Thought I'd share some pics of my "new" '97 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series. Enjoy.

JRau

PS: yes, still have the '91 Brougham! :bigroll:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/JRauCDM/Lincoln%20Town%20Car/DSCF0051.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/JRauCDM/Lincoln%20Town%20Car/DSCF0056.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/JRauCDM/Lincoln%20Town%20Car/DSCF0054.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/JRauCDM/Lincoln%20Town%20Car/DSCF0050.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/JRauCDM/Lincoln%20Town%20Car/DSCF0049.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/JRauCDM/Lincoln%20Town%20Car/DSCF0048.jpg

Beau-ti-ful. :highfive:

Awesome!

I like it alot :) Any pictures of the interior?

When I was looking for one, I nearly ruled out 1997 because Ford really took alot of fine details and stuff out "to prepare the market for the 1998 model" whatever that was supposed to mean.... Still though, a nice car is a nice car :)

If you've got any questions about the car, or if something breaks... let me know. I've only had the car a couple months been I've been thru the thing like crazy!

My 1996 Signature:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e363/InoventionsEast/Lincoln/4-14-07/PDR_0971.jpg

BTW, thats a really nice house.

Great looking car John! So very clean and I love those wheels the most! Oh, btw, is that your house? Holy smokes that's nice!!

No, I'd be lying if I said it was my house. My house is situated in such a way that it is very hard to get a good picture of both the car and house, so I drove to a couple beautiful homes in Newton and shot these. The one with the stone pillars with the lights is the Maytag guest house, when corporate would fly in special guests to Newton on business. The other house is just one of the prettier homes in Newton. I like setting up a pretty background whenever I shoot pics of the car--like a tranquil setting for a brochure, know what I mean?

JRau

Night Wolf,

She's got just 35,000 miles on her now, so nothing's gone wrong yet. I can get 24.5 mpg on the highway back and forth from Newton, Iowa to Downers Grove, Illinois--it's great for a living room on wheels! I am worried a bit about the plastic intake gasket the Lincoln forum guys have talked about.

I like the last year of a bodystyle (I tried to find a '92 Brougham when I bought the '91, but I went ahead with it, and I'm glad I did! The Brougham is a wonderful car.

Here's a few pics of the interior of the Town Car, taken in February '07.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/JRauCDM/Lincoln%20Town%20Car/Frontseatingarea.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/JRauCDM/Lincoln%20Town%20Car/Rearseatingarea.jpg

JRau

Thanks for the pictures :thumbsup:
I still prefer Brougham over Lincoln but your Lincoln is also an awesome one

That's sweet!
Rick, what where the changes from 1996 to 1997 that you found objectionable? I'm not about let it out before I know for sure but I may have pratical reason to brush up on Lincolns soon...

Wow, 35k? Thats a brand new car. Personally I am not fond of the red interior, but it sure is in awesome condition!

Anyway about the plastic intake manifold... that is one of the bigger issues on these cars BUT Ford has a recall on it... if it sn't done yet, take it and have it done, if you fixed it out of pocket, they'll pay you back for it.... check into it, its been out there.

Other known issues on these cars... most all of which I've had to deal with already...

drivers door will sag as it gets old
blend door acuater motor fails
heater core goes bad
balljoints/sway bar links go bad
power windows stop working (not the motor... $6 plugs)

Most of them aren't bad to fix, it seems like this stuff starts to go as the car gets to be around 10 years old and has 100-150k miles on it... the normal time things start to break... but if you take it to the dealer on all those repairs, you'll probably pay the value of the car... I did them all myself for next to nothing... example, to fix the blend door motor, the heater core and the hinge, all require removing the dash... it would be aroud $1,500 in parts and labor from the dealer for that... I did it all myself for about $120 and a couple days of my time (I repaired my hinge instead of replace it)

That's sweet!
Rick, what where the changes from 1996 to 1997 that you found objectionable? I'm not about let it out before I know for sure but I may have pratical reason to brush up on Lincolns soon...

All the changes are little details that some woudln't bother with... but I really like.

