Nothing rides or is more comfy than our old Cadillacs

[gary griffin]

I am not sure of that Bruce.  I have had 7  Lincolns since 1984. All purchased a year old and mostly lease returns. Used them for family driving and my construction business. In 1986 I was driving through a Lincoln sales lot in the 84 and they told me I needed a new car. A year later I bought my first fuel injected Lincoln and it had more power and got over 25 MPG on the highway. I retired with a 2007 and still drive it for transportation. In that era Cadillac was experimenting and there were several flops. Always loved the brand but more problems than FMC which uses same running gear on all full size cars.  Good enough for taxi or cop car or family car. Not as classy but more overall reliability considering all models. Cadillac had some marvelou8s cars but not constantly.  My Cadillacs are a passion and I am retired and can deal with the problems now. Still getting over 25 MPG in the town car too.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

G'day Gary,

I was referring to the Lincolns in the era of the heading, as in "Nothing rides or is more comfy than our old Cadillacs".   And by that, I am referring to old cars that I have had dealings with down here, like the 60's and those Lincolns with the 430 were beautiful cruisers, but awful thirsty.

Down here, we don't class old cars as old cars until they are old, that is at lease 40 years old, and still have Carburettors.   Heck, our average vehicle age where I live is around 20 years old.   My wifes' car is 20 years old, and still going strong.

When comparing these "old" cars, the Cadillac used a lot less petrol, but the plush seating of the '60's Lincolns was just beautiful.

Bruce.

 

[cappy102]

Tonnage Rules.

[Jeepers Creepers]

G'day Gary,

I was referring to the Lincolns in the era of the heading, as in "Nothing rides or is more comfy than our old Cadillacs".   And by that, I am referring to old cars that I have had dealings with down here, like the 60's and those Lincolns with the 430 were beautiful cruisers, but awful thirsty.

Down here, we don't class old cars as old cars until they are old, that is at lease 40 years old, and still have Carburettors.   Heck, our average vehicle age where I live is around 20 years old.   My wifes' car is 20 years old, and still going strong.

When comparing these "old" cars, the Cadillac used a lot less petrol, but the plush seating of the '60's Lincolns was just beautiful.

Bruce.

Its an Aussie thing..... HUH.

I still have trouble getting my head around the mileage difference for the USA to here.
I thought are car was fairly low mileage, (being at 120,000 for a 53 year old) when we bought it last year.

As for putting a car into storage for the winter......phooey.... that's just plain weird. LOL 
Winter is the best time for driving these old beauties.  At least, it is where I live.

[PatiCadi]

Hi All ,
I had a Lincoln Mk 4 1976 and a Lincoln Town Car coupe 1977 . Both with crushed velours interiors . I drove them over 15 years down in Alabama .
The ride was even better than a today's mercedes S class ...
Thirsty , yes , but so comfy .....
I have a cadillac Eldorado convertible 1972 in France  and the ride is also a floating ..
I just bought a 1955 coupe de ville . And that's a smooth ride ! The biggest difference with the 70s cars is the sound  and the view on the chrome of the cockpit . So the match is 2:2 right now but as this is a Caddy forum , i.ll go to share my impressions here on my last acquisition .
Have fun with your babies and pamper the dinosaurs  !
Cheers
Patrick Slarko - France and Alabama

[TC]

All great opinions, Here's a few more.

I have owned 6 Lincoln Continentals form the 61-67 vintage and never noticed them being less fuel efficient than any 60s or 70s Cadillacs I have owned and that would be about 15. In fact my 62 Continental with the original 430 2bbl carb got a little better mpg than any of my Cadillacs. The 60s Lincolns I felt always rode better and were quieter than 60s Cadillacs. However the Cadillacs were faster, handled better and were more reliable. The Lincolns felt finer, but the Cadillacs were better.

An earlier post "Tonnage Rules" is close. Tonnage and Wheelbase Rules and has so much to do with a smooth ride.

The comments about Rolls-Royce are true and not. I own 2 and a Bentley now and have owned 7. They can be disappointing when one first drives one because they are expecting some sort of never experienced driving experience. The mystique. Its a car. The use of real wood, leather, wool carpets, real metal plus other genuine soft interior materials is unique today. Other "luxury" makes have been using plastic, fake wood, vinyl etc.  for years. This makes Rolls a throw-back to a time no longer. And they are still doing it today.

But the ride some of you mention? A Rolls or Bentley is a European car and will ride like one.  Firmer than one of our older Cadillacs but from the European perspective, its a very soft ride. Another (Scot?) mentioned suspension condition can make a difference. Absolutely. So many Rolls and Bentleys (and Cadillacs too) I have driven or first purchased had deferred maintenance and did not drive well. Rolls vehicles are not forgiving of a weak bushing or two and the ride quality suffers exponentially when compared with a simpler American car. In fact the weight of rear of the car is riding mostly on the springs. There are no shocks per se, but a constant leveling action and control via hydraulic rams. The level control valve must be adjusted properly so the car is in this state of "ride" at all times. If this isn't correct, ride quality suffers.  The Rolls brakes are no joke too. They really stop. Six calipers, two on each front wheel one each rear. 

All said, I like Cadillacs , Lincolns, Rolls and Bentleys. I'm not kissing up cause this is a Cadillac forum but I have to say, the best riding car I have ever been in bar none was a 53k mile '73 Sedan DeVille back in '82. Better than any other Cadillac I have driven, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, any.       

[64\/54Cadillacking]

Awesome post TC!

Great perspective from someone that has owned multiple years from the different the luxury makes.

It’s amazing to me the American luxury brands at one point in time we’re considered ultra luxurious and extremely comfortable than anything made today besides for a $100,000 Benz S-Class  or a Rolls Phantom.

I understand the reasons why someone that is well off to want to buy the latest and greatest big comfy luxurious cruiser, but the person that buys an S Class or 7 Series still won’t gather the same kind of attention from people on the road like they would if they were in a mint condition 40’s-70’s Cadillac.

On top of standing out and looking cool, the ride quality is usually unmatched especially if the suspension and steering components have all been repaired and done to spec.