thinking of buying a Mark VIII

M

mechanical73

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I have been told by various friends (some of which are Ford mechanics) to stay away from these cars as they are very problematic. After reading some of the problems posted on this site it seems that its somewhat true.
I know all cars will eventually break down, however, it seems that these cars are very hard to work on and have various issues such as transmissions, blend door actuators, air bags, door ajar problems that are pretty much unavoidable.

I live the look of these cars but from the cars I have been looking at around here (long island, NY) they are in less than desirable condition.

I guess what I'm looking for is to see how many of you have had alot of problems. I am very mechanically inclined (I also own some old muscle cars) but this is not a vehicle I want to spend alot of time working on. I'd like it to be reliable.

Also, there is one specific color that I only have seen once on a 93 Mark VIII and I wanted to find out if anyone knows the specific color name. it was a very light blue ???


thanks guys
 
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I'd have to say overall I think my car's been reliable. Had to have the blend door replaced, got that done under warranty. Door ajar is simple enough with WD40. Regular maintenance and a problem here and there. But I've had this car since 2001, and it's 9 years old. I've never had a car last that long and look this good and ride this good.

Plus, we actually aren't all that mechanically inclined around here, no matter what hubby thinks, but with the support of people on the message board here, we've been able to take care of a lot of the problems or issues ourselves or with others who volunteer to help me.

I mean, if I look back, yes, the heat went out on my heated seat, I had a random short somewhere under the power seat, I had the drivetrain vibration, I have warped rotors, had some issue with overheating, and probably other little stuff. But I used to have to take my cars to the dealer for those types of repairs, and now we do a lot of it here, so the car isn't out of commission very often. And for a car that's 9 1/2 years old I really don't think that's bad. Someone the other day asked if she's like 3 or 4.
 
This will have to be replaced or was replaced already by 10 years or 100k miles
93-98 Mark VIIIs
Alternator
Front Airbags and maybe the compressor
Blend Door (97-98)
Rear neon ballast (97-98)
Steering column if the easy entry wasn't turned off (97-98)
At least 1 HID bulb (97-98)
Warped Rotors
Transmission (93-97)
Entire front suspension.
 
Max, I'm closing in on 10/100 and I haven't had to do a lot of those things. Maybe I'm just lucky. Then again, I've had a lot of repairs due to accidents which could have made a difference.
 
It depends... I just posted a quick guide as to what fails... there are many things I omitted and for some the original trans lasts 200k miles while for others it fails much sooner than 100k...

Mine failed at 70k... Craigs failed at 80k etc etc..

But buying a used mark VIII I would expect to see all or some of those repairs in the recent past or the near future.
 
maxmk8 said:
This will have to be replaced or was replaced already by 10 years or 100k miles
93-98 Mark VIIIs
Alternator
Front Airbags and maybe the compressor
Blend Door (97-98)
Rear neon ballast (97-98)
Steering column if the easy entry wasn't turned off (97-98)
At least 1 HID bulb (97-98)
Warped Rotors
Transmission (93-97)
Entire front suspension.
Click to expand...

I'm at 100k with the original alternator...guess I should keep an eye out.
 
Trixie said:
Maybe I'm just lucky. Then again, I've had a lot of repairs due to accidents which could have made a difference.
Click to expand...

That's lucky? LOL

9 years
65000 miles
only repair I've done is the blend door. Bought it bad, probably could have talked them down if I knew.
 
Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance... the key to a reliable Mark VIII(or most any car). These cars have many options that were cutting edge automotive technology in their time. As such it will require more than what it takes to keep the average daily driver on the road.

As far as the '93 light blue exterior color... I believe you're referring to China Blue, code DG.
 
Mark VIII

Mark VIII

thanks for the info guys.

I have to say that before finding this site I was thinking of staying away but after reading your responses as well as the rest of the valuable info here I feel more comfortable.

now the hard part - finding one in good condition ! in that blue color !

thanks again
 
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