My mother was going to buy one of these. She had picked out a nice green one. But, my parents wanted to pay cash and the finance guy spent so much time trying to get them to take out a loan that my father said “we’ll think about it.” Then they went over and bought a Buick Park Avenue.
My mother had one of these when I was a teenager. Talk about feeling lucky getting to learn to drive in it! Very well probably saved our lives when a big truck ran a high speed traffic sign and totaled us out. The car was demolished without us getting hurt. It helped save us, and I miss that car. Have had a lifelong special place for Ford cars ever since. 🤠
In 1990 I bought a Mustang GT and a coworker bought an LSC. Both cars had 225 HP, mine 5-speed and his AOD. He always wanted to race against my GT so we lined up one morning near work and I blew the LSC's doors off. I guess that's what the weight and transmission difference would do.
@@justme307Foxbody Mustang GT 3 door hatch 3,200lbs. Foxbody Mark VII 2 door coupe 3,850lbs. 650 extra pounds plus a slushbox, of course it will knock 1.5 seconds off the 0-60 lol. The GT used a 3.08 rear end while the Mark VII used a 3.27 rear end. It helps with the automatic and weight penalty. Fun fact...a GT with the automatic isn't much quicker than a Mark VII because of the different rear end gearing.
Transmission failure was common in these. Otherwise, they are really well built and durable. Too bad no one makes cars like this these days. It is like a recliner on wheels.
Transmission failures were not an issue on this generation V8 Continental like it was on the old V6 AXOD units. These use a heavily reinforced Taurus V8 SHO AX4N transmission.
I had a 96 Continental that I bought brand new. Stickered out at 49K. Boight it with Every option including Lincoln rescu and the run-flat tires. If you ask me '96 was the best year because going forward they stripped more stuff off every year. I was financed in June of 96 so I could have gotten either a 96 or a 97 but I made the dealer locate me a loaded 96 because that was the last year for the four-wheel air suspension, and that was a far superior ride
I remember that. The 1995 & 1996 were loaded with "surprises & delights" including a sliding luggage compartment in the trunk, an integral interior umbrella with its own holder, and a new memory profile system that was ahead of its time. They had so many gadgets buyers were complaining because they were confused. Which is why for 1998 it got a simplified electronic features package along with a redesign with slightly longer Jaguar-esque rear body work and more engine torque at lower rpm. Same thing happened with the all new 1995 Contour/Mystique & all new 1996 Taurus/Sable. All of them were truly well built world class automobiles at the time but people just didn't want to pay import prices for them. It sucked because they were worth every penny. Unfortunately they were all decontented right after their first model year or two and the build quality was reduced as well.
@user-sk1eh3pg6j yes my 96 had the "cargo storage system" is what that luggage thing was called and that was also the last year for that as well.... very early 95 models still had the lighted Halos around the door locks cylinders, but that was one of the first things to go.... the second thing to go was the light in the center console in mid '96. 1997 saw the rear ashtrays, front air suspension, the cargo storage system, and the umbrella all go away... then as you stated when the 98 models came out they were a shell or their former selves, so much was stripped off by the bean counters... they were so cheap in 1999 they actually did away with the lock cylinder on the passenger door. SMH
@@MrKinglauro OH yeah and they also did away with the illuminated digital PRNDL display in dash for 5 passenger models, did away with the wood trim on the rear door panels for 98+ and and they used a lower quality leather thinking noone would notice lol
@Jag-leaper I sold the car in 2003, 7 years after I bought it, and it was at 151K and was on the original engine, transmission, and air Springs. My biggest issue with the car was the interior unfortunately was very cheap and kept falling apart. Specifically the door panels.
@@marcusjosefsson4998It was not impossible for Ford to add head curtain airbags & a backup camera to the Panther cars. That's all they needed to comply with the new safety standards at that point in time. I mean think about it, they didn't have any problems updating all their stupid pickup trucks and SUVs to meet the new safety standards did they?
Should have adapted it to have IRS like the mark series and used more aluminum, not just hood and deck lid. Also in 03 it should have gotten a refresh not just a new chassis. A town car with the high output 5.4L from the SUV would have been fun :-)
The last Continental was something nobody asked for. It was too ugly, too much of what we didn't want, too expensive, too late & no V8! We asked for the Town Car & that's what they cooked up. We didn't buy it.
