The fiancée has been thinking about getting herself a more luxurious ride. She really likes the Mark VIII's, and I swear I had nothing to do with it! She likes the Gen II body style and the LSC package because of the deleted chrome. She prefers black with a grey interior and requires a sunroof.

With all of that, I think I have actually found her this very car! it's a 1998 LSC, black with grey interior, sunroof, and possibly loaded (including heated seats and CD-changer). I'm working on getting a CarFax right now (see other post), but it is at a small second-hand dealer. It has 100,XXX miles on it and is listed for $4500. According to NADA, KBB, and Edmunds it is worth ~$6000, and that's a private party sale. The guy says that he picked it up as a bank reposession, and it has a clear title.

I don't know a whole lot about the Mark VIII's, so any input would be great. From what I know I seem to recall that the newer they get, the heavier and more luxurious they get. I don't think that 100K is too bad on an almost 7 year old car, and I don't think it is too bad on the engines the VIII's had. How expensive are repairs? I think that the earlier models had certain issues, but the later models had it all pretty much ironed out. And what about the HID leadlights? Are they a blessing, or a curse on the pocketbook? How expensive are they to replace? Is there anything in particular I should look out for when checking this car out?

Sorry for the long post and all of the questions. Thanks for the help!

Go for it. See if they'll drop a few more bucks (offer $3500) and then do it. Great car. Easy to fix most of the normal problems.

Make sure the heat works! The blend door repair is a real pain.

Sounds like a good deal - although I would be a little concerned about a car with 100k+ -- Pay close attention to the tranny fluid - Make the dealer change the tranny fluid and the filter - and add a bottle of lucas to the fluid - then be sure to change the fluid every 20k adding another bottle of lucas.

The engines are strong and durable - so dont worry there - just change the oil every 3k... And again, add a bottle of lucas to each oil change. I dont know much about the 1998 lincoln mark viii HID headlights since I have a 1994 lincoln mark viii and pretty mcuh drive with a flashlight.

Yep....also check and see if the driver mirror is clear. They sometimes go. My 1997 LSC had 277,000 kms (177,000 miles) when I sold it, without any major repairs. Was VERY reliable.

And how many miles do you have on that avatar???http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com//images/icons/icon10.gif

And how many miles do you have on that avatar???http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com//images/icons/icon10.gif
get it youll like it

get it youll like itI don't know if Ron would appreciate that. LOL.