Learn me '80s Towncars

I'm growing tired of endlessly fixing my cheap/free old Subarus and wouldn't mind something much roomier and comfortable for my 100+mi./day commute.

There seems to be SCADS of late '80s Towncars around here in reasonably good nick for under a grand. Anything in particular to look for? Any aftermarket to speak of? I trolled a few Lincoln boards today and learned next to nothing.

Thanks, all.

I believe that at some point there was a changeover to roller-rocker heads on the Town Cars. That's the extent of my knowledge.

Common wisdom seem to be to avoid anything with a self leveling suspension. An airbag suspension and the term old dont seem to go well together.
80's? I bet you came even find newer ones for similar/same money.

why get a towncar when you can pick up a grand marquis or a crown vic for less and not have to worry about all the electronics and extra luxury items the Town car has?

My father has 2 artificial hips.. he used to put 100mi a day on his Grand Marquis when he worked in sales.. if the car was comfy enough for him, it will work for anybody

When I was at in college in the '80's I worked for a tire dealer. We had a town car come in for an alignment and of course it was way way off from the factory. The official Ford fix was to drill through the spot welds on the towers to do a bit of repositioning, and of course right under was an air bag. Drill bits and air bags do not go well together. IF I remember right we had to pay about two grand to repair it. never would do another town car other than basic stuff.

Other than being cushy and mushy, I don't know a whole lot about them though, but I would avoid the air bag suspension models like the plague.

I had a 1985. My mom bought it from a rental company and I got it when she passed away. That car went over 100k miles with out a oil or filter change or any other preventive maintenance. it was my Hot Rod Lincoln, and I beat the ever loving crap out of it and it held up better then most cars I have owned since (even though I have become better with preventative maintenance).

We had a 1991 Lincoln Continental with air bag suspension (the wife's idea). Most compfortable car we ever owned. But otherwise the biggest POS we ever owned too. But, that is a continental and not a town car.

I believe there are conversion kits out there to convert the air bags to regular coil springs and shocks. Would likely be the same as found on the Grand Marquis.

Years ago the airbags were going to cost about $600 per corner to fix. I was able to shop arouind and bought the struts cheap. Found a good alignment shop to install them and saved about 50%.

Edit: I rarely see one of the old TCs that isn't blowing out blue smoke.

Get a Grand Marquis instead. The air bag stuff is $$$$$ and they have lots of electrical gremlins.

I see them with their rear bumpers sitting on the ground all over the place. Seems that once the rear airbags go, they are toast. But never towed to the junkyard for some reason, they always sit out front for years.

Having driven one I wouldn't recommend it. They are so big, heavy and get bad gas mileage.

You might look for an older big body Benz if you want comfort for a long commute, maybe a W124 with a diesel.

I would look for a newer TC or a GM as well, they are everywhere and inexpensive, and I've heard of 300K+ as not uncommon.

I have yet to drive in a benz where I could get comfortible.. I find their seats are very hard

I had an 87. It was one of the best cars I have ever owned. Nothing better for a interstate cruise. Kind of like riding in your easy chair. Handled like a pig, and got about 16mpg.

I thought my father's old 89 Grand Marquis got mid20s for miliage...

My dad owned a 1985 and 1987. I bought the 1987 for $1000 and drove it forever. I gave it to the brother-in-law when I got a company car.

Leather seats were like butter. Bad day at work? Going home with the air on in those soft leather seats made you forget. 5.0 liter engine. I also thought I could carry home full sheets of plywood on the hood.

It kinda nickled and dimed me on parts. Some rust in normal rockers. I told a coworker it had dual alternators because of the electronics and he believed me.

Bad side as I was the only guy under the age of 40 driving one.

it's a panther. Just a fancy crown vic/marquis. Most of their good & bad attributes carry over.

Owned a 1986. Best car I've ever owned. I did the normal service stuff when I bought it. Plugs, wires, dizzy cap, and coolant flush. Oh I also put in a good battery since it would sit at the airport for months at a time. Never once did it fail to start, even in the dead of cold winter.

Everyhing worked on mine but it didn't have air ride. Signature series had the air ride. Mine turned 21-22mpg on the highway. Only mod was a set of twice pipes.

The 88 and 89 models had aluminum hoods, better for racing I guess?lol

people still ask me about that car, it was epic. Oh it was also great in the snow on skinny oem size all seasons. If you lay down the front seat it'll carry 25 or so 2x4 studs. 12 rooters have to be secured on the outside using the mirror.

I've been in possesion or owned two 85 models. The first was my mom's while going to college. Never had any problems with it as it was less than a year old when I totalled it. Misread the stoplight at an underpass, bounced off a van and into the concrete upright at about 45mph. Walked away without a scratch. The second I bought later in my college career with around 90k and put another 50-60k on it before falling asleep on the way home from work one night. Totalled that one as well, walked away without a scratch (was wearing seatbelts both times). Very crashworthy vehicles. The second one was very comfy on long trips and outside of a fuel pump, some obscure cooling system problem and a wonky sunroof, it was pretty bulletproof. I'd get another one but I have a bad track record with them.

mad_machine wrote: I have yet to drive in a benz where I could get comfortible.. I find their seats are very hard

Depends on what year. They will all be firm, but how firm is the question. My dads old 93 300e had the most comfortable seats ever. His 99 ML, way too firm. But I've found that firm is better, for the most part. Dad mourned the sale of his E-class for the seats alone.
Our two BMW's both have relatively firm seats, and I've found that I never have any kind of back pain or stiffness after a long ride in it. Couldn't say the same for Toyota, Honda, or Nissan.

Our Crown Vic was great, but for some reason I couldn't stay comfortable in one spot for more than an hour or so and had to readjust.

I don't like overly soft seats much either. They appear to be very comfortable initially but I find they get uncomfortable after a little while.

The seats in the late W124 are pretty good, earlier ones not so and tend to wear out badly. I think they changed the seat design three times...

another choice in that same arena is the Buick Roadmaster. Very cheap on the used market. We had a girl that autocrossed one years ago. i leaned a lot but she wasn't the slowest!

Also consider an Olds, Caprice or Buick full size

Oh, and a Q45

BoxheadTim wrote: The seats in the late W124 are pretty good, earlier ones not so and tend to wear out badly. I think they changed the seat design three times...

All I know is that if I ever find a seat more comfortable than this one, I'll be a happy person.

+1 on 80s TC seats looking a lot better than they actually worked. If they aren't any better today, I don't know how airline limo drivers cope. (Any out there who can comment...?) Meanwhile, in a totally different era and market sector, I was blown away by the seats in a 2010 Cobalt SS at the Toronto Auto Show last month. I didn't even fool around with the adjustments. They felt just right: like a perfectly tailored suit, or your favourite jeans, or something. Of course, next year we have to start over with the Cruze.