Newbie concerns

[Omegalock]

Greetings all. To give my back story I am currently looking for a new car. My Crown Vic is ready for retirement and after examining my finances I quickly realized my dream of the GTO or Mustang will have to wait a bit longer. But I didn't want to sacrifice speed or style so I started cross shopping Pontiac GTPs and Lincoln LS...both nice cars but just a bit more than I wanted to pay. I came over here looking for info on LSs but started reading up on the Mark VIII. Needless to say I am impressed and even more impressed by the durability of the DOHC 4.6 in these things and the bargin prices I am seeing for a 280 horse luxury car compared to the Grand PRix and LS. I even quickly found a nice low mile 98 2nd Gen Mark VIII just up the road from me I was thinking about going to go look at for 8k.

However after doing some searches my smile slowly turned to a smirk to a worried grin to a look of disbelief and finally a pained worry. Looking at these cars it looks like the engine is going to be rock solid but it might be powering a car that is just going to slowly suck me dry for cash and make me wish I had just gotten an LS. Are the problems with these cars(specifically 2nd gens) really that common and pronounced? I really don't want to get seduced into a money pit. If that was the case I'd just get a Foxbody Mustang and be done with it.

BTW this is the car I am looking at...
clicky

Don't you fellow Texans go swooping in and buying it out from under me now.


I have also spotted this 1st Gen...
Clicky too!

anybody have an opinions on which might be the better deal?
Newer for 8k(Think I can squirrel it out of them for like 7)
Or this older one with more miles?

 

[pepperman]

:W to :V Any car can wind up being a money pit, I myself am looking foward to owning a Mark VIII someday!!!!

 

[Brozly]

It's a used car, it kinda depends what you want to do with it...
You can probably drive it into the ground for 5-10 years with little or no further investment, or if you want to Modify it or what ever, you can sink your life savings into it

 

[Omegalock]

Well while it is true any car can become a money pit I don't think it's anything much to ask that one doesn't have to spend the cost of the car plus the cost of the car twice over just to keep it running over the course of a few years.

My primary objective for the car is a stop gap. Something nice and with decent power as a stop gap until I can afford what I really really want. I could always go and buy some used Civic and not worry about the thing but then again what is the fun in all that? It primarily will be just my daily commuter and possibly after a few months some minor mods likely will be done(exhaust,gears, CAI, pullies,MAYBE a new upper and lower but nothing drastic) just to make the car a little more lively.

I would just like to hear some honest true life stories about what folks have experienced or any suggestions what to look for and what to and what NOT to buy.

 

[JC1994]

I have owned my 1994 Mark VIII for 6 years and I have had very little problems. I don't know a lot about the gen 2's but I have heard things about them. I think it depends if you get a good one your ok, but if you get a nickel and dimer well... but once you fix it it should be a good car.

 

[JC1994]

Well while it is true any car can become a money pit I don't think it's anything much to ask that one doesn't have to spend the cost of the car plus the cost of the car twice over just to keep it running over the course of a few years.

My primary objective for the car is a stop gap. Something nice and with decent power as a stop gap until I can afford what I really really want. I could always go and buy some used Civic and not worry about the thing but then again what is the fun in all that? It primarily will be just my daily commuter and possibly after a few months some minor mods likely will be done(exhaust,gears, CAI, pullies,MAYBE a new upper and lower but nothing drastic) just to make the car a little more lively.

I would just like to hear some honest true life stories about what folks have experienced or any suggestions what to look for and what to and what NOT to buy.

I don't know about Hondas, my mom's 91 accord was constantly in the shop talk about a nickel and dimer... It only had 50,000 miles on it!!! she traded it
in for another car.

 

[Lincolns Own]

that 95 looks nice and its an LSC. i have a '94 and just like JC, i've had very little problems. normal things like the bag suspension might go out but its normal wear and tear.

 

[Brozly]

I bought mine from my son, he'd had it about 4 years, I don't think he spent a dime on repairs, I put about a grand into the front end as soon as I got it...
Some of the parts Will be quite a bit higher, mainly because there's a small market for them, but most are just standard Ford parts...