For Sale: 1987 Lincoln Continental 4dr Sedan, 56K miles - $5,995 - Philadelphia, PA Dealer - Not Mine

[58L-Y8]

For Sale: 1987 Lincoln Continental 4dr Sedan, 56K miles - $5,995 - Philadelphia, PA Dealer

1987 Lincoln Continental for sale - Philadelphia, PA - craigslist
Seller's Description:

1987 Lincoln Continental. CLEAN AUTOCHECK. NO ACCIDENTS. ORIGINAL 56K Miles. CLEAN. RUNS DRIVES GREAT. LIKE NEW TIRES. REMOTE START.  KEYLESS ENTRY! CASSETTE PLAYER. POWER WINDOWS/MIRRORS/LOCKS/SEATS. CRUISE CONTROL. COLD AC. ALLOY WHEELS.
Contact: (267) 3-six-7-7-ninety-3 Dealer
Copy and paste in your email: cce30d1331ce3806bd6166dbba29b119@sale.craigslist.org

I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1987 Lincoln Continental 4dr Sedan.

[John_S_in_Penna]

I heard that the self-leveling system on this model is

problematic;  and either expensive to repair or the

parts aren't available.  Is that true?  Does anyone know

more?

 

It's a nicely styled car, and these Continentals typically

are inexpensive.

[cjmarzoli]

27 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

I heard that the self-leveling system on this model is

problematic;  and either expensive to repair or the

parts aren't available.  Is that true?  Does anyone know

more?

 

It's a nicely styled car, and these Continentals typically

are inexpensive.

Yes it was very problematic. I believe you can retrofit conventional shocks and springs.  The fact that this is a fairly lightly optioned example and it is currently NOT sagging leads me to believe either it is not equipped with the self leveling OR it has already been retrofitted.  Ones where the system has failed look "slammed" like low riders!

[DavidinCA]

I had a Mark VII which had a similar system.  It wasn’t problematic and I never had trouble with it, but the issue was if something went wrong the struts were expensive and the pump worse.  When it’s working it’s great and I suspect that once it was sorted it would be good again indefinitely. 

[John_S_in_Penna]

1 hour ago, cjmarzoli said:

...leads me to believe either it is not equipped with the self leveling OR it has already been retrofitted.  

52 minutes ago, DavidinCA said:

I had a Mark VII which had a similar system.  

So in the Continentals, the self-leveling system was

an option?  That's good, if they can be found without it.

And was that system an option in the Mark VII too?

Was the system the same in both models?

 

Thank you both for your insights.

 

Edited December 29, 2023 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[DavidinCA]

In the Mark VII it was standard.  I thought it also was in the Continental, but I’m not 100% sure.  It’s 4-wheel air suspension and great when working.  Since they are similar platforms, I can’t imagine it’s a different system in the Continental, but a Mark VII LSC had a firmer ride than a non-LSC so there might have been two different sets of struts. 

[7th Son]

Interesting comments on a similar car from earlier this year:

 

 

[63 Starfire]

I was a mechanic at a Lincoln dealership in the 1980's   I'm pretty sure air suspension was standard on these.  Back then struts were $500 each and the compressor would burn out from running all the time with leaking struts, another $500.  So $2,500 for parts then add labor.  These were such money pits.

[58L-Y8]

9 hours ago, 63 Starfire said:

I was a mechanic at a Lincoln dealership in the 1980's   I'm pretty sure air suspension was standard on these.  Back then struts were $500 each and the compressor would burn out from running all the time with leaking struts, another $500.  So $2,500 for parts then add labor.  These were such money pits.

Thanks for the proviso for anyone considering this Continental.  My motivation to re-post this one is 'here is an older low mileage used car from which one might derive two-three years cheap transportation' relative to the pricy, high mileage clapped-out used cars rife in the market.   In the meantime, during which one is using this Continental for a daily driver, sourcing replacement Fox-platform suspension components that interchange with the air suspension if one wanted to keep the car going. 

[cjmarzoli]

I checked the brochure and the air suspension was indeed listed as standard on the 1987 Continental.  So this one is either working properly or has been replaced with a conventional system already.  Both the Continental and the Mark VII were based on the Fox platform so used essentially the same system. 

[TAKerry]

I liked these cars. As for the air, dont know about this one but Pop had a continental the next body style newer. Another very attractive car. He had problem with the suspension, took it to the dealer and got a quote for well over $1k to make it right. He called a chain store Aamco or something like that. They quoted him over the phone something like $200. He took it to get fixed, they told him it had air suspension and the cost would be in the thousands. His next stop was to the Cadillac dealer where he traded it on a Seville.

[Rivguy]

I think that these are nicely styled cars, and just the right size. They are Fox bodies, which means that most Mustang bits will interchange. You could build one up to be a pretty good performance car. Bob Bondurant used the :LTD version in his driving school. I checked one out in person years ago. I liked it.