Which would you Choose?

[Falcon Ranchero]

Inching closer and closer to being able to have my own "set of wheels" but the pickin's are slim around here leaving two possible candidates: a 1988 Lincoln Town Car, and a 1969 Chevy Nova. Both are pretty cheap for the quality, but it all comes down to which would be more practical on the street.

The Lincoln: $5,000 for an immaculate example from Florida. Only issue is that there are cracks in the Vinyl top; otherwise, a very good condition car for the price. Would be more practical in the snow, as I WILL BE WINTER DRIVING, so the Lincoln may be winner by default.

OR there is an perfect example of what the Nova was intended to be: $6,800, it is a bare bones four-door, but it does have a radio and pretty sure it's automatic. Smaller size may be able to handle better than the Lincoln. Classic 6 Cylinder, but a car like that probably shouldn't be winter driven, even though it would be strictly to school and back.

Not saying it is 100% sure that this choice will even happen, but just to get some more opinions, I would appreciate it.

[stavanzer]

The Lincoln would be my choice, under the circumstances. If you lived in an area without snow, I'd reverse it.

[Falcon Ranchero]

5 minutes ago, stavanzer said:

The Lincoln would be my choice, under the circumstances. If you lived in an area without snow, I'd reverse it.

Yeah that's the unfortunate part about Northern Ontario. But if the Nova was the choice, during winter I could just take a parent vehicle or get dropped off and picked up, which has been the norm so far, but winter storage space is limited, so I'm thinkin' Lincoln is definietly the winter choice too. 

[peter31a]

If you intend to winter drive it I would go with the Lincoln because who cares if it rusts away. My choice would be the Nova because I like 6 cylinder four door cars but only if it is a summer only car.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Long-term upside on the Lincoln is that, even if it rusts out to nothing over the years, the 5.0 V8 engine and 8.8" diff with disc brakes are potential hot-rod parts. If it has the trailer towing package, it will have a limited-slip diff, also helpful in snow.

The AOD automatic trans doesn't have the best reputation for reliability, but it's not anywhere near as bad as many people would have you believe. Don't flog it and you should be fine. Two warnings: the TV cable has to be adjusted properly (and IIRC there's a little plastic clip on it that gets brittle and breaks, and causes slipping, a $5 part that is often diagnosed as a failed trans), and if you live in a hilly area, it's best to leave it in "D" to eliminate constant shifting in and out of overdrive, which can lead to early (and expensive) failure.

The as-is engine is kindof a slug, with only 150 HP or so (160 w/factory dual exhaust), and it'll be a gas hog, but it also responds very well to performance tuning if that's your thing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Upside to the little Nova is that's a much simpler car, which means less stuff to break.

It's also smaller and lighter, so should return better fuel economy.

I can't imagine why driving it in winter would be a problem, unless you just want to protect the body from road-salt-caused rust. Millions upon millions of winter miles have been put on similar cars.

Edited September 9 by Ace-Garageguy
TYPO

[iamsuperdan]

Both cars are front engine, rear wheel drive, with no traction assist of any kind. The Lincoln might have ABS, but in '88, probably not. So for winter driving, they'll handle the roads in basically the same way. 

I would assume the Lincoln has a better heater, and will just in general be a more comfortable car. 

Using only what you've told us and shown us though, and provided it has a good heater, and the defrost works well, I'd lean towards the Nova.

 

And a set of winter tires would be a must on either car.

 

[espo]

I suggest a thorough inspection top to bottom no matter what vehicle you are looking at. Ace offers some good advice concerning the Lincoln but something that I noticed was your mention of the cracked vinyl roof. This may have been caused by many years of sitting out in the hot sun and the vinyl material dries out and cracks. This can and will allow moisture to inter the padding under the vinyl roof cover and this will lead to rust on the metal roof underneath. Look for any lumps in the vinyl roof and especially around the outer edges of the top. This would apply for the Nova as well. I would take a long hard look at the Nova even though I myself would be predisposed to purchase it if you can get a better price. Any cost of repairs on the Nova may be less expensive on parts and also being a more basic car also easier to work on unless you're more experienced than the average person. Driven in a normal manor the 6 cyl. engine should give you far better gas milage providing the engine has been properly cared for, and this would apply to the Lincoln as well. Another cost of ownership to consider is your insurance cost and only your agent can help you there. Good luck to you no matter which one you pick. 

