Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

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evlgt85

Registered
I'm now finally healing from my wisdom tooth extraction (weeee happy fun). Thursday, still talking funny, Mike and I stopped by two places with 96 Marks. One was a pearl/white LSC. Asking price $6500. As soon as we got out of the truck to look at it, I wanted to get back IN the truck. The nose was SLAMMED. I'm talking maybe 2" of ground clearance...if that. There were grind marks on the hood, paint was destroyed. Looked like someone took a ball-peen hammer to various body parts. Trim missing here and there on the headlights, busted grille. It was a mess.

Looked at another one...that laser red kind of color, tan interior, non-LSC Asking price 10,995! Someone had KEYED the thing, it was muddy, non-HID lamps, mileage was in the 7x,xxx range. The first one I test-drove was at least an LSC, (same color combo), 72,xxx miles I think, and had been in lots better shape with an asking price of 8 grand. But, that one had been poorly repainted on the front and rear bumper covers and smelled of old man with too much cologne. LOL!

Anyway, I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to find one. I'm stuck with dealerships so I can get financed as I can't get financed for anything older than 96. If I found a private-party 96, I might have a chance.

I hit online and paper classifieds weekly, sometimes daily. I've got to give Chris a call in Vegas as pickins seemingly aren't so slim up there. ARGH!

For those of you who bought yours used, was it this difficult??? I keep hearing that 8 grand should get me a pretty darn nice first gen. But it doesn't seem to be the case in Phoenix. :(
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

I live in Orlando FL - since '83. And before that - when I was in Pittsburgh and Buffalo - I came to Orlando to buy my used cars.

I now use Autotrader - and look for cars within 100 mi or so of my 32779 zip.

On Tuesday, I bought a '96 Mark VIII with 56K up in Leesburg. There is a huge retirement area up there - 'the Villages'. The car was a trade in from 'a little old lady' now supposedly near 80. CarFax checked out. I spent the $100 to have a Lincoln Dealer go over it. I then bought it - maybe top dollar at $6200 - but I'd rather pay a bit more and not need to put $2,000 or whatever into it.

I looked a lot before buying this one. Here is a suggestion:

Find the ZIPs for Clearwater, St Petersburg, Orlando, Ocala, Naples, Sarasota, and Port Charlotte - enter that in Autotrader and look for cars within maybe 75 miles. Look for new car dealer offerings - you will pay more - and it MIGHT still be from the auction - but it also might be a true trade-in.

Stay away from South Florida - anything south of West Palm Beach. LOTS of junk. Lots of 'sharpcar'-type chop shops. May look nice, but junk underneath.

I also looked at many eBay cars - I can say that not one of them was as represented - particularly everything from South Florida.

Hopefully, you can find a dozen or so prospects and check them out by phone. Then visit us in Florida :) My guess is you can get a good flight on Southwest - spend a few days going around - bring a laptop so you can check for the latest...

Good Luck!
Chris
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Check out e-bay as well, some nice Marks show up on it now and then and sell for good prices.
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

I saw mine. Called the guy the next day and offered a little more than half of what he was asking and bought it nthe next day.
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Ok, we bought 2 in one month. They are both financed, and yes, impossible to find nice ones. I would call WFS Financial(800)289-8004. They are nation-wide, and finance older cars(93+). Plus the fact that out here in California, the Mark VIII's hold their value alot more. We paid about $8800.00 for each of ours. The 94 had 51k, and the 95 had 55k. I bought my 94 in July, doing a 48mo. deal and a week later, my GF decided she wanted one. We scoured the area for weeks for a relatively low mileage Mark for less than $10k. Most of them fit the description you gave of the ones you saw. One day, after an 8 hour search ended, we found a Champagne 95 that was 4 miles from our house. She wasnt crazy about the color, but after comparing its mint condition, and low miles to the other examples of the same price range, she bought it. Here is a pic of both cars to show you what you can get for $8800.00, and finance through WFS.

http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/6/web/390000-390999/390787_52_full.jpg
BlackIceLSC
GGM8 founding member
94 Black/Black M8
95 Champagne/Saddle M8
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Don't get discouraged, you will find the right car. A nice Mark VIII is worth waiting for. IMO those prices sound ridiculous for the condition you described. $8k can get you a nice Mark VIII...IF you're willing to travel. Apparently the value of these cars varies greatly depending on your location. I guess a Mark VIII is more valuable in the southwest.
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Four years ago I spent $8900 for my 94....

It was the first one I saw and test drove when shopping.

In Orlando FL, it was sitting on a dirt lot.....never will regret saying "sold" even before finishing the test drive.

te
94 Gen1
157k miles
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

I looked at www.autotrader.com and went to see several Mark VIII's. Dealerships will always bargain with you, and they can always find ANYONE a loan if you want the car. Make sure it has a good safety inspection, and ask if a dealership can provide you with a "repair history", and of course.. do a CARFAX if its a "car lot". Good luck.
BlackIceLSC
GGM8 founding member
94 Black/Black M8
95 Champagne/Saddle M8
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

I browsed for a good time before i spotted 2 marks in one day.
96' black/ light grey
98'LSC toreador / tan

He was asking the same price for both, so i took em for a test drive. The 98' was soo much more comfortable and had every single option available for that model. I didn't even second guess myself.
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Took me 8 months and much frustration but I was very picky on color,options, mileage and condition. 3 years later I love the car as much as I did the day I bought it. Be patient. The Mark is not a car you want to buy without taking your time. If you buy something you aren't happy with and try to sell in a year you will lose your butt.
$8K should get you a very well taken care of 1st gen and even a decent 2nd gen. Geographic area makes a big difference though on price and availability. In my area RWD, 2 door, sport luxury cars aren't worth much.
I was going to say try Peoplefirst.com for a loan but I see they have a $10k min loan on a used car when all other states are $7500. Hmmmm? Wonder why that is?
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

There is a NICE 96 around the corner from me on a lot, the are asking 6,500. I am in memphis though.........
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Found my 93 78,000 miles needed an exhaust, fuel pump ,plug wires,plugs,one air strut,one tire,a good cleaning and an owner for $900.00 look in them trader papers sometimes an insult in price comes with a good deal
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

When i bought my '94, i had looked at a few. I bought the one with the lowest miles and it looked pretty nice, but a few problems turned up. they turned out not to matter, since i ended up totalling it anyway after 2 weeks. Then i went and bought my second choice.