@@user-sk1eh3pg6j Lincoln had the opportunity to make something really special just like Cadillac did with the CT6. The Cadillac CT6 had rear wheel drive or rear wheel drive biased all wheel drive, powerful V6 engines, and an optional high performance V8 engine, as well as a 34 speaker Bose Panaray sound system. The Lincoln Continental used a stretched CD4 platform derived from the Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX/Nautilus and was front wheel drive or front wheel drive biased all wheel drive along with the 3.7L V6 engine from the Ford Mustang and a 2.7L EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engine and a 3.0L EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engine, and also a plug-in hybrid V6 engine option. I drove a Lincoln Contintental as a chauffer for a brief period of time. It had some charm, but it could have been greater. I probably missed out on a lot of the comfort since it was a fleet vehicle and they use less comfortable driver seats in those models for livery services/limousine services. I would like to see what a fully loaded 2020 Lincoln Continental Black Label feels like to see the difference. If it were up to me Lincoln would create an all new Continental using the rear wheel drive platform from the Ford Mustang and offer the poweful 5.0L Coyote V8 engine as well as some of the EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engines, an air suspension, and a high quality interior.
A bit too Taurusy for my taste but now, not too shabby. Always thought they should put this DOHC in the panthers. But maybe not enough low end torque...
The 03 Mercury Maunder version of the Grand Marquis was the only Panther Body to get the 4.6L DOHC 32v V-8. Think it made 330 hp. The Town Car should’ve gotten it too.
My parents were very close to buying one of these in light blue but ended up with a fully loaded Mercury Sable LS Premium instead. My dad wasnt crazy about the V8s gas mileage and the Duratec V6 was plenty of power. That Sable ended up being my first car.
Should've got the Continental. That V8 feeds its power through a modulated lockup torque converter that locks up in 2nd gear and the low end torque helps it get similar mileage to the Duratec V6 with a light right foot.
Your parents missed out on a legendary American luxury car. I remember driving a 2001 Lincoln Continental 20 years ago and being very impressed by it. I wish that Ford would bring the Lincoln Continental back. Lincoln needs a new car in their American vehicle lineup!
It's a bit surprising considering the Sable has a far less Superior ride in fact it's downright harsh we had a 96 GS and every bump feels like a jackhammer going up your spine I found this to be common with all Taurus cars
@@Jag-leaper The Taurus/Sable always had a firm ride suspension. That's why they handle so well. It's not really harsh but it's very firm yet silky smooth. GM & Chrysler midsized cars have a much softer ride.
This is my favorite generation of the Continental. Very handsome contemporary design. I like how it's not so rounded vs the Taurus/Sable. It has the perfect interior and exterior design to make it into a sleeper street car.
If you want something with cushy seats and soft suspensions you need to get into the mega dollar full size luxury sedans from Mercedes-Benz with the S-Class, BMW with the 7-Series, Audi with the A8 or something similar. It's too bad that Lincoln and Cadillac have exited the comfortable large luxury sedan business.
@@gedaman Unfortunately, even those cars don't have the plushness of the American luxury cars of old. And their price tag and reliability issues make them prohibitively expensive, too.
That is what the Lincoln LS was for. But nobody bought em. Remind me of all the people complaining about a lack of manual transmissions but when manual transmission was sold nobody bought them.
@@user-sk1eh3pg6j I always thought that the Lincoln LS looked like a knockoff BMW E39 5-Series. I really liked it. It was the overlooked luxury performance sedan that should have gone further. I think it was also the first car to use fake engine sounds played through the interior speakers, something that BMW would copy later on with cars like the 2011 BMW M5.
I prefer my 96 Buick Roadmaster sedan. It's rear wheel drive and has a nice LT1 V8 engine that purrs along the highway with ease. Nothing front wheel drive will ever be as good to drive as a full size, full frame, rear wheel drive V8 car
Wild to think you could have this spruced up 80’s based Taurus platform at the same time as the amazing E39 5-series, Lexus GS, or even the W210 E-class for not a whole lot more. The Germans and Japanese were giving their best while the Americans were phoning it in.
Always liked that these had the 32-valve engine (some had that callout on the rear). Didn't know they were FWD though. Didn't shop for one back then so a lot I didn't know about them.
@@justme307 OH lol. They were fixed to the taillamps on the last gen Continental and last gen Mark VIII. I thought it was a very classy touch. Especially on the Continental.
This body style and interior still look fairly timeless compared to their competition. As far as front wheel drive goes, a nice vehicle for doing doughnuts.
