Death of the Lincoln Town Car

[djv5150]

I found this article and found it very interesting reading, will the town car die and crown vic and G/M die with it.
http://www.forbesautos.com/news/headlines/2006/july/fdc071806-town_car.html

[Tallboy]

Interesting article, Dave-thanks!!

[Johnman]

Great article. Ford is getting left behind in the sedan business, but so is GM. That's why I defected to Chrysler. The Marauder is great, but it was time to move onward and upward in the high-performance RWD American sedan segment, and there was simply nowhere else to go..

[Merc-O-matic]

Thanks for the interesting article....they hit the nail right on the head!
Looks like I will have to look for a good used one soon!

Gotta Love It!:coolman:

[Marauder2005]

That was a depressing read :(

[JACook]

All this makes one wonder whether Ford’s current managers understand the car business. When a company loses one-fourth of its market share in five and a half years, you have to assume that managers don't know what they're doing.
Sums it up pretty well, doesn't it. Mirrors my sentiments exactly.

I don't think Ford has too many customers that are more loyal than I've been for the last 35 years. If they can
alienate me, which they've pretty much done, they can alienate anyone. God knows, they've worked hard at it.

I love my MM, but I'm pretty disgusted with the empty suits that are in charge at Ford these days...

[DEFYANT]

I'll concur.

I've begun to look outside the Ford offerings for future mini-van replacement vehicles. Though it will be awhile before we trade up Lisas van, I am looking at whats out there.

[gpfarrell]

If they can alienate me... they can alienate anyone.

I know how you feel. If I had a check in my hands to buy a new car, I can't really think how I'd spend it at a F-L-M dealership. I'd like a new Mustang GT of course, but if I was going to buy one I think I'd have done it by now.

I've owned bunches of Fords over the years, but I really don't understand the business plan of bland looks, barely adequate power, and the infamous "let's strip stuff out of last year's model to save a nickel" approach.

Honda and even GM introduce good cars and continually improve upon them. Ford introduces good cars and gradually takes all the good stuff out of them.
Pretty soon, you won't find any good people left buying them either!

[dwasson]

It's just one more case of Ford letting their models get stale and wondering why they aren't selling.

[sailsmen]

the problem is William Ford.

[the_pack_rat]

The end is near.

In 20 years .....

All new forms of transportation will look like a tossed prop of some low-budget science fiction flick.

Sometimes I think I was born 20 years too late.

:puke:

[Bigdogjim]

the problem is William Ford.

What does he call it? Way forward?

[merc6]

*sigh* When I said I wanted to own a piece of history...thats not quite what I ment. One day the MM will be the weekend car and a TC will be my daily driver. You think if they put the 3 valve in they woud get those people who just want to be in the 300hp club?

[HwyCruiser]

Real men wanted a Mercedes, Lexus or BMW — a modern luxury car for modern folk.

I stopped reading the article right about ^^^^ there.

[STLR FN]

Death of the Town Car????? I think it's more like Death of Ford Motor Company.

[bigslim]

The Town Car is suppose to go on the "All-Wheel-Drive" Ford Five Hundred with the forth coming Lincoln MK-S.

[davidholland]

Just more proof that FoMoCo management just does not get it! Who in their right mind would buy a 52K Town Car Ultimate when a fully loaded 300C with Nav is 40K? I myself always was a huge TC fan. If they kill it the must be insane. If the CV & GM go away they are truly nuts! Ford has a monoply on the full size rear drivers and they are going to walk away?

[djv5150]

I think I see SRT in my future.Ford has forgotten were they came from.

[Joe Walsh]

I know how you feel. If I had a check in my hands to buy a new car, I can't really think how I'd spend it at a F-L-M dealership. I'd like a new Mustang GT of course, but if I was going to buy one I think I'd have done it by now.

I've owned bunches of Fords over the years, but I really don't understand the business plan of bland looks, barely adequate power, and the infamous "let's strip stuff out of last year's model to save a nickel" approach.

Honda and even GM introduce good cars and continually improve upon them. Ford introduces good cars and gradually takes all the good stuff out of them.
Pretty soon, you won't find any good people left buying them either!

My thoughts exactly!
Sorry state of affairs, when Ford considers 'major improvements' to be a new exterior color and a different wheel package.:(

[jerrym3]

The car had class in it's day.

I still remember the TV commercial back in the 80's when a few folks are waiting for their cars at a restaurant.

The car jockeys and the owners can't find the right GM car because thay all look alike, while this gentlemen walks up and say "the Lincoln TownCar, please" and gets his car right away.

But the earler post hit the nail on the head.

To Ford, a redesign was a new color and wheel package.

That mentality killed the TBird and the very promising Lincoln LS and, possibly, Ford.

[the_pack_rat]

The car had class in it's day.

I still remember the TV commercial back in the 80's when a few folks are waiting for their cars at a restaurant.

The car jockeys and the owners can't find the right GM car because thay all look alike, while this gentlemen walks up and say "the Lincoln TownCar, please" and gets his car right away.


