Hey guys;


I have a bit of a dilemma, what limo stretch to get ?

I am starting up a limo company in the coming months (already incorporated) but have no idea about the maintenance on the following choices:

-) 1998-2005 Lincoln town car

-) 2002 Cadillac DTS

So my questions are (budget 20 K- 30K) comparing both:

What mileage would be ideal in the price range mentioned above ?
How long do they last ?
How expensive are the parts ?
How strong are the transmission ?
Should I look for a limo equipped with air ride or without ?
Looks, what people prefer to ride in ?

etc...

Any advice would be really really appreciated on the cars and the business aspect .

Page 2, post 19, has me debating against a few vehicles for airport service.

Thank you

 

Town Car hands down

 

Go with a Lincoln. I think you should get a 03+ because that's when they updated the platform for the 3rd gen and they bumped the hp up to 239. They updated the trans as well. Do some research on there reliability. I do know there were some recalls.

 

I would find an independent mechanic in your area that has worked on both and get his opinion.

 

Cadillac build the DTS to be made into a limo, Town Car is overworked from the moment it is converted into a limo cause it was a car with no intent on being stretched, Lincoln has done tons of MY updates to make parts heavy duty to withstand the limo torture but who has the time to look that up and see if the one you have has bigger brakes, a larger oil capacity, bigger trans cooler.

Also depends on the drivers, these cars have a life of 60-100k, also keep in mind these things don't have brakes once you exceed 60mph, keeping it simple, figure on brake jobs and new tires every 5k

 

The DTS, though (and its sister Buick Lucerne), are unibody. The Town Car is one of the last body-on-frame cars on the market, which can take more punishment and stress. That is why cops like the similiar Ford Crown-Vic.

 

Thanks guys for the input

Keep it coming , I want to know as much as possible before making a purchase. (In approx. 1 month or so)

As for service life 60-100 k miles, but there are limos with over 150 k miles or once it passes 100 k Im basically running on borrowed time ?

For parts would cadillac cost more or lincoln ?

I am also in contact with a mechanic, will try to get a detailed review from him.

But I feel I will get a better review/ comparison on both vehicles with this thread.

 

Um I have no exp in the limo Business, but lets look at this, go to any major city in the US or Canada, what do you see livery services, IE cab companies, and car services and Police using. Very rarely do I see DTS's bieng used in car services, 9 outta 10 times it's a town car, unless its a high end car service then you will see a big body benze or the like. Cabs Crown Vics, Cop cars Crown Vics. Hell Cab companies are known to buy retired police Crown Vics at 150k plus miles and then put in another 150k or more in nothing but stop and go harsh condition driving. Oh and parts HAAAA my brother recently bought a used DTS got a deal on it, till he started getting quotes on parts for things it needed fixed...lol. Just pick a few random parts and price them out for both cars. The Lincoln will be far less cheaper to fix and repair and maintain.

 

I would go with the Town Car as well. My grandpa has a 95 that seems to be pretty reliable and parts are easy to find at junkyards. I've always heard Cadillac parts are expensive.

 

Town car is not really built to take the added weight and stress of an extra 10,000-20,000 pounds, body on frame or unibody means nothing, they cut them in half and weld center sections in, these are not planes were they use a bolt to hold it together

It all depends on who drives it, the 60-100k service life is when my buddy gets rid of his limos, he hates the added cost of fixing everything, the engine will last past 100k, the rest of the car is on borrowed time, service the car in 15k intervals, everything on the car is now under more stress and strain, google limo info.

It will last but my buddy is constantly cursing about which limo is broken down, and not making him money, his limos make him a minimum of 1000 a day to break even his entire fleet is now an SClass, couple Escalades, one Navigator, an Excursion and an H2, the trucks can with stand more of a day to day beating, the cars not so much and clients prefer the added room.

 

I called my buddy, he said his Grand Marques are reliable, his Town Cars when he had them, touch and go, like an exotic car, always gotta keep an eye on everything, couple hundred miles a day you would think so.

