Buying my first Mark VIII - help me choose please

yea i saw that. to be honest with ya i dont know what its for. and why is it so rare. thanks for pointing it out. if its really in issue i might go head and just snag it. ive got a 3k budget and if i get the car for 2100 that leaves me room to spend a tad :) im not wondering if it was doing that becuase i was a "new memeber" and now im a "full member" becuase it seams to have went away.
 
Rare because Ford doesn't have them anymore and they were a 96 specific part. If you have the spare cash, definitely snag them! - be 'good insurance' in the long term.
 
After seeing the pics and reading your updates, I would say that the '96 would be my pick of those three. The '95 even looks like it was owned by someone who didn't care about it. Two different style wheels? Steering wheel doesn't match. The '97 doesn't seem too bad except for the gay chrome on the lower doors. I have to agree with Calabrio's assesment of the 97/98 interior style. I also like the exterior lines of the Gen 1 Marks better than the later ones. I believe the '96 interior is the best looking of them all which makes the '96 my favorite even though it has 'rare' parts on it. I've had my '96 LSC for over 4 years and have never regretted getting a '96 instead of a '93-95. Choose the one that appeals to you the most and enjoy it.

Bill
 
After seeing the pics and reading your updates, I would say that the '96 would be my pick of those three. The '95 even looks like it was owned by someone who didn't care about it. Two different style wheels? Steering wheel doesn't match. The '97 doesn't seem too bad except for the gay chrome on the lower doors. I have to agree with Calabrio's assesment of the 97/98 interior style. I also like the exterior lines of the Gen 1 Marks better than the later ones. I believe the '96 interior is the best looking of them all which makes the '96 my favorite even though it has 'rare' parts on it. I've had my '96 LSC for over 4 years and have never regretted getting a '96 instead of a '93-95. Choose the one that appeals to you the most and enjoy it.

Bill

thanks for your input bill. i too love the way the 96 looks and im trying to lock up one of the 2 rare parts ive herd about. it seems to me that the 96 has the interior of a 97-98 but the exterior of the 93-95. which to me is a win.

i cant wait to pick up this car. im so excited thinking about it. that i cant sleep. almost like a kid trying to sleep on christmas eve
 
Lol... Every first gen has the same interior, the only changes were wood in mid 94-96 and double din in 95-96....
 
i cant wait to pick up this car. im so excited thinking about it. that i cant sleep. almost like a kid trying to sleep on christmas eve

Don't get your hopes up / get too excited until you have seen it, test drove it and have thoroughly checked it out - pretty pics can hide a lot.

Anyway, good luck! Hope the car turns out to be a good 'un!
 
it seems to me that the 96 has the interior of a 97-98 but the exterior of the 93-95. which to me is a win.
KK is right the 93-96 has a vastly different interior.
both materials and layout are greatly improved in the 97 and up cars.
 
I agree with you KK that all Gen 1 interiors are the same and that the differences are in the radio, climate control area of the dash. This difference is why I prefer the 96 interior to the earlier ones. After revisiting the pictures posted above, I have a question: I was under the impression that '95/'96 were the same. The '95 pictured here looks like the '93/'94 design with wood. Is this really a '95, not a '95, or a '95 with an early dash?

Bill
 
The '95 pictured here looks like the '93/'94 design with wood. Is this really a '95, not a '95, or a '95 with an early dash?

Bill

good eye Bill, look at the rear bumper cover it's also a 93-94

that probably IS a 94, not a 95
 
so i went and picked up the 96 today. i slapped a bunk tag on it and drove it 132 miles home. the car is so beautiful of course there are minor issues with it but as far as the drivetran and engine and everything it seamed to run perfect. air ride system works nice (will find out of it leaks over night tho) i paid 2100 and then after i paid him he handed me some receipts for a brand new fuel filter installed oil change and some other minor work he just had compeleted on it. so anyway thats the good. heres the bad. it has a check outside lamps error. i cant seam to figure out what is triggering it. all lights appear to be in working order. and the moon roof is jacked up. i think its just off track. i can hear the motor turn for a second then it get stucks and makes a griding slipping sound. who knows and the one that i missed during the test drive or i might gotten it for another 100 less. the rpm gage doesnt work. everything else is perfect and i got a descent average of 25 mpg at 80 mph. over all im very stoked and enjoyed my drive back home very much.
 
To fix the tach you need to pull the cluster out, remove the needles, reglue down the face and put it all back together...
 
I wonder if it's got a bulb conversion in it that causes the oh so common "check exterior lamps".. error.

the only thing is..that usually happens when a non lsc with halogens has been converted TO HIDS.
strange.
 
I've had my 96 for almost three years, with no problems and like that it is gen 1 and obd II.
I did find a 96 in a junk yard and got the IMRC's. VCRM and the ECU, for any future problems-they are out there, just not as easy to find as the 93-95's. The 96's have the lowest production numbers, but being OBD II makes it possible to do more with it. Good luck with yours, wish I had those wheels.
 
Check turn signals, cornering lamps, four bulbs in trunk lid (two per side)between back-up lights and edges, back-up lights, as well as head, parking, and tail and brake lights. Any of these will will trip the 'check external lighting' message. I don't know for sure if the license plate light or the third brake light will cause this but my guess is that they are included as well. Actually eyeball the lights yourself. Don't depend on looking for light reflecting off objects to determine if light works. Example: Putting car in reverse and looking for light on a building or car behind you won't tell you if both back-up lights are working. From the pictures it appears that you have HID housings in the front. I don't know if LSCs were available with halogen lights. Maybe some one else can enlighten us on that matter. Try this: determine if you have HID or halogen headlights. Not trying to be a wise guy, but if you don't know how to tell the difference, ask we'll tell you. Turn on headlights, turn on high beams. If your car has halogen low beams, they should turn off when you turn on high beams. If you have HID low beams, they should stay on when you turn on high beams. If your car was originally equipped with halogens and converted to HIDs, you made need a little work on the wiring.
If all else fails, contact the previous owner and ask him about the lights. any work done on them or problems with them he knew about. SUGGESTION: if you contact previous owner, speak in pleasant tones, tell him how much you love the car, then ask him about the lights.

Hope this helps.
Bill
 
Good thing you went with the 96, much nicer for the money, don’t worry about "hard to find parts", just keep your eye out for them in the junk yards. That’s the exact car I wanted before I got my LSC. My mustang is black and that’s enough. If you really like the Gen II interior find a black one in a junk yard and put it in the 96. All you need is to change some wiring and seat frames.
 
thanks guys the support on this forum is really good as for the lights i have HID its factory. i think these may be the problem when i turn them on i can kinda hear a cracking sound ive never found cracking sound to be of any good news unless your smoking crack. so for now im only driving during the day till i can get em checked out proper like. as for the hard to find parts. ive already secured me the set of irmc and vrmc or whatever it is paid 300 for em all together and will just keep them stored away. im not aware of any of the other harder to find parts. other than the rpm gage not working i cant really find any other mechanical flaws. there are some cosmetic flaws but nothing a good body and paint job wont fix. which i planned on anyway. if i can get my hands on a digital camera ill try to snap up some good pics
 

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