Possible 1995 Mark VIII Purchase

caucapon

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I have an opportunity to purchase a 1995 Mark VIII with under 10,000 miles on it. The car is beautiful and is exactly the type of vehicle I've been seeking for some time. I'm sixty-five, and over the past forty years, I have owned an embarrassing number of vehicles, but never a Lincoln.

I've been told that the first generation Mark VIII years were exceptionally susceptible to electrical glitches, driveshaft woes, and poor headlights relative to 1997 and 1998. How true is this generality?

How available are parts specific to the first generation 1995 model I'm considering? At this point, are certain items prohibitively expensive?

The car would be used as a daily driver and for several annual one thousand mile round trip expeditions to our children in New Jersey. As long as I can keep the car truly drivable, things should be fine. However, if that is going to be a real problem, then I should probably look elsewhere.

Thanks in advance for any information.
 
Welcome! :)

You've come to THE place for information. ;)

Click on the "Lincoln Tech" link at the top of the page and read all the info you desire.

It sounds like you really like the Mark VIII you've found and we can help you get the most out of it. I would imagine the car has been garaged and well cared for but it would not be unusual to have some items in need of attention due to such low mileage. Typical may be items that age regardless of mileage, presumably rubber suspension components. However a lot would depend upon the storage conditions for the past 15 years.

I would doubt the headlamps are suffering as of yet with such low mileage. Many parts are no longer produced for the Mark VIII and are obsolete regardless of the model year. It's just a fact of the age of these vehicles.

I do not believe there are many electrical "glitches" in the first generation Mark VIII but when they do occur, rest assured there are people here that are more than willing to assist troubleshooting.

Not unlike buying any used vehicle, it would be wise to have a mechanic you trust go over the vehicle first. Certainly look for signs of lack of maintenance. My personal biggest concern would be the transmission fluid. Despite the low miles, I would recommend at a minimum a change of fluid and the installation of a transmission cooler to assure longevity of the earlier model year transmission.
 
95 Mark VIII

95 Mark VIII

Welcome! Actually, even just the name "Lincoln" is expensive let alone parts and repairs. I would say Mark VIII owners almost qualify as a "cult". Even though the car has only 10 K miles on it, chances are that the air ride system is doomed, if for no other reason than the airbags are dried out and likely to fail when you start driving it. Probably the 2nd most costly thing to repair after an engine and a transmission. If you take it to a Lincoln dealer for repair, I would guess about 3 grand. Conversion to springs about $400 + labor. The 94 trans is basically junk and prone to fail. Electrically, they arent any worse than any other luxury car. On the other hand If you can do some of the work yourself, you will never drive a more well behaved car on the road, and should expect 25+ mpg on the highway. It is also a gorgeous piece of automotive engineering excellence.
 
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I would not worry about the air ride. I'm still on OEM rear bags on the '93. The fronts were changed but it turned out they did not need to be. Just my humble opinion. :)
 
You left no indication as to what part of the world this car and yourself are at, but if it's warm and reasonably dry you probably have yourself a ride that alot of us would be glad to have with that low of mileage. I have two 96 Marks (one a DD, the other a upgraded Mark) and can tell you that there are a lot of answers on this board when you have any questions. Driller's advise is on the money and you shouldn't be afraid of these cars. Just be aware that there aren't a lot of mechanics out there that totally understand the Mark as there aren't a whole lot of Marks around (comparatively speaking). Some mechanics then resort to a making work on these cars as a big expensive deal, when it really isn't. It's just a way for them to cover their short comings. Shop manuals (Helms/FOMOCO) can be found on the Auction site as well as CD's of the original shop manuals. These are always good to have. If you have any mechanical skills there is a lot you can do on your own, however, if you have the option to pick and choose as this site can advise you of the complications involved in the fix. American Air Suspensions carries all the parts you would need to keep your air ride in great working order, and the prices are reasonable. One of the hassles you mentioned (head lights) is a problem that is caused by the burning of the chrome at the back of the headlight. This problem has been addressed by a member who is now offering to rebuild these lights at a reasonable price. The drive shaft issue mostly comes into play when the car gets upgraded to a higher gear ratio (numerically) that causes the drive shaft to spin higher thus picking up more drive shaft vibrations. So you shouldn't loose sleep over this if you are going to keep the car stock. Go buy the car and get back to us with some pictures etc. Happy Holidays.
 
