This 1988 Lincoln Continental Was a Far More Advanced and Significant Car Than it Gets Credit For
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2022
- 00:04 Night startup and drive
00:46 Intro
02:55 Start of car review - overview
13:57 Exterior styling
19:14 Events of 1988
26:14 In the trunk
28:24 Under the hood, mechanicals
33:07 Interior, rear, front, cluster
42:44 Test drive
Review of a 1988 Lincoln Continental Signature Series
Review by Bill of Curious Cars - Vehicle available at Autohaus of Naples
www.AutohausNaples.com - (239) 263-8500
Prior Lincoln (and related) reviews:
Review of 1969 Lincoln Mark III
• This 1969 Lincoln Cont...
Review of 1974 Lincoln Continental Mark IV
• This 1976 Lincoln Cont...
Review of 1978 Lincoln Mark V
• This Enormous Lincoln ...
Review of 1979 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe:
• This 14K Mile 1979 Lin...
Review of 1985 Eldorado Touring Coupe
• The First Cadillac Eld... 
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These cars were near and dear to me. My grandfather had two from this generation, a 91' and a 93'. We would road trip a lot together in these cars when I was growing up- I had just gotten my licence at the time but grandpa would let me drive them in those trips anyway! Great memories -we bonded a lot in those cars. In 2012 I bought a low mileage 2002 Continental here at a local Lincoln dealer, talking to my grandfather long distance over the phone as I was buying it - he was super excited and proud that I was able to buy one! It would be the last time I got to talk to him -he passed away of a stroke a few days later. And I kept that car for 8 years. Today I miss my grandfather. Great historic review on this car Bill -Keep up the great work!!!
Nice comment Jeff.
Great story 👏🏻
@Giuliano Matrix Practical reasons really, with unlimited space and resources I probably would have kept it. That car was a beast too -fastest vehicle I ever owned. Though they're generally less problematic than Caddy's Northstar, 32V Intech owners know these motors have their headaches as well. Mine often suffered random ignition coils going out, and finally a spark plug exploding from cylinder 7 due to shallow threads -both well known issues for these motors. The heli-coil plug repair would have been an engine out job that ultimately breached the value of the vehicle -sentimental or not unfortunately.
What a great a very touching story
Glad your Grandpa lived long enough to witness you buying a Continental. I have a 9th generation like your 2002 which I believe was last year of production until Lincoln brought back the Continental in 2017. Mine is a 1999 which I bought in 2022 for $3,200 which was a fair price. Kelly Blue Book for a ‘99 in excellent condition is over $4,000. Sorry you had to sell yours and I hope mine doesn’t suffer the same fate of the exploding spark plug. I had no heat so had to replace the fan door actuator behind the dash and what a royal pain in the a** to get to
ONLY BILL….., can get me to watch a full 50 minute video on an ‘88 Continental. And I gotta say this is a really nice ride👍
i keep watching him too for seme reason, lol
This is a handsome car. I didn't like these when I was younger, but they always catch my eye whenever I see one on the road. I think the look has aged well.
man i've not seen one in person for like 20 years
It really shows why the American luxury brands withered away; it's a cynically tarted up Taurus.
@@taylorc2542 Did U ever read what GM did to the "Nova" (the X platform of the middle '70s) to create the '76 Seville? Far more than a "tarted up" Nova when they were done. Maybe not a true Mercedes/BMW competitor but one darn good Cadillac! Still a little weak in the engine department but in the late '70s nothing was really "fast" anymore. And rear leaf springs seemed somewhat archaic but it all worked & even as the most expensive Caddy of the day, albeit the smallest, it turned out rather successful in terms of sales. Until I read about it I had no idea what lengths GM had really gone to in "re-engineering" the platform. In fact, in the end they had changed so much that they actually gave it it's own chassis designation. It was no longer part of the "X car" group.
Fast-forward 12 yrs to 1988 & you get this Continental. It may have started with the basics of the Taurus/Sable platform but wound up a car far removed from those two. Yes they may have also "borrowed" an engine from another Ford line & re-worked it a bit for these cars, just as GM had done with the Seville, & perhaps not one of their best engines to start with but it served the purpose. If U think these cars were the death of the American auto industry, far from it. It was the run-of-the mill day to day transport for the average Joe that was the real disaster. Pinto, Vega/Monza & it's variants, Horizon, Reliant/Aries, Escort, Tempo/Topaz & the list goes on & on. How they built & sold so much of that crap is beyond me!
Cars like the Seville & this Continental were some of their last true efforts at something of a worthy automobile but, the luxury lines are never going to have high sales volume & you can't continue running a successful company on them alone. Think about how many Corollas that Toyota stills sells & they've been selling them for over 50 years! They know how to get it right...
