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Lincoln Town Car

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Comments

  • hemsley1hemsley1 Member Posts: 21
    I'm getting a TC next week, very good condition and 87000 miles on it. All the reviews seem to be good on the quality of this vehicle. I just want to know if there is anything you guys suggest i do as soon as i get it, to make sure it runs for a little while. I've heard it has a manifold problem or gaskets or something like that...i obviously don't know much about cars. Right now, i plan on changing the oil every 3000 miles and that's about it, so any expertise on this car would be greatly appreciated. any suggestions on how to get better gas mileage would be great, and any simple preventative maintenance as well. thanks in advance.

    I'm also going to get a cd player, so any brand that works well and looks good would be cool to know about.
  • beernutbeernut Member Posts: 329
    I haven't heard of the type of engine problems you describe at 87K and the 3K mile oil change is fine (look in the book, 5K may be fine, too), but as for getting "better" gas mileage, may I suggest the Toyota Prius?

    The Trooper, Rodeo and Montero will not be better MPG than the Town Car, by the way.
  • hemsley1hemsley1 Member Posts: 21
    what kind of gas mileage does it get, i looked into it and they say around 20, i would be suprised to get that in town, but i would not complain if it does. the car is sweet, im picking it up this weekend. silver with black top. I guess i'm looking for any pearls of wisdom since i'm a virgin TC owner. It seems like the best bang for my buck, getting it for 5500 dollars, and it is in excellent conditon.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    The Town Car, for its size, gets excellent gas mileage. Few sedans half its size do as well.
  • izaclown1izaclown1 Member Posts: 118
    My dad's 97 gets up to 26-28 on interstate and 18-20 around town. That is a great car. I do not think he has had many repairs at all on his. I think it has been usual stuff like a window motor and maybe a sensor on the engine. He has 100k+ on his. :shades:

    My 2k gets 22-25 on interstate and about 18-19 around town (if I can drive about 45). It can get down to 15 or 16 if doing heavy traffic.
  • hemsley1hemsley1 Member Posts: 21
    i appreciate the advice. i just pulled a carfax on this car, and it was originally purchased as a fleet vehicle by a company...should that worry me?
    I'm assuming a traveling salesman or something like that. I have not driven the car yet, but i obviously will when i go to pick it up, if there is anything i don't like then i won't buy it. The interior is in perfect condition and it looks perfectly maintained, but it makes me nervous someone driving it when they dont own it. what do you guys think?
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Friend of mine used to be a marketing rep for Merck when they leased their cars from Peters Heather and Howell. Because "the firm" paid all the maintenance bills, his cars were very well cared for including waxing. Put the car on a hoist, look under it, test the radio and see what kind of music was played by pushing the preset buttons, have someone drive it around with you in the back seat, make sure the air suspension works and as nvbanker said, make sure all fluids are changed especially the rear axle fluid. Our 94 Signature with Touring Package has 116k and no complaints since we bought it new. Once got 27.5 mpg @ 45 mph on a gravel section of AK highway and around town, 18 to 20. I may spring for an 06 if they come out with a 300 hp engine. Have fun with a great Berliner.
  • hemsley1hemsley1 Member Posts: 21
    ok guys, one last question. I'm buying the car from a guy named jeff, it was his brothers car who died in december. Jeff said the the car has been sitting in his garage for four months and that he just started getting it out recently. Told me it runs great but that the AC does not blow cold. says the blower works but not cold air. Honestly, it's not a big deal if it just needs some freon, but if it needs a compressor then i think that would be pretty expensive.

    I guess im asking if you guys think it just needs some freon since it's been sitting for so long, or if it may be a bigger problem. anyone have any opinions? or have any experience with the AC in a 1997. Thanks in advance
  • hemsley1hemsley1 Member Posts: 21
    just to let you guys know. i picked the car up today. i drove it 200 miles to get home and it is awesome. the alignment is a little off, and the air from the AC feels like it is just barely cooled off, i hope thats a good sign that it just needs a freon charge and not a compressor. Besides that this car is cherry. I appreicate the advice and as long as the AC is relatively cheap to fix, i am very happy
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    What color is it?
  • hemsley1hemsley1 Member Posts: 21
    silver w/black top. grey leather interior.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Somehow, I already knew that..... Congrats again. You'll like it. It was an amazing car when they built it, it still is. Those were the days when the goal at the Lincoln plant at Wixom, was to build the car to a 10 year, 150,000 mile standard. It shouldn't need any serious work until it passes those marks. They tend to live up to that, we've found.
  • mclintockmclintock Member Posts: 4
    Okay-1998 Lincoln Towncar-Did the diagnostics. Code 24 came up. Sent it to the Lincoln mechanic. They replaced the blend door motor and repaired the blend door since they are back ordered and cost $300. Put it all back together and hit A/C and does the same thing. Blows maximum heat. They called ford and they said bad motor-changed it again same thing-Compressor runs and lines ice cold-max heat is all that comes out. Changed the climate control module same thing- said must be a short some where????Anybody ever experience this same problem? Any and all help is appreciated. Did the diagnostics and again Code 24. HELP PLEASE
  • beernutbeernut Member Posts: 329
    Well, there's a first time for everything. I finally have a problem with my '88.