My current car, i bought from a private individual. Mileage was about 62k when i bought it, and it had no mechanical problems. It looked good and i could tell the owner garaged it in the winter. There were some blemishes on the body, but overall it was in very good shape, and the owner had a fat stack of reciepts for repairs and maintenance. Most of the problem areas had already been addressed. So i bought it. i had only been looking for 1-2 weeks at that point.
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Found my 93 78,000 miles needed an exhaust, fuel pump ,plug wires,plugs,one air strut,one tire,a good cleaning and an owner for $900.00...
Click to expand...

Grand Theft Auto? Oh, wait, only $900... That's still a felony! LOL!

Seriously, that's a heck of a deal you landed on a sharp '93.
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Sorry about the delayed return, but thanks for all the replies. Spent last weekend pulling, autopsying and almost getting ready to re-assemble a friend's motor (5.0 Mustang...lost oil pressure...snapped oil pump driveshaft, time for new bearings, etc.), and topped it off with converting my 85 GT to manual steering (yes, still driving it every day!) and work has been brutal due to my recent absences.

I'm on AutoTrader.com a few times a week. I have to limit myself to the 300 mile range as I don't have the time to spend driving a car back from parts unknown. In most cases, it would also negate any savings I'd find elsewhere.

I am tempted to start low-balling private sellers with the cash that I have on hand and see if I get anyone to bite. I suppose it can't hurt, right?

BlackIce...I'll look into that finance company, thank you very much for suggesting it. I've looked into a half-dozen others, and they either won't touch anything older than 96, or they have a minimum loan amount that is higher than what I'd wind up financing. There's a light purple-pearl one here with low miles at a fantastic price, but I just can not bring myself to drive a purple car. I...just...can't. LOL!

I'm really amazed at how much higher the prices are here and how much rougher the condition of the cars is. Yeah, great, they're rust free, but who wants missing trim, busted grilles and key scars in the paint???

The L-M dealerships around here don't seem to get or have many Marks in on trade. Called about one, miles were astronomical and asked the salesman to see if they had any more or thought they'd be getting any others on trade...he never called me back. *shrug* Cross them off my list.

Neontail97: I, too, wonder why PeopleFirst has a significantly higher minimum loan amount for Arizona. That makes no sense to me. I'm also admittedly picky about color. Black is my all-time ideal for a Mark. I've ALWAYS thought they were the sharpest, but I'd be happy with most any dark color or silver.

Wvabeer: 900 bucks!?!?! Cripes! I never, ever, neverevernever find deals like that.

This is turning out to be quite the search effort, it seems. I'm really needing to tear into my GT (okay, not REALLY NEEDING exactly, but desperately wanting to) as I'm considering embarking on the journey to total dismantling and resurrection of the car.

I appreciate the words of advice and encouragement. Heaven knows I'm in need of it.
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.


Found my 93 78,000 miles needed an exhaust, fuel pump ,plug wires,plugs,one air strut,one tire,a good cleaning and an owner for $900.00...
Click to expand...

Grand Theft Auto? Oh, wait, only $900... That's still a felony! LOL!

Seriously, that's a heck of a deal you landed on a sharp '93.
[/quote]
when i found this deal i had already gave up and spent the cash set aside for a mark 8 on a new driveway then i saw an ad in parkersburg W.Va. the lady had gottin i DUI three years ago and the car had been sitting that long under an old carport , and nose on the ground she wanted $3000.00 I told her i hated to insult her but i could only give her $900.00 i thought she would hang up but she didn't i told her i would help her find another car so i found a bunch she had looked at and found one then told me to come and get it :)
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Don't despair... I looked on & off for 2 YEARS to find my Mark. As soon as I saw it, I KNEW it was the one. It's worth waiting for the right one to come along. Most of the Marks I looked at in the L.A. area were in TERRIBLE condition- scuffs, scratches, scrapes, & door dings everywhere. I eventually found TWO that I wanted. I first found my '98 LSC spring feature car- which was in beautiful condition. Then I stumbled onto a '96 ivory pearlescent with ivory interior & only 34,000 miles. This car was absolutely perfect inside & out, even moreso than my '98. However, the rarity of the spring feature car, as well as a better interior, won me over. Plus, it had less than 18,000 miles on it. Hang in there... seems it's always feast or famine!
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Start cruising the Florida ads...there are lot of pretty marks down here i wish i could give a home to. They are between 3 grand up to 8 or 9 thousand for very well kept cars. Hold out, and dont settle for a beater. Wait for the "little old lady ones" which is where i got mine before the modding money was thrown at it.
 
RE: Frustrated in my search for a Mark VIII.

Sorry for dropping off the face of the earth, but I will be bringing a black/tan 95 LSC home Monday night. It is the one I posted about in the "help me finalize this" thread. Got the credit union to float me a small loan (need to build credit, I've historically hated being in debt and therefore never really have been...) for part of the amount of the car. I will be posting pictures as soon as I get it. :D
 
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