As to the sales of these Continentals, if U were around back then, I believe they were introduced last week of December '87 (between Christmas & New Year's) & within the 1st 2 weeks I believe they took enough orders for them that it was go in to take 6 to 8 month to fill them all. These things went, as they say, like hotcakes. Even as late as Nov. '88 I tried to rent one for a friends wedding. Not available. Didn't even have 'em in the rental fleets. Needed them all to fill orders.
But, alas as happens all to often with the American companies, the generation subsequent to this one was a major disappointment & never much of a seller. Better, more up-to-date engine, but little else that set it aside as distinctive enough to attract buyers. And, the Japanese, having created a segment of the market that was higher end, even if not quite the likes of Mercedes & BMW, just stepped in & took practically everything right out from under us.
In the '80s I drove Ford (Mercury) & GM. Now, I too, have a Toyota but I still admire these Continentals & if I could find & afford a "mint" one like this I'd have it in an instant. Definitely no interest in a mint Escort. LoL... (Additional note, these Continentals were (as the Sevilles were earlier) the most expensive offered by the brand & they even had REAL wood trim on the inside, not fake plastic like Caddys & the other Lincolns.)
@Modern Classic Collectables Sorry, never did get back to you. Glad you appreciated the info on the '88 Continental & the Seville. Though a lot of the advanced technology of the Conti proved more trouble-prone than it should have, it and the earlier Seville were both rather remarkable automobiles in their day. Seville was less troublesome but a bit more conventional. Other than fuel injection (rare in a '70s car) there wasn't a lot of new tech. Contributing to the "solidity" of the Seville I believe a lot of the front end sheet metal had the bolts "locked" in place with epoxy!
Having had 2 Taurus' in the family (one being a loaded '90 "LX") I'd say they were pretty solid cars. Well above most other American stuff at the time. Again, not as trouble free as the Japanese but at the time I think an Acura Legend would have been a good bit more $$ than even the "LX" was. And even for a fwd car the LX had much more of a "Euro" feel about it & still rode very nicely in spite of being relatively firm. Just for the ride & the feel, it was one of my personal all time favorites so I'm sure these Continentals had to be impressive. Unfortunate they got the bad rap for being problematic. As for "air" suspension, no one's ever been truly successful with that. GM failed in the '50s. Mercedes tried, with limited success in the '60s & '70s (you've likely seen an older 300SEL sitting on the ground because it couldn't hold pressure anymore) so I guess Ford's difficulty with it should come as no real surprise...
“I wondered what happened to that lady, maybe the guy killed her…she probably had it coming” 😂😂 That’s hilarious. Bill’s off-beat humour is just my kind.
On the car, my parents have always been loyal TownCar fans and would say the Continental wasn’t as bulletproof when it came to reliability. I just got a ‘07 Signature TownCar last year with 90k kms and now has around 120k kms and just drives like a dream. The ride that is known as the air ride, no other automaker comes close.
I was a young patrolman in NJ when my Sergeant, whose name was actually Dick Holder, bought one of these. He had the guy at the police garage wax the car for him and gave him the princely sum of $5 to do so. I saw the garage guy just finishing waxing the car and I asked whose car it was. When he told me it was Holder’s, I told him to give me the keys and he did. My partner and I hopped in and drove out the back of police HQ with the freshly waxed Lincoln. As luck would have it, Holder was coming into HQ as we were leaving. We waved at him and he didn’t find it at all amusing. He told us we had gone too far! The Captain suggested he charge us with unlawful taking of a means of conveyance. I thought that was a great idea, since I could testify how Holder had Jim wax his car on city time and only paid the poor bastard $5 to do so. So, that threat of prosecution went no where. Now, 30+ years later, Dick Holder still reminds me and whoever I’m with at the moment, of how I stole his brand new Lincoln.
Wasn’t he married to Pussy Galore?
Yeah that's a great name
Imagine that name backwards on a DL😂
True story!
My daily driver was a Taurus SHO, with a stick at the time this Lincoln came out. The Lincoln seemed like an old man’s car to me. I think Bill’s honest and accurate description have given me a sense of respect for this car. The Taurus was a better than decent car, so this Lincoln can’t be that bad.
Very underrated car. Looked very modern for it's time, especially for American luxury cars. Most American cars still had a 70s malaise look to them up until the early 90s, but this car looked very modern and contemporary.
