UK user needs advice

A

andyg

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Hi
I actually joined this forum to ask a question but that was before i looked at the faq's an dfound it answered!! I was going to say that i am in the UK and have driven US cars for years. I am kinda wondering about buying a Mk8 but dont know what to look for as far as known faults are concerned. looks like air suspension units seem favorites for packing up, are they an expensive item to replace?
looking at the list of engine and drivetrain faults it looks very much like the V6 Cosworth engine we have here, I had on in a Scorpio Ultima and It also had the startup rattle due to a hydraulic tensioner leaking down overnight. they also suffered from the 'cattle grid' fault on the transmission. (mine didnt though)
any advice any of you guys could give me would be welcome as to which model to look out for etc. I like th elooks of the 95 better than the later ones, I prefer the headlamp design more.

Currently have an 86 Chrysler 5th Avenue 318 in case any of you are also secret mopar fans!
 
Well the first question I have for you is... do you want a 93-96 Mark VIII or a 97-98? Because they have very different problems.

And Welcome to the board :D
 
Hi
Thanks for the reply. errmm.. I guess the earlier one, the one which DOESNT look like the one in your pic. the one i was thinkin g of looking at is a 95, it has different headlamp design to yours, assuming the one in the pic is yours. does that answer your query?
was also wondering do these have the 'ESP' type suspension (like traction control only more sophisticated)
 
Welcome! :)

If I were a newbie buying a Mark VIII, a major consideration would be the headlamps.

The Gen1 Mark VIII predominately had halogen headlamps and the Gen2 all had HID headlamps.

Ford has discontinued the HID bulb used only on the Mark VIII and there is current backlog of new light housings which now use halogen bulbs.

There are Gen1 HID headlamps but they have all but disappeared. They use the same HID bulb which is no longer produced.

The original lenses in the Gen1 halogen headlamps are known to deteriorate with age but they can still be replaced and they use commonly available halogen bulbs.
 
The 95 is a Gen1.

It may or may not have 'traction control' as an option.

There is no "stability control" but all have ABS(anti-lock braking systems).
 
Thing is, im not totally convinced its what I want. Ive used the Chrysler as a 'daily driver' for over a year now and although its not a huge car, its just a bit too big for uk multistorey car parks etc an dit can be a problem finding somewhere to park. I have an old subaru which i use for shopping etc but would like something to use as a daily driver which has got style and power etc.
did consider a caddy sts but apparently the Lincoln is faster?
 
Well if you want a gen 1 (93-96) you will be faced with the following problems.

The transmission is unreliable past 100k miles, some have had failures much earlier. Mine failed at 70k.
The headlights are terrible as mentioned by JP.
Some 95s are affected by faulty valve springs that may end up costing you an engine so I would avoid them (95s) all together.
All have air suspensions that need replacement at this point if they haven't had one you can bet that they will need it asap. You can convert to springs for about $400 and it is the most cost effective solution.
And a Mark VIII is a HUGE car... especially for europe.
 
hmm, ok, youre slowly putting me off! they sound SO much like the Ford Cosworth Ultima we had here. same probs by the sound of it. the tranny used to pack up around 100k as well, bet its the same one, 4 speed auto. these had a 24v 3 liter V6 but it sounds just as problematic. bet the Lincoln is all computerised as well yes? (the Cosworth was)
Not too huge for me, Ive parked my 5th next to one at a show and mine was quite bigger, mines an 86, the last of the big rear wheel drive models. think the 5th's and new Yorkers went smaller after that? or just disappeared alltogether?
It was mainly the power I was after, i like the idea of the near 300bhp. the Cosworth was 207bhp and was a pretty quick car but would do a 0-60 in just under 9 which isnt nearly as fast.
I much prefer the older V8's, pre- computers , like th eold simple plugs and points setup lol! much easier to work with i think!

Of course at 47 im too old to be looking at bhp but what the hell! you only live once!
 
My '93 must be a freak having 130K+ on the odometer with the factory air suspension and transmission. :eek:

It's easy to make generalities, but given proper care and regular maintenance they're not all as bad as a lot of naysayers will have you believe.

Now excuse me while I go install a pair of rear shocks. :p
 
lol, yeah I realise that. my cosworth was a god one despite all the bad press they got. Im looking at one this coming weekend anyway, its a 95, he wants £3500 for it (about $7000, dont know how that compares to prices over there?)
 
wow... if that thing has less than 50k miles on it maybe...

for 7k you can buy a flawless 98 Mark VIII with around 50k miles here.
 
yeah its usually more over here. I suppose its only th esame as you guys buying a classic British car over there, it would be cheaper over here. (not that I would call any British cars 'classic' lol)
It really is exceptionally clean but i dont know the mileage, Im not going specially, theres a big US car show at the weekend and he'll be there with it anyway as will I with the Chrysler so we'll se what happens
 
Lucas parts yeah.. I was thinking more Rover, Austin, Jaguar, MG, Morris, British Leyland, Triumph....need I go on..
 
driller said:
The Cadillac STS is no slouch but a good running Mark VIII will outrun it.
Click to expand...

Not to mention the Mark VIII will stay running long after the Caddy spits out a headgasket and dies.

There's a reason they're called deathstar motors
 
No Andy I was saying any classic British car we get over here is always plagued by Lucas parts that usually send the cost (both monetary and emotional) skyward! LOL
 
Ah! my mistake, though you meant the cars, (I meant the cars!). Lucas bits expensive over there? or do you have to get them from over here? If theres anything like that just give me a shout, I dont mind getting them and sending them, I dont recall them being particularly expensive here. I get land rover bits for a guy in Nebraska now and again,
 
WOW...And ANOTHER Nebraska link!! Damn! (I was born and raised in Nebraska but live on the east coast now!) No No what I meant with Lucas parts is how they always seem to fail at the wrong time, and how expensive it is to replace those part with OEM (Chinese parts are cheaper but some guys want OEM!)
 
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