At $59,900, Is This 898-Mile 1998 Lincoln MK VIII LSC Time Capsule Worth Collecting?

While most people ascribe to the concept of ‘use it or lose it,’ today’s Nice Price or No Dice Lincoln is proof that lack of use can be a winner as well. Let’s see if its price proves just as victorious.

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Do you know why the hipster burned his mouth on a slice of pizza? Because he tried it before it was cool. As cheap a shot as that joke may be, there is a good bit of truth to the idea of recognizing a value or a fad before it is accepted by the general public. The 1991 BMW 850i we looked at yesterday is a car that happens to be on the cusp of becoming a classic. That means that well-maintained examples should be snapped up before everybody gets on the Bimmer bandwagon. At $19,500, there wasn’t enough snapping to be had on yesterday’s car, however, a fact made clear in the 58 percent No Dice loss it suffered.

Maybe part of yesterday’s Bimmer’s fate was owed to the fact that big coupes just aren’t all that popular these days. One way to test that theory is to look at yet another one. When it comes to mileage, though, today’s 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC is on another level.

According to the ad, this Lincoln has only done 898 original miles, a fact so noteworthy that it’s repeated several times throughout the copy, with the seller claiming it to be the “Lowest mileage Factory California Smogged Mark in existence.” That seems a very specific denotation, but the seller explains that only 32 of the Collector’s Edition cars were built to meet California’s emissions standards. All the rest were Federal cars.

The car apparently came from a collection and according to its plaque is Collector’s Edition number 0424. That indicates that this one was built about one-third of the way through the 1,386 so anointed. The trim package celebrated the end of Mark VIII production in 1998 and was denoted by special gold leaf badging on the doors along with real walnut inserts on the steering wheel and shift knob. Other identifiers include special floor mats and the sequential numbering plaque. Color options for the model were limited to Cordovan Red or, for an additional cost, this car’s White Pearlescent Tri-Coat Metallic.

Under the hood is Ford’s DOHC 4.6-liter Modular V8, which, as you can imagine, is barely even broken in. That mill gives the Mark VIII 280 horsepower and that is routed through a 4R70W four-speed automatic transmission and then on to the limited slip rear end. Chrome-plated factory alloys with what look to be fairly fresh Michelin tires underpin the coupe. It’s hard to imagine that the mechanicals would need anything other than a good going over and perhaps some replacement rubber if age has taken a toll.

Aesthetically… well, it looks brand new. Actually, the seller says it looks “bran new” twice indicating that the car may be high in fiber. An additional fun typo in the ad is the claim that it came from a “collector’s car fault” rather than a vault. Who knows, maybe the collector originally bought it by accident.

For a new owner to take on this rare and uber-low-mileage Lincoln there’s the small matter of the $59,900 asking price. That has recently been lowered from $65K and is a far cry from the $105K that was asked for the car in a previous attempt at a sale back in 2022.

The seller recommends that the car should go to a “private collector or be in a Lincoln Dealership showroom.” I can see the attraction for a Lincoln lover to add to their private collection, but I think the car would stick out like a sore thumb in a Lincoln dealership filled with crossovers and SUVs. To each their own, I guess.

There should be no guessing when it comes to this car’s worth, however, and it’s now time for you all to weigh in on what you think rightfully should be. Is this woefully under-enjoyed Mark VIII worth that $59,900 asking? Or, is that price as crazy high as the car’s miles are crazy low?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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