even though I live in the U.S., my mom had a 1986 Lincoln Town Car that wouldn't fit in a few parking spots. It was too long and too wide. The car rode like a dream. Couldn't feel anything going over bumps.
We had a 77 Town Car. It was moondust metallic and I remember just how enormous it felt from behind the wheel. Really enjoying your RU-vid channel so far.
I owned Cadillacs for 19 years. Model year 1968 through 1977, inclusive. Just about every model, but mostly Fleetwood, DeVille Sedan and Coupe, Dorado. I am about to get an XTS from the last production year. With that, you have a 3.6-liter V6 engine, no Turbo-monkeying around, no 4-cylinder eco-misers, not deadly self-igniting battery cars. Now, as for Lincolns, I considered those many times. Just never took the plundge. Maybe I was just lucky.
my love of things with motors has brought me to the brink of bankruptcy a time or two. your channel gives me hope that there are people even dumber than me out there. thanks hoovie!
I'm looking to eventually import a 1979 four door town car collectors edition as a summer/veteran car here in sweden, after seeing yours and just falling in love with it. I had been trying to decide for ages what I wanted until I saw your Lincoln. Great job with these videos, dude! Gotta love land yachts :)
William skagen There's entire groups and clubs dedicated to 70s American cars - especially the luxury ones. A Lincoln like this in absolute mint shape could fetch north of 20k (although an earlier model or a Mark coupe would go for more).
seriously, my sister was shopping around all over for a good one the nicest ones were going for 7 to 8, and to buy a lemon for that much is pretty tragic.
Here in Europe, you won't really find this Lincoln under 10 000Eur which is about 12 000$ and people love it and buy it here. I'm about to buy my first classic car soon. Got 8000$ ready deciding between a '69 or '73 Chevy Caprice or maybe a '77 Dodge Monaco. However this video makes me think twice... Thx for making it!
Hoovies Garage Actually, if you search youtube for car dwellers and van dwellers this car would be like living in a mansion to them. Btw, I had a 1966 Cadillac Sedan Deville that I paid $500 for and didn't have 5 % of the problems you had. But I bought it in 1983.
You had me spazzing with your other video, when you attended that stuffy Porsche event. You made a mockery of it all, and with such finesse! Keep it up!
It's really a beautiful car. Saw it when you had it up on Ebay. If it had been me though the guy I'd bought it from would be the last man on Earth I'd sell it back to. But I'm just ornery like that.
I will forever love the old 60's 70's large American square body classics. If u had even 3 mos of pleasure reliving an era before you were born-- then believe me, the car has more than paid for itself. It's not always an extrinsic measurement. It's sometimes an emotional/subjective thing; and I think that's okay. I don't think u should have sold it, but that's just me.
B3burner I am 27yo and I love these "land yatch". simple, reliable, and comfortable. you can take a 20 dollar tool set and fix anything on it, plus a couple of extensions for good measures. people on here say it's POS they don't know what they talking about. this car been running for 30+ years, and if there are lol still in the earth to last 40+ more years. with these modern cars they great and all but once the warranty is expired it time to sell asap, because that's when the problems starts.
7 years ago I purchased a 77 Oldsmobile Delta 98 Recency. 86k miles, I'm the 2nd owner and the original owner took immaculate care. There has been some repairs over the years, mostly general maintenance. I paid $500 for a wonderful car. Took me from Vancouver to San Diego. From there to North Carolina, to Florida. Back the long route to San Francisco, and then Vancouver. Best road car ever. Never tiring and faithful. East Coast was fascinated at the rust free Silver boat with the ox blood red vinel roof and red crushed red velour interior. Still have the old girl. She is getting tired @ 150k.
There used to be used car lot here called Nothing over $ 999 car sales an old friend of mine would buy a car drive it till it quit, take the plates off and go buy another one. Smart man.
I like you and your channel (newly discovered). You're hilarious, and you buy some interesting stuff. Sadly, this car was not one of your finer moments. Surprised you would pay this kind of loot considering you're a former used car salesman. This is a $1500-$3000 car - tops. Subscribed.
