high mileage continental. Advice?

[jnb0111]

hi everybody,

I'm new to the forum, but I've got a few questions. I've searched and found some great info, but not exactly what I'm looking for.
I'm looking at buying a 2000 lincoln Continental as a daily driver. I've seen the car, and driven the car, and the condition of this car is just amazing. it's borderline unbelievably amazing. Glossy paint, ZERO dings or dents, interior is spotless, and the engine bay, let's just say again--CLEAN. The person who owns this car has taken immaculate care of it. It's a 2 owner car, current owner bought it when it was 2 years old.
Here's the bad, or potentially bad, depends how you look at it.
It's got 230k miles. It's also got a savage title. Now, normally, this would cause me to steer clear, but they showed me pics of the damage before they repaired it. Front bumper, front headlight needed replaced, and a little dimple in the front right fender. Due to the age and mileage, insurance totaled it. Owner bought it, repaired it, and has been driving it for the past 2 years.
He's already bought a new "used" car, a 2010 Lincoln Mksomething, these new designations confuse me, and so he wants to get rid of this one. I can get it for $1000, which seems like a great deal. Worse case scenario, it blows up on me tomorrow, in which case, I can either fix it, or sell it and probably still get a decent amount back.
Are there any major issues I should look for, besides air suspension leaks? I know a Town Car V8 routinely sees mileage much higher, but the Continental has a different 4.6 V8, right?

 

[jnb0111]

24 hours later, and no responses?

 

[continental randy]

Well lets assume it is as clean as you say. Engine will probably outlast car, things that will probably go wrong or need attention as follows. Fuel pump,steering rack and or inner tie rods, radiator fan motors, serpentine belt and tensioner, water pump, transmission,coil paks, valve cover gaskets, ignition switch. All of which are major jobs except for ignition switch and coil paks which are easy to change.

 

[1994 Continental]

Beware of beautiful looking Lincoln

I'm looking at buying a 2000 lincoln Continental as a daily driver. I've seen the car, and driven the car, and the condition of this car is just amazing. it's borderline unbelievably amazing.

The operative word in your description is "unbelievably amazing."

Four years ago I too found that "unbelievably amazing" Lincoln - a '94 Continental Executive Series. Owned by the original buyer, an accountant. A background check revealed the car had gone in for regular maintenance and repairs. Interior and exterior in remarkable pristine condition. Only needed new tires, it appeared. Engine area clean.

So far, that "unbelievably amazing" Lincoln has cost me over $5K in repair bills. I have replaced three suspension air bags and one selenoid valve, the air compressor and dryer. Two motor mounts, the starter and selenoid, Water pump, fuel pump, all belts, all hoses (yes that expensive heater hose too) the battery, the alternator, the entire AC system, the entire brake system from the master cylinder to every drum, rotor, pads, break lines, etc, all four tires (which I knew needed replacing when purchased car.) Replaced the heater element, an asundry of modules, manifold gaskets, and I am currently in the process of trouble shooting her latest issue.

The upside, good compression on the motor. In the beginning I thought the accountant guilty of deferred maintenance, until one the mechanics working on my car said he never encountered a Lincoln like mine.

What was that? An unbelievably amazing well maintained car with so many junkyard parts. Most of the parts extracted from my Lincoln, appeared to the mechanic to be a case of the OEM parts were harvested and the junkyard parts installed. All replaced junkyard parts had the same yard and date.