1985 Lincoln Continental from North America - Comments

I replaced the power steering fluid pump at 185,000 miles. There was a minor problem with the reading lights in the back seat remaining on, but the problem seemed to solve itself.

This car has been amazingly reliable. It is pushing 200,000 miles and it still going strong.

Even with the original engine and having so many miles the car uses almost no oil, and other than regular maintenance has had no real problems. The interior (cloth) and paint have held up really well despite constant use and having never been garaged.

I am the second owner, and this is my second continental. I am a teenager and received a lot of grief when buying this car, but in the 2 years I have had it 3 of my closest friends have bought Lincoln's because they loved my car so much.

This car has a perfect amount of power. I can outrun sports cars, and quite frequently do. Anyone who brags how this "granny car" cannot hold its own will be in for a rude awakening.

My Continental has grown on me so much and I have become very attached to it. Even after buying a newer car with fewer miles for college, I cannot bring myself to part with my Lincoln. I would recommend this car to anyone looking to love his or her car.

I drive a 1985 Town Car and as hard to believe the part about the big 2-ton "Church cars" being quick on there feet in the above review, but its true. However there not so hot in the curves with a lot of body roll so watch out specially if you in Mountains like myself!

I don't agree with the above comment. I own a 1984 Lincoln Continental (not Mark VII) and it is certainly not a car that will many drag races. The only cars you might blow the doors off of are diesel powered cars. I would describe the power in these cars are merely adequate, especially the older ones with CFI fuel injection.

If you have driven a fast car, you will realize that older Lincolns are slow. All of the Lincolns from the eighties have no power. 150 horsepower in a 4,000 pound plus car is nothing. THe only cars you will smoke are late seventies and eighties sportscars with six cylinder engines. Sorry it's the truth.

I also agree that compared to today's powerful cars those Lincolns of the 80's were, or are, extremely underpowered. However, for their day, they were fast compared to the competition.I'll never forget my elderly aunt next to a Fleetwood Brougham at a red light. As soon as the light turned green, my aunt punched it,much to my bewilderment. Imagine a 60 year old lady flooring anything, much less a Lincoln. Needless to say the Caddy old lady must have had a hot foot as well, because she stepped on the gas too. However, the Lincoln's smaller weight and more "powerful" engine allowed the Continental to accelerate very quickly to speeds I thought Lincolns from the 80's could not reach. The Fleetwood lady caught up to us eventually, at the next red light that is!

Horsepower isn't what matters in gunning away from a light; it's torque. When buying 20 year-old "boats" like these, there will be considerable variation in how "tired" the motor (compression), carb (varnish) and transmission are. While not exactly tire-chirpers, when floored without a care for the wallet, one with the mechanics in good condition will haul ass in a hurry. When the ricer takes the brief pause to manual-shift, the lead-sled will gain ten feet on it (not to mention the ricer has squat for traction on the launch because it's so light).

These Lincolns make perfect sleeper cars. They were built on a stretched Mercury Cougar platform, meaning all the high performance Mustang and Thunderbird parts can be swapped over (OEM or aftermarket).

The mushy suspension comes from using soft oversized bushings in the control arms and soft springs (air bags or coil springs). Upgrade to Thunderbird Turbo Coupe steering, suspension and sway bars.

These flat tappet cam engines are cheaper to upgrade than HO roller engines, so cam kits and headers are a good first step. The MAF mass airflow conversion kits or junkyard parts swap are a good idea if you're going for a lot of power and you don't want computer problems. The Ford Explorer 5.0 L V8 engines use the newer better version of the GT40 heads, so if you need to replace a worn out engine, look for the Explorer version and you can find one, often for less money than the older Mustang GT engines go for.