1998 Lincoln Town Car buying guide
A data-driven checklist for buying a used 1998 Lincoln Town Car, built from 154 owner complaints, 5 recall campaigns, 194 service bulletins and federal safety records — not opinions.
Know before you buy
- 5 recall campaigns affect this model year. Check each one and confirm the repairs were done — recall work is free at any authorized dealer.
- Main problem areas: engine and engine cooling (32), service brakes, hydraulic (19), suspension (19), visibility (16), electrical system (15).
- Symptoms owners describe: stalling (9), vibration / shaking (5). Test-drive with these in mind.
- Reported incident mileage: among 58 complaints with a usable odometer reading, half were filed between 62,500 and 123,000 miles (median 84,000). If the car you’re looking at is near that range, ask for service records covering it.
- 5 federal investigations have named this model year — read what they cover.
- Fuel economy: 18 MPG combined (EPA; engines: 4.6L 8-cyl).
When problems get reported
Reported incident mileage among 58 complaints with usable odometer readings.
| under 20k | 3 | |
| 20–40k | 5 | |
| 40–60k | 6 | |
| 60–80k | 12 | |
| 80–100k | 12 | |
| 100–150k | 14 | |
| 150k+ | 6 |
Before you hand over money
- Run the VIN through our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact build.
- Check open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall that was never fixed is a free repair you can claim.
- Get a pre-purchase inspection focused on the problem areas listed above.
This guide is generated from official NHTSA, EPA and FARS records. Complaints are unverified owner reports and raw counts are not adjusted for sales volume.