I am interested in making an hour long drive to a dealer to see a 73 Lincoln Mark 4 which they have advertised as having about 22100 miles. The advert says '72, but the VIN and photo of the out-of-state title states that it is a '73 with in excess of 100,000 miles "exceeds mechanical limitation". VIN 3Y89A924557. While I am not too concerned about the odometer, I would like to use this as a bargaining tool for the final price. Basically, for this particular model and year, does anything stand out to you which may be a problem area on this car? The 460 V8 should be durable if cared for. I dont know whether this model has any known weaknesses. The price listed on the web page is about $6500.
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https://www.carenamotors.com/vehicle-info/used-1972-lincoln-continental-f3y89a924557f
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Any inherent good or bad points this model may have will be far overshadowed by the fact that it is over 50 years old with actual mileage unknown. You could be looking at anything from a worn-out rustbucket to well-maintained survivor. (At the advertised price, at a dealer, I would suspect something more like the former.)
The interior shows two things. It's 51+ years old, and is from a car that has at least 122,000 miles. Possibly a lot more.
The car has been repainted, and a number of the pictures are showing bubbling paint from all the rust underneath.
I see a money pit lurking underneath. As far as the mechanicals, it's impossible to tell. Who knows how many times that powertrain has been apart, replaced etc.
I would be patient and look for a better taken care of car. You will spend 2x+ as much, but you can probably find better examples of an old Lincoln from that era.
If it says it’s in excess of 100k, then the odo has probably rolled over which means it probably has 100k + the 22100 miles advertised. They probably didn’t look at the title and just looked at the dash. Get it inspected by an independent mechanic who knows vintage cars regardless.