Town Car & Mark VIII were for people who wanted rwd. Continental didn't have issues in the snow like they did though so rwd is not necessarily "better" especially since the Continental handles better than both the Mark VIII and Town Car.
My sister had a 2011 town car. She almost backed the big ass sob in a river. That 1 tire hanging over the bank. We got out trying to lift it up. We were pushing, and all of a sudden, the air suspension lifted up, and that big boat took off and all off ended face first in the river
My dad and I had one of these as a rental car back in the day. Definitely had a nicer interior than any Buick out there. But one year later in 1999, I definitely would have taken a 300M or even a LHS over one of these.
When the bean counters take over that is what happens. If there is a way to save money they will try to extract it anywhere they can. This 1998 Lincoln Continental was a heavily modified Ford Taurus platform with a lot of shiny chrome accents and supple leather and wood trim.
I prefer the styling of the '95, but the '98 Continental is still a beautiful car. It was more luxurious and better performing than the larger and more expensive Town Car.
I agree. The only bad thing about these is the lack of rear wood grain trim on the door panels. It was a very obvious cost-cutting measure that Ford did not even try to hide. Genuine real authentic wood grain trim in these is expensive but atleast the fake wood trim in the Sable was on the rear doors. It's almost an embarrassment especially when you have a passenger that drives a Cadillac asking where's the wood in the rear seat?
The Continental was closer to the Oldsmobile Aurora than Cadillac Seville. As mentioned the1998 Seville was all-new and switched to the Aurora's G-body platform, and was (longterm Northstar reliability aside) wayy more/better car. I think my 1999 STS's window sticker tickled the north side of $50k. Aurora looked way better than the Conti tho, and had an awesome cockpit inspired interior.
You don't know what you are talking about. This car is a full sized American luxury sedan. It did not compete with ANY foreign cars at all. It competed with the full sized Chrysler LHS, full sized Cadillac Seville SLS/STS, full sized Oldsmobile Aurora and if it was fully optioned out it could also compete with the DeVille Concours. That's it. All of its competition used a 4 speed automatic too. The Lincoln LS V6 & LS V8 & Cadillac Catera are the ones that competed with your foreign cars. They were available with a V6 5 speed manual or V6/V8 5 speed automatic transmission. Only the BMW 5 Series offered a manual transmission out of that bunch. Kudos to Lincoln for that.
Too bad they don't make cars with cushy seats & soft suspensions anymore that are capable of making all the bumps disappear. These things ride better than a Town Car (courtesy of IRS), having owned both!
@@CarQuizzical Wrong, they all ride like crap now. Suspensions have gotten more expensive and more unreliable, not better. You call breaking a tension strut or bending a control arm or snapping a tie rod better? It happens often on modern vehicles because their bushings & springs aren't soft & don't travel long enough to swallow a huge pothole or curb like on older luxury cars. 20-22" wheels wearing thin rock hard tires don't help neither.
@@CarQuizzicalI've rented nice modern cars in the late 2010s they don't ride as smooth as my 300k mile Nissan Titan 4wd work truck did at the end when I retired it from work that my 82 LTD Crown Victoria rides even better over all but the worst bumps (smaller tires) Show me a modern era car that rides well and is comfortable.
Get on CarsAndBids and wait for a low mileage, elderly owned land yacht for 8k. Those air-ride suspensions were always durable for me, but I take care of my shit.
@@johnkay6197Sounds like it was driven rough. None of Ford's front wheel drive 90s cars were known for chewing ball joints like that. That's a highly known issue on the 90s fwd Chrysler LH products, 90s GM full sized rwd cars & 90s Thunderbird/Cougar/Mark VIII.
This car with that v8 was awful to service. That engine was an awful choice for a Taurus.. the mark series with this engine are more reliable, easy to service and better handling. Fact is these have been off the road for years but i still see town cars daily and Mark series occasionally
Apparently you've never changed an oil filter on a Mark VIII or removed a valve cover on one. These are easier to service than a Mark VIII & just as reliable as a Mark VIII/Town Car. These did not sell nowhere near as well as the Town Car which is why you hardly ever see them on the road now because you didn't see them that much when they were brand new either. Keep it real and quit being biased.