    About four months ago, I noticed that the turn signals sometimes blink very slowly - I'm thinking low voltage.

    Two months ago, the radio died. Not bad for a 17 year old, but when I took it apart, I was surprised to see parts of the bottom PC board fried. Hmmm, maybe high voltage.

    For the last two weeks, the "CHARGING SYSTEM" warning beeps at me at random times (cruising, parked, stopped at a light, right turn, left turn, radio and lights on/off, etc.) but only for one to maybe ten seconds before going off. The car always cranks and runs fine. Other than the radio burning up, no history of electrical problems.

    I know there are upwards of a zillion scenarios for elecrical oddities, but could it be a tempermental voltage regulator?

    Before I start the needle-in-the-haystack process, have any of you had a similar issue, and what was your remedy?
  • jb7227jb7227 Member Posts: 86
    I've heard that the 2006 TC will have a redesigned interior and freshened exterior - anyone see any pix of this? I get automotive news magazine and have not seen a thing. I would assume that the Crown Vic and the GM are also getting updates in 06. The changes (not all of them expensive) that could make the Town Car really special again:

    1. Increase the wheelbase to around 120" on the standard models, and drop the "L" version.
    2. What ever happened to the thick carpeting that used to be in these cars?? In the old days, the higher up the price bracket you went, you received little extra touches like better carpeting, more elegant seat designs, etc.
    3. Redesign those awful FOMOCO headrests!! Am I the only one that thinks these things are way out of proportion?? They make the interior very claustrophobic.
    4. How about some assist handles on the backs of the front seats
    5. The door panels and the upholstery design needs to be special - I love the looks of the Lincoln dashboards (with the satin nickel trim), but they need to make it with a little more heft - so when you touch it, it really feels like metal and not plastic!!
    6. I know this may sound strange (especially for a 37 year old!), but I never found whitewall tires to be gaudy - and i dont mean those pseudo-style whitewalls with a 1/4" stripe, but a 1" stripe - with elegant, real chrome plated wheel discs.
    7. The return of the "twin comfort lounge seats" - I know that most cars now have buckets, but the Lincoln should be a six passenger car. The current seat design is trying to look like large bucket seats, with a ridiculously small area for someone to sit in the middle section. And bring back the fold down twin armrests!!!
    8. Vent windows - always one of those special Lincoln touches
    9. A return of a cloth-seat option - this would be a real novelty today. Not the mouse fur upholstery, but high quality. A no-cost option.
    10. Put the 300 hp 4.6 Liter V8 and 6-speed tranny in the TC, with standard dual exhaust. Most traditional TC buyers remember the days when a company's top of the line car had the most powerful engine - now, the TC has the same horsepower as a V-6 Accord.

    These are a few things I think could make the Town Car great. I wish Ford and GM would stop telling everyone that these cars are designed to compete head-on with Lexus and other high-end foreign makes - and instead, make them the best American-style luxury cars they can be!

    In my humble opinion.............
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Thank you for listing the improvements especially No's 6, 7, & 10. As for the exterior design, please don't make the front look like a wide mouth Bass.

