The Air shocks have gone bad. They were already deteriorating when I bought the car. I am guessing that is why the seller sold it for such a low price. He was anticipating it.
The door ajar sensor for the right door sometimes shows the door is open when it is not.
The door lock on the driver side gets stuck in the winter.
This car is awsome. I had an audi previously and miss the sporty suspension and the stick control as it was a manual, but this car is so luxurious. Plenty of room in the big plush seats. All the details on the interior really make you feel like you are in a top of the line car.
The quickness of the car is also desire quenching. I wanted a sports car, but I settled for this nice and luxurious car as it was always a childhood longing to own this ride.
Everyone who rides in my car is also amazed by it. Those who do not know much about automobiles, assume they are in a high priced automobile.
The air shocks are expensive, but they make this ride. I really believe tat if you ride in this car, you will be addicted to the smoothness of the air socks, and the way they make the passenger feel they are on a cushion the whole ride.
I would definitely have bought another used one like this one. It has such high mileage on it, but the engine is so smooth I see the engine lasting for at least another 3-4 years. Now other factors might really harm the car, for example the harsh Michigan weather has really done a number of the paint job. And the underbody is showing some serious signs of rust. But the engine cranks over like its butter, and the ideal is better than my wifes 2003 Malibu (which I also love, but does not compare to my ride).
I would definitely buy another used luxurious model once this car wears out. Possibly jump into a Cadillac. Or I might even go back to sporty, but I am thoroughly pleased with this ride.
Prolly got it cheap cause it has high miles, bad paint and underbody rust. In addition to needing new air socks.
I have heard that the air shocks on these cars are an achilles heal. They sound like a relatively mundane issue, but end up being so complicated and expensive to change, that people don't want to bother. A friend of mine got a '94 Lincoln in trade for a beat-up old Chevy Blazer that didn't run for the same reason. However, it is an opportunity for somebody with some mechanical know-how to pick up an otherwise nice car cheap. I agree, they are nice cars once you can get past this issue.
To the original reviewer--spray some spray graphite into the door lock machinery and door senors. That often fixes the false "door ajar" reports--it did on mine.
And, true, some of the air suspension parts do have a limited lifetime. It's something to watch out for when buying a used one, as it's definitely not cheap. But in my opinion (I own a '96 Mark VIII), the positives of the car are more than worth dealing with the occasional repair.
It seems to me that almost any older car that has an air suspension system has some sort of problem with them. I have experience with failed rear air shocks on a 1989 Towncar, a 1995 Towncar, a 1998 Buick Park Ave, and a 1995 Buick Riviera. But once you replace them, you know that the money is well spent. :)
(P.S.- take it from me that its going to me kind of hard to go from a sports car to a luxury car, back to a sports car. The ride in a luxury car is so smooth that it makes going back to a stiffer suspension (and smaller cabin) rather difficult.)
I had a 97 lsc and I will never buy one again. first off I got it with 40000 miles and around 55000 the drivers headlight needed to be replaced and of course ford made an upgrade for the car so you have to buy the entire kit which is 850 to 1000 installed. around 60000 the other headlight went out another 1000 bucks and it had transmission problems. then around 63000 the coil pacs went out. so I got tired of dumping money into it and traded it for a new cobalt. but all in all it was a fun car, I cut the mufflers off and had pipes ran out the back and it sounded really good nice rumble nothing to loud. very nice interior and beautiful lines outside. nice car for the money, but check it out before you buy one. I now own a 01 ws6 and its just insane.
I am the original article author. Thanks for the tip on the graphite paint, it worked! Now I don't get that pesky alarm.
The car is still in great shape. I have owned it for 2 and a half years now and the engine is still as strong as it was when I first bought it. Other things I had fixed were:
the heat vent actuator - $500 (a $40 part with 8 hours of labor to put in), Front tie rods - $375, and a tune up - $300.
The shop told me that I would have to fix the oil pan soon because it has rust on it and he is scared that one day it is just going to spring a leak. If that happens, the oil will be drained from the car within a few minutes...
Right I have a silver 97' Mark VIII, and my ex girl has a 2002 Buick LeSabre; when I bought the car she instantly stopped driving hers, she was mad when I wanted to drive my car. She loved the car until she was driving and someone hit her.
Now I'm a pedestrian again and she's still riding, it's almost finished, I could have bought another car but couldn't find a mark VIII, so I kept it. Sometimes I just open the garage just to look at it.
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