Beautiful and detailed review of the underappreciated 1998 to 2002 Continental - I did not know the dashboard vents tilted, and I own two of these! (a 1998 and a 2002, and a 2006 Town Car for comparison). This generation of Continental is derived off the Taurus platform which makes for good supply on the brakes and some suspension/chassis maintenance parts. It has a wheelbase ~ 2" longer and enough different suspension components (air ride, spring rates, electronic steering, electronic shocks, etc.) that it drives completely different than a Taurus - plus the wonderful silky-smooth power of a mildly tuned 4.6 32V engine. They have a surprising reserve of power, and are super responsive to throttle inputs. When I am driving two lane highways and come across a car/truck going 55-60 mph, I can floor it and it often gets to ~ 95 mph allowing me to quickly return to my lane. The interesting thing when passing is that initially there is noticeable engine sound, but after holding the throttle down for a couple of seconds the engine becomes much quieter and almost silent as I pass the other vehicle. The transmission has a known soft spot that the aftermarket upgrades on remanufacturing: the shaft that drives the pump apparently does not have hardened splines and often the splines are worn away by ~ 175k (or sooner with aggressive driving). The good rebuilders always replace this with an aftermarket part that is hardened with upgraded metal. The engines are bullets and easily last 250k and longer with regular fluid and filter changes. Town Car owners might not want to hear this, but I honestly believe the Continental has a better ride quality than the Town Car - the Town Car does win in interior quietness from a well cushioned and insulated body on frame construction vs. the unibody construction of the Continental. What is really amazing for a V8 car is the fuel mileage: I have regularly gotten 28 mpg on the highway - and sometimes it has shown 30/31 mpg (a tailwind I suspect).
In 2011, I was lucky enough to find a like new condition inside & out, Aqua Blue Metallic with gray interior, 2001 Lincoln Continental with one previous owner & only 86k miles on it! It had leather bucket seats, nice real wood interior trim, floor shifter, Alpine/6CD stereo, power sunroof etc... What it didn't have was... The nice optional chrome wheels like the Continental in your video... It also didn't have the dark front grille, heated seats, two-tone leather seating, or the CE pkg, but it was still a pretty loaded car, just not fully loaded, obviously. My Lincoln gave me no issues other than having to replace the windshield washer rubber line that kept snapping in half from the under hood heat a few times a year. I loved the adjustable suspension and steering. I also loved the more powerful starting in 1999, InTech 4.6L 32-Valve DOHC V8 with 275 HP & 275 LB-FT. The car had very good power being capable of running between 94-96 mph in the 1/4 mile depending on conditions. The gas mileage wasn't bad for a V8 around town, & it was actually pretty good on the highway. I sold it with 155k miles. It was a great experience. Thanks for making this video, by the way! 😎👍
I had a 1996 in NJ, it was an incredible car in the winter, on ice and snow, the traction control is phenomenal it outperformed almost any car, going down RT 80 in 4 to 6 inches of snow, I passed many 4wdrv's stuck in the ditch, I once pulled a small car on an incline on ice out of a ditch with no problem.
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you but my best friend just bought a tan 115k mile one with a beige interior I don’t really like the beige interior I prefer this black one but that window stickers at $40,000 I found seven glove box I’m like 16 and he’s 19 so I drove the car that car drives like a smooth when it has his power steering without power fluid turning the wheel is a work out But the car drives smooth for what it is and I’ve only driven new cars
@@theweekndmusictapes802 I recently used Liquimoly ATF additive to fix the hard steering on a Toyota , that one had a leak but I'm glad I spent the $12 to restore the smooth steering. It may work for your friends car if it uses Dexron . This seems like too nice of a car to let it go to crap , if it were my car I'd definitely take the time to fix the small issues.
I don't work for any dealerships, so I am not sure, but I believe it went to auction. Like I said, I don't know for 100% sure, and the dealership didn't want to be shouted out, for whatever reason. It was weird.