First up, for whatever reason, the Executive and Signature series in 1997 went back to single exhaust, while the Cartier kept the dual exhaust.... that is a loss in 20hp and 5ft-lbs torque (190hp/270tq vs 210hp/275tq)

On the outside of the car, on my 1996, on the fender it says "TOWN CAR" and on my rear opera windows it has "Signature Series" in fancy script etched into the window. On the 1997 it would say the series of the car (Executive/Signature/Cartier) and not say anything on the rear glass.

My 1996 trunk lock has a moveable cover to hide the lock with a big Lincoln star on it, the 1997 has no cover, exposed keyhole and under it, it says Lincoln.

Inside on the seats, mine has the Lincoln star embrodered on all 4 main seats, on the back rest... 1997 lost that.

1997 also lost the fake wood trim on the steering wheel... which I like alot.

I *think* 1997, or just 1997 Executive lost the steering effort control, not sure though.

I think there were a few more things, but that is about it.... they may or may not bother you, but I know it would nit pick to me, however if I found an otherwise mint car, I woudln't let the fact it is a 1997 alone stop me from it... I am just much more happy I got the 1996.

There were 3 trim levels, basic Executive, mid-level Signautre and top level Cartier.... The only difference is options.

Personally, unless you find a car/color/miles you REALLY like... I would avoid Executive series... pretty basic in comparison... most don't have the digital compass in the dash, no memory seats, no storage arm rests, no steering wheel controls for radio/climate control, no JBL sound system etc....

Signature adds all that.

Cartier is a toss up... it "is" the highest level... but I don't like it... up until 1996 with the Lincoln Star embrordered in the seats, it is repalced with the Cartier double C... same for the trunk lock cover... personally I don't like it. Cartier also says Cartier on the door handle. The only other difference is, Cartier has heated seats and for 1996 or 1997, Cartier has real wood on the dash and door panels while the others have fake wood (looks fine to me)

Also Cartier has very limited amount of color combos...

All I've seen are Ivory Pearl Tri-coat Metallic and the two-tone designer charcoal/cream interior with the 16" spoke wheels.... which is exactly my car... shes a Signature that thinks she is a Cartier.

Basically, it would be cool to know that you have the top level car, but I woudln't go crazy looking for one unless you need heated seats... which are the only difference.

Oh, all 3 levels also had different/better seats... as you step up the seat is a bit more comfortable and a better grade of leather is used, or so I've heard... they have slightly different patterns too.

Keep an eye out for the touring packages too... there were 2 different ones, you can tell by the wheels, the normal wheels are the 15" lace wheels, the Ride Control package adds the 16" spoke wheels (what I have). It adds thicker sway bars, an aux power steering cooler, revised springs and shocks for improved ride, the 16" wheels with (225/60) tires and a 3.27 axle ratio. Standard ratio was 3.08 and if you get a car with the towing package you'll get a 3.55 along with aux trans cooler and more heavy duty cooling system.... I found a 1996 Executive at the junkyard with the factory tow package and snagged the aux trans cooler to put on my car... almost a must for me.

Looks beautiful John! Hope to see it in person soon.

Want to trade that '91 Brougham for a '95 Roadmaster ;)

Thanks for the pictures :thumbsup:
I still prefer Brougham over Lincoln but your Lincoln is also an awesome one

I know. It's a real toss-up. One's a sexy, smooth brunette, the other a vivacious, curvacious knock-out blonde. Hard to choose....:bouncy:

JRau

Looks beautiful John! Hope to see it in person soon.

Want to trade that '91 Brougham for a '95 Roadmaster ;)

HA! I would be so DEAD if I brought another car home to the wife! Nice gold color though--I do like gold on cars. I'll be staying for the Downers Grove car show next Friday, so I'll see you there--weather permitting!

You'll see the Lincoln once the Brougham is sold... :(

JRau

You deserve the best cars in the world ,JRau .Well, since you are happy I am happy too !

John, how about some pics of the Town Car and Brougham together?!

I actually was thinking about that. Maybe next weekend, weather permitting. Would make an awesome photo.

JRau

That's sweet!
Rick, what where the changes from 1996 to 1997 that you found objectionable? I'm not about let it out before I know for sure but I may have pratical reason to brush up on Lincolns soon...

