14th Jan 2013, 23:45
"Bad gas mileage; about 8 around town and 12-13 on the highway."
As you know, vacuum leaks will affect the running performance. Has a full tune-up been performed since you've owned the car? Do you drive fast?
15th Jan 2013, 12:43
Original owner here. I actually am quite gentle on the gas pedal. And no, I haven't had a tune up performed. With the vacuum leak fixed, I look forward to a possible increase in fuel economy.
To the fellow who said that the 5.0 was gutless, I have to say that it sort of is. My uncle's friend has a 1980 Lincoln Continental sedan with the rare 351 cid Windsor option, and I have to say that it's a world of difference. While the power differences aren't the biggest ever, the 351 definitely felt smoother across the torque bands. However, the 302 is reliable and parts are plentiful.
If anything, the 302 wants to move the car quickly, but the stupid 4-speed AOD sort of limits it too. These Ford AODs are built crappily and are slow to shift; however, they are smooth shifters.
15th Jan 2013, 16:04
My family has owned a number of Lincoln Town Cars, starting with a new 1984. They have all been awesome cars, but the '84 was my favorite. Although slower than our current 4-cylinder Fusion, it was unmatched in ride and sheer luxury. It was also very unique in styling. I didn't really care for the newer body styles that much.
15th Jan 2013, 16:44
"The interior became a lot more plasticky in '85"
The Town Car used the same basic interior from 1980-1989.
16th Jan 2013, 15:35
Original owner here. You are correct. However, if you look closely, you can see that they made a couple of minor adjustments to the interior designs throughout the decade.
In 1985, the fake wood trim on the doors and steering wheel was removed. The steering wheel became very cheap looking as a result, while the doors gained a new velour padding matching the interior color. The fake wood texture on the dash also changed.
For 1988, the dash texture was changed back to the 1980-1984 design, and the steering wheel gained some fake wood styling back, but it still looked a little half-baked to me. The numbering on the gauges also changed to a less formal font if you look closely.
25th May 2013, 23:35
I bought mine last year after it had been sitting for 3 years. I spent a little $, went through everything, changing gaskets, fluids, etc. It had the original ignition wires and ran rather well. That has all been changed now along with all hoses, etc.
I am happy to state that I am getting, driving around locally in Salt Lake City, an average of 14-15 MPG. So those of you that are experiencing less MPG, do some changes to whatever you can afford. It should run better and give you better gas mileage. I had a 2006 Chrysler Mini Van before this, sold it, and it only got 14 MPG. So all in all... no payments now, same mileage and I'm happy. Very comfortable and smooth car. It has 42,000 original miles, and looks brand new inside and out.
14th Jan 2013, 21:14
The 5.0 V8s in these were a bit slow in general, thanks to emissions regulations and what not.
These do ride well, but mix the MPG with the gutless engine and you're really just better off with an SUV.