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If I won the lottery today I would buy the lowest mileage towncar I could find and my life would be complete

Hello my friend. I’m from Saudi Arabia, and I used to own a 2003 Lincoln Town Car Cartier. I have also owned two other cars from the same family, a Grand Marquis and a Crown Victoria.

Even though these cars share many of the same mechanical and electrical parts, the driving experience is completely different. The Town Car is much more comfortable and has excellent insulation, especially from road noise and vibration. I also found it to be extremely reliable.

I was very hard on my Town Car because, at that time, I knew very little about preventive maintenance. I used poor-quality 20W-50 engine oil and sometimes drove more than 8,000 km before changing it. Despite that, the engine lasted for more than 700,000 km.

I was living in a semi-desert area where temperatures could go above 47°C (117°F), sometimes with heavy sandstorms. The engine cooling system was simply amazing. The cooling fan and alternator were very strong, and I could even sleep inside the car with the A/C running when the outside temperature was above 45°C (113°F). The car could run for hours like that without overheating or showing any signs of stress. In fact, when I finally stopped using the car, the original cooling fan and alternator had never failed.

The Town Car also feels like it has shorter gearing than its Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis siblings. This gives it better initial acceleration and stronger pulling power when climbing steep roads.

As for the A/C, honestly, I never found the solution to my problem. The A/C system failed on my car, so I replaced almost the entire system, but the problem remained. The strange thing was that the cooling would become weak mainly at highway speeds, especially above 120 km/h (75 mph) when the outside temperature was above 42°C (108°F).

As you mentioned, Ford had a Technical Service Bulletin for this exact problem on the 2003 and 2004 Town Car. The bulletin is TSB 17353, titled “2003-2004 Town Car – Inadequate A/C Cooling at Highway Speeds.”

The recommended procedure is to first test the A/C at highway speed with the temperature set to 60°F, high blower speed, panel mode and recirculation on, and record the center vent temperature. Then evacuate the A/C system and inspect the orifice tube. It should be the red orifice tube, part number F5UZ-19D990-AB, and it must be clean and free of debris. If necessary, replace it.

Ford also specifies that the A/C charging equipment must be properly calibrated and that the system should be recharged with 32 oz (907 g) of R-134a. After that, the vehicle should be tested again at highway speed. If there is still no measurable improvement, or if the center vent temperature remains above the normal 38–54°F (3–12°C) range, Ford recommends replacing the low-pressure cycling switch with the 16 PSI switch, part number 4W1Z-19E561-AA. (Lincolns Online)

From my experience, the 2003 and 2004 cars also had a larger refrigerant charge than the later models, which is one reason their A/C can be unbelievably cold at idle and low speeds. I have owned many cars, and I have never experienced A/C performance quite like the Town Car in those conditions.

My advice to you is: take good care of it and maintain it properly. These cars are incredibly comfortable, quiet and reliable.

You are also lucky to be in the US because parts for these cars are still easy to find and relatively cheap. Your climate also helps preserve the interior trim and other interior parts. In our climate, the extreme heat is very hard on plastics, leather, wood trim and other interior materials.

Finally, if you ever come across a 2003 Cartier Short in excellent condition, please let me know. I would be grateful to you forever! 😂

Best regards from Saudi Arabia.

So sorry about your dad.  He had great taste in cars & it is obvious he raised you very well.

A proper saloon indeed my good man!

I own an 06, an 09, and just bought an 07. Yes I love Town Cars!!!!!!!

Very sorry about your dad. I lost my dad back in November and he left me his ‘88 Town Car that he was the second owner of for over twenty years. I absolutely love it and it’s such a head turner! I get questions about it all the time!

I have hundreds of thousands of miles in Panthers, these cars are absolutely phenomenal. They are the most durable cars probably ever made.

Now that's a quiet car! Wish we had those in Europe.

I just bought a 98 for a daily, I’ve loved it so far, so comfortable.

From 1992 through 2006, I bought a new town car every three or four years. I never had a serious issue with any of them, except for one which had an ongoing air suspension leak. No card today replicate its ride quality and comfort.

I rode in a Lincoln Town car a couple times and I'll tell you one thing for sure, it has a ride quality that is 2nd to none!! They are like riding on a cloud Love that air ride suspension and long wheel base!

I put the same Kenwood head unit in my 99 Buick Century. Great sound quality.

My grandma has driven a 2006 Lincoln Zephyr since I was a kid. It still runs just fine and has well over 200,000 miles. Those old Lincoln's are really good.

Own two in my lifetime. 1989 and 2000. Both fantastic cars. Very little issues. Also 2002 Lincoln Continental. From West Palm Beach Florida.
I drive a 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage . 11K miles. Bought new. Enjoy your Lincoln..🛟

There’s something genuinely special about late ‘90s/early 2000’s BIG Ford products. The driving experience was UNMATCHED! Sure, maybe the MPG’s weren’t always great, but you knew your ride was going to be smooth and comfortable!

im sorry about your dad. he would be happy to know you share the same excitement for the town car as he did for several years. May he rest in peace.

From Sydney, Australia,
In a week's time I've been driving a right-hand drive 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham for 44 years, I have a spare which is a RHD 1972 Fleewood Brougham. When I first bought it my home was 25 miles north of the city up on Bilgola Plateau on Sydneys' northern beaches and my office was at Bondi Junction gave me a bit over 60 miles round trip, a few tears later my office moved to North Sydney, however my home moved 70 miles north on the NSW Central Coast, which gave me 140 mile round trip, on the freeway I get 20 mpg, around town it gets17 to 18 mpg, not bad for a 3180 kilo, 52 year old, 8 litre V8. Australia went fully metric in 1974 so it's a k's odometre car now showing 712,000 kilometres, (about 445,000 miles) on an unrestored original engine, it has over the years had 3 timing wheel/chain and water pump replacements at the recommended mileage. My black '74 monster will not be replaced this lifetime, nor its white '72 sibling, nothing made now comes close to the quality in these early '70's cars.

The Town Car is a great vehicle. Wish i had an appreciation of them sooner. Hope to have one some day.

I’ve got an 07 LTC Exec L w/456k on the clock that still purrs like the panther she’s named for!