I love these cars...I owned a '92 underpowered V6 and an '02 V8 very similar to this car...BUT...the bain of Continental owners was the unreliable, failure prone air suspensions...mine both failed before 80,000 miles. I replaced the air with coil springs on the '02. Buyer beware. I did enjoy the review but watch out for that suspension.
That car actually does not have the rescu package or the overhead console would have not had that opening that propped open. It would have to truck and ambulance button there and also another Idiot light display for the low tire pressure system that came with the rescu option
That’s interesting. I was going off the original window sticker that was in the owners manual folder in the glovebox. Maybe a misprint? Or they replaced the console at some point?
This car definitely has the RESCU package - you can see the microphone on the top of the steering column early in the video, plus the center console is the version used for the factory cell phone. Not sure on this year for the location and operation of the RESCU buttons - I think they were on the original (now missing) factory cell phone.
That microphone just means that the car was equipped with the voice-activated cellular phone. It doesn't mean it had rescu. They were available independently of one another. The rescu buttons were located in the overhead console where the little door popped open that he showed. That little door that he popped open would still pop open if you knew how to do it and the low tire pressure monitor system module was hidden in there which was part of the rescu package. So there's absolutely no possible way that car could have had rescu because that opening would have been filled with the tire pressure monitor module and the outside of it would have had the two buttons, the tow truck and ambulance with the idiot lights for rescu and low tire pressure. I had one of these vehicles
Did you mention the part about the Continental motor uses PREMIUM GAS? No apparent rhyme or reason. They could've used the Town Car/Crown Vic/Grand Marquis 4.6 that uses REGULAR GAS but they didn't. That's a lot of wasted money!
0-60 is more like 6.5sec for these. 1999 is when they got the better breathing C heads good for 15 extra hp, a little more torque and a higher axle ratio which makes it feel like it has 30 more hp than a 1998 model.
You likely bought a used one that had been thrashed by a younger driver who had bought it as the cheapest way to get a 4.6 32V engine car. Then they beat on it and skimped on the maintenance. TH-cam has more than few videos of these cars with young drivers doing burnouts and driving at top speed. Then when they get tired of the car, they off it onto an unsuspecting buyer. Most people buying these Continentals were older conservative drivers who never skimped on maintenance. I own two of these, a 1998 and a 2002, and so far in more than 50,000 miles of driving they have never left me stranded.
@@wildboy6718 Yeah, they generally can be found for decent prices - and usually from owners who had them maintained. I now have ~ 180k on my 1998. I bought the 2002 as a spare car because the price was so low, and I haven't driven it. If there is a pick and pull salvage yard near you it can be a good source for unavailable parts. The values are low, so that means even the most minor of insurance scrapes will see the car declared a total loss. You should service the transmission right away with a filter and fluid. I still have the original transmission. From what I've seen those who never service the transmission will have problems, those who service every 30k-50k miles and drive normally will go into the 200k - 250k mile range before needing a trans refresh. Best wishes.
@Thomas63r2 My previous 2001 Continental had 155,000 trouble free miles on it when I sold it. This car was incredible! No matter the car, there will be a few bad apples in the bunch. Also, like any other car, if it's not broken in properly when new, and then beaten on, it would become a POS with problems. Thankfully mine was great.
Beautiful and detailed review of the underappreciated 1998 to 2002 Continental - I did not know the dashboard vents tilted, and I own two of these! (a 1998 and a 2002, and a 2006 Town Car for comparison). This generation of Continental is derived off the Taurus platform which makes for good supply on the brakes and some suspension/chassis maintenance parts. It has a wheelbase ~ 2" longer and enough different suspension components (air ride, spring rates, electronic steering, electronic shocks, etc.) that it drives completely different than a Taurus - plus the wonderful silky-smooth power of a mildly tuned 4.6 32V engine. They have a surprising reserve of power, and are super responsive to throttle inputs. When I am driving two lane highways and come across a car/truck going 55-60 mph, I can floor it and it often gets to ~ 95 mph allowing me to quickly return to my lane. The interesting thing when passing is that initially there is noticeable engine sound, but after holding the throttle down for a couple of seconds the engine becomes much quieter and almost silent as I pass the other vehicle. The transmission has a known soft spot that the aftermarket upgrades on remanufacturing: the shaft that drives the pump apparently does not have hardened splines and often the splines are worn away by ~ 175k (or sooner with aggressive driving). The good rebuilders always replace this with an aftermarket part that is hardened with upgraded metal. The engines are bullets and easily last 250k and longer with regular fluid and filter changes. Town Car owners might not want to hear this, but I honestly believe the Continental has a better ride quality than the Town Car - the Town Car does win in interior quietness from a well cushioned and insulated body on frame construction vs. the unibody construction of the Continental. What is really amazing for a V8 car is the fuel mileage: I have regularly gotten 28 mpg on the highway - and sometimes it has shown 30/31 mpg (a tailwind I suspect).