I will gage & compare any & every thing Ford ever slaps the Lincoln Town Car name on, to the 1980 - 1989 bodied Town Cars ..... till the day I die. Nothing to write home about power-wise ..... but a beautifully body & interior(Signatures & Cartiers). You knew exactly what it was when you saw one, just as you still knew you were looking at a TC, when looking at a 1990-1997. A 1998+?. BLECH !!!!! ..... that thing doesn't know WTF it's really supposed to be - neither do most traditional Lincoln buyers or even Ford themselves for that matter obviously.

The farther away they stray from tradition ..... the farther I will stray & stay.

Yes, I am admitted dinosaur .....

But with all the retro-stuff that is going on with what was considered pony or muscle cars ..... there is no reason why someone couldn't go that route with a larger full-sized luxury car & build something more updated engine & suspension wise that still actually looked like a traditional luxury car you would be proud of & want to still own & have stashed away in your garage 30+ years later.

The MM - current CV & GM are the only big cars that come close these days.

I don't have the stomach to even look at these new generic POS Zephyrs/Mk Z W(whatever)TF you want to call them, when I see them out on the road as brand new cars .....

Let alone will I be sitting in my garage in 30+ years from now, drinking a beer ...... wishing I was staring at one that I bought - held onto - & preserved.

Every car I have right now with the exception of the truck(nothing wrong with it - but it's nothing special - plenty more decent trucks out there) I want to be able to say I still have sitting here in 30+ years.

Course' the way things are headed in the automotive design world .....

A run of the mill 2001 Dakota may actually in fact be something special to look at in 30+ years.

Oh well .....

It was a decent run Ford. At least you built & held onto the bigger stuff in 1985 -1986 & 1987 when GM stopped making their really nice stuff & made damn near everything they ever made FWD.

It worked ..... you won me over in the mid-80's with the Panthers - the Mark VII LSC & even a few of your Thunderbirds & Cougars. Course' you did ruin the Cougar after 1997 ... shame on you there.

Too bad in a couple of years , the only thing you will make I would buy is a Mustang - pick-up or SUV.
(yes I said SPORTS UTILITY VEHICLE :eek:).

And that remains to be seen ..... sooner or later I'm sure you will screw those up to. At least George Jetson will be happy.

:rolleyes:

[jerrym3]

pack rat

I could not agree more.

I bought a new TC in 1989, white, half vinyl top (black), Signature series. Absolutely gorgeous, plush riding car.

I sold it in August 2004 at 148,000 miles. Except for a trans rebuild and front end parts replacement stuff, car was pretty much original.

But, it developed an oil leak, my wife wanted a new car, and I couldn't pass up the deals they were giving on the 2004 LS. (Neither of us could accept the styling on the newer TCs.)

While I love driving the LS, and I'm not comparing it to the TC, there was nothing like that 1989 Signature.

[Larry Staunton]

No wonder it's going to die, they never upgrade it, it's been untouched since 1998 and most serious is its woefully underpowerd engine. If Ford would would install the 5.4 litre V-8, tweak its styling the vehicle's sales would increase enormously. Unfortunately, the marketing morons at Ford can't figure that out.

[mr.continental]

the problem is William Ford.

When did we start talking about the Detroit Lions?

[the_pack_rat]

the problem is William Ford.

...............

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=95 16&d=1153789680

[mr.continental]

I think he needs to make an appointment with Dr. Z.

[Bradley G]

That is another market Ford is letting go of.
I'll concur.

I've begun to look outside the Ford offerings for future mini-van replacement vehicles. Though it will be awhile before we trade up Lisas van, I am looking at whats out there.

[bigslim]

Like they haven't done that before?

That is another market Ford is letting go of.

[JACook]

That is another market Ford is letting go of.
I've owned two Windstars, a '95 and a '00. Trust me, Ford never really got it in the first place.
They seemed content to stay a step or two behind Chrysler, except when it came to the apparently desirable
transmission self-destruct feature. That one they nailed. :depress:

You want a new minivan? It's a no-brainer. Buy an Odyssey.

[Ross]

Another American icon bites the dust. :bigcry:

[dwasson]

Another American icon bites the dust. :bigcry:

I could even live with that if they came up with a new American icon.

[mr.continental]

More proof that this company just doesn't get it. The coolest Focus ever made and it's limited to 10 cars and only available in Jaoan.

http://autos.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/07/26/ford-focus-st-white-super-limited-edition/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fautoreview.b elproject.com%2Fitem%2F176&frame=true

[Dr Caleb]

More proof that this company just doesn't get it. The coolest Focus ever made and it's limited to 10 cars and only available in Jaoan.


The second coolest, the ST, is only available in Europe.

http://www.ford.co.uk/ns7/foc_c307/foc_c307_body/foc_st/-/-/-/-#

[the_pack_rat]

Blech.

The real shame is ..... the fact there were 10 of any Focai' ever built to begin with.

Puddle jumpers.

:puke: :puke: :puke:

Let's go back to ranting about man sized automobiles.

:P