It's an underrated and underappreciated survivor car
Bill, you never cease to amaze me how you’re able to make me appreciate something new I didn’t know about just about every car you review. This one is no exception and actually a fine example of how you educate us on so many models we took for granted. I had always overlooked this era of Continental as just a boring grandpa car, the facts I learned about the advanced suspension and other things is very interesting. I look at these differently now, thanks to you.
As always, thank you and can’t wait for the next ones. Especially the Camaros!
A car salesman’s dream right there lol
There's a understated and timeless elegance to this generation especially seeing one in this mint condition, essentially new, it is definitely one of the nicest looks cars from this era and I think holds up to the very best in the mid 80s to early 90s cars.
bullsheet. THIS is just a stretched TAURUS at TWICE the price. Worthless POS.
I see a lot of Ford tempo in the design.
Bought one new in 1992 from a dealer. Same colors, but with leather. Nothing but trouble. In 32,000 miles I replaced 2 power steering units, an alternator, a water pump . Dash would go blank or turn into hieroglyphics. Ride control would pump up to air bladders to full height randomly- nothing says fun like that happening at highway speeds. Climate control was hit and miss...during summer it would go to max heat, during winter air conditioning would cycle on. All but one of the windows pulled out of the track mechanism. The automatic trunk assist locking mechanism froze up. One day I was driving home from work. A summer rainstorm downpours, I turned on the wipers and nothing...had to blindly pull of the highway onto the shoulder and just waited for the rain to stop. It would eat brake light bulbs by the handful. The shuttle driver knew me by name and my work address. After 20,000 miles and tens of trips to the dealer, I asked them about trading it in on something else. They told me they'd give me half of low book for trade in because " it seems to have a lot of problems." It finally blew a head gasket and I drove it to the dealership with steam and oil boiling out of the engine compartment. I threw the keys at the sales manager and told him what he could do with the car in no uncertain terms. It was a Sunday afternoon and the sales floor had a dozen customers. I encouraged all of them to shop elsewhere. 2 months later Ford financial called asking about my payment ( I had never been late a single day during this nightmare) I told them I turned the car in and I'm not paying for it. A week later I got a call from their legal department threatening action. I told them the story of the car, the fact that I had over 50 work orders in a banker box and I'm ready to see them in court. I never heard from them again and it never hit my credit report. Beautiful car, but I literally couldn't trust it further than my insurance company would tow it. I was making payments and would rent a car to visit family for a weekend. I should have just taken it to the desert and torched it for insurance.
There's too many stories like yours,I use to love Ford's but alot of them are junk.so I drive a Honda Van
🤣🤣🤣
Did you ever have a.problem with the oil pressure gauge? I sure did it would never stop beeping.because it.thought it had no oil pressure . it apparently was broken because i put it i. The shop to replace the oil pump and it still kept beeping.drove me nuts and the air.suspensiom was a total pain in my ass.aswell i.drove it with flat shocks in the front for several years . i couldnt resist.to reply.to you when i read.your horror story
Parents had same experience. Shit car. 3 transmissions, air suspension, digital gauges, all cratered multiple times. And that's before the tissue thin leather, fake wood, and schizophrenic panel gaps.
Had a 90 bought new for 2 years- performed flawlessly!!
Holy crap, I wasn't expecting to get to see the legend reveal himself in the mirror. A nice bonus. Take care bill
Brutality110 - At what point in the video does bill reveal himself in the mirror?
There’s actually a video from when Bill returned to autohaus about a year or so ago. He’s apparently a little shy in front of the camera. And he’s also quite gracious and modest.
My late elderly mother had a used 1991 model that she got in about 1994. It never had any real problems, she kept the interior immaculate, only needed a few things doing to it in the local auto shop, and she drove it daily until about 2006 when she decided to give up driving due to her health; so she sold it to a young girl from the next small town over. Then ten days after that the girl was hit by a van running a red light and it was totaled. Such a good car that she adored for over a decade.
Loved how they dragged in the rear when the rear air shocks went out after a year 😏
Mine, a 2003 Grand Marquis, lasted 19 years. Replaced them with coil springs last year. The mechanic was amazed to see they were original.
Although I have always fancied myself a Cadillac man, this was one of my all-time favorite cars. I currently on a Lincoln MKZ hybrid, but it’s no Brougham. Absolutely love your videos, don’t ever stop!
I am with you 100%. I’ve always been a Cadillac man all the way, but this generation of Continental is one of my all-time faves too.
