This awesome 1986 Lincoln Mark VII is claimed to be a dealer-serviced example for the last 30 years, remaining in excellent condition with under 70,000 original miles. The Mark VII is, in some ways, an upscale version of the Ford Thunderbird from the same era, but is rarely seen today in such nice condition. While it’s purely a grand tourer than any sort of sports coupe, it’s still right in line with the hype that’s growing around vehicles from the 1980s. Find it here on craigslist with an asking price of $4,300 or best offer.
The Mark VII featured the “bustleback” look that was (weirdly) popular in the 80s, but fortunately, that was its most serious offense. These coupes can look downright sinister in black and lowered over some period-correct basketweave alloy wheels, but this example is still firmly on the side of “grandpa cruiser” that most of them landed on. The Lincolns were loaded up feature-wise, and cast a much different profile than its sibling wearing the blue oval badge.
The deeply bolstered leather bucket seats looked more Recaro-like than not, and the thickly carpeted interior likely kept things whisper-quiet. The cabin obviously looks quite dated now, but it was far more sporting than any Lincoln before it at the time. The seller notes that the Mark VII is fully optioned with the 5.0L V8 and extensive maintenance records; it has also been garaged since new.
Though marketed to compete with the likes of Mercedes SEC coupes and BMW’s 6-Series, the Lincoln really posed no threat to those showrooms when it came to tempting buyers. Still, it was likely a good deal cheaper to buy and maintain then either of those, and if you wanted to get really close to the sporting characters of those cars, you’ll have to hold out for a limited-production GTC – a car I swear I will buy if one pops up locally. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Miguel for the find.
I’ll admit it: I’ve really liked these cars since I was a teen. I’ve considered numerous times buying one and swapping in a 5-speed from a Mustang, and then adding some suspension bits and go-faster parts. IMO, this is money well spent.
There, I said it.
What documents on mileage authentication..,.thats just crazy for a posting 👀👀👍👍
This is s nice car and love the leather !!
Nice rig, surprised it is still for sale.
The seller must think that we are all fools. The 5.0 litre was the one and only engine offered in this model if you don’t count the short lived diesel version.
All the ad says is “with 5.0L engine”. It doesn’t suggest that it’s some sort of a rare high-end option. Not everyone shopping might know what engine was even offered in the Mark VII.
Actually that’s partly correct. The Mk VII was offered in the base version with the standard 5.0 and the LSC version with the 5.0 HO or (high output) which is what this is. The diesel was used only to fulfill a deal with BMW to get rid of some crappy engines. They were beyond gutless.
Every Mark VII from 1986 to 1992 had the Mustang GT 5.0 H.O. That is the only engine available.
I beg to differ Steve. Besides having worked on these at the dealer throughout its life cycle as well as the later MK8, you can Wikipedia the answer if you don’t believe me. The base engines were 140hp. Later years had 200 and then 240hp on the LSC models. Most people ordered the LSC model but there were plenty non LSCs/non HOs in our shop. We saw only a couple of the diesels thankfully.
It’s had a regular 5.0 and a 5.0 High Output I’ve own two a 88 and 91. I like the 88 LSC Better.
“Dealer Serviced:”
Translation- “Some poor old guy got his wallet “serviced” on a regular basis by the Service Writer and Mechanics “
I worked at a Lincoln dealer back in the 80s. The nice part was that Lincoln customers were affluent and easy to deal with. If the cars needed something during the regular service they always said just fix it or they told us ahead of time to just do wherever it needs and call me when it’s done.
And shortly thereafter, maybe starting in the mid-1990s, these were frequently seen in ghettos with the back ends sagging virtually to the ground due to failed air suspensions. They really went day to night in a big hurry!
Maybe the commentary has changed but I don’t see any mention of documents on milage authentication. There is comment on 30 years of maintenance at a dealer. If he kept all the receipts there would be a stack and should verify mileage at least to my satisfaction. If he didn’t keep all the receipts then the dealer records would. My understand(which is based on old info) would be the servicing dealer would be the only one where you could get it. But like I said that is based on old info, so checking with your local Ford dealer might get them for a slight fee of course.
An interesting car I wish I had the space and monies it would take for me to “upgrade” it as I envision Ford should have made it…lol
Maybe the seller would approach his local dealer and ask for the documentation….
My understanding is a dealer will only give service records to the owner which had the service done. That’s what I was told when I tried to get records from a Ford dealer.
That is probable. Maybe the owner would approach the dealer, 30-year customer should carry a little weight. Or maybe even another Ford dealer asking might get them so they could continue the excellent service committed err performed by Ford.
Wd have cash in hand if not so far away!!
I have a ’89 Bill Blass Edition. Had it since 1999 bought from father in law who bought it new. I love the car and will likely hold on to it until I’m dead. The only major thing that had to be repaired so far is airbags. I took them out and installed springs from a Mustang suspension kit. Other than that the car has been great and I still enjoy driving it every so often. It has a whopping 39,000 miles on the clock.
Nice!! Bill Blass came with pillow top seats. I almost bought an 89 LSC, black with a tan interior and a factory moon roof. What a nice car. The 89s had those big head rests that tilted forward. Later years had smaller head rests. Then the Mark VIIIs came out, and I thought they were ugly.
