Comments: 1-15, 16-23
This car is a gem. I am very pleased
with my Lincoln.
When I first saw my 1998 Lincoln Continental on the car lot, I was first attracted by the look of the elegant chrome grille. I always judge a car by the looks of a nice front view of a car as that is what we all see coming toward us. If a car has any style you will know it by its first look, usually coming at you.
I was also impressed by the comfort of the leather seats and the quality of the interior. It was very spacious as I was comparing it to a large Expedition I also drive.
This car was so attractive I thought it was a recent model. Maybe a 2002 or newer. I was surprised it was a 1998 model. The price was better than right, I bought it.
I was the second owner, and it was very obvious the first owner loved this car. I know when a car is well taken care of. At 64,000 miles it still had the new car smell.
If anyone loves gadgets, this car is for you. Pick your steering mode, check your direction on the rear-view mirror, it has a built in compass. The memory seats are convenient, set them and the seats automatically return to its position each time.
This car feels like it is floating through the air, it feels effortless to drive. I am impressed by the all over feel of this car. The 1998 Lincoln Continental has a 4.6 liter v-8 engine with plenty of power, acceleration, and rolls effortlessly on the express lanes. I love this car.
Very nice review! I agree with you 100 percent. My '98 Continental just turned 102,000 miles, and it runs like a new one. I've owned it since 76k and have had zero problems with it. Plus, I get 25MPG while driving a reliable, luxurious car that I only paid $8k for. It just doesn't get better than that!
My 1998 Lincoln is perfect except for the fact it overheats in stop and go traffic when the temperature exceeds 95 degrees. The Ford dealer had the car in the shop for a week and could not find the problem. If anyone solved this problem before let me know./Barry.
Solution to Over heating in Stop and Go trafic:
Turn the heater on in full blast. It will cool down. It's uncomfortable, but atleast saves the engine..
Overheating is a tricky problem. Could be an air pocket in your cooling system, or a clogged up radiator (fix by draining / flushing). If your heater works good, chances are it's not that. If your car chronically overheats, the radiator fins may have warped, causing your radiator to lose efficiency in hot weather (change radiator). Worst case is you have a blown head gasket, which could happen if you use synthetic oil. Synthetic oil is for the newest cars only, as it's chemicals tend to eat up internal gaskets on older cars (which they never put on the label) Symptoms of blown gasket included clunking sound, (excessive pressure escaping from radiator) overheating, oil / water mixing and slow cranking when cold.
You get 25 mpg? I love my '98 Continental, but my electronic display tells me I'm only getting 16.7 mpg. My only complaint is that sometimes it won't start right up, taking maybe three or four tries before it turns over. All the other times, it cranks right up with no problems.
As far as the mpg, is it possible that I have a bigger engine?
Anybody ever have that start-up problem?
REPLY TO...
>>>>>You get 25 mpg? I love my '98 Continental, but my electronic display tells me I'm only getting 16.7 mpg. My only complaint is that sometimes it won't start right up, taking maybe three or four tries before it turns over. All the other times, it cranks right up with no problems.
As far as the mpg, is it possible that I have a bigger engine?
Anybody ever have that start-up problem?>>>>>>>>>>
Yes, with 105k miles I average 24-26MPG in the summer, and 22-24MPG in the wintertime according to my display using regular unleaded (not premium). Most of my driving is highway miles, with some city driving on occasion.
There was only one engine offered in the Continental, so if you are only getting 16-17MPG on average, then something is wrong with your car. Depending on the odometer mileage, it could require new oxygen sensors, spark plugs, plug coils, etc. The no-start problem could be vapor lock if the weather is very hot, but it further leads me to believe that a service visit is in order. Take it to your local Lincoln dealer and have them run computer diagnostics on it to see what is going on. The money you save in gasoline might eventually pay for this service trip.
- Mike.
I believe that the "MPG" reading on the dash is an overall average since the last time it was reset. Although you can watch it go way up when coasting down a long hill as soon as you are back 'under power' it drops right back down.
