24th Apr 2011, 11:42
I bought a 1999 Lincoln Town Car from a relative. I love the car except for the following complaints. The front seats do not go back far enough, I am over 6',2" and leg room is tight.
Also, the head rests do not go high enough, they are at the nape of my neck when fully raised. My car has a moon/sun roof and this cuts into the head room. My car has 92,000 km (55,000 miles) and the ball joints were replaced prior to my ownership. Otherwise it`s a great car, comfortable and great handling, nice stereo and HUGE trunk.
19th May 2011, 10:16
I'm the original poster of this thread.
Well, I intended to keep the car for 3-5 years, but here I am about 15 months into ownership to report that we just sold the car.
Overall, the car was reliable and never left me stranded anywhere. But I had to replace the intake manifold, a coil-pack, and service the A/C system in the short time I owned it. In comparison, I've owned an Acura, a Toyota, a Honda and a Mitsubishi and I've never even had to think about that stuff with those cars (most of which I drove well over 100,000 miles). Most I ever had to do to those cars was change brake pads, alternators, timing belts, batteries, and some CV boots.
Gas mileage became an issue. I didn't drive it too much, but at $4.09/gallon it just seemed silly to be burning so much fuel to transport one or two people around.
Main issue for us though was -- the car just wasn't very pleasant to be in or drive. The interior materials are cheap and the design is uninspired. Ergonomics was clearly not a priority -- even at 6'6" I had to lean forward to reach the stereo and climate controls, the cup holders blocked the climate controls, and the headroom was poor for such a big car. The seats offer little support and that, combined with the terrible handling, left me tired after 30 minutes of driving. Other cars cradle you in and offer crisp, effortless steering -- this car, I had to brace myself around turns to not slide around the seat, and really work the steering wheel for control in corners. I just found myself every day missing what my other cars were, so it was time to move on.
I don't think they're bad cars, but just seems like technology and tastes have moved on, but the Town Car is stuck in another era. I hear they're ending production this summer, and I think that's well overdue. It was a fun experiment, but I'm going European or Japanese next time.
19th May 2011, 14:47
That's interesting. The highest rated car in reliability on Earth is now Lincoln (as of March 2011). It now outranks Lexus. Why settle for less than the best, because of a bad experience with an over-the-hill used car that had been abused?
30th Sep 2010, 13:56
I'm the owner of the car, and here's an update: After 6 months of driving, it's clear there's a leak in the cooling system. My mechanic thinks it's the manifold gasket, but I think it's the notorious manifold leak that the 4.6L is famous for, so I'm having him replace the manifold.
Note: If this ever happens to you, purchase the Dorman aftermarket manifold, not the Ford version. It's supposed to be at least as good if not better, and since I'm paying about $215 with tax for the part vs. the $650 that Ford wants for it, it's a savings of over $400, which pays for the installation labor!