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I don't like to repeat myself but at 195.3" long, an Avalon is not a "big" car. It's about the same size as my former '66 Dodge Dart GT V-8 (196.3" long), which was and felt like a compact car.
An Avalon is not going to have the type of cushy, floaty ride which the Lincoln Town Car has and which the OP is looking for, not to mention the true '60s and '70s full-sized American cars.
Even my midsize Taurus is bigger at 197.5". It always bugs me when people say the full size cars of today are too big - they're not.
I don't like to repeat myself but at 195.3" long, an Avalon is not a "big" car. It's about the same size as my former '66 Dodge Dart GT V-8 (196.3" long), which was and felt like a compact car.
An Avalon is not going to have the type of cushy, floaty ride which the Lincoln Town Car has and which the OP is looking for, not to mention the true '60s and '70s full-sized American cars.
Have you driven an Avalon? It has a very cushioned ride and is not too dissimilar from a Panther though a TC with a functioning air suspension may be slightly smoother.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Infiniti Q series. The car for the Japanese dignitary. Soft, plenty of space and has more guts than the Ford Panther siblings. However it is also direct. It's not going to feel like you turning an entire yacht when going around a corner but it's soft.
Have you driven an Avalon? It has a very cushioned ride and is not too dissimilar from a Panther though a TC with a functioning air suspension may be slightly smoother.
As you said, a Lincoln Town Car with a functioning air suspension does have a smoother ride (as do the '60s/'70s Cadillacs and Lincolns).
But an Avalon is nowhere near being a "big" car. And does not have a "big car" feel to it.
I have not rode in one; which is fine with me.
I remember meeting one of my brothers at a restaurant. We parked far apart in the parking lot so he drove me to my car in his wife's 2007 Camry. I was surprised... I could actually feel the parking lot surface in the car... almost like a rumbling. I got back in my car (I drove my '69 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham) and when I drove through the same parking lot, I, of course, noticed a huge difference... did not feel the road whatsoever.
Even my midsize Taurus is bigger at 197.5". It always bugs me when people say the full size cars of today are too big - they're not.
Yes, anyone who can't handle driving a 195-200" long car probably should not be driving at all!
Once, my mom was pulling into a parking lot and was going to park in a slot. She was driving her 1970 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. A man was watching her as she was about to park and he said, "Don't tell me you are going to park that big car in that parking slot?" She said, "Yes, just watch me!" Someone else once said, "How do you drive that big car?" And she replied, "It almost drives itself." Which is true. The car she drove and my cars are ridiculously easy to drive.
-Fleet
'66 Plymouth Fury VIP 383 (209.8")
'69 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham (228.5")
'76 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Limousine (252.2")
'95 Lincoln Town Car (218.9")
Yes, anyone who can't handle driving a 195-200" long car probably should not be driving at all!
Once, my mom was pulling into a parking lot and was going to park in a slot. She was driving her 1970 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. A man was watching her as she was about to park and he said, "Don't tell me you are going to park that big car in that parking slot?" She said, "Yes, just watch me!" Someone else once said, "How do you drive that big car?" And she replied, "It almost drives itself." Which is true. The car she drove and my cars are ridiculously easy to drive.
-Fleet
'66 Plymouth Fury VIP 383 (209.8")
'69 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham (228.5")
'76 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five Limousine (252.2")
'95 Lincoln Town Car (218.9")
Exactly. I've driven our 2008 Grand Marquis (212.0") and had no problems with it. Even when driving our 1998 F-150 (220.8") I have no problems. It's just a matter of people today being more lazy. Though I will admit it's fun to toss around our 1989 LeBaron (184.9") in the turns. Even then it still has a smoother ride than any modern compact I've been in.
Exactly. I've driven our 2008 Grand Marquis (212.0") and had no problems with it. Even when driving our 1998 F-150 (220.8") I have no problems. It's just a matter of people today being more lazy. Though I will admit it's fun to toss around our 1989 LeBaron (184.9") in the turns. Even then it still has a smoother ride than any modern compact I've been in.
Something interesting I've noticed... in the '70s, many women (and some men) were afraid to drive a full-sized car, yet I see quite a few women now driving big trucks and SUVs!
How big of a car does a car have to be? The Avalon is not in anyway what I would call a small car. Its certainly bigger than the Camry, and truthfully is about the same size interior-wise as my Grandmother's 90's Buick Lesabre. My family owned the Avalon for 13 years and it was certainly what I'd qualify as a "big floaty car". Oh- and these cars are sleepers. They seriously haul ass down the freeway.
Lastly, the Avalon is continuously ranked as one of the most reliable cars on the market. This one had power everything. Power heated seats, power mirrors, antenna, a VERY nice stereo, and large cushy seats. The trunk was also huge. Even so, none of those toys broke down. Even at 300,000 miles the car was still tight with little to no noticeable wear. I can almost guarantee that if a Grand Marquis made it to 300k that the suspension and probably most of the rest of the car would be totally shot. I've ridden in enough Grand Marquis and Lincolns including my Granddad's to remember the squeaks and rattling they make.
How big of a car does a car have to be? The Avalon is not in anyway what I would call a small car. Its certainly bigger than the Camry, and truthfully is about the same size interior-wise as my Grandmother's 90's Buick Lesabre. My family owned the Avalon for 13 years and it was certainly what I'd qualify as a "big floaty car". Oh- and these cars are sleepers. They seriously haul ass down the freeway.
How big does a car have to be? Well, fortunately, we all have that choice. But when I want to drive a full-sized car, I want it to be a *true* full-sized car. Not a compact or mid-sized car pretending to be full-sized!
If you think a 16-foot long Avalon is a floaty car, you should go for a ride in my 19- and 21-foot long Cadillacs!
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Lastly, the Avalon is continuously ranked as one of the most reliable cars on the market. This one had power everything. Power heated seats, power mirrors, antenna, a VERY nice stereo, and large cushy seats. The trunk was also huge. Even so, none of those toys broke down. Even at 300,000 miles the car was still tight with little to no noticeable wear. I can almost guarantee that if a Grand Marquis made it to 300k that the suspension and probably most of the rest of the car would be totally shot. I've ridden in enough Grand Marquis and Lincolns including my Granddad's to remember the squeaks and rattling they make.
The Avalon, along with practically all modern cars, have a lot of plastic. And the seats, are they firm, which is the norm on most modern cars?
A 2013 Avalon is 195.3" long; a 2013 Camry is 189.2". Not that much of a difference.
The trunk capacity of a 2013 Avalon is 16 cu. ft., which is actually bigger than a 2010 Avalon (14.4 cu. ft.)
The compact '66 Dodge Dart GT I owned had a 17.3 cu. ft. trunk.
Check out the Crown Vic forum and see how many high-mileage examples there are. Regardless, I'd much rather drive a Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Grand Marquis or Ford Crown Victoria than a Toyota!
The sad truth is I can't really afford the car (incl. maintenance/gas) that I really want... if I could, I would probably get a white/pearl LTC or Cadillac. Basically I just love to feel like I am sitting on a couch floating on air as I drive down the road!
But, I am learning about the options to those here.... and enjoying the dialogue, so its all good.
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