1995 Lincoln Mark VIII review from North America

Tree fell on it; had to replace the hood, roof, dash, and trunk lid, and glass. Luckily I had a parts car.

It made a little noise when fired up cold that went away within a few seconds... did this the whole time I owned it, but the engine was still healthy after I sold it.

The biggest problem was the air suspension system. First of all, it's not all cushy like you'd imagine an air suspended Lincoln to be. It's more sporty and felt great in most situations, but would crash and bang on larger bumps. The leveler failed around 100k and 3 different garages couldn't find the problem. I took it to my local Lincoln dealership and they fixed it in a few hours and even washed it for me. I give them a 10 out of 10, and usually I'm very skeptical about dealerships.

Eventually the transmission began to slip after years of hard HARD use.

This was the best car I've ever owned. As a guy in my early twenties, I beat on this car without mercy the whole time I owned it (seriously, it saw the redline almost every day for three years). I drove it from Maine to Utah, and then back again with a UHaul trailer behind it in 100 degree weather and it never let me down. The durability doesn't stop at the drivetrain though. A guy in an Audi backed into me once at a gas station and he shattered his bumper, and the Lincoln's bumper was only scratched.

It looks and drives like a way more expensive car. I'd get comments on it all the time from people who didn't even know what it was.

Performance wise, the 290 horsepower V8 didn't disappoint. It wasn't as high strung as the Northstar Caddy I owned before it, but felt like it pulled harder, even though the Caddy had 10 more horsepower. I surprised a lot of "sporty" cars with it.

Handling felt a little heavy but in a good way (a lot of big American cars steer too light). The rear wheel drive is awesome if you're into that kind kind of thing. It did make it pretty much useless in the snow though.

It is one of the best cars I can think of for a road trip. The seats are the most comfortable I've ever sat in, including the ones in furniture stores. The interior is really cool, how everything wraps around the driver. It's silent as a tomb inside, and easy to handle even when you've hit the 120 mph speed limiter.

To anyone who thinks America doesn't make any good cars, I'd say try one of these. It's fast and reliable, plus you get the manly V8 sound and low slung American looks.