To quote a famous ex president, "I feel your pain"! I took a bath on a '66 Toronado and sold it recently for a loss close to what you did too. I was cocky and arrogant when buying it, thinking I knew what I was doing. Once the shipper dropped it off, I know right away it was a mistake. I was just bitter and nasty towards that car and learned one more lesson in the process.
To quote Frank Constanta; “I remember when I was arrogant, I was brash. I overseasonsed the meat. I sent 16 of my own men to the latrines that night. They were just boys.”
@@jbird3602 believe is or not, 1968 was the first year for the Mark 3. I only know this because I've loved that car for a couple of decades now and almost bought one in 2001 (I was about 23 years old at the time).
I love your parking technique at 4:20, it would be my luck the owner would video me and try and claim some inflated damage repairs... I'd love a big car like that one, awesome.
Over time, there's nothing more expensive than a cheap used (or classic) car so "buy the nicest example you can find, or save up until you can afford it" is probably the best advice.
my friend's grandfather used to have dozens of these old Lincolns. he'd never trade when he bought a new car. he was selling them off back in the 90s for about $600 each. they were nice too - not junk.
Bought a '79 Collectors Series one in '93. It was a 4 door with velour seats. My memory is I had it for less than two years but I have no memory of who I sold it to or if I made any $. One feature the car had was a button on the floor by my left foot that would cause the radio to search for the next station. I used it to play tricks on passengers. My main memory of it is it was the first time I ever owned anything that would play 8-track tapes. When people found out I had an 8-track player, I became the dumping ground for tapes they had been sitting on for years. After I sold the car, I bought some 8-track decks so I could play the collection of tapes I now owned.
Hey Hoovie, Like I told you from a previous video, I have the same exact car. I can’t believe the way people treat the value of this beautiful panther platform car!!! I literally drive it around town and along the shore, and all I got is thumbs up and a lot of hoots and hollers!!! I really enjoy driving it and I still think the value will eventually go up!!
It's refreshing to see a person who honestly admits that he did it all wrong, instead of, as is far more usual, boasting that he made the perfect deal, got a fantastic car for very little money and blah blah blah. As I'm thinking of buying a classic car myself, is it really true that you generally have the choice between very expensive ones in excellent condition and junk cars, and nothing in between?
Hoovie, I understand completely. Last year I purchased a 1997 VW GTi VR6 with 236,000 KMs for 2700 (Canadian) The day after I bought it, the auxiliary water pump failed, and all of the coolant hoses needed to be badly replaced. $1500 later I was back on the road. Two months later I was exiting my parking area at home and smashed the bottom of the oil pan on the speed bump (car was bought lowered on coilovers). Later that day driving home from work, the oil pump pick up tube decided to break into a million pieces, taking the top end oil feeder tube with it so the head was starved of oil for about 2-3 minutes. Take it into a mechanic and that was repaired, $700 dollars later. Then a few months later as I was getting ready to perform some needed service on the interior, only to find a dollar sized hole in the floor pan. Further investigation revealed the entire driver side outer frame rail was completely rusted out. I really should have walked away but it was the car I'd wanted for many many many years, and was determined to save it. Rust repair was completed, and $2200 later I was back on the road enjoying the car. Fast forward 3 months, as I was driving to work the car stalled as I was going down a hill, put the clutch in and turned it over. It fired up for a couple seconds then died again, letting it coast down the hill until I could park on the side of the road. Got out only to see coolant pouring out of the car. Turned out to be a blown head gasket, in addition to a hydrolocked cylinder and a bent connecting rod. Walked away finally after weighing the options of getting another car or rebuilding the engine in that one. All told, I spent $7400 Canadian on the vehicle and repairs, only to sell it for $300 for a net loss of $7100.