I had a 94 Continental. Absolutely one of my favorite body styles of all time. I drove in amazement as the 4 wheel air shocks would pump up and down depending on driving and speed. You would stop at a light the front end would lower, and driving was a pleasure. Down side of this model, air shock failure, weak transmissions, 3.8 V6s that would blow head gaskets before 60k, underbodys that would rust, a continuum of revolving breaking down and repairs. A electronic masterpiece what was 110% fool's gold. One of the least reliable cars produced at the time, yet I still love them. Now finding a mint one is like finding the needle in the haystack!
I had a 1993 Continental and it was a fantastic and luxurious car. Great power, excellent mileage and incredible in the snow due to the FWD.
Love your review of this car!
In 1988, my parents and I test drove a new Continental at Olympic Lincoln Mercury in Seattle. The salesman had us make several hard maneuvers in the parking lot as a demonstration of how well the air suspension handled sudden moves. Coming from our 1979 and 1980 Cadillac Fleetwood Broughams, we were amazed. We knew that the '89 model was coming soon with dual front airbags, so we waited for that, and bought one - a new currant red Signature Series with silver leather interior. It was a wonderful car to ride in - which we did for nearly 200,000 miles over eleven years - although I think I recall that the suspension had limited travel, which translated to occasional topping and bottoming out under certain circumstances. My dad noted that in certain instances, the old "inferior" suspension of the two live-axle Cadillacs (which we still had) enjoyed the virtue of powering through a curve, which was not something amenable to the front drive Lincoln. Nevertheless, the car held up well over the years - completely solid and rattle free body and interior - and served us faithfully until we replaced it with a new 2000 Lincoln LS Sport. With the LS, we finally experienced the great marriage of a modern suspension with rear wheel drive. But your video makes me wish I still had the Continental!
Now you generally see these Continentals with the air suspension shot and hanging low to the ground and burning blue smoke. These were certainly used up and driven. Very few good ones left.
You see the Town Cars too with sagging rear ends.
My dad rented one of these for me to use on prom night. The date was a dud but I loved driving this car around.
Keep these videos coming! I commute by air weekly and one of these videos is long enough to keep me entertained on the flight home. Thank you!
The back of this 1988 Lincoln is remarkably similar to the back of a 1988 Plymouth Acclaim !
i see it. A lot of cars had that look in those days. Remember the giant tail lights of the Rolls and Bentleys? Yikes
@@randolfo1265 Yes..... hideous.
Had a '91 Acclaim, 2.5 liter. Actually a decent car.
@@jonathanabbott8579 I had a 1986 Reliant and it was a 3 speed on the floor. Sometimes mistaken for a Mercedes!
Was thinking same the rear looks alike the Acclaim that was another great little car all cars around that time looked alike .
My dad had one, in a really nice forest green. One of the most comfortable cars you can be in for long distance driving and road trips.
I loved that color,
How was the Lincoln on the Nurburgring?
my brother had the 1998? Connie with the Intec V8... that sucker hauled!
I agree, hardly anyone remembers this car, but I do. I lived in the Detroit area during this time and worked in a high end restaurant in the tony suburb of Birmingham. I was in my early 20’s, and was having a great time. I met celebrities who were in town almost every week when they would dine in the restaurant. One regular customer who asked for me every time he came in was the CEO of Ford, Donald Petersen, and his wonderful wife Jody. They were always thoughtful, kind, and generous. Mrs. Petersen’s mode of travel, with a chauffeur, was the new Continental. These people were down to earth and always asked what I thought about anything newsworthy with Ford. Once there were rumblings regarding the company, and the Ford family wanting more control. They asked what my opinion was, and I replied “just because your name is on the building, doesn’t mean you know anything about running the place”. I thought Mrs. Petersen was going to do a spit take as her eyes popped.
Another part of my life was who I was seeing then. During this time I was dating an executive at G.M. He had been recruited by G.M., and move from California to start his new career. After the introduction of the Continental I recall reading in the papers that Lincoln was selling better than Cadillac, and that hadn’t happened in a while. My boyfriend told me he attended an end of model year meeting in the spring, and he said the speaker who made opening remarks wanted to “congratulate Ford on their success with the new Continental, and that G.M had some catching up to do”. I told Mr. Petersen what I’d heard, and he seemed very satisfied. It’s too bad these cars are mostly forgotten about, because at the time, they were very impressive. Now every “car” on the road looks the same, if I drove an SUV, I’d get lost in the parking lot every time.
These are pretty cool and underrated cars but if I had to choose which 80s/90s Lincoln car I wanted to buy, it probably be the Town Car (1st and 2nd gen) or the Mark VII LSC
Thank you Bill for taking the time to do a fantastic review of a generation of Continentals that many have forgotten. It’s great to see such a beautiful example that was so well preserved for nearly 35 years!
