To me, one of the most gratifying things about buying cars out of barns and junkyards is seeing the potential that others have missed. On more than one occasion, I’ve heard fellow gearheads look at a project I’m considering and get stuck on the environment the car is in, or the dust on top, rather than the car itself. That’s how you miss potentially awesome specimens, and the seller of this barn find 1988 Lincoln Town Car seemingly snagged a diamond in the rough. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace for $6,500.
Wow – what a transformation. Kudos to the seller for buying and cleaning this one up. Between its dusty appearance and likely a fair number of pundits thinking an 80s Town Car was junk, this example probably fell off the radar of some potential buyers rather quickly. But with the rise in interest of iconic 80s vehicles as part of the Radwood movement, finding these classics now before prices spike is a wise move. While some of our readers may not be stirred by this generation of the Town Car, plenty of us remember them being a vehicle associated with success.
And that alone is a powerful emotion – owning the car that others aspired to own when it was new, not because they were “car people” but because they wanted to be associated with prestige or wealth. Today, it’s an important reminder of where we came from when reflecting on the history of luxury cars in the U.S. What’s most amazing to me, however, is how well this example cleaned up after the seller evidently put in some serious elbow grease. The backseat appears to be practically unused despite mileage being reported as a tick over 80,000.
The engine bay sports a familiar sight, with the venerable 5.0L V8 under the hood. The seller doesn’t provide any real info, just noting that after two months of work, it “…runs and looks new!” Now, everyone tends to say that to some extent, but there does seem to be a seriously clean car residing under all of that dust, and good on the seller for seeing the potential and bringing an emerging classic to market that the next generation of car collectors will certainly appreciate. I hope it finds a good forever home soon.
Great before-and-after pics. This looks to be the work of a “flipper”. We mostly use the term in a derogatory fashion, but in this case it looks that someone bought (‘rescued’) this car and put in the effort getting it clean and running well. That’s fine with me, more power to them if they make a buck.
If you are looking for a cruiser classic car, and don’t care about sportiness at all, why not. I bet you would get plenty of smiles picking up the grandkids at school.
Beautiful Lincoln..the epitomized “hit man” car..if only I had room for it alas I’m in the process of thinning out my own herd..I hope someone will take good care of this one
Hello, just curious as to what you’re “thinning out “.I would like to know. Thanks 🙂
My ex-father-in-law had a mid-’80s Town Car, silver with the same leather interior as this beauty. I drove it quite a bit at one point and was really impressed by it’s smooth ride and luxurious appointments; that car had every option(for the time) that you could think of. Kudos to the seller for putting in the hard work cleaning up this Lincoln and getting it road ready, it looks great.
This is why I drive Lincolns for the last 24 years. Love how they ride, drive, and good gas mileage.
I had a 1988 Lincoln black hearse. I liked the electric wing window.
Great find! My complements to the seller
for all the work that he put into this old beauty before deciding to move her along. As for the term “flipper,” I guess
I’m guilty too. Dad and I made extra cash
buying, fixing, and selling cars out of our
backyard in the late ’60s until I started
playing music over the road. Like this
gentleman, we’d fix ’em and clean ’em
up to make ’em the best they could be.
Because of this approach, we sold quite
a few cars back then. Now back to this
car. I like it a lot and wished I had space
for it in my driveway. The price: a little
steep for my blood unless I can get my
doctor to prescribe it for my aching back
each time we take long road trip. Sure
could’ve used this yesterday. 10 hours
in my sister in law’s Mercury Mariner just
doesn’t cut it anymore.
The ride in these cars is the ultimate in plush, serenely floating over any bumps or dips on the superhighway. The air conditioning cools these interiors quickly and quietly and all the while the engine is barely heard from as it propels these sedans on. The loudest noise on the car is the clunk of the door locks-or the stereo if you crank it up. I’ll not forget the 1988 TownCar I owned. What a car!
I bought a rust free ’88 Town Car in Oxnard, California, in 2003 for $1300. Drove it to Lake George, NY…what a pleasant ride that was, and then drove it for a couple of years before selling it to a friend. Great car, sumptuous ride, not bad on gas or repairs. Good memories.