JRau's '97 looks much cleaner than Ricks car and w/only 35k miles it IS much cleaner than Ricks high mileage car and a much nicer color too. Rick is quick to point out flaws in any car that isn't his and then finds a million reasons why HIS car is the better model/year/color or whatever. He's also kind enough to tell you why he wouldn't even bother with the model/year you bought. He could purchase a rusty crusty Yugo and give you a million reasons why your new Mercedes or whatever dulls in comparison. Sweet guy or prick?. I plead the fifth!. :thepan:

JRau's '97 looks much cleaner than Ricks car and w/only 35k miles it IS much cleaner than Ricks high mileage car and a much nicer color too. Rick is quick to point out flaws in any car that isn't his and then finds a million reasons why HIS car is the better model/year/color or whatever. He's also kind enough to tell you why he wouldn't even bother with the model/year you bought. He could purchase a rusty crusty Yugo and give you a million reasons why your new Mercedes or whatever dulls in comparison. Sweet guy or prick?. I plead the fifth!. :thepan:

:histeric:

You have a beautiful Town Car there John, you should be proud of it. Naturally I'm a little more attracted to the Brougham, but there isn't a better car than the Town Car to take 2nd place!

Brian

JRau's '97 looks much cleaner than Ricks car and w/only 35k miles it IS much cleaner than Ricks high mileage car and a much nicer color too. Rick is quick to point out flaws in any car that isn't his and then finds a million reasons why HIS car is the better model/year/color or whatever. He's also kind enough to tell you why he wouldn't even bother with the model/year you bought. He could purchase a rusty crusty Yugo and give you a million reasons why your new Mercedes or whatever dulls in comparison. Sweet guy or prick?. I plead the fifth!. :thepan:

:highfive:

Someone asked year to year changes, I told him. :thumbsup:

JRau's '97 looks much cleaner than Ricks car and w/only 35k miles it IS much cleaner than Ricks high mileage car and a much nicer color too. Rick is quick to point out flaws in any car that isn't his and then finds a million reasons why HIS car is the better model/year/color or whatever. He's also kind enough to tell you why he wouldn't even bother with the model/year you bought. He could purchase a rusty crusty Yugo and give you a million reasons why your new Mercedes or whatever dulls in comparison. Sweet guy or prick?. I plead the fifth!. :thepan:

:highfive: :stirpot:

:highfive: :stirpot:

Hey maybe with your baby $h!t sage green Brougham and my piss yellow ivory pearl Town Car we start a new following :bouncy:

Hey maybe with your baby $h!t sage green Brougham and my piss yellow ivory pearl Town Car we start a new following :bouncy:

Bodily fluid/excrement club.

I could go into detail...

Bodily fluid/excrement club.

I could go into detail...

Sweet, so now just to decide who will be president and VP?

:highfive:

Someone asked year to year changes, I told him. :thumbsup:Yeah but that was after you already told him that Ford totally cheesed out on his car and that you wouldn't buy a '97 and didn't like his red interior. He's pretty much got a perfect TC!.

Yeah but that was after you already told him that Ford totally cheesed out on his car and that you wouldn't buy a '97 and didn't like his red interior. He's pretty much got a perfect TC!.

You have selective reading :)

We all have color preferences, I see nothing wrong in saying oneself is not fond of a particular color in a polite way, atleast I do not stoop down so low as to make fun or talk bad about someone else's car(s), multiple times.

Guys, guys, guys..... I don't feel the least bit "dissed" by anyone's comments in this thread. Personally, I would have loved to have had the navy blue interior over the red, but that's what it is, and it wasn't a deal breaker for me. And I'm well aware that automakers often "economize" a car that's slated for major design changes the next year. There were things about my '79 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe that were "economized" over the '78 model, but I still like the last year of a bodystyle anyway.

The '97 is flawless because of it's low mileage, and the owners (whom I knew very well for the past 8 years) had the car garaged in the Retirement Community I worked at in Iowa at the time. They were very wealthy, meticulous folks who maintained the car in impeccable condition.

Being the detailing nut I am, the car will be maintained in showroom condition as much as I am able, just as the Brougham.

Finally, I love both my Brougham and the Town Car, but economics says I need to sell the Brougham for now. Both cars have outstanding qualities, both cars have a few not-so-good qualities designed into them, imo.

