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Comments
I was in the Lincoln booth at the Orlando Auto show and the traffic was in the mid-range. The exotic autos had most of the traffic with folks looking at cars they could not afford. The Ford/Mercury/Lincoln booths were laid out pretty nice. My major complaint is that they had drab green hybrids off to the side of the booth.
On the positive side just thank God we were not the Buick booth. It was dead as a graveyard!
At the Baltimore show, I saw an equal number of people stopping to look at the MKZ as the Acura TL.
For a car that is going to set me back roughly 36-37K loaded up I expect more. Its not like these are new advances, especially when they have already found their way onto the Camry. Also, how could Ford come to the dance with a 3.5 that only makes 263hp, when Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, and Honda/Acura bring out 3.5's around 270 with some pushing 300hp. They knew what they were up against and still held back so that they could either keep costs down or have room to bump the specs next year. I would think when you are coming from as far back as they are you would let it all hang out and go for broke (pardon the pun). How much time do they think people will give them? When they say the 2008 MKZ has 20 more hp, and some of these options how many people do you think will be swayed, versus the number of 2007 owners who will be pissed.
It seems like Lincoln is doing the same thing now that they did with the LS, offer more room and power (though not really with the MKZ) than similarly priced cars yet hold back on the options that people who purchase these cars really look for to help keep the price down. Why not do what Lexus did and really offer more for less to get people behind the wheel and then gradually bring up the price when you have a strong following? Is Lincoln just too proud for this? I'm afraid that they will put all these goodies into the MKS, to differentiate it from the MKZ, and then try to charge 50K plus for one. I just don't see people, at least the ones I know, choosing a Lincoln over the other cars in that price range right now.
The bottom line is that my father worked his way up from Mercury's to Lincolns over a 30 year period, but even he traded his 8th towncar for a Jag XJ-8L last year. I would love to give my business back to Lincoln, but they will have to earn it. I just don't see the effort right now, unless this really is the best they can do. Wouldn't that be a sad tale.
You do realize the MKZ is made in Mexico, right? For 5k less, i'd buy one nonetheless...
I hope Lincoln survives, but it needs more than you-rah-rah and a thinly disguised Fusion to do it. Let's see how the MKS is (and does) and whether they can get a modern RWD sedan on board soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XfnYnxv7zY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puRLniBVNBE
A closer look at the moonroof revealed that in addition to cracks that left the whole moonroof in half-in by half-inch (roughly)little tidbits, there were six or eight deep cracks running left to right and front to back as well, that left the moonroof slightly more bowed upward than it had been. Now the moonroof looks like one of those back windows in a car that had been shattered. Absolutely no marks of anything hitting it or anywhere else on the car. Sunroof was in the open/vent position (rear end open, front closed) when it happened.
So ... now I'm looking forward to "discussions" with the dealer tomorrow as to whether this is a warranty issue. I've checked the Fusion/Milan website for any examples of this, could find none. Anyone have any theories about the cause; anyone else experienced this?
Thanks
The solution is to redesign the roof, or just not make such a big one.
Mild update -- dealer has the car, said it was the first moonroof he has seen like this, suggested a pebble may have hit it hours, days, or weeks earlier and it took this long for the glass to fail. Hmmm ...
It's being repaired; we'll see if it is deemed warranty work. By the way, it is an 07, has about 4,800 miles on it.
I guess driving around the corn field with and stealing
scarecrow clothing does not convey the message!
And what a solution Ford is pursuing...let's try to make a profit with less volume. Good luck. Can you imagine Toyota deciding to sell fewer vehicles as a response to lost market share??
Sales show that people don't want the Mark LT and Montego and 500 and Grand Marquis and Expedition and other models in the kind of numbers that make these models real contenders. Once again I am left thinking how could a company that was on top of its game a few short years ago allow such incompetent decision-makers to call the shots?
The tacky prop rod for the hood is rather high-tech, though, don't you think?
Personally, I don't mind the proprod at all. But I want Ford to stop giving the Ford bashers valid reasons to berate their products based on lack of features or cheap stuff. Witness the lack of the 3.5L in the Zephyr and lack of stability control (which still isn't available) and no manumatic shifter.
At least they seem to have gotten the quality problems behind them and have figured out how to make and sell cars without fleet dumping or huge incentives. And the Flex gives me hope that Ford is beginning to address the issues above.
