70's Lincoln's V Cadillac's.

Which was the more comfortable HWY cruiser

  • Lincoln Continental 1978 Mark V

    Votes: 22 78.6%

  • Equivelent cadillac or Eldorado

    Votes: 6 21.4%
  • Total voters
    28
N

Nigelmelb

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Was just wondering what everyones opinions were on which car was the most plush and the best cruiser especially in the mid 70's.

Looking at a Continental mark V '78 which i think was the last of the 460 motor. Looking at a Diamond Jubilee Edition. How do people rate these in terms of a comfort cruiser.

Also, another question, when did the Eldorado's go to front wheel drive? Have they stayed front wheel drive ever since they first changed? It would have to be a big advantage for the Lincoln's being rear wheel drive wouldn't it?

Thanks for your help and advice.

Nigel.
 
Personally, I liked them both. 78 was the last year for the 460 mark, with a 400 available also. 79 they only had a 400 (last year). I believe 67 was the first year for fwd in the Eldorado and it has stayed fwd since. If I was going to get a 70's caddy, I would go with a coupe de ville or a sedan de ville just because they ARE rwd. I actually just looked at a fairly decent California 69 Sedan de Ville... I drove my buddy's 71 Mark III, and it's 1 of the nicest cars I've ever driven. Either way you go, they're both a cool car.
 
Yeah thanks for the info Black87lsc. I'm from Australia and also recon they are a great car. The 78 Lincoln is looking good.

Thanks again.
 
A Mark V is one of the most comfortable riding cars ever. I want very much to have a diamond jubilee, your lucky.
 
mespock said:
You couldn't be a pimp without the 70's Lincolns or Cadillacs :Beer
Click to expand...
you could not be more right !!!
:slam
But my pimp days are coming to an end so Im selling mine

ls70 (Small).JPG
 
In the 1970s, Motor Trend magazine used to run a feature road test called "King of the Hill" in which they pitted a new Lincoln Mark against that same year's Eldorado. Usually, the Lincoln won.

I'm old enough to have driven 70s Lincolns and Cadillacs when they were new. There is no question that in most years the Lincolns are smoother riding than the equivalent Cadillacs, and the Lincolns are generally quieter as well. The Cadillacs handle better; they've had the variable ratio steering since 1969 and they almost feel sporty compared to the Lincolns. Lincolns didn't begin to handle well until the downsized models introduced in 1980.
 
Ooh tough decesion. I've never been much of a Mark V man, but I'd love to own a IV! Between a IV and a '77 Eldorado Biarritz...god that's a tough one! I couldn't choose!
 
The Cadillac was the winner in the 70s.

The 70s Cadillacs were still "The Standard of the World" and Lincoln was still considered a "Fancy Ford". The 472 CID (1968-1972) engine always outperformed the Lincoln 460. The OPEC gas scare saw Ford putting on 2 barrel carburetors on the 460! You could fry the rear tires on a 4700 pound 1970 Cadillac without difficulty.

The Lincoln Town Car tried to edge out the Cadillac by making it a bit longer. However they lost a lot of market share to Cadillac when Cadillac redesigned their line up in 1977. Lincoln didn't redesign until 1980 and they paid a price. The smaller Eldorado introduced in 1979 bit into Mark sales as well.

From a comfort standpoint the Towncar is probably a quieter car and the longer 133" wheelbase Town Cars of the seventies have a smoother ride. They were always just considered a little bit behind the times until the 80s when they caught up with a vengeance.

A 1977-1979 Cadillac still had a 425 CID engine that could chirp the tires off the line. With only very small massaging a stock 4200 pound 1977 De Ville would give you a 7.5 second 0-60 time and was good up to 120 mph, where the rear axle gearing just didn't permit anything faster.

The Cloth D'Elegance package was the A-ticket in the seventies fo a Cadillac. A Fleetwood Brougham or De'Ville optioned with it was a velour paradise, that already looked like a custom job.

And the Seville! 1976 saw the first "euro Cad" in the smaller Seville. These were EVERYWHERE when new. Big hit. A year later Lincoln pops out the "Versailles" - a gilded Ford Granada/ Mercury Monarch which just looked awful and sold worse.

I'd have to give Cadillac the thumbs up during the 1970s and through about 1981. After that the Cad engines were awful and by 1985 they shrank everything and turned out dismal vehicles. The Lincoln wins the 1980s mainly because they stayed bigger and had better performing vehicles and they had a stunning selection of options, paint colors and special editions.
 
MarkIV is where it's at

:cool: I loved my dad's Mark IV growing up. It was so cool with it's white on white look & it stood up in the front when it went across country in '89. I was 16 then & it inspired me to buy the six Mark VIII's that I've had over the past 10yrs:rolleyes:
 
Not having owned either from the 70s decade, I . . .

I have to wonder if the obsession with two-door models which began with
the Mark IIIs, caused L-M Div. to focus their quality on the Marks to the
detriment in quality control on the four-door Continentals.

There's little doubt in my mind that Cadillac progessively degenerated in
quality from the 1964 models - - - gradually, to be sure. Has anyone seen
decent original paint on a '73 Cad? I'll bet a nickel that no one has, even
twenty years ago.

The big question in my mind regarding the 1970s models when comparing
Cads vs. Lincs is the cost-of-maintenance. What about relative differences
in parts prices, like ball joints for example; and whether there's much
difference in the amount of labor needed to perform typical repairs due to
any differences in the relative complexity of the two makes in that decade.
For example, the decade of the 60s had dramatic differences in the
relative complexity level in Lincs versus Cads: the Lincs were many times
more complex, hence, more costly to maintain, than the 60s Cads. Cads
of that era were little more complex than a big Chevy. Really! Lincolns,
on the other hand: relatively exotic engineering at times, and other "dings".
And, to be fair, has anyone made comparisons of typical parts for these
cars, in respective eras of production, to "get a handle" on this subject?


Jerry
 
ClothNotLeather said:
From a comfort standpoint the Towncar is probably a quieter car and the longer 133" wheelbase Town Cars of the seventies have a smoother ride. They were always just considered a little bit behind the times until the 80s when they caught up with a vengeance.
Click to expand...
The Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham had the 133" wheelbase; the '70s Lincoln Town Cars had a 127" wheelbase.
 
RB3 said:
In the 1970s, Motor Trend magazine used to run a feature road test called "King of the Hill" in which they pitted a new Lincoln Mark against that same year's Eldorado. Usually, the Lincoln won.

I'm old enough to have driven 70s Lincolns and Cadillacs when they were new. There is no question that in most years the Lincolns are smoother riding than the equivalent Cadillacs, and the Lincolns are generally quieter as well. The Cadillacs handle better; they've had the variable ratio steering since 1969 and they almost feel sporty compared to the Lincolns. Lincolns didn't begin to handle well until the downsized models introduced in 1980.
Click to expand...
Actually, variable-ratio steering was available on Cadillacs since the 1966 model year; automatic level control came out in 1965.
 
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