Deciding on a new car...

[phrozen5100 10+ year member]

Been a long time since I've posted, but I'm back for some input. The old '88 Grand Caravan has been good to me...somewhat...but I'm almost ready to buy myself a new vehicle. I've boiled it down to just two cars with their pros and cons listed:

96-99 Buick Riviera (Supercharged)

Pros: Well built, good looking muscular body, supercharged, decent gas mileage, roomier interior, more reliable, slightly cheaper to insure, dual climate control, cheaper parts, wider selection of rims available, battery under the rear seat (can you say easy wire running?), slightly more trunk space.

Cons: Conventional lens headlamps, not as many standard features as Mark VIII, slower than the Mark VIII, taillights are a little ugly, FWD (little tougher to work on), more common than 97 & 98 Mark VIII's, less impressive looking than the Mark VIII...especially at night.

97 or 98 Lincoln Mark VIII (LSC or regular trim)

Pros: 4.6L DOHC Cobra engine, HID headlamps, classy looks, RWD, LED turn signal mirrors, puddle lamps and cornering lamps, more standard features than Riviera, pretty rare around my parts.

Cons: Lower quality interior, mediocre gas mileage, higher insurance costs, less reliable, less rim selection, smaller trunk than Riviera.

The revolutionary lighting on the Mark VIII along with it's rarity are the main reasons I like it. One might wonder why I place so much value on headlights...well, it's mainly because I've been driving something with horrible headlights (the friggin' reflectors were about 30% black from the chrome paint / coating disappearing mysteriously) and when that's paired with me being near legally blind...it doesn't do much good. That and HID lights / LED turn signals really make it stand out.

I'd really appreciate input from anyone who's had experience with these vehicles.

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[937DYTBOI 5,000+ posts]

I use to work a fast lube place and had experience with both vehicles. The only thing i hate about the riviera is that the superchargers **** and are really pointless imoa, but the 3.8 engine will last u as long as you keep it serviced and parts are real easy to find i also hate the fact that everyone around my area has them tricked out with wheels and paint. The Lincoln on the other hand is a more rare car you see tricked out but would be nice to see done up imoa. The only thing i hate about the licoln is all the electronic controlled stuff on it those things go out a lot. The Air ride suspension sometimes have problems, but a pretty decent car if taken care of, but im not a real FORD guy. But my chose is in the air if i wpuld have a chose i would say the Riviera. Hope this helps

 

[KnOkIn It 420 10+ year member]

96-99 Buick Riviera is just a over all better built car

 

[phrozen5100 10+ year member]

Thanks for the input, anyone else?

 

[marleyskater420 5,000+ posts]

riviera. Theres lots that can be done to those cars. Plus, its a Buick //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Eugenics 5,000+ posts]

mark 8 all the way. its basically a detuned svt cobra on airbags with a luxury makeover. its got the dohc in the svt. and low rim selection? you can slap anything from a mustang on it. great cars. my dad had one for quite a while and the only thing that ever went wrong with it was the alt