Once the best-selling top dog in the American auto industry, the Lincoln Town Car
has moved on to greener pastures after being discontinued in 2011. It owes its rise to fame to the Lincoln Continental
, the luxurious precursor to the Town Car. The average American could experience the luxury of a limousine at home when they purchased one of Ford
’s Town Cars. The Lincoln Town Car experienced a meteoric rise to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s and is still regarded as a historic icon today. Curious about the car models that made the Town Car happen? Jerry
, the car insurance
comparison super app
, is here with a guide on the 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car, one of the Lincoln Town Car’s most luxurious predecessors. We’ll go over its stats, give you information on where to find one, and tips on deciding if this ride is right for you. Get rewarded for safe driving. Earn points and unlock benefits. Totally free.
Start earning nowIs the 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car a good car?
Starting MSRP: $9,293 in 1976 ($47,738 in today’s market)
Seating capacity: Six passengers
Trim levels: Standard, Town Car, and Mark IV
In 1976, Lincoln got one step closer to the release of the Town Car
with its top seller the Continental. Lincoln decided to streamline this luxury car model in 1976 and moved some of its standard options to upper trim levels, like the Town Car and Mark IV. Things that used to come standard, like the carpeted luggage area and long-shear cut-pile carpeting, were now available when consumers upgraded the trim to Town Car or higher. The Town Car gave its drivers a first-class experience while driving thanks to its deft handling and beastly engine. The ultra-plus seats cushioned any imperfection in the road so well, the imperfection may as well not have existed. You could use your power-operated seats to perfect your posture and enjoy your ride.
Lincoln cut back on the number of exterior colors it offered for the Continental Town Car in 1976. The colors offered were:
Light Ginger Diamond Fire
Medium Chestnut Diamond Fire
For the interior, consumers could choose from a few different color options: Gold and Cream, Red and Rose, Light Jade and Dark Jade, or Lipstick and White. Consumers also had a color choice for the vinyl roof.
Car collectors today have a much more limited choice when it comes to choosing a color for their 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car—it’s all due to the availability from the limited stock. Keep searching to find the color combination you’ve been dreaming of!
How much should a 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car cost?
You can’t use a resource like Edmunds
or Kelley Blue Book
to find the value of a classic car. These tools calculate the value based on a car’s age and miles, while older classic cars appreciate in value instead of depreciating. Classic car appraisers look at things like rarity, desirability, restoration level, mileage, and more when setting the value of a classic car. You could find a 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car for as low as $8,995 or somewhere around the average value of $24,995. Cars that have undergone serious restoration and modernization will fetch even higher prices.
Key Takeaway A specialty appraiser will have to tell you the worth of a classic car instead of popular online tools.
Where to buy a 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car
Unfortunately, you can’t turn to Carfax
or Carvana
when you’re looking for a classic car. While these sites are useful for finding a standard used car, they often don’t have the inventory a classic car collector is looking for. To get started collecting classic cars, it’s best to check with a classic car enthusiast in your area or a garage that specializes in restoring old cars. If these resources aren’t available in your area, you can find some sites online like Hemmings
or ClassicCars.com
. Doing thorough research is crucial to buying a classic car, whether you buy directly from a collector you know or buy online. Look up what kind of mechanical problems the car you’re interested in is prone to as well as what kind of upkeep you can expect over the years. Make sure you have a trusted mechanic to help you with a maintenance schedule—not all mechanics are trained to work on rare or classic cars.
The bottom line: should I buy a 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car?
The Lincoln Continental Town Car paved the way for the modern iteration of the Town Car we all know and love today. If you’re interested in purchasing the car that helped make the Town Car happen, keep in mind that restoring and owning a classic car are labors of love that might not pay off financially in the future.
While you shouldn’t use your classic car as your daily driver, you should definitely take it on the road from time to time to enjoy the smooth ride the Lincoln Continental Town Car is known for. Let the plush seats cushion every bump in the road and enjoy how far away the outside world feels when you’re behind the wheel.
The Lincoln Town Car was discontinued in 2011, so any iteration of this classic is a rare and lucky find—especially when you find its precursor! The 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car is a great choice for you if you’re interested in keeping a piece of American auto history alive.
How to find car insurance for the 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car
While purchasing a classic car technically means you’re buying a used car, finding the right insurance is an entirely different game. For vehicles this old, you need a classic car insurance
policy to make sure the value of your restoration efforts are taken into account. It can be challenging to find the right classic car insurance policy, but not when you have Jerry
at your side. The Jerry team is here to help you with every step of insuring your classic car, from finding quotes to setting up your new policy and canceling your old one. Best of all, you could save an average of $800 or more per year when you use the Jerry app to switch!
“This was so easy! Signing up with Jerry
saved me $499 on my semi-annual insurance. As if it was nothing!” —Kache P.
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