1998 Lincoln Continental review from North America

Amazingly enough I have had lots of problems with my Lincoln so far. Right away the car's battery was toast and had to be replaced. The alternator belt is noisy and needs to be replaced. A speed sensor in the back of the car went out causing the ABS and traction control to fail. A coil on one of the engine's cylinders went bad within 2 months causing the car to shake slightly at idle. The transmission also needs an over-haul after just two months. The sensor in the driver's door is bad causing an annoying chime and warning display (that is impossible to clear while driving) every time it rains or it is especially humid. Needed new ball joint and tire rod.

I fell in love with the continental after test driving three '98's and a '97. I read hundreds of reviews on the car and almost everyone loves it. I bought the car from a southern state to avoid rust and salt damage that is common in Minnesota where I live. I love the way this car looks and drives, but it is going to cost me $4000 to get it back into good running condition. I'm pretty pissed about this. I babied this car compared to my others and it has not been good to me. I've had the car only a few months and it has already had two major problems (engine, transmission). Unfortunately I suspect that the car's problems are my own fault because I lived on a dirt road and did quite a bit of driving on dirt roads in the first couple months I had the car (since then I've moved to a city). The bad roads probably caused the transmission problem and the problem with the tire rod and ball joint. So, if you live on a dirt road, do NOT buy a continental. I suggest you get yourself a truck or an SUV, preferably not one of those wimpy imports.