25 year old car still very original

Asked by trning50 Nov 30, 2015 at 12:24 PM about the 1991 Lincoln Mark VII LSC

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Hi all
looking to buy a 2 owner lincoln that is 24 years old with confirmed 12,000
original miles on a 5.0 (302 W).  Everything is still original including the spark
plugs, wires, dist cap, timing, etc (except tires).  The previous owner has
changed the oil and has driven it a couple hundred miles on it the past few
years but has sat in garage for most of the time.   It starts right up and drives
well but the acceleration seems to somewhat lag...what should i change out if
i do buy the vehicle or is there problems i should specifically be looking for?  
Thank you very much for any help.

9 Answers

188,355

Sounds like a good deal if the price is right. Plugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, oil chage, transmission fuild and filter change. I would also change all the belts. New anti freeze and thermostat. This should set you back a few hundred dollars..

3 people found this helpful.
157,335

I would drive it (with new tires) and see what happens. If it has been garaged the whole time it was not used then that is a plus. Put a double dose of Techron fuel additive in it to help clean up the fuel system. Stale gasoline might be the issue with the acceleration lag. Also brake fluid, coolant, transmission fluid and differential fluid should be soon replaced.

157,335

and change all the filters. Looks like Joemom and I were answering at the same time. His advise is good also.

I would run a good fuel system cleaner through at least 2 tanks of gas as it is likely that old gas has gummed up the works causing the lagging you describe. I would install new radiator hoses and bleed out the brake system so that you have new brake fluid in the system. Keep in mind that rubber seal deteriorate over time and may need replacing even if the car has low miles.

86,035

If everything checks out, I would advise that you pay no more than $4,000 for this car. Why? Kelly Blue Book only goes back as far as 1992, and this car with 12,000 miles, would be worth about that in very good or excellent condition. Who actually confirmed that it was 12,000 miles and how did they do that exactly? The way you said that everything is ORIGINAL on this car raises red flags for me. And time and condensation has a way of rusting the interior cylinder walls of engines, was the fluids drained from the car. And, you said that it lags on acceleration, this could be a serious problem from deterioration over time with the transmission just sitting idle and not moving. In other words, I would definitely be very careful here. Yes, replacement of fluids is an excellent idea, but, unfortunately, you really won't know until it's done if any internal damage just because of time occurred. Will they let you do that, before purchasing it??? Look, every kids dream is having a car that's this old with extremely low mileage, like a museum piece -----it sounds cooler than it is. If I were you, I'd look for a later model vehicle with more modern safety standards and better fuel-efficiency. This gets 15 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway. Good luck.

1 people found this helpful.
445

Trning50, If you don't buy it, I will and for more than $4,000.00 :) To answer your question, the standard tune-up for our Lincoln Mark VIIs is as follows: AIR Air Filter - $3.00 to $42.00 FUEL Fuel Filter - $5.00 to $11.00 SPARK Battery - $82.00 to $102.00 Distributor Cap - $6.00 to $28.00 Distributor Rotor - $2.00 to $6.00 Ignition Coil - $14.00 to $52.00 Ignition Control Module - $37.00 to $90.00 Spark Plugs - $16.00 to $120.00 Spark Plug Wires - $13.00 to $43.00 Voltage Regulator - $11.00 to $50.00 Total Cost For Parts - $189.00 to $544.00 Preventive Maintenance Schedules can be found at, http://thelincolnmarkviiclub.org/documents/tech/scheduledMaintenance.htm

Hi I have the car for you.. it's a 1988 Lincoln Town car. With the Kelly emblem. I think there were 8 made. I can't find any. This is the last one. It's custom with bar, tables.the inside is beautiful.this is a custom limousine with the 5.0 engine.im the second owner.if interested can send pictures. I've had this Car for 16 years garage.looking to sell or trade for nice truck and cash. Thanks I hope this car your looking for.or can you tell me more about the Kelly . thank you and waiting to hear from you

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