Fleet
10-07-2006, 11:20 PM
Yes, another one. But it will replace one of my Cadillacs (the '70 Sedan de Ville).
About 3 months ago, I decided to buy a car which gets better fuel mileage than my Caddys. But I didn't want an econobox. I wanted something large, comfortable, smooth-riding and reliable. For me, the obvious choice was the Lincoln Town Car. I chose to look for one from the '90s. Then narrowed it down to '94 or '95.
A little over a week ago, Auto Trader had one in my area. The ad read: '95 Town Car, Signature Series, grey, 109,000 miles, excellent condition, original owner, service records, leather seats, runs great, $4,495. I drove over to see it. Very nice. Was as described. I took it for a test drive. Very quiet. Smooth ride, not quite as smooth as my '76 limo, but the engine and transmission are just about as silky-smooth. I like the controls on the steering wheel for cruise control, A/C fan speed and radio volume. Very handy. I also like the leather seats- the leather is not thin, but thick like on my '69 Fleetwood Brougham.
I made an offer of $4,000 (Kelly Blue Book list this car at $3,950 in "good" condition.) The owner accepted and I bought it and drove it home today. I also had a chance to take a couple of photos (below). What I'll do is drive the '69 Fleetwood every 10-14 days and the '76 limo maybe once a week. That way, a full tank will last at least a month on both cars and I can keep the miles down, too.
While driving the TC, the current mpg displayed on the dash was 17.8 mpg. About what other owners get in city driving (the range is 17-25 mpg).
Reading through some Lincoln Town Car message boards, I am impressed with the high mileage these cars rack up without an engine rebuild. I guess that's why the the Ford Crown Victorias are used as police cars (same engine as in the Town Car).
Here are some mileage figures posted on the message boards:
'92 Town Car---- 267,000 (The owner calls it a member of the 200k club.)
'92-------------- 157,000
'94-------------- 143,000
'95-------------- 151,000
'94-------------- dead @ 264,000 (transmission)
These are owned by the same person:
'99-------------- 250,000
'95-------------- 352,254
'94-------------- 450,000
'90-------------- 106,000
'90-------------- 402,843
'89-------------- 470,738
A few more:
'95-------------- 232,000 with original engine and transmission
'95 Cartier (top-of-the-line model)-- 495,000
'94-------------- 227,000
'93-------------- 177,000
About 3 months ago, I decided to buy a car which gets better fuel mileage than my Caddys. But I didn't want an econobox. I wanted something large, comfortable, smooth-riding and reliable. For me, the obvious choice was the Lincoln Town Car. I chose to look for one from the '90s. Then narrowed it down to '94 or '95.
A little over a week ago, Auto Trader had one in my area. The ad read: '95 Town Car, Signature Series, grey, 109,000 miles, excellent condition, original owner, service records, leather seats, runs great, $4,495. I drove over to see it. Very nice. Was as described. I took it for a test drive. Very quiet. Smooth ride, not quite as smooth as my '76 limo, but the engine and transmission are just about as silky-smooth. I like the controls on the steering wheel for cruise control, A/C fan speed and radio volume. Very handy. I also like the leather seats- the leather is not thin, but thick like on my '69 Fleetwood Brougham.
I made an offer of $4,000 (Kelly Blue Book list this car at $3,950 in "good" condition.) The owner accepted and I bought it and drove it home today. I also had a chance to take a couple of photos (below). What I'll do is drive the '69 Fleetwood every 10-14 days and the '76 limo maybe once a week. That way, a full tank will last at least a month on both cars and I can keep the miles down, too.
While driving the TC, the current mpg displayed on the dash was 17.8 mpg. About what other owners get in city driving (the range is 17-25 mpg).
Reading through some Lincoln Town Car message boards, I am impressed with the high mileage these cars rack up without an engine rebuild. I guess that's why the the Ford Crown Victorias are used as police cars (same engine as in the Town Car).
Here are some mileage figures posted on the message boards:
'92 Town Car---- 267,000 (The owner calls it a member of the 200k club.)
'92-------------- 157,000
'94-------------- 143,000
'95-------------- 151,000
'94-------------- dead @ 264,000 (transmission)
These are owned by the same person:
'99-------------- 250,000
'95-------------- 352,254
'94-------------- 450,000
'90-------------- 106,000
'90-------------- 402,843
'89-------------- 470,738
A few more:
'95-------------- 232,000 with original engine and transmission
'95 Cartier (top-of-the-line model)-- 495,000
'94-------------- 227,000
'93-------------- 177,000