Car Talk

March 1994

Dear Tom and Ray:

I am now driving an older Jaguar XJ6, so you will understand why I am in the market for a more reliable set of wheels. I need a large car, and am torn between a Cadillac De Ville and a Lincoln Town Car. I have great respect for your opinions, and will be guided by your recommendation. Ted

Ray: There's no competition, Ted. We've driven both cars recently, and the Cadillac is clearly the winner. [redtruck.gif]

Tom: I have to say, they're both pretty ugly, in my humble opinion.

Ray: And as you may know, ugliness happens to be one of my brother's areas of expertise!

Tom: The Town Car is a holdover from the days of the poor-handling old land yachts. In fact, it even comes standard with sea sickness bags for all fourteen passengers.

Ray: But even though we find the QE2 suspension a little squishy for our taste, there are enough people nostalgic for the early seventies (and some members of organized crime) who still love the Town Car, and keep buying it. So it'll probably be around for years to come.

Tom: The Cadillac Concours (the top of the De Ville line), on the other hand, is a wonderful, modern road car. It handles great, it steers quickly and precisely, and it doesn't tip from side to side like Cadillacs of old. You could almost call it agile! And that's what really sets it apart from the Lincoln.

Ray: We also had an opportunity to drive both cars in the snow. And here, too, the front-wheel-drive Cadillac with traction control was much better.

Tom: So unless you plan to drive only in straight lines, in our opinion, the new Cadillac wins hands down over the old Lincoln, Ted.

How can you tell if a used car is in good condition -- or even OK, for that matter? Find out by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know." Send $3 and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, No. 10 envelope to Used Car, PO Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

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