That is not even a "luxury car" feature either since even cars like the Ford Taurus had that in the 1990s.
Many other features the MKZ lack are available on lower end family sedans. Stability control is one of the most glaring in 2007.
A hood prop? I don't repair my own car, but I occasionally open the hood to check fluid levels. A hood prop would be surprising and disappointing even in a upper trim V6 Fusion and unacceptable if I had spent the extra money for a MKZ.
What next, power windows for the front only (like the Neon used to have) because rear windows are seldom used?
I had a cabin air filter for 6 years in my 2000 LS. I've had my fusion without one for 1.5 years. I can't tell any difference whatsoever. Again - it's nice for advertising and paper comparisons but in the real world it's not missed.
On the other hand, a car is an appliance and, in the $35K range, a very expensive appliance. Anyone who spends $35K on an appliance is entitled to fettish over features. If two appliances both function roughly the same but one of them has an added feature that is useful or attractive and the other other one doesn't, the person is wise to choose the one with the added feature. The price category especially sets up the expectation that features across brands would be the same and that one brand has the additional feature of X, Y, or Z.
And by the way, a cabin filter, those seemingly small, is important to me as an allergy sufferer. I just had the filter changed on my Honda Odyssey, and it was filthy. To think of all that crud in the cabin is enough to make a believer of anyone.
How do you cool the air when you are walking around outside without A/C?
It's nice to have. The MKZ is not an economy car where you pinch pennies.
3-chanel ABS? I think even cave-men had 3 chanel ABS!
Otherwise though, the MKZ is notthat bad. I think theprice is very attractive. You cannot get a loaded BMW, Mercedes, and soon even Cadillac for that price.
I think 35K is appropriate for an entry level lux car, loaded. Today only three companies i know really deliver: Acura, Infiniti, and Lincoln.
When it comes time for meto buy, i do not think that even the 08 CTS, will all its amazing features, will be as attractive at 45K as the MKS at 35K.
However, I do think that adding 10K to the price is worth it to keep jobs in the US, since the CTS is still made here.
Its a tough call, and I know many people are crunching the numbers as we speak.
You know, I've owned performance cars, a '68 mustang 350, a '85 Toyota MR2 and an '98 Eclipse GSX turbo all wheel drive.
I've had my fun, and have come to the dowdy old opinion that cars are {gasp} a depreciating asset that the less spent on them the better. So low price, low depreciation, low insurance costs and low repair bills matter.
Second priority is that they be safe. 42,000 people die on the roads each year and I want a car that can actively avoid accidents and protect you if it happens anyway.
And if you are going to pay more, why not make the trip pleasant than buy capability that only makes a difference at illegal speeds?
I've got a plane, when I feel the need for speed. I've done 220mph in it. It is a blast, and 100% legal.
So, in short, this high reliability, low cost, comfortable lincoln is high on my shopping list. I'd love to have a Beemer, (328xi) but at @8k more with the same options, less horsepower and much worse reliability, my heart is having a hard time convincing my head.
I already have a car without stability control and I'm not going to spend $35K for another car that still doesn't have it.
I already have a car with hood struts and a cabin air filter and I'm not going to spend $35,000 for a replacement car that actually loses features I have now.
People more or less buy what meets their needs and suits their tastes. You may love the MKZ, but maybe even you might think the Town Car is too dated for your taste. Even so, there are still people who buy them. Just not as many as would if the car was updated amd truly competitive with the state of the art in large and stately sedans.
Lincoln will truly make their mark again if they can only get back to marketing more state of the art, uniquely styled cars with really great prices. I remember "Unique in all the World." Back then nothing else looked like Lincoln, and Lincoln looked like nothing else.
My opinion may be a niche one, but I believe that Lincolns, especially the Town Car, can be quite an automobile to behold (still) if it's pimped out, IMHO. Take a TC and have it painted a VIBRANT metallic color...make some alterations to the inner audio system, giving it a stronger output (including a powerful subwoofer), and I don't mean something to BOOM the world with as I cruise, some touches here and there and I DO believe that I can convert what is conceived to be (by some) a "grandpa/grandma" vehicle into a distinct and modern machine worthy of any youngblood's (or youngbloods at heart) ticket to ride. U dig? :shades: So I don't knock Lincolns, whatsoever!
Lincoln will come back, and supercede its former glory, in time I'm sure.
Cheers...
Peace<-