At $7,500, Is This 1994 Lincoln Town Car a Good Deal by a Country Mile?
While some people may espouse that size doesn’t matter, the interior space afforded by today’s Nice Price or No Dice Town Car proves that bigger can sometimes be better. Let’s decide if this classy Lincoln’s price is right-sized as well.
We looked at one of Nicholas Cage’s former motorcycles last Friday, a 1999 Ducati ST4 sport-tourer that the thespian had repainted a non-factory orange. The bike was in great shape and carried a clean title (with Cage’s original pink slip included in the deal) for just $3,500. Laudably, many of you commented that you found that price to be a deal even without the Cage connection. In the end, it came up with a whopping-grand 88 percent Nice Price win, Cage and all.
In a conversation with friends who had recently taken a cruise through the Panama Canal, I learned that there are cruise ships in use today that are too big for the canal. The term for that size of ship is “post-Panamax,” and those are the kinds of ships that are literally cities on the sea, complete with distinct neighborhoods.
As cruise ships have grown larger over the years, our highway-cruising cars have been getting smaller. These days, if you want something with lots of room to spread out and a boot that can handle more than a day trip’s worth of bags, you’ll have to step into the SUV realm. Or, you could delve into the used car market for something like this 1994 Lincoln Town Car sedan.
The Town Car name started out as a model of the Continental back in the 1950s and was used off and on in that manner through the following years. It supplanted the Continental nameplate in the mid-’80s with the advent of the Panther-based and newly down-sized edition. That model carried on the earlier, larger edition’s severe rectilinear styling, but when the time came for a redesign in the ’90s Ford gave the car a smoother, more aerodynamic shape, albeit still with the traditional Rolls-aping grille.
Engine options were significantly upgraded with this edition too, giving the old 302 CID Windsor its walking papers in preference for Ford’s new-at-the-time 4.6 liter SOHC Modular V8. In this ‘94 edition, that Thoroughly Modern Millie of an engine produced 210 horsepower and was backed up by a smooth-shifting four-speed automatic.
Some cool features on this car include the fluorescent display gauge cluster, wide split-bench front seats, and lots of fake wood trim. It’s a unique mix of old school and modern, and it all works a good bit better than does the later, much round-ier Town Cars.
This one has done just 102,000 miles over the years and, aside from some unfortunate scrapes on the bumper corners, looks to have held up pretty well. The Current Red Metallic paint is still popping, and the factory alloys look to be free of curb rash and wear wonderful white-wall Bridgestone tires. The only trim that shows any issue is the right-front cornering lamp/turn signal unit that has a broken lens. I would imagine that there are still enough of these big beasts making their way through the junk yards that sourcing a replacement wouldn’t be that hard.
Inside, there are acres of gray leather and vinyl and a certain inviting air. Nothing seems to be amiss in here and the car is new enough to carry both driver and front passenger airbags, and to run R134 in the A/C.
According to the ad, the Lincoln has been well maintained over the course of its life and is currently in what the seller calls “excellent condition.” It also carries both a clean title and up-to-date registration, as well as Ford’s wonderful SecuriCode keypad locking system. What might such an intriguing package be worth?
Per the ad, the asking price is $7,500. Does that seem like a fair deal to go out on the Town? Or, is that too much for a car that might not make it through the Panama Canal?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
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