Recently acquired a 1985 Grand Marquis LS for $10K. Just under 8K miles. Spent about $3,500 on refurb. Gaskets (including rear main seal), trans. mounts, engine mounts, complete brake rebuild, shocks, all fluids, tires, converted the A/C to 134A. It has the same turbine wheels as your Continental. Never smoked in; still has the new car smell. Absolutely pristine car. Full documentation, including original window sticker. MSRP, a touch over 16K. Even with a poochie 145 HP 302, it's a wonderful car to drive. While taking it on it's "maiden voyage" this weekend, it started to lose power. A LOT of power. It never actually died, but it wouldn't go over 35. Limped it in to the closest Shell, and topped it off. Fired right up, got back on the interstate, ran 'er up to 75, and she sailed like the Queen Mary. After about 10 miles, within 3 miles from my house, it again, started to lose power. I pulled up into the driveway, and noticed that the in-tank fuel pump was so loud, that you could hear it over the stereo ! It's one thing I didn't even think about; the fuel pump/gas tank. It had set for SO LOOOONG, that apparently, the fuel developed the "goo factor". Nonetheless, she runs fine, as long as I don't try to drive her to Los Vegas from Indiana. My point is, if you're going to buy a classic that has ridiculously low miles, make sure to have the fuel system cleaned, from front to back. Save yourself some inconvenience.
I agree that in the antique and classic car world, there seem to be only two types - the big money cars; tri-five Chevys, muscles cars that are pre 1972, '64.5-70 Mustangs, etc. etc., and then there is everything else. If your buying one of the "everything else" cars, buy the nicest car you can find, negotiate a really good price for it, and most importantly, MAKE SURE YOU REALLY WANT IT! Once you plop down that cold, hard cash, understand that odds are better than not that you'll never see that money again, so be prepared to keep the car for a long, long time and keep it in good condition. Otherwise, just consider it like any other used car purchase. Drive it alot, hope you get some fun and decent service out of it, and assume you'll lose money on it when it is time to move on.
I bought an '88 Lincoln Town Car for $1000. Best money I have ever spent. Only thing wrong with it is that the clear coat is coming off. It only has 90,000 original miles. I love how smooth the ride is as well as how comfortable the leather seats are. Plus a smooth non scratched or damaged leather roof. True luxury in my opinion.(=
Even if you spend another 10 grand on paint, hoses, tires & stuff (make it new), you still have a better car compared to a modern day luxury barge. Cheaper to service too, more durable and it doesn't depreciate. Unless of course, you dump it after a year like this clown ;)
I can't believe you sold a 1978 classic car for only $1500. In every second hand car's "lifespan" there is a point where the cars get cheaper and cheaper to the point where they are worth the same as if you scrap the car for the metal. At this point no one wants these cars and more and more of them start to disappear to the point they become rare. That's when people start seeing the value of these cars, sure the history of the car brand/model helps but after that tipping point of the car becoming so cheap most of the produced cars disappear the value and demand for them in the future can only increase(refer to your "Cars I Stupidly Sold Before They Shot Up in Value") not just because they have become rare but also because they are now a novelty by the younger generations what didn't grew with them when they were on the streets, not to mention the nostalgia factor of the older generations that contribute to the value too. I believe you sold your car at this tipping point where it's value is or about to become worthless right before it skyrockets in price in few years). I can't believe so many people can't realize this(similar mentality in forex and stock trading) - people buy expensive and sell cheap and fail to figure out why they lose money. When you have something that has become worthless in value you KEEP it instead of throwing it away. Look at that car, I'm not from the US but by EU standards that Lincoln is absolutely crazy looking, it's a freaking land yacht, people in the US may not appreciate it now but I'm sure they will in the future when this car become perceived as crazy as they're seen by people from outside the US.
🤣🤣my guy I feel for you I've been in a similar spot myself, we make mistakes so that we can learn from them, life is a great teacher because when we don't learn a lesson life will just repeat it. Great btw👍👍 good luck on this endeavor
Knight Rider Trans Am was my childhood DREAM car. In the late 90's me and my dad looked everywhere for a decent one and they were all worn out or rusted to hell. Well in late 2015 I stumbled on a midnight blue TA on a local lot and had to look it over. It looked perfect, and I paid $130 to have it inspected by a mechanic I trusted who said good solid car. Over the next 24 months the tranny failed, the motor blew, the radiator popped twice, some electrical issues came up, the alternator went, and the automatic shifter linkage and shifter itself went out, and finally the fuel pump failed... All this happened one at a time over and over and I kept saying NOW the car will be good... NOW the car will be good... Finally when the Ignition and Starter both went after the fuel pump that was it and I literally sold it not running for $1,500 to a friend. When all was said and done, I had spent $5,000 for the car and another $8,500 in repairs for a car I never had running more than a month before it broke again. My lesson learned I will NEVER own another old car no matter how much I love it. New car with warranties or no car at all. Now I get to watch Hoovies go through my ordeal lol.