The 1990 Lincoln Town Car was a far superior automobile and was 1990 Motor Trend Car of the Year. The Best Lincoln Continentals were the one's built from 1969 to 1979. After they down sized it in 1980, things went down from there.
The Chevy Vega was a Motor Trend Car of the Year..Just sayin
Everybody knows the best lincoln in the Lincoln Versailles owo
@@WSNO Just a Ford Granada rebranded or Mercury Monarch. Same thing.
@@alanmorrison3598 dammit. I love Vega's. Especially wagons. 🤣
@@curtiszzzchicago actually I do too !
Bill, you're going to go down in history as the world's best car salesman. Congrats!
These cars were notorious for head gasket issues on the V6 engine. Although a nice car for sure, I really can't say that I am a fan of the powertrain. I would rather have the V8 rear drive town car.
Great review none the less.
Plate C
Yes, that 3.8 was famous for it. Had a neighbor that took excellent care of his 94 Taurus and it blew it's had gasket at about 30k too. The water passage was too close the cylinder and it would blow out. I've got pics from when I fixed mine showing how close they were and you can see it.
@@ryanhawkins1235 For the price of a Lincoln, customers deserved WAY better than the crappy 3.8 V6 that were all but certain to blow head gaskets. Inexcusable.
@@billyjoejimbob56 Yes, they tried to ignore that issue. I heard or read that they did extend the warranty due to that on 94s the last year of that model. Wish the Continentals were built as well as the Town Cars. The panther cars are great.
And the air suspension was HORRIBLE. I saw so many of these literally scraping the ground when the car was off because the suspension needed replacing.
Yes, too bad they didn't build them like the Town Cars.
Gold.. pure gold..
Thank you sir, for a marvelous video,
I played this for the ladies axillary group in apache junction AZ..
They loved it,, and now it is on the books that every friday we will watch a automobile of our time review,,,
They don't know any better, so perfect, you are a legend....
All the best,
I love the little anecdotes you sprinkle within your car reviews. It feels like I’m having a conversation with a friend discussing all of the little events that informed my childhood and growing up.
Great insight Bill about this Continental. I had no idea the first’s that this car had spawned. This is why I watch your videos. Keep it up Bill
I'm saving this vid for tomorrow. Thankyou Bill, your videos keep me going through my bad times. God bless you Bill you're an absolute legend xxxx
Love your reviews Bill. Being in the UK, I've never of this or even seen this Continental before. I love it. I want a 90-97 Town Car, but I really like this. Thank you for improving my USA automobile knowledge
I had an absolutely gorgeous 1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with the 3800. Arguably one of the best V6 engines GM has ever built! Such a smooth car all around. As an aside, I'm one of those chipper Canadians however I didn't spend much time in the back seat of this one. So tell me Bill, what's the story behind your "back seat Canadians" bit? ...... Love your vids man, cracks me up every time. Please don't stop posting bud.
It's because he says there's always a bunch of Canadian tourists in Naples and they're always stuffed into a single rental car
@@RobJaskula Hahahahaha, ok thanks man!
Thank you for asking this question, I had been wondering as well, lol
I had an '88 in Burgundy with a matching leather interior. Beautiful car. I also had a '98 in Dark Blue, and loved that one as well. Thanks for the memories, Bill!
My Dad had a really nice MKVII LSC that he inherited from his Grandpa in the early 2000s I loved that thing growing up. It had a custom factory paint job, was like a nice deep wine red or purple and the interior felt so buttoned and together. He traded it in back in 2006 for an 06 Sonata 3.3V6 and that was a great car itself but man he should have kept the MKVII
Had a 1990 continental in this same color combo. I loved how technologically advanced they were but hated how easily that technically would break because the car was so tragically underpowered. Had to replace the AC converter clutch at 65,000 miles, the head gaskets at 89,000 and hell, even the windows would come off of the window mounts.
Lincoln/Mercury power windows would always break down. Either window mounts, motors or the switches. Also had an A/C clutch go on me also.
You just have bad luck. I also had a 1990 bought 12/89. Not a single repair was needed after 225k miles. It got oil changes and basic brake maintenance, nothing more
Yeah, what a P.O.S.😀👍
@@stanleymasterson1135 or you just have great luck. I’ve met a lot of Continental owners who had tons of issues with these. Used to be common to have one pull up next to you at the gas station and ask if you’ve had to replace air bags or head gaskets.
@@AskWlat Never had one pull up next to me in 225k miles. The car was too rare for that
Thanks for the ride Bill.
