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Mark VIII, Your likes and dislikes!!!!

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Posted by: 92SedandeVille-TownCar94

I have always liked the Mark VIII's and am considering the purchase of one. In a couple of years. Among the cars I am considering are the Mark VIII, 98-03 Continental, 95-97 Town Car Signature or Cartier Series, BMW E38 7 Series, 1996-02 Cadillac Eldorado, and some others.

What are your likes or dis-likes about this body style? (from your own experience please)

Would you recommend this car?

Posted by: JC1994

I love everything about the Mark VIII except the Gen 1 headlights, which I converted to HID's. now it is flawless. highly recommended

Posted by: buddylee

the lack of custom aftermarket parts. IE I would love to get a custom grill , or aftermarket headlites that don't cost half as much I paid for the car.

Posted by: Calabrio

I really have no complaints about my Mark VIII.
I love the ride, looks, and performance. There's a lack of space inside around the engine, but fortunately, the engine on this incredible car will outlast everything else.

And Gen 1 headlights are lacking.....actually, this are terrible.
I installed driving lights behind the grill to compensate.

Posted by: Psychostang

My only dislikes
1) Open differential
2) Base model headlights
3) Speed at which car lowers....Needs to be raised
4) All the crap covering the intake manifold
5) Vibrating driveshaft

Posted by: Joeychgo

Likes:
1. Speed
2. Cobra Engine
3. Overall Appearance
4. Durability

Dislikes:
1. Lack of direct bolt ons
2. Gen 1 Stock Headlights
3. Cheapness that some things are made of - like the grilles

Posted by: mespock

Likes -

Initial Performance for a luxury car
Handling
Style
gas mileage
The pure pleasure to drive
The torque from the RWD

Dislikes -

Headlights
Oh did I mention headlights
and the Headlights
The fact that people think it's an old man's car - I'll be old when I'm dead
That every year a few more are taken off the road
That nothing Lincoln has made after the Mark VIII has compared.
Have I mentioned the headlights

Posted by: mhinchley

Used cars is always a crap shoot. But saves tons of money over new. Any of the cars you listed could be good cars......ie: the Town Car is ranked very high on Consumer Reports for a quality/dpendable used car (one of the very few American cars that made the list). The Gen 1 headlamps suck, and need to be updated. There also is a problem with rotor warpage from heat that happens too often. And as mentioned some people have problems with vibration from the driveshaft. Them are the quirks of the car.
That being said, I traded in my 96 LSC Mark 8 a few years ago on a new 03 Durango. This week, I bought a 93 Mark 8 and am getting rid of the Durango. So that says alot.

Posted by: mhinchley

The Eldorado????

And I am getting ready to go work on my 76,xxx mile 97 Caddy Deville......lol. (change O2 sensors, and headlight switch, flush heater core).

Thought I would throw that in.........Caddys have their own quirks as do they all. For one, the headgaskets blow prematurely on the NorthStar engines if the coolant and additives are not changed religously..........and even blow sometimes then. That as you know is not a cheap fix.

Posted by: 92SedandeVille-TownCar94

Yeah I'm a big member over at Cadillacforums so I hear about the N*'s head gasket problems and the N* overall is a pretty high maintenance motor.

So the Gen I's have terrible headlights, but thats remedied by putting in the HID's from the Gen 2?

My likes for the Mark VIII:
-fast
-RWD
-lots of aftermarket
-the interior design, how the center console is directed towards the driver
-great looking car, very fluidic lines
- air suspension that lowers at 55 MPH
- very high tech car
- Mark lineage

My dislikes for the Mark VIII:
- Gen I's tranny problems
- plastic fantastic interior, it just doesnt look nice enough for a Lincoln
- RWD in Minnesota snow?
- they never got the exterior design perfect, for example, I love the front end on a 1993-96, but dont like the tail lights or interior as much as a Gen 2, but on the Gen 2, they have the nice taillights and better interior, but the front end doesnt look as cool.
- stock Gen 1 headlights
- air suspension woes

Posted by: StincolnLincoln

DISLIKE::: I dont have a Mark VIII yet thats the only FLAW..lol but give me a few mths and u will see some pics of 1 with me standing beside it being owned by me..

