Looking for some advise

[autorotica]

Hello all. I have been toying with trying to decide what kind of car to buy. I am very interested in opinions from people who own (and both love and hate) Mark VIII's. I am in my mid 30's, divorced, have 2 kids, and like a comfortable ride and a sporty type 2 door car. I have also been considering a mid 90's ETC Cadillac. I wish money wasnt an issue, but it always seems to be for me. Special thanks to anyone with viewpoints who cares to share them, Id like both good and bad, but mostly, what is the best year car to buy? What are the biggest issues to avoid ( like HID headlights, but what years had them?) THanks again. Chris

[snndn]

Hey!!! I suppose you are considering a Linc. Mark VIII since you posted on this site.

Well, I sell cars for a living, so I've had a chance to thrash quite a few of them. I own a Thunderbird, which is built on the same platform as the Mark VIII, so when we got one in on trade, I was naturally curious.

These cars ride and handle well, and have a respectable amount of power. I would have traded my T-bird in on the Mark VIII except for some minor mechanical problems.

Pluses: 285hp DOHC 4.6L V-8, Front/Rear drive-train, four-wheel independant suspension, a nearly perfect 50/50 weight distribution, air-ride suspension that lowers the car at freeway speeds. This car handles well with only a hint of under-steer. Power is plentiful and fuel economy is excellent. The ride is firm but luxurious.

Minuses: Lots of bells and whistles, each with thier own Jeckal-and-Hyde electrical gremlins. Build-quality issues: these cars tend to "loosen up" as time passes. Over-boosted power steering.
In an attempt to make the car more "comfortable," FoMoCo cranked up the boost on the close-ratio rack-and-pinion steering. This leads to a "marsh-mellow" feeling in the wheel, which lends itself to over-steering during aggresive manuevering. YUCK! ='( This situation could be remedied by swaping in an underdrive pully set, but it is irritating.

I like a vehicle to "give the road back," and the Mark VIII is just a little too isolated for me. If I were looking for a comfortable, sporty car, I would consider a Honda Accord V-6 (I hope they don't burn me for mentioning an import), or perhaps a loaded Nissan Maxima. A Chevy Impala (one of the 350 ilk) is an excellent combination of sports and luxury. Also the four doors might make life with two kids easier.

These cars have a little less comfort and a little more sport. Mainly, they tend to be reliable and significantly cheaper than higher-end luxo-sport models (BMW, Infinity, Lexus, etc.)

Hope this helps.
Mike


P.S. Try to avoid first-year models, they tend to be cranky. If you get an mid-90's Maxima, look for one with the 4DSC (four-door-sports-car) moniker, it has independant rear suspension.

------------------
"This is madness, tho there be method in'it."
--MacBeth

[JC]

I love my Mark VIII! It's the best and most fun car I've ever owned. There are many speed and handling parts for them whereas there's very little for Caddies. I'm a member of Lincolns of Distinction club (markviii.org) and some members drag race and/or autocross their Marks. You won't find any Caddies there! Don't settle for less you won't regret it.

------------------
Jack Carter
Silver 97

[rexracer]

I love my mark! I have a '95. I love the power and the ride. I had a '98 prelude and after 30 minutes my back would hurt real bad (I've been driving sports cars for a long time and many of them did this to me), I've driven my mark up to 8 hours on one day and I've never had any more back trouble.
The build quality issues mentioned are real if the car is treated like it's a camaro or mustang (no offense snndn). The electrical buggs are plenty but I feel like they are no worse than any other car.
The best thing about the Mark VIII is that it's so easy to find a really nice car! For example, my '95 retailed for $38,000 new and so very few of the cars were given to high school kiddies to be white smoked in the parking lot every day. Most of the cars come from nice homes where they were not the only car and so finding a clean low mile car is pretty easy.
I bought mine with 90k on it and I have done regular 100k stuff to it , fuel filter, k&n air filter, plug wires, plugs, a couple of lighs, both cigarette lighter sockets, washer fluid sensor, couple of oil changes, transmission fluid and filter, new battery, the worst thing is the alternators suck bad but it is the easiest alternator change in the world. All these items did not add up to one of my prelude payments and I've had the car for eight months now. I don't miss car payments I can assure you.
Have a mechanic look over you're selection and look for a car with no torn leather and make sure the air suspension is working. There are enough of these cars out there that you can be picky about color and options, the biggest option is the LSC model, it will have lower gears, true dual exhaust and about 10 more ponies. If you want to get the car to handle better you can always go with thicker sway bars, wider lower tires, urethane bushings, and such with out compromising the ride quality.
Email me and I will be happy to go on and on about the Mark VIII.
richard.lewis@mindspring.com

------------------

[JC]

A friend of mine just bought a 93 Mark VIII with 35K miles in mint condition for $8,900. Many were bought by little ol' ladies who kept them in the garage and serviced them at the dealers. If you have the time and patience look for one of those.

------------------
Jack Carter
Silver 97

[autorotica]

Thanks to all who applied, Im still looking for advise concerning years and what not. I dont mean to be rude, but I will not buy an import car. Thanks for any farther replies, Chris