Hope that clarifys things--but feel free to start that club you're thinkin' about!:)

JRau

The '97 is flawless because of it's low mileage, and the owners (whom I knew very well for the past 8 years) had the car garaged in the Retirement Community I worked at in Iowa at the time. You got very lucky. My '98 Mark VIII has only 16k original miles but was not garaged however it was under a carport (better than completely uncovered I suppose). Still, the fake chrome pieces were a bit weathered, cobwebs were all over the car and the rubber trim around the rear window is messed up on one side. The paint/interior, etc are like new though especially after a real thorough buffing and waxing. Luckily all the plastic chrome that was showing some wear has been fixed by me. I simply dechromed everything, it now has body color grille, side moldings and the chrome strips under the headlights. Looks like an LSC basically.

Personally, I would have loved to have had the navy blue interior over the red
Or better yet, if you had Ricks yellowish interior with your white exterior, the car would look a real big egg!. :thumbsup: :alchi:

Looks awesome John!!!

Hey John...keep the '91 until the next meet and we can race...91 5.0 Brougham and '97 Town Car...the choice granny cruiser showdown! Woot Woot! I'm betting on the TC but I dunno, that 305 can do a pretty mean burnout! :lildevil:

Hey John...keep the '91 until the next meet and we can race...91 5.0 Brougham and '97 Town Car...the choice granny cruiser showdown! Woot Woot! I'm betting on the TC but I dunno, that 305 can do a pretty mean burnout! :lildevil:
Yeah unfortunately I see the TC winning that one as well.

Night Wolf,

She's got just 35,000 miles on her now, so nothing's gone wrong yet. I can get 24.5 mpg on the highway back and forth from Newton, Iowa to Downers Grove, Illinois--it's great for a living room on wheels! I am worried a bit about the plastic intake gasket the Lincoln forum guys have talked about.

I like the last year of a bodystyle (I tried to find a '92 Brougham when I bought the '91, but I went ahead with it, and I'm glad I did! The Brougham is a wonderful car.

Here's a few pics of the interior of the Town Car, taken in February '07.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/JRauCDM/Lincoln%20Town%20Car/Frontseatingarea.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p8/JRauCDM/Lincoln%20Town%20Car/Rearseatingarea.jpg

JRau

WHOOOA NELLY THAT IS SOME RED! (But MINT! :thumbsup:) That cotillion white color and black are THE Town Car colors of choice.

Wow, 35k? Thats a brand new car. Personally I am not fond of the red interior, but it sure is in awesome condition!

Anyway about the plastic intake manifold... that is one of the bigger issues on these cars BUT Ford has a recall on it... if it sn't done yet, take it and have it done, if you fixed it out of pocket, they'll pay you back for it.... check into it, its been out there.

Other known issues on these cars... most all of which I've had to deal with already...

drivers door will sag as it gets old
blend door acuater motor fails
heater core goes bad
balljoints/sway bar links go bad
power windows stop working (not the motor... $6 plugs)

Most of them aren't bad to fix, it seems like this stuff starts to go as the car gets to be around 10 years old and has 100-150k miles on it... the normal time things start to break... but if you take it to the dealer on all those repairs, you'll probably pay the value of the car... I did them all myself for next to nothing... example, to fix the blend door motor, the heater core and the hinge, all require removing the dash... it would be aroud $1,500 in parts and labor from the dealer for that... I did it all myself for about $120 and a couple days of my time (I repaired my hinge instead of replace it)


Thats the great thing with Fords. Those are such trivial repairs compared to some of the Cadillac stuff. You do give up some character for that simplicity though.

John,

WOW. I saw that Linc and my heart skipped a beat! I haven't seen one that nice since 1997. I've always loved that body style, and came really close to getting one before I bought my Brougham. White is the best color, followed by Rick's, followed by black. Or dark green. It doesn't matter, that thing is growing on me! And I love the red interior, I come from a line of dark blue interiors and red is just so much more... alive! Really, I'm not getting another dark blue car for a very, very long time.

Jesus, what a goddamn perfect f***ing amazing Town Car. Not to overstate it... You did good.

uh-oh... are more and more people going to be switching over to the dark side now?

