9th Jan 2009, 16:20
After reading the first caption, it's obvious the car was not properly maintained, or taken care of, or at least "they didn't care much, and planned to dump it when crap piled up".
As for the B body family comment about reliability, and bullet proofness, all B body & D body cars are in fact, bullet PROOF! If you take care of them and routinely maintain them like anything other vehicle.
This is coming from a 25 year old with a heavy foot flying around in a 94 Caprice wagon, and I have been beating it for the last 7 years, with 367,000km or 204,000 miles, and change.
No rebuild, no burning oil, no funny knocks or pings, STILL PASSES E TEST, the lt1 especially seems to be seamlessly RESILIENT, just show the car you care, and I guarantee you will never be let down!
Remember this is coming from a 25 year old, who loves to hear those 30 series Flowmasters roar! B BODIES NEVER DIE, THEY JUST GET PASSED ON TIME AND TIME AGAIN, TILL THE BODY FALLS OFF!
22nd Apr 2013, 20:22
I have owned a 94 Fleetwood Bro for the last 4 years. And the only major problems that I've had with the car are the water pump leaking, oil leaks, and faulty A/C compressor, a bad axle seal.
Everything else that I have replaced on my own was all for preventive maintenance reasons, or worn out parts such as hoses, suspension components, ignition related parts, brakes, all fluids etc...
I can say that this has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. As it's my daily driver, I take great care of it, and so far, nothing serious has broken down.
Little stuff that has caused issues for me has been broken window rollers on all windows, and a bad passenger window motor that suddenly failed the other day. All electrical components still work, including the power seats and HVAC system.
Other than that, the last big 94-96 LT1 Fleetwoods are great driving cars with loads of power! I mean they're pretty much bullet proof with the solid and reliable Chev 350 block, and the great GM tranny 4L60E. The ride is also very good, it's smooth riding and solid. You got loads of room inside for your entire family. I mean you can't obtain large cars like these anymore. My grandmother is wheelchair bound, and the Fleetwood is the perfect car for getting her in and out of it with ease. Can't do that nearly as easily or as well with majority of new large cars made in 2013, especially with tiny trunks; you can't even fit a wheelchair in them anymore! The Fleetwood's trunk is massive and swallows wheelchairs whole, and there's still room for groceries, bags, or whatever you can think of.
Comparing the B-D bodies to the Panthers is a quite difficult, but I will say after coming from owning a 93 Town Car before I got this thing, the Cadillac is a much better riding and performing luxury car, with much more HP and torque to pass people on the freeway. It has more interior space than the Lincoln, better seats, much bigger windows, and a feeling like you are driving a huge boat down the road vs the more compact feeling Townie.
The interiors are a bit cheap feeling, it's not the best, but it's not the worst either. My 93 Town Car dash would creak and squeak whenever the temperature would get very hot or cold, including the B pillar's plastic flexing. But the Fleetwood doesn't make a sound at all. No creaks, and squeaks, just silence.
So are these Fleetwoods that good? YES they are! I got mine with a 149,000 miles, and now I have a 171,244 miles and the beast is still going strong with no problems.
17th Dec 2008, 19:44
Exactly what sort of expectations did you have before you bought this car? As has already been pointed out in the previous comment - you purchased, which was at the time, a twelve year old vehicle with over 120,000 miles... Not to mention the fact that seeing as how you acquired it from a private party, I'd wager that you only spent a few thousand dollars for it.
All of the complaints listed can be boiled down to three things... Normal age-related wear and tear, improper care and maintenance by the previous owner, and plain old misconceptions about the nature of the car itself.
While these old B-bodies are well known and consequently sought after for their reliability, ease of repair, power, and comfort... They're not "bullet-proof." They're still cars and all cars have their problems and require maintenance, as well as repairs - especially at a certain age.
A Grand Marquis, Crown Vic, or Town Car will by no means, have less problems than a Fleetwood, Roadmaster, Caprice, nor Impala... especially of a similar age. Not to mention the fact that in general, one will spend even more money in maintenance and most certainly in repairs on Ford's modular V8 than one will spend on a Chevy small block.
Just remember - time cares not about make, nor model... Eventually everything breaks.