How about a 1996 Lincoln Continental?

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TomJones76

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I have a co-worker offerring an estate 1996 Lincoln Continental. 65K on it, cosmetically rough but sound, little old lady and grampa driven.
I'll get a good look at it on lunch.
Any notes on these?
Reliable? Unreliable?
I know it shares a chassis with the same-year Taurus/Sable but has the high-octane version of the 4.6L from the F150 and Crown Vic.
 
Oh, come on, no hits at all?
You guys love gossipping about cars. I guess the Continental doesn't have any fans... or detractors.
 
Here's my take. Continentals are cool -- the chosen ride of 60's era mobsters and 70's era pimps.

I'd be concerned about the cosmetic damage combined with the grandma/grandpa driver. My grandfather had a '77 LTD. Later in life he wasn't such a good driver. In fact he was downright dangerous, running up on curbs, straying from lanes, etc. He totaled that LTD several times, but always opted to pay the money to get it fixed. By the time we took his keys away, and I got the car, you'd never know by looking at it that it had been in as many accidents as it had.

Luckily nobody ever got hurt.

Let us know how it goes...
 
Heh. My first car was a '77 LTD, great-granny driven.
Nice car. Look real carefully, you could see where the door had engaged in conversation with a telephone pole here and there...
 
My Dad has always had Lincolns and really never had any trouble with them. Seems to me that Ford took a little more time on getting it right with the Lincolns. If it was garage kept, I'd be looking at it myself. Contrary to belief, they actually don't do so bad on mileage. My dad could get around 22 mpg when he'd drive from Tennessee to Oklahoma on his visits. Super roomy, good stereo, lots of available parts. If the price is right, go for it.
 
Oh yeah, the price is right.
'96 Continental, 65K, only option chosen was traction control. If I select "rough" condition, it books between $4K and $5K everywhere I go online.
The last number the seller mentioned to me was $1500 as-is...
 
Whenever you buy a used car, you should budget $2-3000 for PM and other related work that should be done to make the car 100%.

At the price of $1500 as-is, it really doesnt sound very bad. The cars always looked nice, and so long as the leather is in OK condition, and the dash isnt cracked, id say things are OK... For the price, a half decent but cheap paint job will make the car a ten-footer and usable for the next 10 years...

JMH
 
We're talking Towncar, right? I am assuming so....... because if we aren't, I'm taking my comments back. Depending on what motor it has, the Continentals, not towncars, have had their share of problems, especially if you got the V6, way under powered for one thing.
 
Schmoe,

It is a Continental.
Re: the engine, the 95 and up Continentals use Ford's 4.6 Liter V8 in high-octange 32-valve trim.
They make 260 HP at 5750 RPM, so whatever other feelings one can have about them, they're not underpowered... and they don't have the head gasket problem the 3.8 Essex had. Geez! I would never buy one of those... the Taurus forum has a sticky on head gasket problems in the Essex.
It appears to basically be a Taurus with a V8 and a fancy-pants air-bag suspension, though there *IS* a non-air conversion to put in if the bags give you trouble.

JHZR2,

The leather is OK in the front. It's cracked in one spot in back, but my dogs are going back there, not me, so I really couldn't care less. I'll probably put some kind of cover on the back seat, just to keep the dogs from demolishing the seats with their pointy little claws. No matter how often my wife trims them, they always get long enough to mess things up. (And hurt if I let them jump up on me when I'm in shorts...)
 
OK, just checking, my anti-Continental comments were going to be based exactly on what you said, but you seem to know what's up with Fords. The only problem the bags will give is if they somehow get a hole in them or the air pump goes out. If the cars seen a lot of gravel roads, then the chances of getting a hole in the bags is of course greater. I car pool with a guy that has a newer Continental and it's a smooth ride. That 32 valve V8 will MOVE. You know, you really don't have to put high octane in it. My carpool bud does that and hasn't had a problem or kicked of a CEL or warning of any kind.
 