I have fond memories for this generation of Lincoln Continentals but I've always wondered if the resemblance to the Taurus/Sable hurt the sales, or helped? What amazes me is that I've never seen the inside of one of these Continentals. Looks like a fake wood forest on the instrument panel and doors - very 1970's style! Thank you, Bill.
The lack of a V8 powerplant was probably the biggest deterrent to potential buyers, sales of the Cadillac DeVille of the same period reflect that.
I don't know if the 1970's style you described ever left the Continentals, Edd. Probably not.
Wood trim in these is REAL, not fake plastic as in Caddys & other Lincolns. These were actually the most expensive Lincolns of the day!
@@ziondawson1041 Probably got it right on that one. Even the relatively small Caddy 4.1 litre V8, in the new "downsized" FWD Caddys of the mid/late '80 could definitely outshine Ford's V6. Often wondered how they would have done had they used a bored/stroked version of the 24 valve Taurus SHO motor. It would have been a lot more "Euro" like & with well chosen gear ratios could probably have out done the Caddy. Trouble is they were probably way over-budget already...
a rare posting of the 1988 Continental. great details and close ups. love the video. thanks for sharing!
Love the back stories I appreciate you entertaining us
Always enjoy listening to you bill fascinating listening to your historical knowledge.
It's certainly a beautiful car.
After a troublesome '86 Deville and a disastrous '88 Fleetwood I went with the '92 Continental. It was underpowered with the V6 but a dream car otherwise. I would just stare at it thinking what a beautiful American car. Of course the air suspension eventually deflated and the head gasket failed. I ended up with an '02 V8 Continental. Loved the V8 but it somehow didn't feel like my '92.
I remember the movie 'Dutch'. Ed oniell drove this car in the movie. At the age of 14 I always saw myself in one of these cars..ended up in a 96 town car yearslater.
Great video Bill! I've been anxiously awaiting this one, considering I nerd out over Lincolns and even more so Continentals. This was a great perspective on the 1988 model that honestly I have never had much of an appreciation for, but learned a lot with this one. I drive a 2017 Continental and think it too is a remarkable car that never got the credit that it deserved. Hoping Lincoln brings back sedans in the future.
They still sell sedans in communist China. Unfortunately, America is an afterthought now to the rabid panda.
I really appreciate you showing night driving, like seeing how other cars interior end exterior lights work/shines... Keep it up, keep up the excellent work on these thorough reviews!👍
One of my favorite cars ever! Soooo elegant and stated, great review 👏🏻👏🏻
I always found them attractive and remember tall about them being more Euro-influenced, which always spoke to me. Today being in my 40s, I’d love to have a clean example. You are really good and as of now make me want to buy every car you feature on your channel. Keep on rocking’!
Another marvelous video Billy
My father had a 77 lincoln fully loaded. It was like driving a plush lounge around lol. On the other hand it never broke down, ran perfectly for 8 yrs. then traded for a new half ton
Thanks Bill. You made my day as always.
Bill, thanks for the video. Amazing as always.
A Fine car Wellness presented. Thanks for making my sunday morning.
Looks very ahead of its time, I never would have guessed it was FWD V6 though.
Yes, it does not look obviously FWD like many do.
I'm just discovering your videos, and the commentary is hilarious! Excellent work at reviewing and entertaining, both.
Really enjoyed your review Bill!
nice review. forgotten cars like this are always interesting.
Beautiful, as I get older (44) I appreciate these vehicles more and more.
Best car review channel out there!. As soon as he gives the weather report, and starts cussing, I hit that like button and I know its going to be a great video. Bill always provides great information on each video, has all the obscure facts I enjoy learning about.
Elite work as usual Bill.
Bill, back in 1999 I had a 1989 Conty, I'm 57 now and its still the favorite car I ever bought! I was early 30s, got it from a Dr original owner, and I was balling..... Until the tranny went and I couldn't afford to fix, I was a struggling chef in training back then....my fav feature was the auto high beam dimmer......I laughed every time it did it for some reason... Keep up the great work sir!
My Dad had an 89, that very color. What prevented it from “greatness” was it’s engine. Ford simply didn’t have a better FWD driveline for it. They should have souped up the old 3.8 to 170-180hp, it would have helped some, but this was not going to be any Q45 in any case.
This was one of the best riding/comfortable Lincolns ever and contemporary for 1988. I know this very well because I talked my dad into buying a brand new 1988 Lincoln Conti - it was Gold/Beige metallic/Tan leather Signature series. He traded his very hot and very fast 1983 BMW 533i 4 speed manual on it! I really miss both cars. I used to detail the Lincoln Conti for him and I added stainless steel lower trim panels and stainless steel wheel arches too. It was whisper quiet. Biggest complaint was the lack of power from the V6. Thanks for the good memories!