IDK. Every Conti I worked on was a rust, oil leaking pile of junk even when they were "only" 10 years old. Last Conti I knew of was scrapped about 8 years ago. Haven't seen one since other than down south in VA. Maybe southern Conti are actually decent. They just don't do it for me. Don't like V8 in mood sized fwd cars
@@workingcountry1776 That says alot about you and your skills. Your job is to keep a car in like new condition. If every one you've touched was a piece of crap, who's fault is that? YOURS.
This was a really good effort let down by typical shit Ford quality. The car, when working properly drove beautifully. It had a controlled yet nearly float ride. The air suspension was the brilliant, but it was utter junk that failed over and over again. I even like the way this car looks today as I did when my aunt had one.
My mother was going to buy one of these. She had picked out a nice green one. But, my parents wanted to pay cash and the finance guy spent so much time trying to get them to take out a loan that my father said “we’ll think about it.” Then they went over and bought a Buick Park Avenue.
The Buick is better anyway
Haha! Good decision
Hope it was an ultra 😍
@@gsxellence no, it wasn’t. I tried to talk them into it, but Mom didn’t see the need.
@@stevenwallman2346 😭mom how could you 😭
I had a 2002 Continental as a rental car. It was one of the nicest cars I had ever driven.
Craig's stache deserves its own review.
Agreed
My mother had one of these when I was a teenager. Talk about feeling lucky getting to learn to drive in it! Very well probably saved our lives when a big truck ran a high speed traffic sign and totaled us out. The car was demolished without us getting hurt. It helped save us, and I miss that car. Have had a lifelong special place for Ford cars ever since. 🤠
I remember Robert De Niro's character in the Meet the Parents driving one of these. Don't know why I remember that, but I thought it was cool.
That was my favorite scene when he kicked that Mercedes ass LOL
Me too. I thought exactly the same thing!
I literally had this exact same thought!!! Vividly remember him hitting the turn signal and making that left turn while Stiller raced on.
Robert De Niro was driving a Lincoln Ls not the Continental
For those who find the Background Music for this review catchy, it's called Going Places by Doug Boyle.
Best cars/trucks are of the 1990s and early 2000s imo. They had just enough tech
Hindsight being what it is . Lincoln made some very sharp cars in the early 90s and early 2000s. I really liked the LSC and LS models
In 1990 I bought a Mustang GT and a coworker bought an LSC. Both cars had 225 HP, mine 5-speed and his AOD. He always wanted to race against my GT so we lined up one morning near work and I blew the LSC's doors off. I guess that's what the weight and transmission difference would do.
What year ? I had a 1985 GT. Loved that car
@@robertc5200 Were you replying to me? Both were new 1990 models.
@@justme307. I was. Those fox body Mustangs were great back in the day
@@justme307Foxbody Mustang GT 3 door hatch 3,200lbs. Foxbody Mark VII 2 door coupe 3,850lbs. 650 extra pounds plus a slushbox, of course it will knock 1.5 seconds off the 0-60 lol. The GT used a 3.08 rear end while the Mark VII used a 3.27 rear end. It helps with the automatic and weight penalty. Fun fact...a GT with the automatic isn't much quicker than a Mark VII because of the different rear end gearing.
What a beautiful and modern luxury car! A very high quality product.
Modern cars should be more like this - real buttons, smooth, comfortable seats, etc.
The good ol days I'd go back in some ways
Transmission failure was common in these. Otherwise, they are really well built and durable. Too bad no one makes cars like this these days. It is like a recliner on wheels.
Transmission failures were not an issue on this generation V8 Continental like it was on the old V6 AXOD units. These use a heavily reinforced Taurus V8 SHO AX4N transmission.
3L v6 could now up that transmission....
@@workingcountry1776 ?
“other than that Mrs Lincoln how was the play”
All of Ford's transmissions sucked back then 😂
Love these older reviews!
I had a 96 Continental that I bought brand new. Stickered out at 49K. Boight it with Every option including Lincoln rescu and the run-flat tires. If you ask me '96 was the best year because going forward they stripped more stuff off every year. I was financed in June of 96 so I could have gotten either a 96 or a 97 but I made the dealer locate me a loaded 96 because that was the last year for the four-wheel air suspension, and that was a far superior ride
I remember that. The 1995 & 1996 were loaded with "surprises & delights" including a sliding luggage compartment in the trunk, an integral interior umbrella with its own holder, and a new memory profile system that was ahead of its time. They had so many gadgets buyers were complaining because they were confused. Which is why for 1998 it got a simplified electronic features package along with a redesign with slightly longer Jaguar-esque rear body work and more engine torque at lower rpm. Same thing happened with the all new 1995 Contour/Mystique & all new 1996 Taurus/Sable. All of them were truly well built world class automobiles at the time but people just didn't want to pay import prices for them. It sucked because they were worth every penny. Unfortunately they were all decontented right after their first model year or two and the build quality was reduced as well.
