Mark VIII nickels n' dimes

I just bought a '97 Mark. I paid considerably less than book value, and the car seems mechanically tight (it will need a repaint, though-crappy, sun-faded Ford black paint). However, there are a few minor bugs. Any insight would be appreciated.

1) Neon tail light is out. I've ordered a clean, tested replacement from a salvage guy, and I've read a site explaining how to swap it out. But still, don't neon lights last an awfully long time? Could it be a fuse? It's not a safety concern, but I'd obviously prefer it to work.

2) The trunk release button doesn't work. Considering how many more complex electronic toys that could fail in a car like this, this is another mystery to me. Again, could this be something as simple as a fuse?

I haven't had a chance to examine this car very closely, so please excuse my ignorance. Air suspension is good, the car has 82k miles. It's frigging fast, too!

Reply to
Space Ace
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Well, congrats... at least you asked on the newsgroup.. one of the few.

The answer to both your comments is:

"But the hard part is getting it from here to there"

MEaning, they still use wires, wires get broken.

As to the tail lamp, I had no idea they used neons in there..thought everyone went from incandescent to LED! but the answer's the same... so what if there arent filaments, there are still wires or copper traces that do break from time to time.

And you didnt get a remote with it?

I'd buy a simple test light if i were you. Check around the switch area.. may have gotten disconnected during service... if the prev owner had a fob, he probably never used that switch.

"Space Ace" wrote in news:IOPOe.3814$Ck2.1445@trndny04:

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

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Reply to
Sharon K.Cooke

If you plan on keeping it for a while, it might be worth investing in a set of shop manuals for it, even if it's just Chilton's or Haynes. SC Tom

Reply to
SC Tom

I definitely plan to get one a.s.a.p. I get the feeling there won't be too many things I'll be able to do myself with this car, but I always like to have one just for the sake of keeping mechanics honest. I used to be more adventurous when my cars were simpler and I had more free time.

Reply to
Space Ace

Thanks, Backyard. That's a good common sense idea. I've always found the car groups to be a good source of information. I even try to help others with whatever little info I can. No, I didn't get a remote with it (just bought one on Ebay). The lot I bought the car from was out of Bizarro World. They sold only cars donated to a children's charity. The salesmen had their dogs roaming the offices, and to say they didn't hard-sell would be an understatement. The car wasn't even washed. Still, Carfax checked out, and the car seems a-ok aside from what I've mentioned.

Reply to
Space Ace

You may find a CD-ROM on Ebay with the real Ford manual for cheap. I got one a couple of years ago even tho I had bought the paper one from Helm. Of course, you might find the whole paper one there, too.

PoD

Reply to
Paul of Dayton

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