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"5 day" BLOW OUT SALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10-14 OCT 2007
For just 5 days only, all 2007 and yes, 2008 In Stock Lincolns and Mercurys will be SOLD for $22 dollars BELOW Factory Invoice PLUS you get the Rebates. All we will add is the tax, tags and fees. FREIGHT is already included!!!!!
YES NAVIGATOR, MKX, MKZ, MILAN, SABLE, MARK LT and the ever popular MARINER for$22 dollars BELOW invoice.
Please do not pass this Sale by!!!!!!!
But it is yet another in the disparate crop of Lincolns. That should change in time of course (especially when the Mark LT and Town Car go away), but it would have been nice if Lincoln could have adopted the champhered fenders or roofline or other design elements from the MKR concept. They have modified the MKS somewhat, based on Lincoln's planned look, and the MKZ will get new front and rear styling and new interior as well, to bring it more in line with what will look like a Lincoln.
Anyway the Zephyr/MKZ is too close to being perceived as a rather nice high trim level of the Fusion. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But putting Lincoln in the very slot that Mercury once held (higher trim with a bit more elegant styling...rather than the straightforward badge-engineered Fords that Mercurys are now) won't get Lincoln back the stature it once had.
Hoooh-boy can I relate to that one. I got my 2001 LS for my big 5-0 birthday. Best comment amoung my peers was "Well, I guess we're all getting old if u got a Lincoln." Sad but true.
Lincoln has been trying to lower the average age of their buyers, but is not having much success. Even me at 50, I'm like a baby compared to most Lincoln buyers. I regularyly see beautiful LSes with spoilers and chrome wheels being driven by folks with green hair and walkers in the back seat. It's practically criminal. :surprise:
Having been a member of a certain LS car group which advocated Lincoln and met annually with Lincoln VPs etc, I told my old buddies to just wait, the LS is the first in a line of vehicles that will reinvigorate the Lincoln line to compete with the likes of BMW etc across the board. Sadly, that was not to be. Cadillac came out of nowhere and stole the mantle from Lincoln. Now, as Motor Trend pointed out this month, Lincoln "used to be a proud luxo brand, now it's just a Ford trim level." I presently own two Lincolns. But even at my age, I dont see myself buying another.
Once Ford stops doing that and if they can do it in time (before the whole shebang is shot), Lincoln will garner more respect than what is merely afforded it by current owners.
Once Ford stops doing that and if they can do it in time (before the whole shebang is shot), Lincoln will garner more respect than what is merely afforded it by current owners."
Well, you certainly USED to. Remember the Cimmaron for example?
Unfortunately the mkz is a reminder of the Versailles, while the CTS, STS, ... are their own animals.
I just relooked at the interior shot of the upcoming mks and it only reaffirmed my view that it's probably over for Lincoln as a top flight brand. Compare the mks interior to the CTS, then realize one is a RWD performance car, the other a redone 2005 FWD volvo and one wonders if there's any hope for Fomoco. Mercury is a dead duck waiting to be buried. Lincoln is the new Mercury. Wonder if Ford will target only women with the Lincoln at that point. They may as well.
As for the MKZ being an upscale Fusion, I agree, but that's not such a horrible thing. The Fusions is a good car to start with. Then, put in a much better engine, a much nicer interior, a sharper exterior, a killer stereo, and a bunch of sound-insulation, and it's a VERY nice car for the money.
I hear a lot of people complaining about diminishing a Brand identity (Truth About Cars, I'm looking in your direction), but if you care more about substance than names, the MKZ is a good car.
Why not? Works for Audi. The base A6 is FWD while the performance versions are AWD.
Remember, this isn't a $60K flagship vehicle - that will have to wait for the new Huntsman platform.
In the meantime I think a 280 hp FWD cruiser in addition to a 350+ HP AWD performance model will suffice nicely.
Anyone who buys an MKZ will likely be pleased with their purchase. But it is in the comparisons among many good performers that other marques rise to the top of the "good field," and the MKZ is nowhere near doing that.
Lincoln needs a star performer in this class. Lincoln needs something to compete with the goodness of the 08 CTS, the 09 A4, the 08 C Class, the BMW 3 series. The MKZ is a reasonable start, given how Bill Ford set out to absolutely ruin Lincoln in a few short years. But now they need to really produce, because the competition keeps moving.
Where did you find recent pictures of the interior? I must have missed a link around here.
http://www.syncmyride.com/?UserCulture=en-US&bannerid=236017|18454925|144546142#- /overlay/overlay_what_is_sync
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMaA_r9-1zo
Now, the promised hybrid Fusion will be out in 2009! Mulally needs more than 14 months to make any changes that actually benefit sales or bottom line. A hoped for 2009 profit may be too soon. This basket case company is no closer to survival than it was a year ago.
Jac Nasser could have put the company to the top by now. Instead, the suits lost nerve, got scared and fired him. To save money. Like that worked.
With BMW, Audi, VW, Hyundai, etc., all planning huge onslaughts of product and market conquest (not to mention what happens when Chinese companies begin marketing here), companies like Chrysler and Ford are in danger of going the way of American Motors. What company do you know that has shrunk its way to sustained profitability?
I do hope MKZ doesn't really stand for Mulally Knows Zip.
I truly believe that with Fields, Mulally and Kuzack in charge that we won't see the waffling, indecisiveness and short sighted decisions that have plagued Ford in the past. Unfortunately they can't fix past screwups in just a few months.
Here is a good sign (IMO): The 09 Fusion refresh was originally scheduled to get the PIP D3.0L and not the D3.5L due to supply issues with the D3.5L and all the new vehicles. Somewhere in the last few months the D3.5L program was accelerated and the PIP D3.0L program was all but cancelled (might still be used for the Escape).
Yes, I am waiting to see if they will do the same with next generation Fusion to improve on the things wrong with the current car. Ford specializes in making the next generation model worse than the previous or barely better.
AWD will provide at least one spinning wheel on the front and one on the back and that is often better than say, rear wheel drive without traction control or limited slip differential. It also allows FWD cars to handle more than 200+ hp burnouts more gracefully. But a person should still have stability control. It is commonly available, not expensive, proven-to-save-lives technology.
There are more moving parts with AWD but it shouldn't be that much worse than a FWD vehicle.
I will say that during bad winter weather last year, nothing slowed down my Z, and I felt very confident driving it on snow and ice. As for long term reliability, I doubt I will have it any longer than the long term powertrain warranty provided by Lincoln will cover it. But I have had absolutely no problems with it in the year I've owned it, and neither has my son with his. I only wish I could say the same thing for the Corvette....which cost twice as much as my AWD Z and is constantly having nagging problems.
Don't forget that was also done in the pre-Mulally, pre-Fields era. I don't think they'll be making those kind of tradeoffs in the future.
I think I can do without the moonroof ( I set tall and also never use the one I have now), AWD, and NAV. This gives a list of about $33K with nice stereo and high intensity headlights. As best as I can tell the other cars I would consider would be: CTS-$39.5, BMW 335-$45 as I would equip them. If I did not have aspirations for a C6 maybe I would go with the Caddy or BMW.
I would also add the ford products I have had have been reliable, 99 F-150 had 150K mile on it when I traded it for the duramax Chevy 3500 I now have. Currently have a 99 Tarus with 150K as daily driver going strong.
I have been waiting 2 years for the MKS to be introduced and I am very pleased that AWD will be optional - not standard. Being more interested in performance, I will gladly pass on the AWD.