1989 Lincoln Town Car Signature Se Sedan 4-door 5.0l on 2040-cars

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Lincoln is changing the way it sells cars (for the better)

Tucked inside an outdoor shopping complex in Scottsdale, Arizona, among various trendy stores is something one would’ve thought hilariously out of place not so long ago: a Lincoln dealer. But this isnÂ’t any old dealership, Lincoln or otherwise. This would be the Sanderson Lincoln Boutique, the first of its kind for FordÂ’s luxury brand. Walk through the big glass doors and youÂ’re greeted by a 2022 Navigator on your right, a 2022 Aviator Grand Touring straight ahead, and to your left, an expansive coffee bar. Vintage promotional images from LincolnÂ’s midcentury glory years line the walls, which is a treat to anyone fond of that automotive era. There are smaller seating areas elsewhere, including one enclosed in glass presumably for more privately discussing a sale, but the overall vibe is reminiscent of an airline lounge. There are also no sales people: Those on hand are salaried product specialists who get paid the same whether you buy a car or not. Oh, and baristas, there to whip up some caffeine free of charge whether you buy a car or not. That seems like a recipe for being popular with teenagers, but I digress. Lincoln is planning for other such boutique stores, but the decision to create this one was all on an individual dealer, Sanderson Lincoln, with the full support of Lincoln. And according to Lincoln President Joy Falotico, such boutique stores and their car-buying model could complement radical changes already happening elsewhere in the car-buying realm. In short, the ongoing supply shortage is set to change everything. Customers are not only getting used to waiting for cars, but also ordering them and therefore getting exactly what they want. ThatÂ’s where boutique stores come in. At the same time, Lincoln and its dealers see the value in not keeping huge inventories of cars that will end up discounted or incentivized. Yes, that means being able to keep prices higher, which is a giant part of this, but it also means theyÂ’ll be delivering cars customers actually want. “We donÂ’t intend to go back to the old model of (overabundant) dealer inventory,” Falotico definitively said. She elaborated that moving to a model where customers increasingly order their cars could increase the build possibilities and opportunities for customization.

Ford recalling 370,000 Crown Vic, Grand Marquis and Town Car models

The Detroit News is reporting that Ford will recall some 370,000 Crown Victoria (pictured), Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car vehicles from model years 2005 through 2011, for an issue regarding the lower intermediate steering shaft. 355,000 of the vehicles in question were sold in the US, with the other 15,000 sold in Canada.
The report indicates that corrosion of the lower intermediate steering shaft could cause a "loss of steering," presumably because of a partial or complete failure of the part. The report points out the dealers will inspect and replace the offending steering component for recalled cars, and may also secure a lower steering column bearing and replace the upper intermediate steering shaft as needed. The company is unaware of any reports of the faulty part causing any accidents or injuries.
Ford helpfully lists states in which corrosion is more likely to have taken place, mostly in the Snow Belt, as you might guess. Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia are listed.

How the demise of Lincoln's Town Car has kick-started a limo revolution

The deaths of the Ford Crown Victoria and the Lincoln Town Car have meant overhauls of three high-profile American fleets: police, taxi and livery car. Just as police fleets are more open to considering other options and a Nissan van is the new face of the NYC taxi, livery car companies are looking at replacements for the Town Car beyond The Blue Oval. Ford, via Lincoln, has made an MKT Town Car (pictured), but an article in the Detroit News claims "it has failed to win over most of the big limousine companies." The upstarts trying to move in include livery and limo editions of the Cadillac XTS, and livery specifications of the Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300.
Each of those challengers, however, faces challenges. The Town Car was a workhorse, American, rear-wheel-drive sedan with plenty of rear legroom. Cadillac has been in the livery space before but with decontented models that were about selling the brand, not its luxury. It is taking the opposite approach with the XTS, pointing out that its livery edition is "contented in the upper half of the XTS range." Still, the CEO of Michigan's largest livery company says "it's quite a bit smaller than what we're used to," and he also prefers rear-wheel drive.
The Chrysler 300 is rear-wheel drive, and American, which matters to some companies, but Chrysler hasn't yet revealed the livery package for it. The livery Avalon marks Toyota's first time getting into that business in the US, a natural step after having done so well with taxi clients and with the Town Car out of the way. Still, the livery client is a different to taxi buyers, so the Avalon could face other soft-touch hurdles.