1981 Ford LTD

Summary:

Best car for new drivers and college students

Faults:

Headliner drooped, and obscured vision.

Had to totally replace the engine, carburetor, catalytic converters, starter, and other parts.

Brakes leaked and had to be repaired ($700+ at Just Brakes)

Blinker stopped blinking no matter what we did.

Fuel Gage ceased to function in a particularly cold winter... and never worked right again.

Burned oil like nothing else.

General Comments:

This was my first car, sold to me by my grandparents for $500. The previous owner was a little old lady who made short trips only. This destroyed my engine, plus they used Quaker State.

I started with this car thinking that I would totally hate it. For three years I worked on restoring it to its original state. There was even a working 8 Track player!

This was the best car ever! Being the first child to get her license and a car, I became the sole means of transportation. There were times that I took no less than 5 high schoolers home. Thank God for that massive back seat. There was always room, even for the boys who were at least 6'.

I recently got into an accident with a motorcycle that totaled the LTD. The bike took off the back passenger wheel at the axle, tore the drive shaft off and onto the ground, and there were springs all over the place. I ended up mourning its death like I did my dog when he died.

In the end, I ended up looking for a similar car to finish college in - ended up with an '85 Crown Victoria LTD - because I loved it that much.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd July, 2005

14th Sep 2005, 02:03

I have to agree. It is my first car and I've only had it for like less than 3 months, but I love the stability and security. I've had to replace a lot of things to get the car running, but I am so happy to have it.

Right now I'm trying to replace the heater coil and I'm trying to find out if it goes from the dashboard, the firewall, or the glove box, but nothing a little hard work and ingenuity won't solve. I bought it for the "hunk of junk" factor (if I get into an accident, I've got 5 feet between me and the end of the car), and have become so attached to it. Previous owners have named it Lazrus because it just refuses to die.

I didn't even know that there was supposed to be 2 seats in that compartment in back. I wonder if there's a way to buy them still. Hell, anything's possible. I found an auto shop that carried the heater coil in stock for $17.95.