I purchased my 2001 Town Car in December of 2016 for $5,200 with 38,800 miles on it. Within a week, the oil light came on, but thankfully it was just a bad $13 sending unit.
Since then, I’ve done regular maintenance, and I’ve had to replace the following items due to failure: thermostat, a/c compressor, two power window motor/regulator assemblies, 4 ignition coils, rear air springs, and blend door actuators. The last two are common failure points.
In October of 2019, I hit a deer, but the car soldiered on just fine with some wrinkled hood and front fender metal and a headlight out. I replaced the plastic (fiberglass) header and the attached grille, along with a fender and hood from a salvage yard. I also had to replace the a/c condenser, as it got damaged.
Supposedly mine is part of the era with bad intake manifolds, but mine has never had an issue with it.
The car is currently approaching 148k, and the heater core leaks. I bypassed it, since the $2,000 repair quote was just too much. I use a little plug-in heater/defogger when necessary (I live in Central Texas). Soon, I’ll be putting this one up for sale, as I’ve inherited something else and will use my wife’s 2003 Corolla for commuting. I will miss this car, it’s roominess, and super smooth ride.
Random gripe: cup holder placement is awkward: hits my knee and blocks the hvac controls.
I'd love to find a 98-02 towncar without the vinyl top! They're my favorite generation of these cars. For some reason, the steering rack equipped cars just don't drive "right". I like the floaty boaty steering of the steering box.