What can I get for my 97 Mark VIII LSC?

[steve]

The time has come to get another family car, looking at getting a CPO Ford Escape.
That being said in NJ insurance is not cheap so not practical to keep the Mark and have an extra car to maintain.

Trade in values are sub $1000. So looking to put it on CL. It has aprox 160,000 miles, black on black. No sun roof or heated seats.

The Bad:
Clear coat has come off in spots
Broken cup holder
The seats squeak when they move
Neon works intermittently.

The Good:
Within the last year new calipers, rotors, pads, brake fluid, tires, engine mounts, differential carrier bushings, coolant changed, rear shocks and rear airbags.
Trans and engine run great, used Mobil 1. Trans fluid changed a few times, rear fluid once with amsoil.
The front air bags/shocks (OEM) and air compressor replaced around 100,000 miles.


Mods
Trans cooler
Trans shift kit
Metal matrix driveshaft
3rd cat removed, replaced with double X pipe
Powertone X chamber SS mufflers.

 

[Lvnmarks]

Sounds like a good $2000 car but would have to see some pictures.

 

[steve]

I will get some photos this weekend. $2k is a good book value as well. I may have a lot more in parts, lol.

 

[driller]

I hate to see you let it go. I would think more like $2500 to $3000 would be what I would look to get for it, perhaps more if you find the right buyer. You may want to start at $3500 to leave some haggle room.

Black on black seems to be quite popular and knowing the care and maintenance it has seen as a 1 owner vehicle should help with the sale. I certainly wouldn't use it as a trade and I would be patient to get the best price.

 

[steve]

I hate to let it go as well, but Aimee will be taking my 2 1/2 year old daughter to the Montessori school she works at this summer and it would be easier with a 4 door car. With the kids it is kind of hard to deal with 2 large doors and get them in the car seats. Also with the bad winters we have had here it is very hard without all wheel drive to get up my steep hill and driveway. I still have the Flex to get into Ford Carlisle and if I get the Escape I will have another Ford.

If it was not for the clear coat coming off in spots it would show a lot better and I can get $3k. Only the people here would appreciate the mods.

 

[steve]

I found the exact CPO Escape I want and Aimee wants in 250 mile radius, the only issue is it all the way up outside of Boston. I texed Joe to see if he would want to buy my Mark, I could meet him there and do the deal, lets see if he gets back to me. Could be a nice parts car for him the way he goes through Marks. lol. I also forgot to add I had some front end suspension parts replaced as well last year.

 

[tixer]

You should bring it to Carlisle and give it a final burnout before Joe gets it.

 

[steve]

Hope to have the deal done before then, Joe can take it there and burn out the new tires, that is if he even wants it lol

 

[redn8]

I hate to see you let your Mark go too but you can't keep it forever and I'm sure you had plenty of fun owning it. I hated to let mine go but it just wasn't practical for me anymore. It was one of the best cars I've ever owned and I do miss it. Good luck with your new purchase.

 

[billcu]

For that kind of money I'd keep it. The kids will be able to ride in it in a few years, put it back on the road then. They might even like the old Lincoln.

My dad had a 59 Chrysler Imperial, he once said if he would have known I was going be a car guy, he would have kept the 59 for me to fix. That would have been cool.

 

[Lownslowlsc]

The time has come to get another family car, looking at getting a CPO Ford Escape.
That being said in NJ insurance is not cheap so not practical to keep the Mark and have an extra car to maintain.

Trade in values are sub $1000. So looking to put it on CL. It has aprox 160,000 miles, black on black. No sun roof or heated seats.

The Bad:
Clear coat has come off in spots
Broken cup holder
The seats squeak when they move
Neon works intermittently.

The Good:
Within the last year new calipers, rotors, pads, brake fluid, tires, engine mounts, differential carrier bushings, coolant changed, rear shocks and rear airbags.
Trans and engine run great, used Mobil 1. Trans fluid changed a few times, rear fluid once with amsoil.
The front air bags/shocks (OEM) and air compressor replaced around 100,000 miles.


Mods
Trans cooler
Trans shift kit
Metal matrix driveshaft
3rd cat removed, replaced with double X pipe
Powertone X chamber SS mufflers.

Realistically, that's a $2,000 car. Try to find a M8 guy that'll treat it right, joe shmoe down the street will likely just pound it into the ground. Price it higher to weed out some of those folks.

 

[steve]

Here are some photos, i cleaned it up today. Mechanically the car is very sound and the interior is clean. I will post a for sale ad on here tonight and up on CL.

 

[driller]

She cleans up rather nicely.

Someone is going to get a very nice car if they're willing to do a little TLC with the clear coat issues.

 

[ONLYTONY]

Steve, aside from the clearcoat, and outside wheel weights, that's a great looking car. The drivers seat needs some attention, but I would price it at around $3500. On these Lincoln sites you can't get a good price, everybody wants a give away price, unless it's been "hot rodded" with a zillion $ worth of parts. I've been listing my 97 for a long time, and I get a lot of wow what a car, etc. Send pics. E-bay charges $125 to sell a car over $2000. At $3625 you might have a quick sale. That's where I'm headed next with my 97. Good luck on the sale.

 

[steve]

It's gone, sold it 2 hrs after listing it on CL, listed it for $2,500, took the $2,000. A private sale book value is listed at $1,138. That was fast work, the registration was coming up and having to keep it insure it best I let it go then having it sit here waiting for the right buyer for an extra 1K maybe.

 

[Lownslowlsc]

Steve, aside from the clearcoat, and outside wheel weights, that's a great looking car. The drivers seat needs some attention, but I would price it at around $3500. On these Lincoln sites you can't get a good price, everybody wants a give away price, unless it's been "hot rodded" with a zillion $ worth of parts. I've been listing my 97 for a long time, and I get a lot of wow what a car, etc. Send pics. E-bay charges $125 to sell a car over $2000. At $3625 you might have a quick sale. That's where I'm headed next with my 97. Good luck on the sale.

Not with bad paint. With good paint I would've said 3k~. I bought my 97 8 years ago with 123k for 3k and it had good paint.

We want them cheap because it's an almost certain that it'll require $$ right off the bat.

It's gone, sold it 2 hrs after listing it on CL, listed it for $2,500, took the $2,000. A private sale book value is listed at $1,138. That was fast work, the registration was coming up and having to keep it insure it best I let it go then having it sit here waiting for the right buyer for an extra 1K maybe.

After seeing those pics I think you could've gotten 2,500 out of it. :cool-blue:

I say it was a fair deal for both parties though. You made more then what you would've gotten trading it in.

 

[Lvnmarks]

Sounds like you got a good offer on it and everyone is happy.

 

[redn8]

Congrats Steve. That was a quick sale.

 

[Mad1stGen]

Bummer. I was going to give you $2k at Carlisle. Always nice to drive something new from there.

 

[steve]

Bummer. I was going to give you $2k at Carlisle. Always nice to drive something new from there.

Then how would i get home, lol. I got to go to my bin of spare parts and post them for sale, hoping to get out to Carlisle, i can bring them there, i will take the Flex. I have a NIB HID bulb, use HID ballast, box of used coils (like 16 of them), true factory unused black LSC floor mats including the rears, Ford repair DVD, some 10 spoke chrome directional center caps. spare jack, I think that is mostly it.