Additional Remarks

Additional Remarks

Thanks to all for the cordial responses. This site is beautifully organized and offers a real abundance of practical knowledge. So much better than most I've been on.

I'm aware that there are very likely to be issues linked to the car's age and its low mileage. I know that all fluids need to be replaced. The tires are original and would need to be replaced as well regardless of their appearance. I have always done much of my own work, and this would continue if the Mark is purchased.

The air suspension was mentioned in several comments. This is an area of real concern. As rubber (plastic as well) atrophies, it slowly loses flexibility and can often crack over a relatively short period. I know that at least a few Mark VIII owners have enjoyed over 100,000 miles of trouble-free motoring on the original suspension. I also have read comments from owners who have replaced the original more than once before that same mileage. When I attempt to factor in everything, a car such as I am considering would seem to be headed for trouble sooner rather than later.

I've been told that there are several rubber bushings/donuts in the driveshaft assembly. If true, then the same conclusion could be reached there. The same concern exists for all wire harnesses, gaskets, bushings, plastic bits, etc.

I am currently located in Southwestern Virginia; however, I spent my first sixty plus years just outside Philly in Southern N.J. The car I'm considering is now located adjacent to the Philadelphia Main Line. It is a one owner vehicle that purportedly spent its entire life in garaged and well-to-do surroundings. The low miles, supported by Carfax, do tend to suggest that perhaps the original owner was at an advanced age when the car was purchased. Then again, as always, who really knows.

I have always enjoyed older unusual vehicles purchased for moderate sums of money. Back in the sixties, seventies, and early eighties, when they tended to be entry level Chevys, Fords, and Volvos, even major repairs were financially containable. Over the past few years, with the electronic complexity and extended option list of the better models I've bought, the potential for economic disaster is always there.

Frankly, purchasing this type of vehicle today involves a lot more hard work and always carries the threat of ultimately being a real money pit where the final investment far exceeds the true market worth of the car. Makes me wonder why I continue. Unfortunately, as many of you know, this kind of thing can be a real addiction! :)

Again, I really appreciate all the comments and suggestions.
 
As long as you don't over pay for it then it sounds like a nice car. The maintenance on a Mark VIII is no more or even less then other cars. Suspensions wear out on all car and it cost a lot to replace them. I think because when an air spring fails it happens in a dramatic fashion of the car sitting on the ground it scares people. I went over 100k on my fronts srpings, i only replaced them because the shock portion of the assembly was wearing out. I am still on my rear spring at 140K miles.
The air compressor also went over 100k miles, i replace that too because it was getting noisy, but it was still working.
 
Well sir, as was previously stated, If you can do some of your own work, this may be just the car for you. They arent really complex if you have some mechanical background. As was said before, AAS has complete, new front struts for about $170 ea. Rear bags are cheaper yet, and the compressor should last a long time. There is a lot of guys here that will help you and likely get as much satisfaction from helping you save a great car as you will get. When you go to change the fluids, please use Mercon 5 in the tranny - nothing else. And a tranny cooler is a must do. All years service manuals are available on the auction site. Good luck!
 
Ditto on all the above. The air ride is very durable, and is something that you can easily maintain when needed. The lines almost never fail, its primarily the rubber that develops micro cracks, and it usually takes many years to do so.