@user-sk1eh3pg6j yes my 96 had the "cargo storage system" is what that luggage thing was called and that was also the last year for that as well.... very early 95 models still had the lighted Halos around the door locks cylinders, but that was one of the first things to go.... the second thing to go was the light in the center console in mid '96. 1997 saw the rear ashtrays, front air suspension, the cargo storage system, and the umbrella all go away... then as you stated when the 98 models came out they were a shell or their former selves, so much was stripped off by the bean counters... they were so cheap in 1999 they actually did away with the lock cylinder on the passenger door. SMH
@@MrKinglauro OH yeah and they also did away with the illuminated digital PRNDL display in dash for 5 passenger models, did away with the wood trim on the rear door panels for 98+ and and they used a lower quality leather thinking noone would notice lol
How long did your air suspension last?
@Jag-leaper I sold the car in 2003, 7 years after I bought it, and it was at 151K and was on the original engine, transmission, and air Springs. My biggest issue with the car was the interior unfortunately was very cheap and kept falling apart. Specifically the door panels.
as a foreigner the styling of these 90's US cars can look weird but i absolutely love them.
I had one and loved it. Continentals are always beautiful.
2:39 John: THE CONNIE IS STILL NO HANDLING KING! LOL
john: CAPS LOCK LOL
Dis-continuing the Panther body cars was a big mistake by Ford.
Panther platform was impossible to keep going with new safety requirements.
This isn't a Panther...
@@marcusjosefsson4998It was not impossible for Ford to add head curtain airbags & a backup camera to the Panther cars. That's all they needed to comply with the new safety standards at that point in time. I mean think about it, they didn't have any problems updating all their stupid pickup trucks and SUVs to meet the new safety standards did they?
Should have adapted it to have IRS like the mark series and used more aluminum, not just hood and deck lid. Also in 03 it should have gotten a refresh not just a new chassis.
A town car with the high output 5.4L from the SUV would have been fun :-)
@@workingcountry1776you can buy a Marauder with a powerful V8 !!
I’ve always seen a lot of Jaguar inspiration in the rear and side corner styling. Not surprised given their history together.
One of my favorite cars...
Thank you for the review of the Lincoln Continental. It is appreciated. Lincoln needs sedans in 2024. I know they tried with the later Continental.
The last Continental was something nobody asked for. It was too ugly, too much of what we didn't want, too expensive, too late & no V8! We asked for the Town Car & that's what they cooked up. We didn't buy it.
@@user-sk1eh3pg6j Lincoln had the opportunity to make something really special just like Cadillac did with the CT6. The Cadillac CT6 had rear wheel drive or rear wheel drive biased all wheel drive, powerful V6 engines, and an optional high performance V8 engine, as well as a 34 speaker Bose Panaray sound system. The Lincoln Continental used a stretched CD4 platform derived from the Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX/Nautilus and was front wheel drive or front wheel drive biased all wheel drive along with the 3.7L V6 engine from the Ford Mustang and a 2.7L EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engine and a 3.0L EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engine, and also a plug-in hybrid V6 engine option. I drove a Lincoln Contintental as a chauffer for a brief period of time. It had some charm, but it could have been greater. I probably missed out on a lot of the comfort since it was a fleet vehicle and they use less comfortable driver seats in those models for livery services/limousine services. I would like to see what a fully loaded 2020 Lincoln Continental Black Label feels like to see the difference. If it were up to me Lincoln would create an all new Continental using the rear wheel drive platform from the Ford Mustang and offer the poweful 5.0L Coyote V8 engine as well as some of the EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engines, an air suspension, and a high quality interior.
A bit too Taurusy for my taste but now, not too shabby. Always thought they should put this DOHC in the panthers. But maybe not enough low end torque...
The 03 Mercury Maunder version of the Grand Marquis was the only Panther Body to get the 4.6L DOHC 32v V-8. Think it made 330 hp. The Town Car should’ve gotten it too.
The Panther platforms really needed the torque of the 5.4, that would've made a huge difference.
Good looking car.
