I‘m looking at a used cars and I‘ve found a 2001 Continental that I like. I‘ve always had GM cars so I‘m not sure what to look for, or what could go wrong w/ this Continental. With this car I‘m afraid of high cost repairs and problems w/ electrical and suspension systems. Are they expensive to repair? Are they reliable? Thank you!
The platform under that Lincoln is the same as the Crown Vicky, the most popular taxi police car around. Going 200,000 miles is no big deal. The biggest advantage is you can drop-in a 'new' engine is an afternoon, then go another 200,000. So, the real $$$ is in the interior the body sheet metal. Repair costs are normal because there are parts everywhere every corner garage has worked on them.
The only expensive fix is the air ride suspension which you can get below in my sources. The engine/transmissions go at least 200,000 miles with before needing new parts. The engine was in the mark 8 which is the same engine they eventually put in the mustang mach 1s and the cobras(supercharged though). The conti, Mark VIII, mustang mach 1s and cobras have a 4 valve engine, while the towncar and mustang gt has a 2 valve per cylinder engine. The frame is NOT the panther platform(like the crown vic, towncar and marquis). It is the d186 platform which the taurus, windstar and the mercury sable were built on. Alternators cost around 200 bucks and every other part is comparable to a 3800 engine(except 2 extra cylinders). I went from a grand prix gtp to a lincoln mark 8 and a continential and I am amazed at how much better cars they are. So in general they are very reliable, they are about 4/10 on repair cost(higher is more expensive) and they drive 10x better than a gm. I put some links below for you- 1) cheap parts for it 2) fixing stuff in your car/tech articles 3) reviews from people owning a 2001 year 4,5) air suspension parts- suncore buys from arnott though