I really loved this car! Great review!!!
Had one of these in Colorado. When the weather got real cold, the accelerator would stick and the floor itself. I was lovely.
My first car was a hand me down 1992 in the same color. I blew the trans once and head gasket twice, the second time we never fixed it. I modified the heck out of it. HD sway bars (aftermarket for taurus), grippy brake pads, 3 spoke Antera wheels, lowered it using zip ties to hack the air ride, big audio system. Really whatever I could think of. It was so much fun in highschool :D
Agree on the Mark 7 LSC . I drove one in the mid 80s and it was a great ride. 5.0 and wide Eagle GTs from the factory.
The 1988 to 1992 Continental took some criticism for its lack of a V8 in its transition to front wheel drive Taurus platform and technological advancement. Cadillac pounced and it took Ford five years to fix their mistake. Thanks for the review Bill.
GM has had front wheel drive V8 cars for twenty five years prior to this car coming out (1st gen Cadillac El Dorado, Oldsmobile Toronado).
What a wonderful throwback.
When this showed up on my feed, I immediately had to click and watch. Cadillac has always been my choice for luxo-barges, but this generation of Continental scratches every itch for me. I have never found a floatier suspension than these. I remember as a teenager in the mid-80’s being super excited how Cadillac and Lincoln were changing to FWD platforms. Say what you will about FWD luxury cars from this era, for me, the FWD platform was a great first step at contemporizing what was getting to be a rather dated concept: huge, floaty RWD luxo-barges that had *ZIPPO* when it came to handling. I always associated FWD with smaller, sportier cars, not big American luxury vehicles, so I found this to be quite compelling at the time. Bill, if you ever run across an ‘87 or ‘88 Cadillac Sedan de Ville (if there’s still one in existence that actually runs), I would be thrilled to have you review it here. For me, these cars are more about the nostalgia than any sort of “cool factor.” The fact is that there is no *cool factor* when it comes to late-80’s FWD Cadillacs. But they take me back to a time when I truly thought they were COOL (okay, they were gramma and grampa “cool,” but still). Another fabulous review, Bill. Keep it coming.
My friend who was a funeral director had one of these cars and I still say it was one of the nicest riding cars I’ve ever driven. The JBL audio system was absolutely FANTASTIC. Great automobile!
Great review Bill.
Bill is a modern-day Hunter S. Thompson with a passion for automobiles using video rather than written word to report & tell his tales.
I remember Lincoln buyers shunning these at the time for being front wheel drive and only a V6, but these were excellent. My father had a few at his dealership, ALWAYS slow sellers, but good nonetheless. They freshened the styling in 1994, which was my favorite at the time.
I really enjoy your show it's funny and informative
I had a 1989 Signature Series with dual airbags Sunroof auto trunk pull down. Was a beautiful riding car. Had a lot of issues though.
Have a 98 Continental with the 4.6 32-valve engine. A terrific, comfortable car to dump miles on (even if it is a glorified Taurus). Now with over 320k miles; original untouched engine and transmission. I have replaced the rear air springs and fuel pump, water pump etc. Love it.
Dad gave my sister his Lincoln similar to yours. You might know that those engines were special aluminum blocks from Italy from Tecsid? They are lightweight and can withstand high horsepower.
I have a 95 continental with that 4.6 and. Yes it is an amazing car to tour in but yes that air suspension is just a pain to maintain. In the works of charging that out for a traditional strut and coil spring set up. Mine just has 39,000 miles bought it a estate sale and it is like a new car still
This was a very good car and competitive with M-Bs, that I owned for over 30 Years. I rented one of the later model versions of this Lincoln at the time, for a long distance trip when I was on business in Florida, and the car was amazing. The air suspension was excellent and handles very well. It was clear a lot of thinking & engineering went into this car. Definitely a car you would want to collect & drive...🚙🚙🚙
great review!
36:45 that's a pretty epic looking door panel for 1988!
That's one beautiful car.
I loved the video.
Stay safe and take care.
Bill. Never thought I needed to subscribe to another car reviewer but your unique personality, cynical humour, and obvious deep knowledge of vehicles has won me over. Laughed out loud at the Dalton and maybe she deserved it comments. Love your unfiltered remarks and observations, it’s not surprising you have so many followers. Keep up the great work!
Amazing vehicle!! Thank you for the video! I had no idea that generation was such a great car.
These cars were great. Fantastic review
Beautiful Car Bill, very much a sleeper for its time. And you mentioned the "Lady with the Weird Hat". I LOVE IT.... HILARIOUS. !!! :) :) :) Thanks Bill....
