Hi everyone,
I have always admired the Continental and in fact came close to buying a new one back around '99 but they were a bit too pricey for me. Recently however, I have found a used one that seems to be in very good shape inside and out (silver ext, gray int). There are a few concerns/questions that I have though as I am not at all familiar with the specifics of this model.
1. The car drives great and drove for 30 or so miles without incident. I then stopped at a friend's house and let it idle (a hot day) for about 15 minutes and when I drove off I got the "check steering assist" message and the steering was difficult. It disappeared on the next key cycle and did not reappear in the next 50 or so miles. I have read here that there may be several causes for this. Should this scare me off from buying the car? Can a mechanic definitively diagnose the cause?
2. The turn signal blinks somewhat erratically, four or five times normal speed and then a few times faster and then back to normal speed and then it speeds up for a few blinks, etc. It doesn't bother me that much unless it might indicate a problem somewhere.
3. The sunroof opens and closes but as it gets to the end of the close cycle it slows down quite a bit. Could that be a matter of just greasing something?
4. In the steering modes I can feel no difference at all between the easy, normal and hard selections. I drove a Town Car that had the selectable steering and I could easily feel a difference there. Any ideas here? Related to the "check steering assist" message?
5. What is that rectangle in the headliner in the center above the rear seats? It looks like a DVD player or something is supposed to pop down there but there appears to be nothing up there. The sales guy didn't know what it was and pushed up on it and one side kind of pushed up and it looks like it just is a panel that fills a rectangular hole.
The car has 113,xxx miles and I can get it for $3800 plus tax, etc. Your input is sincerely appreciated. Thanks. Terry.
I have always admired the Continental and in fact came close to buying a new one back around '99 but they were a bit too pricey for me. Recently however, I have found a used one that seems to be in very good shape inside and out (silver ext, gray int). There are a few concerns/questions that I have though as I am not at all familiar with the specifics of this model.
1. The car drives great and drove for 30 or so miles without incident. I then stopped at a friend's house and let it idle (a hot day) for about 15 minutes and when I drove off I got the "check steering assist" message and the steering was difficult. It disappeared on the next key cycle and did not reappear in the next 50 or so miles. I have read here that there may be several causes for this. Should this scare me off from buying the car? Can a mechanic definitively diagnose the cause?
2. The turn signal blinks somewhat erratically, four or five times normal speed and then a few times faster and then back to normal speed and then it speeds up for a few blinks, etc. It doesn't bother me that much unless it might indicate a problem somewhere.
3. The sunroof opens and closes but as it gets to the end of the close cycle it slows down quite a bit. Could that be a matter of just greasing something?
4. In the steering modes I can feel no difference at all between the easy, normal and hard selections. I drove a Town Car that had the selectable steering and I could easily feel a difference there. Any ideas here? Related to the "check steering assist" message?
5. What is that rectangle in the headliner in the center above the rear seats? It looks like a DVD player or something is supposed to pop down there but there appears to be nothing up there. The sales guy didn't know what it was and pushed up on it and one side kind of pushed up and it looks like it just is a panel that fills a rectangular hole.
The car has 113,xxx miles and I can get it for $3800 plus tax, etc. Your input is sincerely appreciated. Thanks. Terry.
