1993 Lincoln Continental Reviews

Rear suspension (active air bag) was continually being deactivated, making the back of the car sag. $1000-$1500 per incident to fix.

Electric trunk lid latch motor failed 3x - $500 per incident to fix.

O2 sensor failed at 55000 miles. $600 repair cost at Ford dealer.

Water pump went out at 68000 miles - I repaired this myself for ~$100 in parts, plus 2 hours of time.

VERY comfortable to drive, handled well for a largish sedan. Did not wallow in turns when driven hard. Variable-assist steering made lane changes in slow/stopped traffic effortless. Good acceleration and braking, not in sport-sedan territory, but still decent for a 'luxury' sedan. Easy to park, and had a very classy look. Trunk had lots of space.

Mileage was not that great - ~18-22 mpg (car was driven mostly in 'rush hour' traffic).

Leather seats were slick, and hot in summer. Cloth seats would be better.

"Memory" settings for seats, steering wheel, and mirrors a big plus. I set one setting all the way back and up for ease of ingress/egress, and another setting for optimal driving position.

Factory stereo sounded underpowered and weak. I replaced with a Kenwood AM/FM/CD/MP3 head end and 6 Polk Audio speakers, which really helped.

An excellent carpool car, seated 5 adults plus "office" luggage comfortably.

What hasn't gone wrong!!!

The front shock absorber & sensor failed at about 180,000 km. Replaced ($1,200.00) with new as no used available through dealer. 3 weeks later both rear shocks failed - replaced entire system with standard shock absorber system from a sable wagon (works great) ($1,000.00).

Since I've owned the car the front end failed - worn out at 200,000 km - completely replaced ($1,500.00). Oil pan rotted out - 205,000 km $800.00 replacement. Breaks failed (master cylinder) $400.00 - also replaced all of the lines, pads, rotors. Complete exhaust system front to back. On going problems - digital dash dims or blanks out momentarily - gas gauge doesn't work - windows are very slow or non working if cold. On the plus side the car starts instantly, but gas mileage is poor. Would recommend if you are thinking of purchasing one - don't unless you and your mechanic are on a first name basis.

This car is very comfortable to ride in - is responsive in both city and highway driving and is actually a bit of fun to drive - excellent quality in the interior - my leather interior has worn very well.

Air conditioning compressor failed twice.

Air Ride Suspension compressor had to be replaced.

Two leaks in the power steering system.

Ignition had to be replaced.

Constant alignment problems.

I am a large person, so a large vehicle is required for me to be comfortable. My Continental was more than spacious enough to accommodate myself and whatever I wanted to bring along.

Now - granted, most teenagers don't like driving such an "old person's car," with such a "small engine," but frankly this car handled quite well and drove smoothly. Even beating quite a few sport modified Asian cars from the light (granted top speed was not even attempted).

One problem with having Ford's early 90's 3.8L V-6 is how badly it sucks up gas. This car (on it's digital display) got 14.5 mpg usually. Now when I'm the one running most of the errands in my car, this leads to an enormous gas bill... something no teenager looks forward to.

One thing this car got me on was reliability. Things were constantly going wrong, most of which I described above.

Has a constant alignment problem. We have had it fixed twice only for it to misalign each time.

The Air Ride Suspension is quite loud.

The rear driver's side door must be unlocked with the front seat power locks.

The dashboard sometimes dims requiring me to hit it.

The three digital control buttons on the left no longer work.

Overall, despite some badly needed engine maintenance, I am pleased to have this car. The interior is immaculate and comfortable. The exterior is almost without blemish and definitely turns heads when people see me driving it.