    When you pay for luxury, there should be a lot more than what's in a Grand Marquis.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    As long as we are at it, how about enlarging the rear windshield on the TC so you can actually see out of it???...I can never understand why cars like that had tiny rear glass with trim that removed half of the visible area...agree with you on some luxury items, but I always like firm bucket seats (not squishly ones for old folks with their Depends), how about 10 way power seats (power recline and lumbar), and, this may rile some, a floor shifter with 300HP V8 and thick anti-sway bars, front and rear...I want an ultra luxury car that also has high performance and will get out of its own way, with NO body roll...why American luxury cars must have the worst handling and the most body roll is beyond me, as not every buyer will be over 75 years old...and when I AM 75, I still do not want to drive a lumbering pig, can't those design folks see that??? :mad: :cry: :sick: :):)
  • beernutbeernut Member Posts: 329
    Sorry to say it, Marsha7, but you obviously don't get it. Aside from the wisecracks about the older generation (some of whom are my friends and heros) and their infirmities (some of which you will have sooner than you think), everything you describe is exactly what makes a TC a TC and are why we love them. Small rear glass, squishy seats, lumbering pig.... a rare breed and a class act!

    Its good that you know who you are what you want. Did you also know that there are hundreds of other cars to choose from and hundreds of other message boards that embrace those other choices?
  • jb7227jb7227 Member Posts: 86
    Thanks for the comments - I forgot to mention some exterior features I'd like to see!
    I agree - no more "large mouth bass" front ends, that share turn signal lamps with the Grand Marquis. Some suggestions:

    1. Keep the small rear window (sorry marsha7!) - this has been an American luxury car touch for decades (to mimic a limousine)
    2. Again - return to the chrome (not matte-finish aluminum) wheel discs
    3. Return to the 2 styles of hood ornament - the more square version for the base Lincoln, and how about a return of the famed Continental name for a upscale version (with the slender, more upright hood ornament)
    4. Square off the back end - not only will it result in more trunk room, it looks more formal
    5. What ever happened to the chrome lower rocker panel trim? Looked much better than the thermoplastic!!
    6. Is it still possible to have bumpers that are chrome plated in front (but still flush mounted?) The bottom line - high quality chrome looks great!!!
    7. Body side moldings that actually work - with a rubber strip in the middle.
    8. Hidden headlamps?? I would use exposed lamps for the "base" Lincoln, covered ones for the Continental
    9. And how about a color selection????????? I collect brochures for old American cars, and was amazed at the color selections (both exterior and interior) available. Now, you can have any color interior as long as it's tan, gray, or black. How boring!!! Many of us can remember the beautiful red or burgundy leather that the old Lincolns had (looked great with a black exterior). The old brochures listed about 20 colors for exterior and 8 for interior. I know it costs more to offer all these choices, but if they had to boost the price of the Town Car by $5000, I really dont think it would deter many buyers. Wouldnt it be nice to have a pale yellow, a dark maroon, and an aqua color on the list??

    Just some more thoughts..............
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    While reading your latest post, my memory returned to the 1948 Chrysler New Yorker with the Highlander interior. Scotch plaid bordered by a Merlot colored leather including the four door panels.

    As for colors, I agree. I have toured the Wixom plant and learned about their computer sequential production system. At the time they were producing the Town Car, Continental, and Mark VIII on two different lines. The factory does have the capacity and ability to offer more of what you describe.

    Another poster was concerned about the squishiness of the seats. IMO that is not a problem if you change your Depends more frequently!
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    I like the wide mouth Bass front end currently offered, in fact, the current exterior of the Town Car is attractive to me, it's the interior that has totally been cheapened to me. The seats are taxi - grade, the dash is limo efficient, but that's all, plenty of room for the cb radio to be installed underneath, which is why I think it's designed that way. The rear window is small for privacy, exactly for the limo conversions. I think the car handles great, for the size of it, but it could use more power. Either Lincoln needs to build a Town Car for Retail and spiff it up, or we need to understand that the Town Car is built for Livery sales now, and it is what it is - if you want a real Luxury Sedan now, you gotta get a Jag or something..... Which is probably what I'm gonna do here pretty soon, after 15 years of driving Lincolns. There just isn't a Big Lincoln Sedan for me anymore.
  • w0bymagnusw0bymagnus Member Posts: 19
    Lincoln needs to make the Town Car stand out...really stand out...most people think Town Cars look like police cars...which is gross to even think about. The new Ford 500 has a prettier interior than the Town Car and has more options...they need to make the Town Car stand out if they want to be able to really compete with Cadillac like they're trying to do...(I really do like Lincoln much more still). I just wish Lincoln would bring back the Town Car as a true luxury-class vehicle instead of just a limousine. Even the value of the car has gone down, you can buy a 1 year old Town Car for half the cost of a new one. The NBA won't even use Lincoln Town Cars anymore because they say they're "too cheap".
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Lincoln actually isn't trying to compete with Cadillac at this point - they aren't following Cadillac upmarket. What the heck they're doing is tough to tell at the moment - but there is a new Town Car on the drawing board I hear, and a few other LIncolns coming out. This old Town Car however, will only get a refresh before it finally dies - not a rehab. So don't expect too much.
  • hemidawghemidawg Member Posts: 6
    I am new to the luxury car market, 47 yrs old, traded in my owned 2005 300C (an awesome car and lost only 63 cents/mile depreciation) for a 2005 caddy BUT I REALLY WANTED THE TOWN CAR.