Being that the car lived in the East I would suggest that you get a peek at the undersides of the car, as this will be and indicator of where else you may need to throw some money (i.e. upper & lower control arms due to cracked boots at the ball joints). It probably is pristine due to the suggested care the car was given and low mileage. However , if they need replacing it is again something you can do and the parts TRW/Moog are available nation wide. Even a brake job is not a big deal with these cars, and usually will solve the "Steering Wheel Wobble" problem, if you have it. Under the worst case scenario, if you put another $1,000.00 in parts (replacing all the suspension, the air ride, up grading the trans fluid ,filter, cooler and a set of plugs you would be set for a very long time. There are plenty of our DD's out here that have close to 200,000 miles with just whats mentioned above done to them.
 
........ one more thing, IF you decide that you do NOT want this fine automobile, can you forward to those of us that MAY be interested in at least finding out how much the owner wants for this low mileage Mark? Thanks. You obviously have reached those of us that are ALWAYS interested in these fine cars!
 
The only issue with the driveshaft is vibration at high speeds. With stock gears, it will probably start to vibrate at 110 mph or so. If you're not going to drive that fast on a regular basis, don't worry about it.

The rear suspension tends to last forever. The front tends to fail more frequently. When I paid dealer prices for the fronts previously, they were $700. This was several years ago, and you can certainly find new OEM struts cheaper somewhere. I would not recommend converting to springs - this is only something I would do on a "beater". The car was made with air ride and it's one of the nice features of the car. The compressor tends to fail over time as well, but I would expect both the struts and the compressor to be fine for quite some time with such low mileage. One theory on why the front struts fail more than the rears is that they are closer to the engine and are more exposed to heat cycling. They are also somewhat more exposed to the road. Inspect them, if there are visible cracks where the bag folds at the bottom, expect to replace them soon. If not, don't worry about them.

Don't worry about electrical glitches. I've had 4 of these cars and i've never had any electrical problems that were difficult or expensive to repair. GM vehicles are the ones with the electrical glitches. My current '93 (which I would definitely classify as a beater) has a few electrical issues but nothing that prevents me from driving it (nothing I would even bother fixing). Stuff like a bad power lock switch and the controls next to the headlight mounted upside down.

The transmission was mentioned above - don't worry about it. Put good Mercon V fluid in it, make sure the 1-2 accumulator has been changed, and drive it. If it fails, buy a used '98 or newer transmission, change a few electrical bits, and you should never have an issue. Junkyard transmissions go for a few hundred bucks.

Engines are pretty solid, change the oil and you should never have an issue. If you do, they're in the junkyard for $400 or so, complete. The electronics make it easier to change, IMO. No funky cable to calibrate between the engine and trans, just plug everything in and go.

Suspensions have been mentioned. Typical of all cars nowadays. With 10k miles i'm sure it's fine, but near 100k you'll need upper and lower control arms (ball joints), maybe a tie-rod end or two, maybe some sway bar end links. All of those parts are readily available and reasonably priced.
 
Purchase Made

Purchase Made

Thanks to all for the helpful comments. They were appreciated.

I finally did the deed and finalized this purchase yesterday. My wife drove the four hundred miles home with nary a problem. I trailed in the Nissan Frontier. This Lincoln drives as new. Essentially, it is without meaningful blemish in, out, and underneath. It is a real treat to experience a sixteen year old survivor in such exceptional shape.

The car is exactly what my wife and I were seeking at this point in our lives. The Mark has the space, convenience, power, and comfort that we were hoping to find without the excessive softness that has been such a consistent trait in so many American luxury cars. It appears to be a reasonably reliable vehicle. It's being a Ford has to be a plus when it comes to parts and repairs.

Again, I thank all those who so kindly responded.
 
Congratulations and the best of luck with your purchase. :)

Should you ever have any questions, you know where to get the answers. ;)
 
Yeah....time to become a member (since we helped you so graciously)(Join US! Here) and then post a new thread in the "Member's Rides" section HERE! :)

Ooo I just figured out how to do the nifty URL thingy, lol.
 
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