1984 Lincoln Town Car Base 5.0 TBI from North America

Summary:

This is and always was a great car!

Faults:

In twenty-five years, the only thing that has went wrong is that the right front wheel bearing seized up. That was very likely my fault for lack of grease.

The only real complaint is that the right front turn signal light lens has fallen off three times. Most all 1984 Town Cars have that problem.

General Comments:

I love this car! It rides and drives like a dream. I have the velour seats and they fit your body.

I have the 302 C.I. throttle body and I get about 28 MPG. That is excellent for the size of the car. I towed a 20 foot boat for two thousand miles and had no problems except for long grades. It is under powered for that.

I am a retired mechanic, and at two hundred thousand miles I completely rebuilt the engine. Everything is brand new from the radiator cap to the tail pipe. It was still running great, but I decided to rebuild it anyway because I plan on keeping it. I bought a new truck in 2007 and parked the Lincoln. Just last week after seven years just sitting in the Nevada sun, it started right up and runs great.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st August, 2014

3rd Sep 2014, 10:28

The old Lincolns were always great cars that rode very nice. I believe the 80's Town Cars were the last the classic Lincoln look, but they gave you some modern amenities that make them practical to drive everyday, even now. They were also reliable; Ford did make the better V8 engine in the 80's, starting with the 5.0 engine.

Their downfall however was the AOD trans. Other than than a few faults, these Town Cars were and still are very comfortable and luxurious to be in, especially if the car is in mint condition. Pulling up to a fancy hotel in an all blacked out 80's Town Car Cartier is classy, and will definitely garner more attention from others than say a newish Mercedes or Beemer, which are played out, and are as common as a loaf of bread.

3rd Sep 2014, 22:52

An all blacked-out 80's Town Car will garner attention, alright, just not the kind you want.

4th Sep 2014, 02:20

Letting a car sit for years is never a good idea. I realize life gets in the way though.

4th Sep 2014, 16:30

I have cars that do 250 to 500 miles average now a year. Literally like new. But I bring them out every 2 weeks, warm them up and drive around the neighborhood. The other half of the mileage is a few local shows. Keep them on battery maintainers and keep fresh fluids in them. In the interim they appreciate as they are rare. This model I would drive as much as possible and not fret about it.

1984 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series 302 cid 5.0 L V8 from North America

Summary:

The best of mid-1980s luxury

Faults:

Driver's side parklamp fell off; very difficult part to get, and extremely difficult to replace by yourself.

Transmission slips in the cold at low speeds, but works flawlessly in warmer weather or when the engine warms up.

Engine will idle heavily in the colder weather.

Vacuum leak made the car sound like a piece of junk. Taken care of.

Blew a brake line at a stoplight; fixed.

Makes a funny thrusting noise when at a stop sometimes.

Leaks oil from the gasket, will fix soon.

I think the fuel injection system is good, but it has some issues with starting and running occasionally.

Has trouble getting up steeper hills, especially on the highway, probably due to the underpowered 302 V8, but could be a result of the vacuum leak.

Half-vinyl top isn't in the best shape, but it's presentable.

Bad gas mileage; about 8 around town and 12-13 on the highway.

General Comments:

Despite all the problems that I've had with the car, I still think it's an incredible driving experience that can't be matched by most modern vehicles.

The ride is great; however, this is best experienced from the passenger's or back seat.

The car is no performer; however, it will move when you need it to, so that's fine with me.

The 302 V8 is very quiet when warmed up (as the vacuum leak no longer makes the car sound like crap).

While no performer, the car is faster and handles better than most would initially think.

I get horrible gas mileage usually; however, on longer trips the fuel economy gets better.

The most comfortable and roomiest car I've ever been in. The car also looks incredible, especially in dark blue.

This car is all original stock, no big rims, no mods of any kind, just the way I like it.

For the amount of mileage on it, the car runs like it's much newer (despite the flaws mentioned). I think it will do many hundreds of thousands of miles without issues.

I seriously think that the 1980 Continental and the 1981-1984 Town Car are the best years for the 1980s models, as in 1985 the Town Car interior got a lot more plasticky, especially on the steering wheel. However, I do think that the future advances on the Town Car (a better multi-port injection system introduced in 1986) help compensate. I also like the three bar taillights far better than the rear lights seen in the later models.

My friends all agree that this is the finest riding and most comfortable luxury car they've ever been in. Not a bad deal for $750 at all. However, it does have some issues that I am currently working on fixing.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th January, 2013

14th Jan 2013, 13:53

Owner here, just got the exhaust leak, brakes, hoses, and water pump fixed. Total cost was $897 for everything.

14th Jan 2013, 14:15

These are incredible cars. Unmatched in interior comfort and luxury, even compared with modern $50k luxury sedans.

As for the small engine issues, I would recommend filling up the tank and adding a $5 bottle of fuel injection/carb cleaner found at gas stations. Great budget fix.

As well, what works really well is running a tank of premium gasoline, especially Shell nitrogen enriched. Cleans out your fuel system and helps a lot, especially if the car has been sitting for a while, or has been run on regular gasoline for a long time.

Enjoy your beautiful car, they don't make them like this anymore, and probably never will again.