SEDAN PLAN: The Lincoln Town Car is the essential sedan used across the country in all types of ground transportation services: limousine and chauffeured transportation, black car, towncar operators, certain taxi companies, livery drivers, and then there's rogues. It's the foundation of the industry in Oregon
and enticed a retired owner to get right back into the business. When the Town Car goes out of production at the end of the 2010 model year, it's not clear at all what will become the mainstay sedan. Will it be a Cadillac or Chrysler model, or another Lincoln? Will hybrids and alt-fuel vehicles fill some of the void? The sedan must meet certain criteria: it looks good and rides comfortably; it has adequate backseat and trunk space; it will run smoothly and not breakdown at high mileage (up to 250,000 miles) if service and maintenance is consistent; it's affordable (somewhere in the $35K-$40K range); and, there are enough cars manufactured and distributed to be a viable option across the country and into Canada. If it has reduced CO2 emissions, or could be run on alt-fuels without a heavy alteration cost, that would be good, too. Let's see how this wish list goes. -- J.L.
Print | posted on Thursday, January 15, 2009 9:36 AM