Bought something nice for the Town Car today

[White Lincoln]

I may have mentioned that the Cougar was getting all the attentiuon and the Town Car was being neglected, well I bought something nice for it today. Something needed and long overdue. I recently replaced the front bearings, sway bar links and front shocks on the Town Car, but this was long overdue.

 

[White Lincoln]

RockAuto had the new headlamps the cheapest and they are so easy to replace on this car.

 

[XR7-4.6]

That generation town cars is classy as hell!

 

[Grog6]

Aren't those glass?

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

That is my favorite period of Town Car. The perfect balance of classic and modern. Classic proportions, chrome accents, hood ornament,...; modern complex reflector headlights, full length taillights, smoothed out interior. Beautiful.

 

[Zep5.0]

I agree, those were the best version. The next style went too "bathtub" and less classy.

 

[supergordo]

That's a beautiful Town Car! Fantastic cars to drive!

 

[XR7-4.6]

I agree, those were the best version. The next style went too "bathtub" and less classy.

Yeah I hated the 98s, they look like nothing more than a puffed up grand marquis with a goofy joker grin. When they boxed up the front end styling on the last versions it looked like they were trying to regain the prestige of these ones but it just didn’t work.

90-97s in my opinion had all the best qualities of the Mercedes S class and presence of classic Lincoln’s and Cadillacs. Ford doesn’t get enough credit for this generation TC.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

90-97s in my opinion had all the best qualities of the Mercedes S class and presence of classic Lincoln’s and Cadillacs. Ford doesn’t get enough credit for this generation TC.

Wasn't it Motortrend car of the year?

I think the '95 facelift is vastly superior though. Grille, lights, especially the fully illuminated taillight bar. Plus the interior was far more beautiful, with the simulated wood being much more subtle than prior to the facelift.

 

[XR7-4.6]

I like the refresh tweaks but I have no issues with the 90-94s, they were still great cars for the era.

And I mean present day credit, MTCOTY is pretty meaningless. Lincoln got a nice boost in the American car luxury market in the 80s when Cadillac really shit tge bed, but that was a victory by attrition, the 90-97 won on its merits over the bathtub Devilles and Fleetwoods in the 90s

 

[White Lincoln]

Aren't those glass?

Nah, neither the OEM or knock off's are glass.

 

[Irv]

My dad had an '89. When the '90 debuted, we didn't like it at first, but over time, it started growing on us. I saw a '97 in a Ford/Lincoln showroom when my parents were briefly considering an Expedition back when it debuted, and I thought that the Town Car looked really well composed after getting used to nearly a decade of automotive design departing from sharp creases in sheet metal.

If I had to pick a Town Car model year, I think '96 might be the best one. It didn't get the '97 decontenting similar to the MN12s did in the final year of its generation. Unlike the MN12 with the cupholders and SHO-compatible gauges, I don't think there were any nice bonuses of the '97 Town Car. The '97 Executive Series was even detuned with a single exhaust and loss of 20 HP.

Differences between 96 and 97's - Lincolns OnLine Message Forum

Differences between 96 and 97's 1990 - 1997 Town Car

www.lincolnsonline.com

 

[White Lincoln]

Thank you everyone for your kind words about my Town Car. I have had it for 20 + years and it has been nothing but a pleasure to own. We have driven this car everywhere and enjoyed the ride each time.

My wife and I were in a parking lot at the movie theater a few years back. A guy came up to the us and complimented me on the car. Said he used to have a 95 also and traded it in on a 2003. Worst mistake he ever made, he said. The 2003 did not ride as nice and was not as comfortable.

As mentioned, this car was neglected as I could always rely on it to 1. Start everytime I turn the key 2. Drive me wherever I needed to get to 3. Not break down or give me crap while using the car. I have never done anything major to it other than the air shocks and the front end parts I mentioned earlier. The tires are 15 years old too! They are Michelin's and still have a lot of tread after some 40k miles. I only pray the vent actuator does not crap out on me because I NEVER want to have to pull the dash on this car.

Thanks all! Have a great weekend and enjoy your cars!

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

I like the refresh tweaks but I have no issues with the 90-94s, they were still great cars for the era.

I do agree. And I will say the pre-refresh has really nice interior door releases!

And I mean present day credit, MTCOTY is pretty meaningless. Lincoln got a nice boost in the American car luxury market in the 80s when Cadillac really shit tge bed, but that was a victory by attrition, the 90-97 won on its merits over the bathtub Devilles and Fleetwoods in the 90s

Though the Fleetwood Broughams and Roadmasters of the early 90s were gorgeous, too, and somewhat even more substantial looking than Panthers.


I may be in a minority here, but I actually also love the 1998+ Town Cars. Their character is just completely different. I admit that they lost some of the classiness which came with the formal appearance of the older cars, but I totally embraced the new curvy style. I don't see a "bathtub" there; I see references to old-school British coach building.

 

[XR7-4.6]

I do agree. And I will say the pre-refresh has really nice interior door releases!



Though the Fleetwood Broughams and Roadmasters of the early 90s were gorgeous, too, and somewhat even more substantial looking than Panthers.


I may be in a minority here, but I actually also love the 1998+ Town Cars. Their character is just completely different. I admit that they lost some of the classiness which came with the formal appearance of the older cars, but I totally embraced the new curvy style. I don't see a "bathtub" there; I see references to old-school British coach building.

Part of it is outside of a few Jags, Astons and Lotus most classic British "saloons" look like bathtubs to me too; Bentley, Rolls Royce, Rover, many Jags et al. I don't like puffy or overly rounded styling. Roadmaster, Fleetwood and Caprice have that in common, especially when the latter had skirted rear fenders early on(the Impala SS fixed a lot of problems).

I thought the 90-97 Town Car blew the 90s Fleetwood out of the water, that car looked designed for retirement villages with its tacky chrome cladding and appropriately coffin like styling.

 

[Irv]

The '90-97 Town Car had a formal and distinguished appearance to it. I showed a pic of one to a New Zealander once and he said he saw why they were used as chasses for limos.

The redesign after that ushered an era of bulbous vehicle design that was common in the early-aughts, when cars looked like generic blobs of mass that are best signified by the Nissan Altima and Infiniti G35 of that period. Meanwhile, the Lincoln LS had all the personality of a Mitsubishi Diamante.