Darth Elway
New LVC Member
Greetings, all. I just thought I'd share my experiences with Lincolns and Cadillacs that I had throughout my life. I am comparing OLDER models, not new ones. Through much trial and error, I have realized through the eras I am comparing to, Lincolns were far superior vehicles. These eras are about I'd say 84's through 95ish', so figure a 10 to 15 year model years time period. Being a guy with relatively little money, I have no experience with the new ones. I always wanted the most bang for the buck, so these cars are the way to go for me. But I'd wager the new Lincolns are better over the long run from my experience. This experience is with used cars, typically Lincolns and Cadillacs that are 7-10 years old with relatively good maintenance prior to purchase.
My second car I owned was an 84 Cadillac Coupe Deville. It had 71k on it, it seemed like a mechanically sound vehicle. This car (which I now know), had one of the WORST engines in history, the dreaded HT4100. Keep dreaming if you had to drive this behemoth up a steep grade (which I realized too late). It needed a Tranny is all so I got it for a good price. So I had a rebuilt Tranny put in. The 3rd day I had it on the road, the front end failed, not sure what part it was, this is some years ago. Now the fender and nose were slightly damaged from the broken axle failing. I replaced the front I thought it was over. Nope.
Throughout my nightmare 3 year ownership of this car, it fell apart, literally. Rear, Starter, Alternator, Timing chain, Air Suspension, Module, Power Seats failed, Fan clutch... When the Transmission began failing I said enough is enough. Several years later I came across an 88 Fleetwood for sale with 61k. I thought it was a good deal and a bargain with that mileage. What I thought was very wrong. After replacing many of the same things I had to replace on my older Cadillac (which I felt to be ironic), the car died mysteriously. Couldn't keep it running for more than 10 seconds. Mechanics were BAFFLED, and so was I. Disgusted with GM and Cadillacs, I vowed to never own another one as long as I lived.
During talks with friends and being jeered at for having the worst luck with cars cause my Cadillacs have left me stranded, my friend who is much older than me was telling me about Lincolns, how they are good cars and built different and much better than Cadillacs. If I was ever to buy one, he said it would be a "...much wiser choice." I took what he said with a grain of salt, and was like, whatever.
Car shopping 6 months later. I found an 85 Lincoln Town Car that needed an Engine and a Transmission. The car was in great condition, and for $100 dollars, I could have a pretty nice car and with the price of a Motor and Tranny, I could have a sweet ride. I had a used Motor put in, and a rebuilt Transmission. I maintained it fairly well, and all that ever broke was an Alternator, no biggy... But I noticed many differences in this Ford product than in my glorified Buicks.
Fist was that the Leather seemed much thicker in the Lincoln than my 84 Cadillac. Signs of wear, but no rips or little tears. It didn't show signs of interior head wear, the ceiling was fine, unlike the cancerous GM Headliners. The door handles seemed much sturdier, inside and out. How do I know this? Both the cheap door buttons and thin levers failed on my Cadillac, one out and one inside. The car seemed to ride much smoother on the highway, even though the suspension was old. Not to mention it was faster and better up a grade than the Caddy with the paltry and pathetic 4100 CRAP. The Lincoln also had those nifty power vent windows, which I liked. After several years of ownership and 40k later, I was able to sell it for 1k and my friend had several years of solid use before he totalled it. I had a SWEET deal on another Lincoln I couldn't turn down...
I replaced the Town Car with a black 90 Continental SS with 68k, which is like a glorified Sable or a Taurus. Car was owned by my mechanic, his personal car. Near mint condition for $2500. Got a great price since he was a friend of mine. This car was LOADED with tons of great stuff, I still feel it could rival any luxury make of it's generation. Power everything, Sunroof, Heated Mirrors, frigid AC. Pretty fast for a V6 with front wheel drive I thought. I liked the digital dash setup. Had several special addons, Tape and CD (great sound system), ragtop all factory. Special badges were added on. I had this one for a few years. Was good in the snow too. Never stuck, not once. I replaced the Suspension pump, the alternator, and that's IT. The ABS went though, and I drove it anyway with a stiff brake pedal. I would still have this Vehicle today no doubt, but my horrendous negligence of the cooling system caused Head failure. It was like mud in the cooling system. Angry with myself and my stupidity for putting to much water in it, I had to junk it. I was heart broken...