    The 2005 Lincoln Town Car is the most beautiful vehicle I have ever seen with the best ride I have ever experienced.

    I came very close to leasing the Signature L but had to go with the caddy because of the lower lease price. Either the caddy holds its value much better than a Lincoln or else caddy is inflating the residuals. When you look at the purchase price, Lincoln looked a little better with $9500 in incentives vrs $8k for the caddy.

    But, on a 2 yr lease, caddy beat Lincoln by $6600! Now that includes $2k more for the 300c trade-in, but I consider that part of the deal.

    I tried REAL HARD to justify $6,600 more the Lincoln, but I just couldn't. It has so many fewer luxury features than the caddy. And the caddy dealer was great and easy to work with.

    I think the Lincoln makes sense if you are going to buy it and drive it $100K+ miles and are willing to add aftermarket must-haves like mp3 and bluetooth and whatever else comes along in the next 7 yrs!

    You guys are correct that she is really a limo vehicle--which is one of the things I like about it--reliable, elegant, easy to service....But they gotta give SOMETHING to the luxury buyer who wants a lease. Throw me a bone here Lincoln. I plan to lease one in two years if they don't destroy her good looks and ride.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Agree with your having the Caddie as the Linc is NOT worth $6600 more. It is now a warmed over '98 model and needs to lose it's pregnant look while adopting the appearance of an empowered mature lady. Empowered with at least 300 Horses. The Park Avenue's style is admired, but NO to the FWD & V6.

    I'm waiting to see the 06 to find out if I buy my 4th new Town Car while keeping an eye on low mileage preowned XJ8's. Portland dealer still has a new 04 for $15000 off MSRP, but not for me.

    Meanwhile our 94 Signature keeps rolling along at 26.4 mpg with 117,000 plus.
  • hemidawghemidawg Member Posts: 6
    word on the street is, 06 towncar is a minor refresh--are you expecting more?
    dealer claimed some new color combos and that's it. of course, he is probably not above lying to keep me from waiting for 06.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Why did you dump the 05 300C, hemi? I have rented them, and think they're OK, in a Crown Vic sort of way, but not a luxury car.
  • beernutbeernut Member Posts: 329
    Why did he dump the 300C? Have you ever seen one?
  • hemidawghemidawg Member Posts: 6
    Drove the 300C for 10 months--long enough to get through my mid-life crises. had my fun wit her, a great car, but not my style for the long run, wanted more a more luxurious, understated, larger traditional American car with more leg room in back and not so powerful that i would always be getting challenged to race. More class / less sass.
  • beernutbeernut Member Posts: 329
    Not to mention that the C looks like badly neglected toe fungus.

    OK, OK! So that's over the edge! It just sounded so funny when it came out that I had to share it with you guys. Nothing personal, dawg.

    As you can tell, I don't like the C, but I know many people who love it. I haven't found anybody in the middle. For looks and lux, the TC and DV clearly win, but I don't think that's what the German owners of the Big American Car Company had in mind anyway. Their target is a different bunch of folks than those you find on the TC board.

    BTW, I think the Magnum is really cool.
  • hemidawghemidawg Member Posts: 6
    magnum looks like hearse, which you can consider to be either cool or not cool. I personally woudn't drive it. Its also downgraded from the C a bit in lux (being a Dodge)
  • beernutbeernut Member Posts: 329
    Funny you should make the hearse connection. I had one for a daily driver in the late 70's. Never had toe fungus, though.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    "word on the street is, 06 towncar is a minor refresh--are you expecting more?"

    Eight years running the original '98 means it's time for a major change.

    '06 Zephyr styling offers hope of a change in the Town Car also in '06.

    Mustang GT contains a 300 HP engine and that could be in the '06 TC.

    I'm a conservative optimist ready to pounce on a low mileage '04 XJ8 if disappointed.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    "Did you also know that there are hundreds of other cars to choose from and hundreds of other message boards that embrace those other choices?"