Posted by: 67Continental

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92SedandeVille-TownCar94

My dislikes for the Mark VIII:
- Gen I's tranny problems
- plastic fantastic interior, it just doesnt look nice enough for a Lincoln
- RWD in Minnesota snow?
- they never got the exterior design perfect, for example, I love the front end on a 1993-96, but dont like the tail lights or interior as much as a Gen 2, but on the Gen 2, they have the nice taillights and better interior, but the front end doesnt look as cool.
- stock Gen 1 headlights
- air suspension woes

i drive RWD in Quebec snow, you won't have any problems in Minnesota

Posted by: my95mark8

Quote:

Originally Posted by 67Continental

i drive RWD in Quebec snow, you won't have any problems in Minnesota

I drive in New England snow. Only got stuck once, and It was because the gas station I went to wasn't plowed. The gas station is up on a hill, I drove in and slid down the hill sideways, away from the pumps, my driver's door into the snow bank, had to climb out the passenger side and borrow a shovel to dig out. Other than that I did pretty good. My street is a hill, and people get stuck all the time going up, but not me.

Posted by: 67Continental

it all comes down to driving smart

i mean, we all see 4x4's in the ditch in the winter.

btw, i imported my car from just west of boston

Posted by: 92SedandeVille-TownCar94

You guys have the traction control?

I was reading the brochure for the 95 Mark VIII, and it said with the Traction Control, you can start on glare ice without spinning either tire.

When I test drove a '93 Mark VIII back in September, it had just drizzled out a bit, and I punched the gas at 25 and the tires spun with the traction control on. Is that normal? In my '95 Roadmaster Limited Sedan with the LT1, I could do the same and that didnt have TC, just a LSD.

Another Dislike for the car, it didnt have heated seats optional until 1996 IIRC, and its very nice to have heated leather seats in the MN cold, plus you could never get cloth in the car, which doesnt really help anything.

Posted by: 67Continental

Quote:

Originally Posted by 92SedandeVille-TownCar94

You guys have the traction control?

I was reading the brochure for the 95 Mark VIII, and it said with the Traction Control, you can start on glare ice without spinning either tire.

When I test drove a '93 Mark VIII back in September, it had just drizzled out a bit, and I punched the gas at 25 and the tires spun with the traction control on. Is that normal? In my '95 Roadmaster Limited Sedan with the LT1, I could do the same and that didnt have TC, just a LSD.

Another Dislike for the car, it didnt have heated seats optional until 1996 IIRC, and its very nice to have heated leather seats in the MN cold, plus you could never get cloth in the car, which doesnt really help anything.

i do have the traction control - it's somewhat useful in snow and slush, but not at all useful on ice. Unfortunately the brochure is optimistic in that area

I actually took my Mark ice racing on a little track we built on a canal here, and while it would move eventually, getting it started on the ice was quite tough, and not too good on the diff with all that spinning.

I wish I had heated seats as well.

Posted by: Frat-man-du

Having had a Gen I and now a Gen II:

Dislike:
Gen 1
interior like the a/c panel, doorpanels stink
Like everyone else headlights on base models
Trans issues (until modified)

Gen 2
Parts are a littel harder to come by than Gen Is
#$^$#% Chrome 10 spokes

Likes:
Gen 1
More Power then Gen 2
Cargo nets and engine covers were standard

Gen 2
Puddle lamps
heated seats
little better interior
HIDs for everyone
98 - no trans woes
rear end style

Both are great cars, comes down to really which do you like the most!?!?!

Posted by: Anthony77

I have a 95 Mark VIII. But now that I have a company car & a 83 5.0 in my garage I'm thinking of selling my Mark..Anyone interested? I live in Ft Lauderdale.

Posted by: 92SedandeVille-TownCar94

I hear a lot about air suspension problems. Is it really that bad?

Posted by: Bates93Mark8

Ive got a 184k on my mark and have changedthe back bags only never had another problem they have out lasted any shock or strut you can find and ride better well for me at least maybe im lucky he he I have a 93 and my mom owns a 97 and a 05 mustang GT Ive got the best of all worlds

Posted by: 92SedandeVille-TownCar94

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frat-man-du

Having had a Gen I and now a Gen II:

Dislike:
Gen 1
interior like the a/c panel, doorpanels stink
Like everyone else headlights on base models
Trans issues (until modified)

Gen 2
Parts are a littel harder to come by than Gen Is
#$^$#% Chrome 10 spokes

Likes:
Gen 1
More Power then Gen 2
Cargo nets and engine covers were standard

Gen 2
Puddle lamps
heated seats
little better interior
HIDs for everyone
98 - no trans woes
rear end style

Both are great cars, comes down to really which do you like the most!?!?!

Thanks that was pretty much exactly what I was looking for

Yeah I was looking at my brochure for the '93 Mark VIII, and I have to agree, its a lot of cheap plastic in the interior, especially in the dash and door panels. Oh the door panels look sooo cheap! Definetly not Lincoln's finest moment interior wise. But they fixed that for the Gen II's, but they lost the nicer looking front end on the Gen II's.