I had a Z28 Camaro 5.7 4bbl for several years afterwards (quite a change from Lincolns and Cadillacs!), and IMA I had hardly any trouble with it, another auto line I recommend. With the price of gas soaring and the car now older, I sold my Camaro for a Grand Am in the interest of economy. What seemed like a good idea in reality, was not. The Head Gasket failed in such a way the only way to fix it was a new Head, damned Quad 4 engine. With a newfound hatred for modern GM vehicles, I sought a Car that was affordable, as I got hurt at work and am on Compensation (still).
My first foray into buying a Car off an Ad on the Internet was a failure, but I still perused. I came across a 92 Town Car for a measly $500. Too good to be true I thought... A former gypsy Cab, retired like a Race Horse, the car was a little dinged up, but when I opened the door (which the first thing I noticed, even the door handles seemed high quality), I was floored. the Interior was IMMACULATE, it was obvious this car was well maintained. I was skeptical because it had 150k on it, I doubt it was the original Engine and transmission too. You would NEVER know the car was around the world 6x plus by driving it or riding in it. This car had a marshmellowy ride, that is the only word I can think of to describe it. Smooth, smooth ride, wether you were going 20 or 80. The Engine purrs like a kitten, even with all that mileage. The Air Suspension was replaced, so I was happy with that. I even talked him down to $400... I even felt guilty like I was getting over on him! I still feel I 'Jessie Jamesed' him, but I think I can live with the guilt.
The car is parked right outside. I love Lincolns. They are simply better made to stand the test of time than Cadillacs I feel. Even the little things you can tell were simply american engineering wonders, Ford has built a vehicle with superior quality. If you are buying the car, not leasing, you want to be sure the car is still driving years later, no? My Lincolns were very dependable and NEVER left me stranded not once, knock on wood. I never had any major problems with 3 older Lincolns over a 10+ year period with just the most basic 'do it yourself' maintenance.
More than I can say with Cadillacs, which the view from being stuck on the side of the road with your Cadillac (like a BIG scmuck), which became a very familiar sight for me indeed.
My second car I owned was an 84 Cadillac Coupe Deville. It had 71k on it, it seemed like a mechanically sound vehicle. This car (which I now know), had one of the WORST engines in history, the dreaded HT4100. Keep dreaming if you had to drive this behemoth up a steep grade (which I realized too late). It needed a Tranny is all so I got it for a good price. So I had a rebuilt Tranny put in. The 3rd day I had it on the road, the front end failed, not sure what part it was, this is some years ago. Now the fender and nose were slightly damaged from the broken axle failing. I replaced the front I thought it was over. Nope.
Throughout my nightmare 3 year ownership of this car, it fell apart, literally. Rear, Starter, Alternator, Timing chain, Air Suspension, Module, Power Seats failed, Fan clutch... When the Transmission began failing I said enough is enough. Several years later I came across an 88 Fleetwood for sale with 61k. I thought it was a good deal and a bargain with that mileage. What I thought was very wrong. After replacing many of the same things I had to replace on my older Cadillac (which I felt to be ironic), the car died mysteriously. Couldn't keep it running for more than 10 seconds. Mechanics were BAFFLED, and so was I. Disgusted with GM and Cadillacs, I vowed to never own another one as long as I lived.
During talks with friends and being jeered at for having the worst luck with cars cause my Cadillacs have left me stranded, my friend who is much older than me was telling me about Lincolns, how they are good cars and built different and much better than Cadillacs. If I was ever to buy one, he said it would be a "...much wiser choice." I took what he said with a grain of salt, and was like, whatever.