I see they have Yosemite Sam doing the interior modeling.
That's Craig Singhaus
@@davidaubin3902 I think you mean Giarc Suahgnis
Nice Stash!😅
“In a world where people can’t program VCRs properly….” 😂😊🤭
My parents were very close to buying one of these in light blue but ended up with a fully loaded Mercury Sable LS Premium instead. My dad wasnt crazy about the V8s gas mileage and the Duratec V6 was plenty of power. That Sable ended up being my first car.
Should've got the Continental. That V8 feeds its power through a modulated lockup torque converter that locks up in 2nd gear and the low end torque helps it get similar mileage to the Duratec V6 with a light right foot.
Your parents missed out on a legendary American luxury car. I remember driving a 2001 Lincoln Continental 20 years ago and being very impressed by it. I wish that Ford would bring the Lincoln Continental back. Lincoln needs a new car in their American vehicle lineup!
It's a bit surprising considering the Sable has a far less Superior ride in fact it's downright harsh we had a 96 GS and every bump feels like a jackhammer going up your spine I found this to be common with all Taurus cars
@@Jag-leaper The Taurus/Sable always had a firm ride suspension. That's why they handle so well. It's not really harsh but it's very firm yet silky smooth. GM & Chrysler midsized cars have a much softer ride.
Ricardo Montalban says, "I love to drink in the lush, wine-filled interior."
This is my favorite generation of the Continental. Very handsome contemporary design. I like how it's not so rounded vs the Taurus/Sable. It has the perfect interior and exterior design to make it into a sleeper street car.
The design has stood the test of time and with just a few updates (mostly tech), this car would look right at home in a current day Lincoln showroom.
I'll disagree. Looked mid-range back then not worthy of the high sticker price, Looks downright cheap now.
@@TeeroyHammermill I disagree
White helmet, test track...thoght it was The Stig driving for a moment
Lol.
It's the Stig's Lincoln driving cousin.
Is this built on the Taurus platform ?
Yes
Craig wanting to be David E. Davis.
or Dennis Gage
I saw one of these on the road today, still looked in pretty good shape.
Too bad they don't make cars with cushy seats and soft suspensions anymore that are capable of making all the bumps disappear.
This car had the plushest seats I've ever experienced.
If you want something with cushy seats and soft suspensions you need to get into the mega dollar full size luxury sedans from Mercedes-Benz with the S-Class, BMW with the 7-Series, Audi with the A8 or something similar. It's too bad that Lincoln and Cadillac have exited the comfortable large luxury sedan business.
@@gedaman Unfortunately, even those cars don't have the plushness of the American luxury cars of old. And their price tag and reliability issues make them prohibitively expensive, too.
@@LCR You’re right. They’re even better! 🤣
Yes, it's called luxury SUV ...
Nice car. Only improvement would be RWD and 5 speed auto.
That is what the Lincoln LS was for. But nobody bought em. Remind me of all the people complaining about a lack of manual transmissions but when manual transmission was sold nobody bought them.
@@user-sk1eh3pg6j I always thought that the Lincoln LS looked like a knockoff BMW E39 5-Series. I really liked it. It was the overlooked luxury performance sedan that should have gone further. I think it was also the first car to use fake engine sounds played through the interior speakers, something that BMW would copy later on with cars like the 2011 BMW M5.
@@gedaman LS didn't use sound synthesizers, that was the 2005+ Mustang GT that had that.
@@user-sk1eh3pg6j The Lincoln LS had it first.
@@gedaman no
wildly futuristic - i think in 2024 we are finally ready for this spaceship
I prefer my 96 Buick Roadmaster sedan. It's rear wheel drive and has a nice LT1 V8 engine that purrs along the highway with ease. Nothing front wheel drive will ever be as good to drive as a full size, full frame, rear wheel drive V8 car
When You Look At The Lincoln Continental It Takes You Back.
It needs to go back a little more the '70s Continentals were the best.
They don't make them like used to!
ahhh, the good ol' days
Pretty cool they were able to get Gene Shalit to test out the interior of the car.
Wild to think you could have this spruced up 80’s based Taurus platform at the same time as the amazing E39 5-series, Lexus GS, or even the W210 E-class for not a whole lot more. The Germans and Japanese were giving their best while the Americans were phoning it in.
How does a sedan with front bucket seats seat 6? Unless they meant a bench seat was optional?