He also said check what insurance cost, laws change, people sue when accidents happen and suddenly your insurance rates are putting you out of business

 

The Northstar engine will burn oil and blow headgaskets every 40k. Lincoln's 4.6 isn't exactly the brightest start either, but its far more reliable and durable, and much cheaper to service.

The DTS has a better ride and better interior, but you will have suspension issues, and again, they are expensive to fix.

Also, since Lincoln is RWD body on frame, its difficult to kick its suspension out of alignment. With DTS' FWD stretched unibody, its difficult not to.

To make the long story short, if I had to hire a limo for a single occasion - I'd get the DTS for its better ride and refined interior. If I had to own my own stretch, I'd go with Lincoln.

 

Damm your buddy got some baller rides. In order for me to make money I would just need to make 1500 a week literally (assuming the limo I get doesnt have major repairs). I have no expenses at home or anything like that.

No partners in the share, just need to find one really good driver.
I would of course be keeping the company small and manageable for a few years then would slightly upgrade.

How long did your buddy take to get those sweeet rides ?

Did your buddy start off with the cadillac dts or the lincoln ?


Oh man a Town car as an exotic; that much care and attention will be hard to make money off. Is that for a high mileage town car ?

For sueing and insurance, in my area you buy business insurance that covers you for people trying to sue for 'self accidents' say you help someone out of the limo and they slip and fall... You cannot get sued for that.

As for insurance yes, in the first 2 years that will be my biggest expense since I do not have experience in the field, but there are limo owners that pay $100 per vehicle after they obtain a few years of experience.

I didnt look into getting sued over an accident, I will look into that asap. thanks

The last paragraph is a crossroad political answer. I have to meet the needs of the customer ie you would like to rent the DTS. Therefore the limo company must have a DTS. But being the owner I would rather have the Lincoln for cheaper costs...

Sooooo I still got more research to do ...lol. But a limo business is highly oriented to customer service.

 

He has been in business 20 years, but his limos new cost basically sticker price followed by 100k upgrade, his cost of overhead reflects his daily payout, when he started he did airport runs with a large sedan, made about 100 bucks a day and slowly got bigger, right now he would never start a limo business, he is getting screwed on insurance in Jersey, the only reason he is surviving because of his size, but he does rent out to smaller fleets.

Get someone who is mechanically inclined, your not buying a Town Car or DTS, burning oil is not what your worried about, your buying a car that has just been altered, simple explanation is you put ridiculously large spacers on your car, cause the wheels are flush and it looks good, but how much did you just alter the force acting on the tie rods and spindles, I've seen several hondas with broken axles.

Town Car as an exotic, in terms of keeping an eye on it, driving 500 miles a day or a week, excellerates wear, your most important items to check almost daily are brakes, suspension front and rear, check cost of tires, the rears are usually inflated to 60psi or more and the centers wear out, your not adding a ton of weight and keeping the tires at 32 you also go through brakes, and be careful on hot days especially, I have driven limos and lost the brakes, its a hell of a feeling, kinda feels like a boat but with targets fast approaching

Insurance covers you if someone sues, but usually not you, when your in a livery business, your rates will go up when and if other companies crash or get in accidents or the laws change, in the last 5 years insurance has changed in NY/NJ and rates have gone up on my buddy.

Right now his limo business brings in the money for his son to race INDY cars, and meet and Danica Patrick

 

You just just added 20,000 lbs to your vehicle, if the only issue is burning some oil, thats not a problem.

Lincoln 4.6 are not cheap, my Uncles Town car threw some SES lights and when he took it in they replaced a ton of coil packs on it, and some other electronic computer related stuff, total cost of repair was $6000, yeah thats high but it was also at 59,900 miles and was covered by the warranty, I don't know if the price was artificially inflated so the dealer would get more back for the warranty work, but even at 3000 out of pocket is not something I want to pay.

Keep in mind my 70 year old uncle is not about to go online and do the repairs himself, even if a the total price of parts is 200 bucks