I meant to say I have never used the Telegram Feature, so I am sorry I don't know how. Thanks.... - John P.
My parents had a 1990 Signature Series. Dark metallic gray with all black leather interior. Fully loaded including CD (kind of a big deal in 1989), moonroof, power lumbar, JBL stereo with like ten or twelve speakers including big woofers in the rear deck. Man that JBL could BUMP. Michael Jackson's Thriller playing on the JBL was incredible audio experience. The problem with the car was lack of reliability. That air suspension was problematic, the heated windshield broke, and there were a bunch of other issues my parents had to deal with. I recall the A/C sucked too, even up in Seattle. I was surprised you were singing the A/C praised down in FL. In any case, I have very fond memories of the car. It was the primary car my mom took us to school in for many years, and I got to drive it when I was 17. Our other car was a 1986 Buick Electra Estate wagon in light blue with wood and all-blue interior. Oh, did I mention that Lincoln's JBL stereo BUMPED LOUD.
Im amazed hearing how much you loved your mark vii lsc. I have one right now (1992) i love it to death could never part with it. Hope to see you review one soon keep up the good videos bill
They really are fantastic. I always thought the styling was odd ball and wondered who the audience was supposed to be, but 30 years later it's just a neat car that is so fun to drive.
This reminds me of a 4 door version of my 1990 Thunderbird LX. It had everything this car does with a few extras. I'd bought it used from the original owner who had special ordered every extra but V8. I loved that car ! Sadly it got totaled at 268,000 miles. That 3.8l V6 is a beast of reliability ! Zero issues out of that car during the 6yrs it was with me until it's untimely demise by a lady in an Acura putting on make up. She rear ended me and shoved me into an 80's Oldsmobile.
I can’t think of an American luxury car of the mid 1970s and newer that I think is more attractive than this one. It is one of the few American luxury cars I would want to buy.
As it happens, a dark blue version of this car was featured in Rain Man- one of my favorite movies, ever. This car always stayed with me.
Great review! Thanks for the feature!
My Dad's old Ford Windstar had that same engine as well! Was pretty fast compared to the other V6 Ford offered being the base smaller 3.0L
My old man loved this damn car. Beautiful color. He bought a Mark VII LSC instead though. It was so fast and the tires were wide as hell. They were 16” wheels, but I think the width was 225.
My sisters mother in law bought a 1991 Conti brand new. She kept it till 1999 and traded it in on a Volvo. My father in law had a 1989 Conti. He drove it every Sunday. One Sunday we got a call that he was T-boned and the car was totaled. Thank God he was ok. Not a scratch.
Now we're talking, nothing better than Bill talking about American cars pre 2000, with the odd mention of the weather, wildlife and (insert here) whiskey. The man is a legend.
Nothing against you Bill, but I owned one of these cars 60,000 miles Air ride, head gasket, Digital Dash went crazy cost a fortune to Fix, FORD went Cheap on this car and transmission let go. Became a Pretty Yard Ornament. You couldn't give me one of these PILES OF JUNK
Nice stuff, Bill. Most of the American cars you review weren’t available in New Zealand when they were new. So, I love your commentary and perspectives. Good luck with the animals.
@26:28 - Neat tidbit about flip-up trunk lock emblems: Jerry Hirshberg, who did the J30, the Altima, and others, took great pride in that 1st gen Alty. But it irritated the hell out of him to see all those '93-97 Altimas running around with the trunk emblem askew. Thus the 2nd gen Altima had a separate trunk lock and fixed center trunk emblem.
Great video sir
I had a '93 Continental and was the worst car I've ever owned -- something was always going wrong with it and at the dealership a lot. The 4-corner air bags worked like you explained, but cost a fortune to have them replaced because of pinhole leaks. I won't go on, but when a main bolt holding the engine to the car's frame broke (covered under warranty), that's what did it for me.
Thanks Bill,
Definitely a collectable specimen
I owned one of these Lincoln's when I lived in Canada. It was the exact colour as yours.
It was the most comfortable driving car I'd ever owned. For its time it was very advanced and more reliable than any other car I have owned since.
This is the same era as the continental Mark 7s, which did have the trunk bump and a similar front to this sedan. Thanks for the review, my mom loved these, thought they were much sportier, and better to drive than the TownCar
Yes, a truly unique car. Wish I had still mine that was my grandparents. It was low mileages (not as low as this). Also many people miss the cool feature of the passenger side air vents that you can pull them out so they are not point just upward. I remember my grandpa showing me that and though it was really cool. Gently grab the grip to aim the vents and pull toward you and they extend out.