Always liked that these had the 32-valve engine (some had that callout on the rear). Didn't know they were FWD though. Didn't shop for one back then so a lot I didn't know about them.
Callout in rear????
@@user-sk1eh3pg6j 32-V emblem on the rear panel.
@@justme307 OH lol. They were fixed to the taillamps on the last gen Continental and last gen Mark VIII. I thought it was a very classy touch. Especially on the Continental.
@@user-sk1eh3pg6j That emblem is cool, a badge of honor, much like the Police Interceptor emblem Crown Vic.
This body style and interior still look fairly timeless compared to their competition. As far as front wheel drive goes, a nice vehicle for doing doughnuts.
When I was 4 years old, this car released
Nah, this is 1997.
Still looks good in 2024 and modern.
You can be sure, there are more Animal House Lincoln Connies in existence today than 1998 Connies.
Rear wheel drive would have been better.
Town Car & Mark VIII were for people who wanted rwd. Continental didn't have issues in the snow like they did though so rwd is not necessarily "better" especially since the Continental handles better than both the Mark VIII and Town Car.
My sister had a 2011 town car. She almost backed the big ass sob in a river. That 1 tire hanging over the bank. We got out trying to lift it up. We were pushing, and all of a sudden, the air suspension lifted up, and that big boat took off and all off ended face first in the river
I loved these.
My dad and I had one of these as a rental car back in the day. Definitely had a nicer interior than any Buick out there. But one year later in 1999, I definitely would have taken a 300M or even a LHS over one of these.
So this is how the STIG got his start...
They don't make cars like this unfortunately anymore, let's sue the system!!😂
My buddy had a 97 and that thing had balls 16 mpg though
That's what my mustang gets lol
You ask me, the day the continental went fwd, it died.
When the bean counters take over that is what happens. If there is a way to save money they will try to extract it anywhere they can. This 1998 Lincoln Continental was a heavily modified Ford Taurus platform with a lot of shiny chrome accents and supple leather and wood trim.
Cholos love these cars
Bring back the big sedan!!!
A very attractive car, still. I always liked these.
The around the corner mustache 😂
I prefer the styling of the '95, but the '98 Continental is still a beautiful car. It was more luxurious and better performing than the larger and more expensive Town Car.
The 1998 was much prettier and cleaner looking.
I agree. The only bad thing about these is the lack of rear wood grain trim on the door panels. It was a very obvious cost-cutting measure that Ford did not even try to hide. Genuine real authentic wood grain trim in these is expensive but atleast the fake wood trim in the Sable was on the rear doors. It's almost an embarrassment especially when you have a passenger that drives a Cadillac asking where's the wood in the rear seat?
The Continental was closer to the Oldsmobile Aurora than Cadillac Seville. As mentioned the1998 Seville was all-new and switched to the Aurora's G-body platform, and was (longterm Northstar reliability aside) wayy more/better car. I think my 1999 STS's window sticker tickled the north side of $50k. Aurora looked way better than the Conti tho, and had an awesome cockpit inspired interior.
It's beautiful
Excellent cars!
Cool and nice car. I love it alot now. It is so nicest.
Craig is a morrissey fan
I thought they already uploaded this.
Love this continental ❤😈😈😘😍😍😍😘😘🥰🥰
Only the 1970s were worse than the 1990s for Western automobiles
Which Ford sedan is this Lincoln Continental rebadged from?
Ford Taurus
This car died so SUV's could live.
Lots of rear seat leg room? 🦵
There's a video on RUclips of a guy balancing a penny on this engine while running
I've never been in one of these with a driver who was under the age of 60 😅
Better than "standart" (SWB) Town Car.
Silver or black ⚫️ if you please. The rear reminds me of Jaguar, imo.
Ford owned them back then.... So I can see the styling crossing over here and there
😳That’s $74000 today😳
yeah but wages were almost the same as today, homes and everything else costed alot less, so we had alot more buying power back then.
I never had respect for this car because it made 260 hp from a 280 cuin 32 valve v8.
This Lincoln came only with 4 speed automatic. The majority of the competition at that time had 5 speed automatic.
No they didn't
@@TeeroyHammermill check out 1998 Lexus Ls400, Lexus GS 400, bmw 5 and 7 series, audi A6 and A8.