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

Do you have a girlfriend? Shaggin' in the back of the Lincoln will be way more comfy than the Nova. -RRR

[Fat Brian]

The main issue with the Lincoln is those electronics are bound to start going bad soon even if everything works right now. Finding parts is going to be difficult if not impossible. At least the Nova won't get sidelined by an unobtanium electrical doo-dad going bad.

[Khils]

Go with the Nova!!

   ... friends don't let friends drive Fords!

[Muncie]

Reality will set in when you need repairs.  The Lincoln is 36 years old, and the Nova is 55.  They will need repairs, and there be challenges getting replacement parts.  There were fewer of the Lincolns produced and probably not many still running - parts will be more difficult to find just because the demand is too low for anybody to make replacements.  The downside is problems with hard-to-find parts always comes at the worst time.  The Chevy will be much easier to repair because there are still a lot of them on the road being driven and most of the parts are the also used on other Chevrolet and GM products.  Most parts to keep it running are easily available.

it seems like any car from Florida will be a "beach car." The salty air can do a lot of rust damage on the underside and/or corrosion in the electrical parts. Some of it will be where it can't be seen or repaired easily.  Salt will cause difficult to diagnose and repair problems.  

Just thinking out loud here, vinyl tops... if the vinyl has already failed or maybe if it hasn't... A vinyl top can lead to rust under the vinyl.  The car companies didn't put much paint on the roof under a vinyl top, and the top rusts. Repairing the vinyl may require replacing the roof as in welding a new roof on it.  It's fairly common on a lot of restorations of muscle cars that were built in the '60'swith vinyl tops. Generally, the owner or shop says "no more" and restores the car with a painted roof.

[NOBLNG]

Both cars look to be relatively rust free. Due to the age of both cars, this should be verified by a thorough inspection. The Lincoln will be a more comfy ride. The Nova will be more economical all around…insurance, fuel economy, maintenance and repairs. Chevys had pretty good heaters, so either one should be a good winter vehicle with a good set of tires.

Edited September 9 by NOBLNG

[W-409]

An easy choice, I'd definitely go with the Nova.

For me, the problem with the Lincoln would be pretty much what Steve said above, it's a lot easier and probably cheaper to find spare parts for the Nova. In addition to that, the Lincoln is way more complicated car with lots of electrical systems etc that could give you trouble, and they could be tricky to repair.

I've driven with several old cars in the winter, and actually for the past 3,5 years my daily driver has been a 1964 Rambler American. I live in Finland so we have a pretty rough winter, but because the car is in good condition I've had zero issues with it. For the Nova, for winter you will need a good heater, which these cars usually do have if all of the components are working, good weatherstripping is a big advantage as well and proper winter tires. I haven't had the need for a limited slip. I mean, of course it helps, but I would think it more as an optional thing. With good tires and some common sense between the steering wheel and the seat, you'll be fine even without it.

But, whichever you choose, I hope you'll enjoy it, also in the winter!

[Tabbysdaddy]

Those voodoo electrical sensors and such are still quite commonly and easily available for the Lincoln. They used that system for like ten years also on the trucks. 

[Chuckyg1]

Either way, bags of cat litter and/or a couple of cinder blocks in the trunk over the rear tires should help with traction. The litter has the added benefit if being used is you do get stuck in the snow. My dad always added these when "winterizing" his cars.

[peter31a]

1 hour ago, W-409 said:

An easy choice, I'd definitely go with the Nova.

For me, the problem with the Lincoln would be pretty much what Steve said above, it's a lot easier and probably cheaper to find spare parts for the Nova. In addition to that, the Lincoln is way more complicated car with lots of electrical systems etc that could give you trouble, and they could be tricky to repair.

I've driven with several old cars in the winter, and actually for the past 3,5 years my daily driver has been a 1964 Rambler American. I live in Finland so we have a pretty rough winter, but because the car is in good condition I've had zero issues with it. For the Nova, for winter you will need a good heater, which these cars usually do have if all of the components are working, good weatherstripping is a big advantage as well and proper winter tires. I haven't had the need for a limited slip. I mean, of course it helps, but I would think it more as an optional thing. With good tires and some common sense between the steering wheel and the seat, you'll be fine even without it.

But, whichever you choose, I hope you'll enjoy it, also in the winter!

I’m not sure if they use the vast quantities of salt/chemicals on the roads in Finland as they do here in Ontario, Canada. An unprotected older vehicle here will rust out in a few short years of winters.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, Tabbysdaddy said:

Those voodoo electrical sensors and such are still quite commonly and easily available for the Lincoln. They used that system for like ten years also on the trucks. 