We made a 6000 mile trip to Oregon in our '98 Continental last summer and averaged 24.25 mpg for the whole trip. That included cruising speeds of 75-85 with the a/c blasting and a fair amount of idle time when stopped for wife's shopping excursions at gas stops. Whatever happened to the "gas only" stations?
As for the starting problem - we are experiencing that right now - intermittently. There are days when you have to start the car several times and then drive it with two feet to keep it running. Usually after driving it a little the idle returns and all is well again. If any one knows why, I'd sure like to know, too.
Overall, this is the best car I have EVER owned.
The starting & idle problem could be due to carbon buildup inside of the intake manifold. My Continental had this carbon cleaned out by the dealer around 50,000 miles or so.
I have been very pleased with my Continental's gas mileage. My last car was a slightly older Cadillac and would average just under 20 mpg when doing mostly highway driving, and about 16 mpg when doing city driving. My 98 continental gets up to 27 mpg highway (go above about 65 or 70 mph and the mileage goes down very quickly), and gets about 22 mpg city. I always use premium, and I suggest that anyone else who owns a luxury car do the same. The engine in a Lincoln is designed to run best with premium, unlike other Fords which are usually meant to run on 89 octane.
Its okay to have 16 mpg. Lincolns are supposed to get around 16mpg in the city.
I live in Toronto, Canada and I just bought a second-hand 1998 Lincoln Continental. 90,000 km, 29,000 of which was put on at the original dealership and then another 61,000 by a man in his 70s. Car is in near-mint condition. So far, so good.
I am curious to get a list of all repairs that are considered standard - ie tie rods, shocks, manifold carbon clean out etc... does anyone out there have a list available?
My mileage is pretty good. I also own a 1997 TJ Jeep that has seen better days... guzzles gas like I drink beer!
To the person with the over heating problem
i just got me a 98 lincoln withe 47,000 miles on it, the car
was running like a dream until I got stock on traffic and was very hot outside. the car overheat. well I put in a new
thermostat, heat sensor, and fan relay. there is two relays
for hi speed low speed and ac. they are located on top of the
electric fan, on the radiator bracket. no problem
love my 98 lincoln
lenny:
I have a 98 continental with 78,000 miles. One day I started it and it just started missing at idle. When the RPMs go up a bit it smooths out, but at stop lights it makes the car shake and sometimes going up hills it gets jerky. After driving it like this for about 30 miles the service engine soon light came on. Any ideas on what this could be? I had a K&N filter installed at around 60,000 miles and someone told me that the oil from the K&N filters can get on your mass air flow sensor.. and I hope that's not whats causing it!
Can you buy the diagnostic code checker for this car or is that something only a shop would have?
BTW, @ 93 octane I get about 25-27mpg on highway and 21 in city since getting new tires. Prior to new tires it was much less.
I bought my '98 Continental last December from a Toyota dealer who says he refurbished it thoroughly and fixed all known problems. I love it, and have added about 5k miles to the 104k that it had, all put on by a couple who bought it new. Yesterday, while driving out of town, we stopped for a drink at a McDonalds, and my wife noted that the air quit blowing cold and the temperature gauge had pegged. We quickly found some water, and despite loosening the coolant reservoir cap, when I removed it there was tremendous pressure. I refilled it, proceeded, and within 4 miles the temperature gauge went into red again. This time we stopped, allowed it to cool, and when I restarted it I noticed that neither cooling fan was working. The owner's manual shows the wrong location for the fuse for that circuit. We left the vehicle overnight, and today I drove it home (about 20 miles) by coasting a lot with the engine off. Now my Chilton's manual shows the wrong views and information about my 4.6 litre engine, and I can't even find the thermostat housing. I suspect a combination of a bad fan relay and a bad thermostat. There are no leaks. My one complaint about the car is the virtual impossibility of working on it, between the myriad frills and the jamming of the engine into the compartment. Now I must find a local mechanic who'll work on it -- I wouldn't dream of taking it to a dealer.
I have a 95 continental that gets 35 mpg on the highway, can show video to prove it too, I use good plugs, wires, and my ultimate secret is royal purple oil and zmax.