Car shopping 6 months later. I found an 85 Lincoln Town Car that needed an Engine and a Transmission. The car was in great condition, and for $100 dollars, I could have a pretty nice car and with the price of a Motor and Tranny, I could have a sweet ride. I had a used Motor put in, and a rebuilt Transmission. I maintained it fairly well, and all that ever broke was an Alternator, no biggy... But I noticed many differences in this Ford product than in my glorified Buicks.
Fist was that the Leather seemed much thicker in the Lincoln than my 84 Cadillac. Signs of wear, but no rips or little tears. It didn't show signs of interior head wear, the ceiling was fine, unlike the cancerous GM Headliners. The door handles seemed much sturdier, inside and out. How do I know this? Both the cheap door buttons and thin levers failed on my Cadillac, one out and one inside. The car seemed to ride much smoother on the highway, even though the suspension was old. Not to mention it was faster and better up a grade than the Caddy with the paltry and pathetic 4100 CRAP. The Lincoln also had those nifty power vent windows, which I liked. After several years of ownership and 40k later, I was able to sell it for 1k and my friend had several years of solid use before he totalled it. I had a SWEET deal on another Lincoln I couldn't turn down...
I replaced the Town Car with a black 90 Continental SS with 68k, which is like a glorified Sable or a Taurus. Car was owned by my mechanic, his personal car. Near mint condition for $2500. Got a great price since he was a friend of mine. This car was LOADED with tons of great stuff, I still feel it could rival any luxury make of it's generation. Power everything, Sunroof, Heated Mirrors, frigid AC. Pretty fast for a V6 with front wheel drive I thought. I liked the digital dash setup. Had several special addons, Tape and CD (great sound system), ragtop all factory. Special badges were added on. I had this one for a few years. Was good in the snow too. Never stuck, not once. I replaced the Suspension pump, the alternator, and that's IT. The ABS went though, and I drove it anyway with a stiff brake pedal. I would still have this Vehicle today no doubt, but my horrendous negligence of the cooling system caused Head failure. It was like mud in the cooling system. Angry with myself and my stupidity for putting to much water in it, I had to junk it. I was heart broken...
I had a Z28 Camaro 5.7 4bbl for several years afterwards (quite a change from Lincolns and Cadillacs!), and IMA I had hardly any trouble with it, another auto line I recommend. With the price of gas soaring and the car now older, I sold my Camaro for a Grand Am in the interest of economy. What seemed like a good idea in reality, was not. The Head Gasket failed in such a way the only way to fix it was a new Head, damned Quad 4 engine. With a newfound hatred for modern GM vehicles, I sought a Car that was affordable, as I got hurt at work and am on Compensation (still).
My first foray into buying a Car off an Ad on the Internet was a failure, but I still perused. I came across a 92 Town Car for a measly $500. Too good to be true I thought... A former gypsy Cab, retired like a Race Horse, the car was a little dinged up, but when I opened the door (which the first thing I noticed, even the door handles seemed high quality), I was floored. the Interior was IMMACULATE, it was obvious this car was well maintained. I was skeptical because it had 150k on it, I doubt it was the original Engine and transmission too. You would NEVER know the car was around the world 6x plus by driving it or riding in it. This car had a marshmellowy ride, that is the only word I can think of to describe it. Smooth, smooth ride, wether you were going 20 or 80. The Engine purrs like a kitten, even with all that mileage. The Air Suspension was replaced, so I was happy with that. I even talked him down to $400... I even felt guilty like I was getting over on him! I still feel I 'Jessie Jamesed' him, but I think I can live with the guilt.
The car is parked right outside. I love Lincolns. They are simply better made to stand the test of time than Cadillacs I feel. Even the little things you can tell were simply american engineering wonders, Ford has built a vehicle with superior quality. If you are buying the car, not leasing, you want to be sure the car is still driving years later, no? My Lincolns were very dependable and NEVER left me stranded not once, knock on wood. I never had any major problems with 3 older Lincolns over a 10+ year period with just the most basic 'do it yourself' maintenance.
More than I can say with Cadillacs, which the view from being stuck on the side of the road with your Cadillac (like a BIG scmuck), which became a very familiar sight for me indeed.
