t think any of us would think of switching,” he said.

(Meanwhile, Battery Park City residents probably won’t shed any tears for the beasts.)