That is a beautiful Lincoln! I'm looking for a 77-78 right now with the 460! LOL I have a similar story with a 66 442 that I bought a few years ago (but I still have it) where it stays broken in the garage more than it does on the road. SIGH, live and learn.
Stefan Micsa if you're buying a BMW make sure you get a bumper to bumper warranty. Mine has cost way more than the warranty every year. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Alfa Romeo's are more reliable than BMWs.
When I think of a classy car, this is what I think of - or a Cadillac of the same era. My mom always wanted a lincoln town car or a convertible cadillac. A land yacht of course. Just like cars from the 1930's, they will never make the huge long square cars from the 1960's and 1970's. I had a 1975 Caddy Coupe De Ville, I always felt like if I got in an accident the other car would have been much more mangled than mine. That was one of the easiest car to drive, not so easy to find a spot to park it, but it sure had power and was easy to drive. Even if it did get like 8 mph.
D'know if anyone's ever told you this - and I strongly doubt I alone hold this thought - but you're like the Louis Rossmann of RU-vid automotive content creation. P.S., you actually resemble and sound very similar to him, too. It's trippy.
The guy who bought it off you is a piece of shit. It took some nerve for that guy to contact you about buying it, and for so much less than you paid for it, FROM HIM. I'm not involved in any way and I'm sitting over here livid imagining that this happened to me lol
Putting money into repairs doesn't make the car worth what you've put in. The fire damage could have easily been repaired without the aid of a shop. New distributor cap, wires, possibly some new connectors. Replace the vent hose for less than 5 dollars....I could go on. The "fiddling" you describe after running the car out of gas is expected - the fuel bowl was probably dry as a bone. That doesn't mean the car "broke down". Lesson learned: don't buy an old car if you aren't willing / aren't able to get your hands dirty and learn, and NEVER expect to get back money you've put into a classic, unless it's an extremely collectible and desirable model.
this land yacht is a huge rectangle,this is one of the lowest points of automotive styling in history. rectangles are not pretty,they arent stylish,in fact they are boring ,UN-aerodynamic and uninspiring. this is also the lowest point of horsepower production, combined with the highest weight and worst aerodynamics of all time.a big block ford at this time had well under 200 horsepower which is pathetic and slow as molasses.......
NorthAmerican Auto and with the quality to match 70's era Fords SUCKED I'm surprised that car hasn't rusted away into a pile of iron oxide Shoulda Let It Burn
I had a Lincoln Town Car, 4 doors and all the shebang that come with. Yep, it was '78 model. They are great cars to drive. The first thing I did was to take it to a good mechanic and asked him to sort it out. It cost me around $1,000 all told, total costs $3,800 in '86. I drove it for 6 years. I left it to a friend. American cars are not that road hugging like their counterpart German or Swedish but they are cheap to buy and not really that expensive to use. Yes, they are a bit heavy on oil.
One way to save money is to do your own wrench turning. Most of what you described could be done with some skinned & singed knuckles. Then again, fire damage adds a whole new set of problems.
I have access to a 1977 Lincoln Continental with 70K original miles. Dirt cheap and runs, not to far off being restored to a show car. Personally I want to build it but a collector like Hoovie, right in my hometown backyard would be just a great. Hit me up in Andale!
It's a beautiful car.I have a 1989 Lincoln town car I bought for 200 dollars and I have fallen in love with her. She has her issues but I am willing to deal with them. Love your channel. I think a Plymouth fury would look good in your collection
I learned to drive on my dad's 73 and several of my uncles had these and Mark IV and Vs as well. This was back in the 70s and into the early 80s. However, these cars fell out of favor pretty quick from that point forward. The Lincoln was basically a lengthened LTD platform as the car was no longer on its unique chassis after 1969. While it had different body and nicer interior than the LTD, you can see that Ford over time cheapened that up as well, while also raising the price of the car, (compare your interior to a 71 - 73 to see what I mean). I'll admit, they had a stately look for their time, but were outclassed by the Mercedes S class of the same era, that along with the poor handling and maneuverability and that 7 - 10 MPG, made these obsolete fast. This and Ford's response by dressing up Fox body cars to look like the Lincoln's of the 70s is to me what started the long slow death of Lincoln.
