Does the 99 Town Car have air bag suspension?

[Huney1]

88K miles on it and an old Dude owned it, well maintained and the price is right and I know the 4.6 V8 will run 200K miles with normal maintenance. Do they have the air bags and compressor because I can do with out that troublesome feature, especially on a car seven years old. Any particular problematic issues I should know about with the 99 Town Car Executive?

I found this interesting. Consumer reports says it is one of the most reliable used cars. http://autos.yahoo.com/consumerrepor...der_20000.html

[sreilly77]

Originally Posted by Huney1

88K miles on it and an old Dude owned it, well maintained and the price is right and I know the 4.6 V8 will run 200K miles with normal maintenance. Do they have the air bags and compressor because I can do with out that troublesome feature, especially on a car seven years old. Any particular problematic issues I should know about with the 99 Town Car Executive?

I found this interesting. Consumer reports says it is one of the most reliable used cars. http://autos.yahoo.com/consumerrepor...der_20000.html

all town cars have the air bag suspension with the air compressor. usually the bags start to go bad at around 100,000 miles, however i have a 95 town car with almost 200,000 miles on it and it still has the original air suspension, however i did have to replace the compressor because the vent valve got clogged and blew the compressor. so i guess it depends if the car was taken well care of or not. when it comes to the motors that the lincoln town car, mercury grand marquis, and ford crown victoria, they are VERY reliable. however, keep an eye out for other parts such as fuel pumps, coil packs, stuff like that. when cars hit around the 100,000 mile mark, certain smaller parts tend to wear out and go. for example, when my town car hit 100,000 miles i had to do the fuel pump, water pump, and an all out tune up. now since the car is near 200,000 miles again, i went through another fuel pump and water pump and did another tune up. so my suggestion is get a record on what repairs were done on the car and go from there. if you do buy the car, i suggest you change the oil, check the transmission fluid and fluid level, and change the spark plugs, wires, and coil packs. better safe than sorry.

[sreilly77]

Originally Posted by Huney1

Thank you Sir, that answers my question and they have a couple of 2000 & 2001 Marquis with less miles but more money, but less apt to have problems so I'll go for the Marquis.

The Marquis and Crown Vic sit on a Lincoln frame with same engine and I guess the tranny is the same. All the cops and state troopers here use Crown Vics and with the whoopin' they put on them they run 150K miles or more before they retire them from service then sell them at public auction.

Talk about the Lincoln air compressors; I know family who had an older one and took it to get the compressor fixed at a Ford dealer and that night parked in the garage the compressor malfunctioned and ran until it caught fire and before they woke up half of the house was in flames fire all in the attic so the house was a total loss. I heard the dealer built them a new house and gave them a late model used Lincoln. Fire dept somehow ascertained it was the compressor that caught fire and proved that was what started it, so the dealer didn't balk and paid up. Well, his liability insurance company paid up, but either way, IMHO, they got the short end of the stick because fire destroys so many family memories in a house passed down generation to generation.

Thanks again for the excellent reply and you have a nice day. I have a Taurus and hang out in the Taurus forum, so swing on over and say howdy.

Wow I am surprised about how the compressor shorted out like that! That is crazy! Any way, yeah your best bet would be getting the Grand Marquis. I mean they are also very luxurious and what not, but at the same time they don't require as much tender, love and care as the Town Cars do.

I've been looking at a Grand Marquis for me to replace my Town Car. It almost has 200,000 miles on it and it is getting to the point that it is starting to nickel and dime me. Still runs strong, but it is the little things that are falling apart. You take care now and enjoy your Marquis.

[reekor]

Now that all depends on the model of Grand Marquis that you get. I have a 92 LS that has just about everything that the Town Car came with, climate control, ABS, Digital dash, Air ride, traction control, 6 way power seats, tuned suspension. It even has the same rims as a town car with different center caps. The major difference between the town car and Grand Marquis is the body. The drive-train is the same and 80% of interior parts are also interchangeable. The Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria are the perfect Town Car, they can be option upgrade to the level of a Town Car, but unlike the Town Car any troublesome options like air ride or digital dash can be deleted. However the Town Car seems to be a year ahead of the Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria as far a few factory options go.

I've been looking at a Grand Marquis for me to replace my Town Car. It almost has 200,000 miles on it and it is getting to the point that it is starting to nickel and dime me. Still runs strong, but it is the little things that are falling apart. You take care now and enjoy your Marquis.[/quote]

[Huney1]

Rarely hear anything bad about a Marquis or Crown Vic and we've had a few. If it weren't for the air bags I'd get the 99 Lincoln, but if they need to be worked on your fat wallet will get skinny quick. Lot of retired folks around here and some real nice Marquis and Vics traded in with normal mileage, so I'll take my time and find one.