Such an amzing car i have an 02 with 65k miles!!!!!!!!! It is one of the best cars of its era
In 2011, I was lucky enough to find a like new condition inside & out, Aqua Blue Metallic with gray interior, 2001 Lincoln Continental with one previous owner & only 86k miles on it! It had leather bucket seats, nice real wood interior trim, floor shifter, Alpine/6CD stereo, power sunroof etc... What it didn't have was... The nice optional chrome wheels like the Continental in your video... It also didn't have the dark front grille, heated seats, two-tone leather seating, or the CE pkg, but it was still a pretty loaded car, just not fully loaded, obviously. My Lincoln gave me no issues other than having to replace the windshield washer rubber line that kept snapping in half from the under hood heat a few times a year. I loved the adjustable suspension and steering. I also loved the more powerful starting in 1999, InTech 4.6L 32-Valve DOHC V8 with 275 HP & 275 LB-FT. The car had very good power being capable of running between 94-96 mph in the 1/4 mile depending on conditions. The gas mileage wasn't bad for a V8 around town, & it was actually pretty good on the highway. I sold it with 155k miles. It was a great experience. Thanks for making this video, by the way! 😎👍
Extremely underrated cars!!!
Have owned 2 of these bodystyle Continentals for 14 consecutive years. Good reliable car. Low maintenance. Low insurance premiums.
Great review! Made with passion and detail.
I had a 1996 in NJ, it was an incredible car in the winter, on ice and snow, the traction control is phenomenal it outperformed almost any car, going down RT 80 in 4 to 6 inches of snow, I passed many 4wdrv's stuck in the ditch, I once pulled a small car on an incline on ice out of a ditch with no problem.
Great car for Canadian winters
I'm really debating on buying one of these I love them and the more I see them the more I like them
I was looking at one on marketplace
Beautiful Car !!! 😍😍😍
2:38 Did I just saw rust?
Great video by the way.
Looks good! Love all the options, although the rust on the wheel wedges looks pretty bad for $3k
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you but my best friend just bought a tan 115k mile one with a beige interior I don’t really like the beige interior I prefer this black one but that window stickers at $40,000 I found seven glove box I’m like 16 and he’s 19 so I drove the car that car drives like a smooth when it has his power steering without power fluid turning the wheel is a work out But the car drives smooth for what it is and I’ve only driven new cars
@@theweekndmusictapes802 I recently used Liquimoly ATF additive to fix the hard steering on a Toyota , that one had a leak but I'm glad I spent the $12 to restore the smooth steering. It may work for your friends car if it uses Dexron .
This seems like too nice of a car to let it go to crap , if it were my car I'd definitely take the time to fix the small issues.
Just get a can of spray paint for those rims for that kinda awesome price. I would cammo those rims!
No Krown rust protection
You need to review a 2006+ Lincoln Town Car.
If one that is in decent shape rolls around, I absolutely will! I’ve had the chance a couple times, but they’ve all been in really rough shape.
Neighborhood Car Reviews Mine is like new. 2007 with 40k miles.
7:57 what is that mic looking thing next to the emergency flasher
Factory cell phone microphone
His buddy is probably wearing a wire 🙄
sold or still for sale?
I don't work for any dealerships, so I am not sure, but I believe it went to auction. Like I said, I don't know for 100% sure, and the dealership didn't want to be shouted out, for whatever reason. It was weird.
