Faults:

When I bought this car for six hundred dollars, a lot of little things were wrong with it.

I had to replace the thermostat and the housing cause it was stuck.

The interior was in horrible shape, the carpet was ripped and the seats didn't match and were torn up also. But other than that, nothing has gone wrong with it.

The cosmetics are poor - the vinyl top was torn off by the previous owner, and it was abused by him.

General Comments:

The best car you can get! It drives like a dream, it's very smooth and it performs pretty good, even though it's a 6000 lb car.

Once I finish re-doing the interior, this car will be very beautiful! It gets a lot of looks from people cause there's nothing on the road like it. My dad had one when I was growing up, and I fell in love with it until he sold it, and at that time I was young and loved that car, and I wanted it. So I bought this one and decided to fix it up a little.

It's like a living room on wheels - just add a better stereo and some nice wheels.

Faults:

The air conditioner compressor blew around 110,000 miles. Until that point, the system worked incredibly well.

The head gaskets gave out at 120,000 miles. With a little work, however, these can be replaced yourself.

General Comments:

This car is a tank. I have never had a vehicle half as reliable as my LTD. Even in sub-zero temperatures, it starts right up.

The front seat of the car is exceptionally roomy and is like sitting on a sofa. The back seat is equally enormous, with decent foot room.

With the exception of very minor repairs, this car is completely original. Even the AM radio still functions perfectly.

Gas consumption is high, and only unleaded fuel should be used. The factory heads are not made to use ethanol.

On the highway, though, gas mileage increases and the car rides like a dream. Handling is poor, but think of it as driving an aircraft carrier.

If well cared for, this car will last for years and years to come.

Faults:

In 17,000 miles of ownership, nothing mechanical failed.

Most of the parts on the car were the original ones and proved amazingly durable.

Only a few lights burned out on the car (those were the original ones, mind you).

General Comments:

Quite a vehicle! My 74 LTD is twice the car of ANYTHING currently made by Ford.

I would say room and comfort were slightly above average, but the reliability was excellent. I spent only $138 on repairs and maintenance in the 3 years I owned it. How many late-model cars can you say that about? Even when I sold it, all brake hardware, the floormats, spare tire and even freon were original.

Gas mileage, as expected was not very good. Around town it was 11-12 mpg. But on the road, I it typically got 17-18 mpg - not too bad for a rolling fortress of a car.

One complaint I had about it was the soft suspension which produced a slushy ride and ponderous handling. Accordingly, parking in tight spaces just did not happen (nor did parallel parking). The size (223 inch) and weight (4400 pounds empty) really hurt maneuverability.