Yes. They have to be cleaned underneath every so often because they( seat tops) trap debris. Mine is white with maroon interior. Correct on the head rests. I forget what the wheels are called but they are aluminum. I’ll try to dig up a picture.
My friends Pinto next to it. Right before we put a 302 in it.
Hope you reinstalled the airbags!
Hell no I didn’t. The airbags would have been around $1500 to replace. I put springs on it for around $500 and the car actually rides and handles much, much better and will outlast me.
Removing the air bags from a Mark is ridiculous. Just buy a Thunderbird if you don’t want the features of a Mark.
Why would that be ridiculous? It was cost effective for me and ended up improving the ride. What is ridiculous is buying another car because of airbag failures. It’s only one feature. Who said I didn’t want the features of a Mark? Oh, you did. Get real. That’s probably the dumbest comment I’ll see regarding getting rid of airbags on my car.
I’ve always liked these, especially with the monochromatic look that some of the LSCs sported. The price seems very good, given the condition and the potential for documentation to accompany it. The only sore point for me, was the flush ends on the front bumper…it somehow looks unfinished. That aside, these were perfect in my opinion.
Always liked these, they were pretty cool cars and probably the best American Personal lux coupe when the GM E-body cars hit “the dark times” of 1986-1989. I think in 1987 these got prettier alloy wheels with a lace pattern, that Tempo steering wheel is still staring at you right in the face, even with all that leather trying to hide it.
Damn nice.. The mileage is totally believable based on how it shows. Wouldn’t fault anyone giving the asking price for it.
I agree with Ike.
Dealer serviced alright. Nothing like getting the hood latch oiled for 200 bucks.
Whats with all the gravel on the floor.
You would think the dealer would service that too ?
Midas will change your oil for 30 bucks
Nice car and a great deal. Many if not most people that bought these and other brands in that class don’t drive their car up on ramps and change the oil or replace a wheel bearing they take in to the dealership where they purchased it. They also the type of people that do not drive the miles most do. Sounds legit to me and would by it in a minute if I needed a nice car at a good price that should go at least a hundred thousand more miles before putting money in it.
My favorite Lincoln. Like someone else said, 5 speed transmission and breathe on the 5.0 with very affordable and available components, tweak the suspension and enjoy.
What with Ford getting out of the car business it’s really too bad (And would make marketing sense) that they don’t utilize the Mustang platform for a grand tourer that would be very competitive with other luxo coupes..
I’ll join the group and admit that I really like these too. GM was making crap, and these had some dignity along with modernization. Reminds me of a car my Dad would buy, take to the dealership for fixes, making sure THEY paid for them because they should stand behind their cars! He could squeeze a nickel out of a stone. Make friends with the service department folks and they take care of you! Small trips here and there around town, and that’s about it. Clean it by hand once a week even if it looks perfect. I’d still love to have one of these, an LSC-SE. The next generation wasn’t so bad either in sport trim. Tweak that engine to squeeze out some more power, add a T-5 if desired, and enjoy!
Lovely cars, a good value at the price, you’ll certainly enjoy it.
Awesome looking car! I remember the first time I saw a Lincoln Mk VII back in 1985. I was too young to drive at the time, but I remember finding it more attractive than any previous Lincoln Mark cars.
“The cabin obviously looks quite dated now, but…”
Don’t 4get Jeff (if interested in a more peppy model) these R frm the Fox bodied platform which went upto ’04 in the stang. U can swap out interior components to make quite updated.
/OR/
may B it’s not? is it a “Panther” platform?
That wuz upto ’11…even better 4 U.
4 me? 4 dor plez.(and motor, suspension, break, etc upgrades)
Wagons or econobox w/hatch.
One last thing about the suspension. To the untrained eye of the common laymen (from Calvin & Hobbes) the air bag system maybe daunting. It was actually a super easy system to diagnose and repair. Bag replacement took no more than 10 minutes per bag and that was at a leisurely pace. At my dealership we found ways to save time that were not in the repair manual. But the main point is that the base of the bag sat in a cradle held in place by the air pressure. A small square clip held it in place for assembly. The top of the bag had a lock ring. Just pop the clip and rotate the lock ring to replace the bag. The plastic air line and solenoid harness connector is removed first though (2 second job). Our time saving trick was inflating the bag with shop air after install instead of having the cars tiny compressor having to inflate four empty bags. Also if you had no clue about the system, the computer could run a self test and a dynamic test and produce fault codes. Rarely needed though. It was a nice system that is safer to work on than coil springs. Plus the ride was superior. My two cents..
My reasoning for replacing airbags with springs was generated from the airbags failing after just 24,000 miles. I am sure some of this had to do with the age of the parts rather than the actual mileage as this happened when the car was nearly 20 years old. At what all the shops in my area wanted to charge me to replace them, I was not willing to go through it again so replacing with springs was my guarantee. It was $1000 less and seeing as how I plan to be dead before I get rid of the car, another failure was pretty likely in my opinion. I’m happy with the springs and it improved the ride in my opinion and the handling seems to be a bit tighter.