I love these cars...I owned a '92 underpowered V6 and an '02 V8 very similar to this car...BUT...the bain of Continental owners was the unreliable, failure prone air suspensions...mine both failed before 80,000 miles. I replaced the air with coil springs on the '02. Buyer beware. I did enjoy the review but watch out for that suspension.
My 2000 Continentals suspension has been perfect. Rust protection is a must.
Almost 150k?
I drive one of these my old friends car decent car
That car actually does not have the rescu package or the overhead console would have not had that opening that propped open. It would have to truck and ambulance button there and also another Idiot light display for the low tire pressure system that came with the rescu option
That’s interesting. I was going off the original window sticker that was in the owners manual folder in the glovebox. Maybe a misprint? Or they replaced the console at some point?
@@NeighborhoodCarReviews I think it probably was just replaced
@trucking shenanigans that's General Motors only. Ford never did that.
This car definitely has the RESCU package - you can see the microphone on the top of the steering column early in the video, plus the center console is the version used for the factory cell phone. Not sure on this year for the location and operation of the RESCU buttons - I think they were on the original (now missing) factory cell phone.
That microphone just means that the car was equipped with the voice-activated cellular phone. It doesn't mean it had rescu. They were available independently of one another. The rescu buttons were located in the overhead console where the little door popped open that he showed. That little door that he popped open would still pop open if you knew how to do it and the low tire pressure monitor system module was hidden in there which was part of the rescu package. So there's absolutely no possible way that car could have had rescu because that opening would have been filled with the tire pressure monitor module and the outside of it would have had the two buttons, the tow truck and ambulance with the idiot lights for rescu and low tire pressure. I had one of these vehicles
Did you mention the part about the Continental motor uses PREMIUM GAS? No apparent rhyme or reason. They could've used the Town Car/Crown Vic/Grand Marquis 4.6 that uses REGULAR GAS but they didn't. That's a lot of wasted money!
Because like the Mark VIII and Maurauder, it's using the cobra engine but fwd based.
Tengo.otro.del1998
Yo.tengo.uno.1987
32V Intech V8 🔩
0-60 is more like 6.5sec for these. 1999 is when they got the better breathing C heads good for 15 extra hp, a little more torque and a higher axle ratio which makes it feel like it has 30 more hp than a 1998 model.
If you want an incredible car for the money buy a 1998 to 2002 Lincoln Continental in good shape.
Tremenda nave
cobra in a tuxedo
Lol I had 98 continental and it was total garbage .. worst car I ever had
What problems did you have I’m thinking bout getting a 2000
You likely bought a used one that had been thrashed by a younger driver who had bought it as the cheapest way to get a 4.6 32V engine car. Then they beat on it and skimped on the maintenance. TH-cam has more than few videos of these cars with young drivers doing burnouts and driving at top speed. Then when they get tired of the car, they off it onto an unsuspecting buyer. Most people buying these Continentals were older conservative drivers who never skimped on maintenance. I own two of these, a 1998 and a 2002, and so far in more than 50,000 miles of driving they have never left me stranded.
@@Thomas63r2I jus got a used 2002 100 thousand miles on it .. got it for a good price too
@@wildboy6718 Yeah, they generally can be found for decent prices - and usually from owners who had them maintained. I now have ~ 180k on my 1998. I bought the 2002 as a spare car because the price was so low, and I haven't driven it. If there is a pick and pull salvage yard near you it can be a good source for unavailable parts. The values are low, so that means even the most minor of insurance scrapes will see the car declared a total loss. You should service the transmission right away with a filter and fluid. I still have the original transmission. From what I've seen those who never service the transmission will have problems, those who service every 30k-50k miles and drive normally will go into the 200k - 250k mile range before needing a trans refresh. Best wishes.
@Thomas63r2
My previous 2001 Continental had 155,000 trouble free miles on it when I sold it. This car was incredible! No matter the car, there will be a few bad apples in the bunch. Also, like any other car, if it's not broken in properly when new, and then beaten on, it would become a POS with problems. Thankfully mine was great.