While still "available", most of that stuff is offshore-made now, and I've had nothing but problems and early failures from non-OEM aftermarket electrical and electronic parts and sensors...even for cars a lot newer than the Lincoln.

Your experience may not be the same as mine, but most electronic bits will fail, and the offshore replacements are very often total trash.

EDIT: Every single electronic system in my '89 GMC truck has failed, starting with the EFI. Replacement parts were such crappola I quit trying to fix it "right" and put a 57 year old carburetor on it. It runs great, but the radio, the wiper controls, and the heater/AC/defrost controls, all electronic, have all ceased to function. Ah yes...the brake light switch just quit too.

The wiper modules are relatively easy to replace, fairly inexpensive, and at least packaged as "American" components, so that's not a big deal.

The heat/AC/defrost, on the other hand, did not respond to the apparently common connector issue "fix", leading me to believe the ECM is toast. I've already sourced a much earlier and simpler all mechanical control head and cables, but swapping it in is hardly a job for a novice...or the vast majority of "mechanics"...because it requires precision fabrication and re-engineering of the entire system.

What I'm saying is that the '88 Lincoln has a whole lot of electronic gizmology that's just waiting to quit at the worst possible time.  

 

Edited September 10 by Ace-Garageguy
CLARITY

[Mark]

The Nova has far fewer important mechanical parts with wires connected to them.

[Tim W. SoCal]

If you decide on the Lincoln, be sure to buy a spare TFI (Thick Film Ignition) ignition module, which mounts to the side of the distributor with 2 - 5mm head size hex-head screws. Also, make sure that the replacement ignition module has the small packet of heat sink paste (AKA "thermal transfer grease") included or, if not, get a small tube of it. Don't go cheap on the ignition module. I'd recommend springing for the OE Motorcraft part number DY1284. Throw these along with a 1/4" drive nut driver and a 5mm 6-point socket in your glove box. These TFI modules are NOTORIOUS for the insulation separating the 3 male spades on the module deteriorating and the spade connectors contacting each other, resulting in a failed ignition module and no spark. There is no advance warning of this failure, you just attempt to start the engine and it just cranks...

Edited September 10 by Tim W. SoCal

[Musclecarbuilder]

All day I'd go with the Nova purely because it looks freaking cool! Plus its a 6-cylinder so it'd probably get better gas mileage than the Lincoln. 

Also you'd have a better chance of the Nova not leaving you Found-On-Road-Dead. Unlike the ford in disguise (The Lincoln) 

[Tabbysdaddy]

I'm a GM guy, I like the Nova, but I'm not anti Ford and that's a good Ford. You can say to keep extra points with the Nova, the ICM equivalent. I'll bet, as long as the check engine light isn't on, that the Lincoln runs closer to like new than the Nova does, thanks to that pesky fuel injection. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Just put an aftermarket HEI distributor in the Nova. A good one is dead reliable, eliminates point adjustment and replacement, and stays "tuned".

But the real bottom line: ANY old car is going to have problems at some point.

The Lincoln is a lot more complex, with more stuff to break, and the complexity encourages the parts-cannon (throw parts at it until it works) repair approach, as a lot of shops today just don't mess with OBD 1 vehicles, and the ones that do often don't have the best diagnostic capabilities.

The Nova is almost as simple as a car can get, but finding someone who understands carbs and anything pre-OBD can be difficult these days as well.

Old cars are a great way to learn about mechanical stuff if that appeals to you, but relying on one as a daily driver with no backup vehicle isn't for everyone...and you never know what kind of chimps have been "working on it" in the past.

In fact, MOST of the problems I see on old cars come from poor previous "repairs".

Good luck.  

[1930fordpickup]

I agree with Bill and get the HEI for the Nova if you buy that. 

[Tabbysdaddy]

An HEI distributor still has an ICM.

[W-409]

8 hours ago, peter31a said:

I’m not sure if they use the vast quantities of salt/chemicals on the roads in Finland as they do here in Ontario, Canada. An unprotected older vehicle here will rust out in a few short years of winters.

They do, so we also need a good rust protection to keep the cars in driveable condition.

 

As far as the HEI ignition, I prefer points ignition all day long on my cars. Much more reliable. Have driven several hundred thousand miles with points ignitions on several cars, never had any issues. Can't say the same about the HEI ignition...