You don't know what you are talking about. This car is a full sized American luxury sedan. It did not compete with ANY foreign cars at all. It competed with the full sized Chrysler LHS, full sized Cadillac Seville SLS/STS, full sized Oldsmobile Aurora and if it was fully optioned out it could also compete with the DeVille Concours. That's it. All of its competition used a 4 speed automatic too. The Lincoln LS V6 & LS V8 & Cadillac Catera are the ones that competed with your foreign cars. They were available with a V6 5 speed manual or V6/V8 5 speed automatic transmission. Only the BMW 5 Series offered a manual transmission out of that bunch. Kudos to Lincoln for that.
They did not lol
Wyatt Earp!
38K? thats 9k more than my loaded 2003 Mach1 was, and 3-4k More than a 2003 Terminator.
That's the base price. They top $45,000 fully loaded.
Too bad they don't make cars with cushy seats & soft suspensions anymore that are capable of making all the bumps disappear. These things ride better than a Town Car (courtesy of IRS), having owned both!
they still do… in fact suspension has only gotten better and they can be comfortable and handle well at the same time
@@CarQuizzical Wrong, they all ride like crap now. Suspensions have gotten more expensive and more unreliable, not better. You call breaking a tension strut or bending a control arm or snapping a tie rod better? It happens often on modern vehicles because their bushings & springs aren't soft & don't travel long enough to swallow a huge pothole or curb like on older luxury cars. 20-22" wheels wearing thin rock hard tires don't help neither.
100% correct! I miss cushy seats and a cushy suspension...and roominess!
Come on, we all don't need tight handling cars to drive through the Alps!
@@CarQuizzicalI've rented nice modern cars in the late 2010s they don't ride as smooth as my 300k mile Nissan Titan 4wd work truck did at the end when I retired it from work that my 82 LTD Crown Victoria rides even better over all but the worst bumps (smaller tires)
Show me a modern era car that rides well and is comfortable.
Get on CarsAndBids and wait for a low mileage, elderly owned land yacht for 8k.
Those air-ride suspensions were always durable for me, but I take care of my shit.
Did Singhaus whack his head and think he was W.B. Mason? 🤣😂
A gussied up taurus/sable
Looks like a Mercury sable
It was a luxed out Taurus
The FWD Continental was a mistake.
First FWD car I ever owned. It has too much power for FWD. Town car is way better.
I had one ane and it chewed ball joints every 10k miles.
@johnkay6197 which car did you have that chewed ball joints every 10K miles?
For $38,500 in August 1997, I guess it was a worthwhile deal against the $55k RWD LS 400 and $60k+ 740i.
@@johnkay6197Sounds like it was driven rough. None of Ford's front wheel drive 90s cars were known for chewing ball joints like that. That's a highly known issue on the 90s fwd Chrysler LH products, 90s GM full sized rwd cars & 90s Thunderbird/Cougar/Mark VIII.
The car is trying to be an expensive ford or a cheap jaguar at the same time.
Was very nice for what it was at the time, and still today
This car with that v8 was awful to service. That engine was an awful choice for a Taurus.. the mark series with this engine are more reliable, easy to service and better handling. Fact is these have been off the road for years but i still see town cars daily and Mark series occasionally
Apparently you've never changed an oil filter on a Mark VIII or removed a valve cover on one. These are easier to service than a Mark VIII & just as reliable as a Mark VIII/Town Car. These did not sell nowhere near as well as the Town Car which is why you hardly ever see them on the road now because you didn't see them that much when they were brand new either. Keep it real and quit being biased.
IDK. Every Conti I worked on was a rust, oil leaking pile of junk even when they were "only" 10 years old. Last Conti I knew of was scrapped about 8 years ago. Haven't seen one since other than down south in VA.
Maybe southern Conti are actually decent. They just don't do it for me. Don't like V8 in mood sized fwd cars
@@workingcountry1776 That says alot about you and your skills. Your job is to keep a car in like new condition. If every one you've touched was a piece of crap, who's fault is that? YOURS.
Fwd was a bad call on this generation
It was modern and hip the Cadillac Seville was front-wheel drive also the Aurora that it competed with
I’m 😅
This was a really good effort let down by typical shit Ford quality. The car, when working properly drove beautifully. It had a controlled yet nearly float ride. The air suspension was the brilliant, but it was utter junk that failed over and over again. I even like the way this car looks today as I did when my aunt had one.
Ahhh the mercury mistress❤❤....mad tv anyone 😂😂
it is a shame that ford stopped making cars and left us with overpriced overblown european junk
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Here's a cookie 🍪
Stache!!! 4:45