BTW JRau, I saw in the picture of your back seat, the rear ash trays are opened... I bet they wont stay closed, right? No matter what condition these cars are kept in, they break... there are 2 small springs that keep tension on the door, but from the factory the springs bite the door section at the thinest aprt of the palstic behind it, and it cracks... best, and simple fix? pry up on the pper end of the plastic wood trim piece, and it'll pop off, then get a small drill bit and simply drill a new hole in the plastic where it isn't cracked, get some needle nose pliers and put the spring back on, now the ash tray lids will stay closed :)

Hey John...keep the '91 until the next meet and we can race...91 5.0 Brougham and '97 Town Car...the choice granny cruiser showdown! Woot Woot! I'm betting on the TC but I dunno, that 305 can do a pretty mean burnout! :lildevil:

LOL!! Classic granny cruiser showdown! That's great!!:histeric:

Chad, I was a bit nervous doing my first burnout in the Caddy that night in the parking garage--I didn't want to wreck a tranny or drivetrain. You know I don't drive Cynthia that way, so it was a big deal to make that burnout happen!:) :)

I've never opened up the Lincoln yet. Maybe on an on ramp I should give it a whirl...

JRau

John,

WOW. I saw that Linc and my heart skipped a beat! I haven't seen one that nice since 1997. I've always loved that body style, and came really close to getting one before I bought my Brougham. White is the best color, followed by Rick's, followed by black. Or dark green. It doesn't matter, that thing is growing on me! And I love the red interior, I come from a line of dark blue interiors and red is just so much more... alive! Really, I'm not getting another dark blue car for a very, very long time.

Jesus, what a goddamn perfect f***ing amazing Town Car. Not to overstate it... You did good.

Thanks Benzilla! I think the Cordovan interior (as it's properly known) will grow on me--I just love navy blue with bright white in an automobile.

JRau

uh-oh... are more and more people going to be switching over to the dark side now?


Dark side? Maybe a Mark VIII.. but a Town Car is harmless :lildevil:

John, has yours received the updated intake manifold? My 1993 Cartier had under 30K miles and it was a huge nightmare because it sat so long, even though it was a south Florida car.

96Fleetwood,

I'm gonna check this weekend when I'm back in Iowa. The original owners don't remember anything about a recall, and I didn't see any paperwork from a dealer in the file they gave me with all their receipts, etc. on the car. Night Wolf and I have been PM'ing back and forth on this--maybe I could even see whether or not it's been done yet.

Hey, can you PM me about the time for the Downers Grove weekly car show? I want to know what time to show up and where on Main Street to go to bring up the Brougham.

Thanks, 96Fleetwood.

JRau

Chad, I was a bit nervous doing my first burnout in the Caddy that night in the parking garage--I didn't want to wreck a tranny or drivetrain. You know I don't drive Cynthia that way, so it was a big deal to make that burnout happen!:) :)

Ya know John, I was thinking back about the meet last night, and I remembered your burnout in the parking garage. That was mighty impressive for the 305.....maybe you told a little white lie and you had the 305 swapped out for a 454 big block before the meet and just put the 305 sticker back on it to fool us all with your "small block"..... ;) :D

As if he'd be driving a Town Car around while he had a 454 in a Cadillac... lol.

Ya know John, I was thinking back about the meet last night, and I remembered your burnout in the parking garage. That was mighty impressive for the 305.....maybe you told a little white lie and you had the 305 swapped out for a 454 big block before the meet and just put the 305 sticker back on it to fool us all with your "small block"..... ;) :D

Ha! With 3 kids (2 of whom are heading to college in a year or two) there's no way I'd spend that kind of money to drop a big block in! No, the burnout happened due to a smooth concrete garage floor, an incline, I was at a total stop prior to the burnout, and simple physics.

On another note, I've been to a couple car shows up here in Chicagoland, and I've got about 4 serious contenders for my car. I could have her sold this week. :crybaby: Again, I don't want to, but priorities force the issue.

JRau

Ha! With 3 kids (2 of whom are heading to college in a year or two) there's no way I'd spend that kind of money to drop a big block in! No, the burnout happened due to a smooth concrete garage floor, an incline, I was at a total stop prior to the burnout, and simple physics.


Sure, right. :bigroll: ;)

As if he'd be driving a Town Car around while he had a 454 in a Cadillac... lol.


Oh that ain't no regular Town Car. Instead of the standard 4.6L, he's switched in a Triton 6.8L V-10 out of an Excursion.... ;)