thinking of buying an Eldorado - need advice

[JayBay]

I currently own a 94 Lincoln Mark VIII, and am contemplating my next car. Obviously, I like 2 door luxury sedans - and am thinking of a 92+ Eldorado. As a Mark VIII owner for the past year, I've learned a lot of the little annoyances one deals with when owning a used one. Can anyone provide a brief summary of the the little annoyances, expected repairs, things to look for, etc., when considering a used Eldorado? Thanks.

 

[MediumD]

Not too many little annoyances... just big ones if they happen Naturally headgaskets are the worst failure point. Once in awhile the half case seal will leak a little oil, this you can either deal with or pay around $3k to have fixed (engine would need to come out at that point.)

 

[JayBay]

well...a blown head gasket is indeed a big issue. I guess what I'm really asking is what things to look for when checking out a potential purchase. Like with a Mark VIII, I know that after 100k miles or 10+ years, the air suspension is suspect, upper and lower control arms will likely need to be replaced, tie rod ends are suspect, chrome likes to peel on the factory wheels (bargaining chip), and stuff like that.

 

[MediumD]

There's really not that much on these cars. Check for normal stuff like rust, strange noises... Then with the key on hold down OFF and WARMER on the climate control and watch for any codes that pop up on the driver info center.

 

[MAC1]

You should definitely check for codes by depressing the 'OFF' and 'WARMER' buttons on the Climate Control Panel and hold for about 4 seconds. Let diagnostic cycle through and see if there are any codes and find out what they mean. You may find there is a major problem you want to avoid.

 

[andrew99eldorado]

i bought my 99 eldorado with 30,000 miles on it. It currently has almost 70,000. So far i have replaced the power antenna, both front outer tie rod ends, and both rear knuckles (spindles). The reason for the rear spindles is the busings wore out and was creating a loud metal on metal sound. This can be pricy with new parts because they do not make replacement bushings and you have to buy the whole knuckle. (around 400 a piece at the dealer). I found mine at a junkyard for $60 and installed myself so no labor. That is the only problems i have run across so far and have been very happy with this car.

 

[andrew99eldorado]

another thing i thought of is shocks and struts can be pricy to replace but a company called Arnott makes cheaper replacements.

 

[jonnieQ]

electircal is a nite mare on them too,run the scan like told above, it tells you what the car is doing.