It Happens when you buy classic vehicles it happens sometimes. It won't be his last. It's all about the how big of a loss it's what matters and can you recover.
Hey Tyler I sold my 4 door like your coupe for $4000 on ebay and had it shipped from Vancouver to Paris. Those overseas buyers love big cars. My 57 and 62 Cadiilacs went to Saudi Arabia.
A reliable land yacht is the 1986 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. I know what you all are thinking but thal OLDS 307 v8 is actually quite the trooper! I've owned mine now since 2013, putting 10k miles on it (91k total right now). I had invested zero into the thing and have been daily driving it as my only car. I always stayed away from fords.
Robert Niemczyk my last car was a 1986 mercury. i put a hole in the oil pan offroading and decided not to fix it. if had just shy of 350k miles. only time it stranded me was when the original fuel pump locked up at 318k miles. it cruised good and got 25-28mpg highway, not bad for a v-8. best $500 i ever spent, although i only put 90k miles on it in 5 years.
Yours sounded like it was strong too. Too bad it went bad but at that many miles something is going to go wrong. My father owns 2001 Hond Odyss that took him 16 years to get 100k and the thing had a trans fail right after getting to 100.
that's from sitting and not being driven enough,combined with dry rot and overly slow,intown driving you definitely cant blame the vehicle oir the transmission for the failure.
He speaks the truth when it comes to these terrible land yacht cars... I had an uncle that flat out gave me '76 Cadillac Fleetwood in about the same condition as Hoovie's Lincoln and had something like 75,000 miles original miles on it. Literally every time I drove that car SOMETHING broke and all of it was weird (because ancient Cadillac) and expensive. Doing all of the work myself, I spent $1800 repairing that car over about 9 months. It took almost a full year to sell it without taking a loss, and we're talking about a running and driving car for less than 2 grand! The segment of society that the car attracted was, well, unsavory and cheap. I had some guy offer me like $450 for it, after tire kicking it for like 2 hours, which at that time was well below scrap prices at the time. I finally sold it to a 17 year old kid that was in love with giant land barges. I told him as-is, no warranty, etc but if needed my help to get part warranties for all of the new stuff honored I'd help him out. Not more than 18 hours later he called me because the car wouldn't even crank over. The battery was less than 2 months old... I never heard from that guy again and I only saw the car one other time after that. I assume it got crushed when the next owner figured out that it was impossible to maintain, impossible to drive (500 inch motor that got about 7mpg in town), and worth absolutely nothing. Never ever buy one of these cars.
For a car almost 40 years old, what did you expect? It looks very good for its age, and once the glitches fixed, should be a nice car to have, provided you have a large space to park it. Unwieldy but nice!
Lincolns were never any good, nor are they now. FoMoCo, remember? Mercury was way better. But FoMoCo killed that one, emember? If you really want a Lincoln, get one that is made in China. Better overall.
@@frankfarago2825wrong, Continental are great cars the MKII was one of the best built American cars ever made and Town Cars can easily reach 500,000 miles, and this year Consumer Reports named Lincoln the most reliable American car brand, all the Lincoln’s they surveyed were made in North America none of that made in China slave labor crap.
It strikes me that the 1970s "floaty ride, 100% disconnect" style car might well come back! I was recently driving in Boston, MA-on the Southwest "expressway"-you are lucky to exceed 30 MPH. And traffic volume is expected to increase by 30% over the next 10 years. So your highly tuned, 160 MPH-capable BMW is completely wasted on such roads-far better to have a land barge like that '70s Lincoln.
