Faults:

I have owned two of these 1988 model cars; one brand new and one bought used years later (the 1989s look the same, but have bad 4 speed transmissions). I've had the chronic oil burning problem with both of them. However, other than that, both cars have been great, and one car is still running fine.

Good points are: Relatively easy to work on. They don't rust out. They were built really well at the Belvidere plant (Lee Iaccoca saw to it). Not too big, not too small. Great luxury, i.e. heated side view mirrors, information package, full gauges (except a tach, which I don't care about), auto temperature control, etc.

They came with the best warranty of any car made at the time: 5 year, 50K everything's covered, then a 7 year, 70K powertrain warranty.

Other than the crummy McGard wire-wheels & locks (don't lose the key!) and the need to regularly clean & lubricate the power antenna with silicone spray (otherwise it will stop working)... these are extremely reliable cars.

One thing though, my first one had the ($1000) 4 wheel disc, ABS brakes option. It worked excellent for 7 years. But I'm glad the one I have now does not. The Bosch ABS master cylinder/ pump is unobtainable. I consider myself a very good driver... but even I'd have trouble driving a car with no brakes.

Actually one more thing... the BCM (Body Control Module) went bad (interior lights, compass, door locks etc. went berserk). Removing it entirely actually improved things. Despite some automotive companies saying they can fix it, when push comes to shove, they can't (or won't). This is another one of those unobtainable parts. I just happened to get lucky and found one from a Dodge Dynasty. It is missing some things (bells & whistles), but most major functions it controls have been restored.

General Comments:

The red velour interior reminds me of Rod Taylor's AKA H.G. Wells' 1899 "Time Machine".

The Infinity Sound System still sounds great (especially if you clean the tape heads and use metal-type cassettes) and (only) the Landau's even had rear-seat head-rests (much more important than the rear-seat headphone jacks!).

And who needs headlight washers when you have hideaway (concealed) headlamps?

These cars were and still are a winner!

General Comments:

The best new automobile I ever purchased. The reason we traded it, was we started a family and purchased a minivan. I have purchased 14 new automobiles over the last 31 years. This was by far superior in appearance and ride, and it seemed like it drove itself. Far better than the Town Cars at that time.

Faults:

Coolant leak at block, power steering pump went out, A/C died and it needed a new cat. Total= $1400 at the shop. Well worth the expense in my book.

With only 59000 miles on it, I hope to get several solid years out of it.

General Comments:

As soon as I purchased the car and hit the freeway I was in love. All I have to say is it floats like a boat. Love it!

The interior has the Mark Cross leather and shows very little wear and all the electronics work great. This '88 has way more comfort than the '06 Expedition I used to drive.

Faults:

Engine-wise, the only real problem I had with it was valve guides wearing out. It had new heads on it under warranty when I got it, and about 80,000km later I had to have them rebuilt again due to oil consumption - which damaged the catalytic converter.

The car was hard on universal joint rubbers - replaced at least 6 times.

I replaced the brakes 3 or 4 times.

The transmission went bad at about 200,000km. It was the 3 speed, and the differential bearings went bad, putting filings through the whole system. I was lucky and got a good low mileage transmission cheap.

The AC condenser leaked. I replaced it.

The AC evaporator leaked. I replaced it.

An AC hose leaked. I replaced it.

The AC compressor failed.

The heater motor quit - I put in new brushes and it was fine.

The air adjustable suspension quit. The compressor failed so I took it off and put in CargoCoil springs.

Water pump went bad.

The water tube from the pump to the rad that goes under the intake manifikd went bad - miserable to replace.

Alternator quit. New brushes and bearings fixed it first time. Went bad again several years later and I put on a used one.

The engine pulley came off and damaged the crank snout. I repaired it with LocTite shaft and bearing mount.

General Comments:

It was a great car with the exception of the Mitsubishi engine. Very comfortable, and not too expensive to maintain overall. I paid $6000 for it and drove it 140,000km and still got a good dollar for it when I sold it.