Nothing lasts forever. At 111k miles your vehicle is getting up there.
However...
111k is not much for ball joints. Are you sure they were bad and you
did not get ripped off?
Coil-On-Plugs go bad. Check imports (Toyota, Honda, VW, etc.) for ongoing
problems.
Trans' go bad. 111k is getting up there for a trans. Few make it past 180k.
Warped brake rotors are a common problem with all vehicles.
It is due to wrong torque on the lug nuts combined with thin alloy
(sometimes 2 metal) rotors. - Someone is not using a torque wrench properly
like they should be doing.

My thoughts are that you are taking care of your vehicle very well
but you might be being taken advantage of. Your friends are not
taking care of their vehicles and intend to get rid of them in poor condition.

All machines break.
Import parts will cost a lot, lot more than for your Merc.


> >kabinnnn wrote:
> >>
> >> I have a 99 Grand Marquis and it is putting me in the poor house.
> >>
> >> 111,000 miles
> >>
> >> (1) Ball Joints and tie rods $800.00 installed
> >> (2) Spark Plug Coils? $100 a piece (quantitiy unknown as of today)
> >> The car is bucking occassionally. At idle speeds in nuetral the engine
> >> misfires.
> >>
> >> (3) transmission shudder repair price unknown and yes I did change
> >> the fluid and filter regularly.
> >>
> >> (4) brake rotors are warped so the car pulses when I apply the brakes.
> >>
> >> Bottom line?
> >>
> >> I will never buy and American car again let alone a Ford. I've had
> >> them all and they all seem to require expensive repairs to early and
> >> frequently. My friends who have imports don't seem to have the same
> >> problems unless they are lying to me.
> >
> >Your friends are lying to you.