You are damn right about "there is nothing in between superb and pricey and wortless" with these land yachts , but hee.... you were driving one of the biggest and laziest Lincolns in the world, aint that special? I have a 1977 Town car, slighlty bigger than your yacht, and it give me the same feeling. But I am living in the netherlands, so they at least apreciate the roominess inside
There was no size difference between the Town Coupe and Town Car until 1980, they were the same length and rode the same 127 inch wheelbase. In 1980, they went to a split wheelbase with the Town Coupe going to 114 inches and the Town Car to 117 inches, and 81 was the last year for the Town Coupe (which for that year, was no longer a Continental, as there was no 81 Continental)
Meanwhile in Finland, you send your car to junkyard, because of 20€/$ starting-position-sensor (or other vital part) cant be repaired/sold by no one. :D Local repair-guys says only "i don't know" because your car are so rare and old. So, be happy if you can life next to big spare-part warehouse
Yeah there are lots of flakes out there. One time I tried to sell a washer/dryer combo - the responses I got were priceless. Then I listed an apartment for a friend. The idiocy of that was incredible.
Great body and great interior, rare sun roof yet you paid too much to begin with. Honestly you are a fool if you think you can just drive a 40 year old car w/o any repairs. The market for a Town Car from that era is small
Back in 1990, the mechanic I used purchased a '78 Town Coupe with 83K on it for $500. It had been sitting for some time but ran fine and looked decent. I thought about making an offer, but I figured he would want way more than I could afford at the time. A week later, I noticed it was gone. When I asked, he said he sold it for $1000 with no more investment than giving it a bath, a vacuum and an oil change. If I'd known he would take $1000 for it, I would have offered that. I also know now of a '79 Town Car for sale with 67K on it, one owner, white with blue top and interior. Asking price is $12,500. Personally, I don't see that these cars should be worth much more than $5-$6K.
well, one buys these things because one loves them, not because you're gonna make money flipping it. Only a very few vehicles are investment grade. And if one is not mechanical, then yes spend the money and buy the most perfect example possible, if you really want one. any car that old is going to have problems, and mechanical problems are the least expensive thing to fix, esp on an old Ford...if the trim, glass, interior, and all the bits that make this car special are there, then that is 90% of the battle. and from what can be seen of this interior and trim, it looks awesome and has some value. a little bodywork and paint and this would be stylin' for sure. You would still lose money on it, every time...but you would love it! just subscribed...really liken' your vids!
Best Lincoln ever. I bought an 81 Mark VI for 5k and spent maybe 600 dollars propping it up..used it as a daily for last 6 months without issues...I wouldn't trade it for the world but I gotta say there's always that fear the other shoe will drop and some issue that's been building up unknown will rear its head and cost me tons. But man a mark VI just pales compared to a town coupe or a mark v.
Hey you offer a great service! You buy someone's car with problems at or above market price. You then fix all the issues, and then sell the car back to the original owner for a few grand less than you paid when you picked it up. Jeez that is a sound and true business model if I've ever heard one before. In fact, I have a car with a few costly issues. ill sell it to you for $7K . You work your magic (shouldn't cost more than $5,500 to fix) then sell me the car back for... say... $4.700. DO we have a deal?
Makes me feel good on losing 4k on a CRV I paid 2200 for. It had 195k miles but it had a Japan motor swap at 150k with an engine with 30k miles on it, so I guess the engine technically had 70k miles. Spent 1.5k on getting it repainted, joints replaced, engine mounts, transmission overhaul, seats replaced, etc. Did a bunch of stuff on my own. Next thing I knew, the air conditioner was out, evaporator coil needed to be replaced. 2.5k job I had to ignore despite living in Arizona. Then I got smashed on the side by a hit and run driver while on a trip. Ended up giving a scrap yard 600$ for it.
Just drove from Dallas to Elon, North Carolina to attend an award ceremony for one of my twins in college. Forgot about the collapsed hwy 85 in Atlanta and got stuck in 2hour backup. So a trip I have done in 16.5 hours turns into 20! Forgot to mention construction backup also in Mississippi and Charlotte. Plus loosing my Ass in Casino in Shreveport on the way! FELLOW IDIOTS UNITE! THANKS FOR THE LAUGHS BRAH!!!! KEEP THEM COMING, GOT TO DRIVE BACK SUNDAY😂😂😂