    Beernut, I want to express my gratitude to you for making me aware that there are other cars out there...all this time I actually thought there were only two models out there, a Town Car and a Model T... :):):)

    Apparenly you guys want "limo" features, while I want a practical luxury car that can perform...if Caddy can make a DTS and an STS, Lincoln can improve its lumbering carcass to be more than a soft sweet potato on wheels...
  • beernutbeernut Member Posts: 329
    Well, you see, marsha 7, there you go again... I like your sense of humor, but you've opened yourself up for a knob-scobbing by suggesting that the TC is not "practical".

    I challenge you to put the TC and STS next to on another. Look at them, touch them, feel them, drive them, ride in them - front seat and back.... and then judge them by 1) Luxury. OK, now that the TC has won that, judge them for 2)Practicality. Now that the TC has won that, I yield to the Caddy having a stronger engine, more plastic chrome, better cornering and more cup holders. If that's what you value in a car - ignoring the time the Caddy will spend in the shop - go get one.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    If my body were a car, this is the time I would be
    thinking about trading it in for a newer model.

    My fenders are too wide to be considered stylish.
    They were once as sleek as a little MG; now they
    look more like my mother's old Buick!

    My seat cushions have split open at the seams.
    My seats are sagging.

    Seat belts?.. I gave up all belts when Ben and
    Jerry's opened!

    I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my
    finish, and my paint job is gettin' a little dull...
    and that's not the worst of it!

    Air bags? Forget It! The only bags are under my eyes!
    Not counting the "saddlebags", of course!

    I have sooo many miles on my odometer! Sure,
    I've been many places, and seen a lot of things,
    but when's the last time an appraiser factored
    "life experiences" against depreciation?!

    My headlights are out of focus, and it's especially
    hard to see things up close.

    My traction is definitely not as good as it once was.
    I slip and slide and skid and bump into things, even
    in the best of weather!

    My whitewalls are all stained with varicose veins,
    it takes me hours to reach my maximum speed,
    and I'm burning fuel at an inefficient rate.



    But, here's the worst of it....


    almost every time my engine coughs....
    my radiator leaks!







    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • hemidawghemidawg Member Posts: 6
    well said beernut!
    sweet potato! really! everyone knows the towncar features that famous "mashed potato" ride--a comfort food if ever there was.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    LOL!!
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    I like leaving myself open for jabs...it allows the insecure to feel like they have a leg up on me... :):):) ...seriously, tho, I have always believed that a luxury car like TC does not have to experience 45 degrees of body roll when turning around a corner...thick sway bars, good shocks and springs, can still ride nice but not be a geezer's car...besides, good handling is a safety factor, allowing one to maintain better control, what is wrong with that???
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Not a thing........
  • hemidawghemidawg Member Posts: 6
    the L version features a beefier front sway bar, have you driven one?
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Personally, I think the Town Car handles right smartly for her size and girth.....
  • beernutbeernut Member Posts: 329
    I agree with you completely, nv. But now that you put it in those words, it occurs to me that we, as a group, might have some weird fetish thing going on. Can that be good?
  • muteboymuteboy Member Posts: 1
    Hi everyone, I am the proud owner of a 1996 TC with 78,000 I love it and have had it for two years now. Does anyone know of a site that is showing pictures of what a redesigned or refreshed Towncar will look like? I know alot of people who were upset with the style when it changed in 1998 however it seems to be growing on most people at this point

    Although I agree that after 7/8 years its time for a major redo, but haven't seen or heard anything on a change or even if the Towncar will continue.
  • ehaaseehaase Member Posts: 328
    The rumor is that Lincoln will have two new sedans using the Ford Five Hundred platform that will replace the LS and Town Car, although the Town Car may continue on its current platform. The LS replacement would arrive for the 2008 model year, and the Town Car replacement would arrive for the 2009 model year. It will probably be 18 to 24 months before we see any pictures.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    imagine it having a strong resemblence to the 2005 Jag XJ8.
  • w0bymagnusw0bymagnus Member Posts: 19
    I'll be quite pissy if the Lincoln Town Car is not Lincoln luxury anymore. Ford is so weird.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    No, I have not driven an L...
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Ditto. Take the one car that IS selling, and radically change it....
  • ehaaseehaase Member Posts: 328
    Your dealer friend may be selling a lot of Town Cars, but Lincoln only sold 4,314 Town Cars in June, and sales for 2005 are down 5.6 percent from last year.
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