I see a lot of these continentals sitting VERY low in someone's yard.

I wonder if the air ride goes out, that's what parks them.

So they put the 4.6 in transversely? How is there any room for the transmission?

I'm cynical of the layout, though I have no first hand experience.

Cadillac tried this with the 4.1/4.5/4.9 in the late 80s and they all stunk.

This could be a cool fun car but also a potential nightmare.

Ford guys will jump on me, but just be careful what you're getting into.

Probably for every issue there's some hilbilly fix the dealers don't know about... depending on online support for this heap and your own skills I say jump on it.
 
quote:
Originally posted by eljefino:

So they put the 4.6 in transversely? How is there any room for the transmission?

Click to expand...
I'm thinking the motor goes in lengthwise, like in an Intrepid. Ford had a hard enough time getting the DOHC 4.6 to fit under the hood of the Panther, I can't see how they'd get one in sideways.
 
Everyone who has replied,

I deeply appreciate your input on this vehicle.
While I welcome further comments, I feel it is only polite to update you on this decision.
Last night I introduced the wife to the vehicle and she seems to like it. While I have serious reservations about both the transmission used in the vehicle and the air bag suspension, in light of the price I have decided to go forward with the purchase.
This morning I informed the seller's son, who is acting as her agent in this matter, that I intend to purchase the vehicle if the inspection I have conducted by my mechanic next Wednesday fails to uncover any new substantial issues.
Given the age of the vehicle, I will hold $1500-$2000 in my money market fund as a hedge against repair and/or replacement expenses.
I expect that even with occasional mid-priced repairs, this vehicle will have a lower total cost of ownership than my current vehicle, an '02 Mercury Sable LS Premium with 62K miles and $10,000 or so of remaining payments. Plus it has a bitchin' V8 making 260 horsepower... it'll be the fastest car I've owned yet, even considering my '96 Caprice with the detuned Corvette motor.
Getting out of a big monthlypayment should help with my financial situation, even if I have to buy another $1500 car in two years....

Anyone know if these things use Mercon or Mercon V in the tranny?
The manual says it's okay to run 87 in her, but she'll be faster with 91 octane.
If the rated horsepower is 260, what will she make with 87?
210 like the dual-exhaust Crown-Vic/Grand Marquis did that year?
Maybe a few more due to the 32-valve setup vs the Vic's more pedestrian layout?
130 because the guys from Lincoln don't care about people who run their cars out of spec?
 
Time for a big bunch of PM... coolant, atf, oil, diff, PS fluid to start... plus a good wash and wax, check of the brakes and rotors, and use of a good leather cleaner and conditioner to protect the seats...

Good luck!

JMH
 
quote:
Originally posted by JHZR2:
Time for a big bunch of PM... coolant, atf, oil, diff, PS fluid to start... plus a good wash and wax, check of the brakes and rotors, and use of a good leather cleaner and conditioner to protect the seats...

Good luck!

JMH
Click to expand...
It's a good bonding experiance with a new to owner car.
cheers.gif
 
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....become one with the car, grasshopper. I'm almost positive it takes plain ol' Mercon.
 
you should get the connie.

Expect only around 6-7 grand for your sable though.
frown.gif
 
eljefino,

Actually, the Sable was included in my bankruptcy.
I can just kinda' drop it off at the bank, hand 'em the keys, and owe them nothing. They have an enforceable lien on it but I have no obligation to pay on the note if I don't want the car.
The Sable is part of my old life, of living beyond my means. Ditching it is part of my getting into my new life, where I don't buy stuff I can't afford, or afford to replace.
I feel bad about abandoning the note, but I rationalize it by noting that it's no more fair to my other creditors to pay off one and not the others than it is to pay off only one.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Schmoe:
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....become one with the car, grasshopper. I'm almost positive it takes plain ol' Mercon.
Click to expand...
Crap. Now I have to decide whether or not to go Amsoil, or M1, or... just plain ole' Motorcraft.
 
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