Is a Lincoln an "old man" car?

Jstas

Truck got rear-ended last night. Stupid kid plowed in to the back of it. Pushed the rear bumper and trailer hitch in to the rear of the truck. Kid said he was "adjusting the radio" and he must have slipped off the brake. I called shananigans because that wasn't a bump, it was a hit and a shove.

Score one for gigantic brakes though 'cause the truck didn't move!

It's probably going to be a couple grand in damage at least. I was livid to put it nicely. The cop said the kid told them I was flipping out hardcore and he thought I was going to rage on him. I wanted to but I didn't.

Thing is I was on my way to the dealer to look at a car 'cause the Lightning was having issues last weekend and it's just time to retire it from active duty and put it on reserve before something major fails and I'm out of a ride. There's nothing really wrong with it but I want to restore it too. I was gonna park it in a month. That was why I went to the dealer.

They had a cherry Lincoln MKX on the lot. 2007, AWD, 6 speed automatic...thing's loaded. Everything but the 20" wheels. Found out it was a corporate lease so it's absolutely pristine. It was on the lot for 31,500 and they had a "blowout sale" so it was down to 28,400. I got them down to 27,000 even and got an extended warranty to pick up after the new car warranty expires in may of next year.

An MKX is a Ford Edge in a tuxedo. I really don't know why Lincoln has this old man image anymore. This thing is sweet! It's not gaudy like a Cadillac or pretentious like the German brands. It's just, hmmmmm....classy. Yeah, classy, that's a good way to describe it.

Knucklehead

Congrats John, that is a killer ride. I think Lincoln may have gone through a "phase' of "old man car" syndrome, but they have moved away from that now that the Merc brand has been retired.

coolsax

I think the lincoln cars in the past have been "old man" cars but I doubt the crossovers would fall in that category. congrats on the new ride.

zingo

I like Lincolns and always liked the LS. Congrats on the hot ride!

bobman1235

Jstas wrote: »

An MKX is a Ford Edge in a tuxedo. I really don't know why Lincoln has this old man image anymore. This thing is sweet! It's not gaudy like a Cadillac or pretentious like the German brands. It's just, hmmmmm....classy. Yeah, classy, that's a good way to describe it.

It takes a LONG time for public image on branding to change. All a company like Lincoln can do is keep putting out nice cars and wait it out.

shawn474

My neighbor just got one of the licoln mkz's. It a really nice car. I think they are slowly sheeding the stigma of being an "old man" car.

Speaking of old man cars, if I was looking for a car right now, I would look long and hard at the Buick LaCrosse.

Shawn

Jstas

shawn474 wrote: »

My neighbor just got one of the licoln mkz's. It a really nice car. I think they are slowly sheeding the stigma of being an "old man" car.

Speaking of old man cars, if I was looking for a car right now, I would look long and hard at the Buick LaCrosse.

Shawn

Those are sweet. A friend of mine, he dad has one. Doesn't have that stodgy old man feel at all. Had me seriously considering one. Actually, most of the Buicks I'd prefer over their Cadillac counterparts which are supposed to be more "upscale".

Jstas

Heh. Just emailed to me.

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Roger Sterling likes it!

Danny Tse

shawn474 wrote: »

My neighbor just got one of the licoln mkz's. It a really nice car. I think they are slowly sheeding the stigma of being an "old man" car.

I like the Lincoln MKZ. Lincoln need more products in its lineup....and more performance-oriented ones, but in a more upscaled fashion. Lincoln can't keep dressing up cars from Ford and calling them Lincoln (remember the Lincoln Versailles?) . I know other manufacturers do it, but at least they put on a whole different body onto the car.

bigaudiofanatic

You know as much as I like the new ones and the new commercials. When I walk up to one at a auto show and see that analog clock and the arraignment of things inside I still say it is a old mans car. People that drive them are older people and same thing with the cadillac's.

Jstas

Danny Tse wrote: »

I like the Lincoln MKZ. Lincoln need more products in its lineup....and more performance-oriented ones, but in a more upscaled fashion. Lincoln can't keep dressing up cars from Ford and calling them Lincoln (remember the Lincoln Versailles?) . I know other manufacturers do it, but at least they put on a whole different body onto the car.

Step in to a Lincoln dealer now. They aren't very similar at all. The same basic lines are there but they look decidedly different from their counterparts. The only one that is obvious is the Navigator/Expedition twins.


The '07 MKX I got looks like this:



Here is an '07 Edge:



They look similar.

Now, here is a 2011 MKX:



And a 2011 Edge:



4 years later and they are quite different looking although mechanically similar. Nice thing about that is the Lincoln, while nicely equipped and quite spiffy is fairly inexpensive to maintain and has a lower price point than it's competitors due to the similarities. That price ffor exclusivity falls in to consideration there. You know, the whole "Well, it's cheaper so it's not as good" mentality that makes people think Bose is better. But if you want something that is nicely equipped, fairly "luxurious" and won't break your bank, forget about the premium priced foreign makers, check out Lincoln, and Buick too. Quite different.

BTW, get out of the 80's. Ah hell, the 70's. The Lincoln Versailles was made from 1977 to 1980. 20 years ago. There was a Versailles trim level for the Lincoln Continental mid-sized which was based off of the platform that the Ford LTD was based on but it was a Continental, not a Versailles. The platform those cars were based on was the Fox chassis which, probably 65%+ of Ford's cars rolled on that platform from 1978 to 1992. While nowadays it seems dated, at the time it was quite a good platform. Very simple and light yet versatile and easily manipulated to support different body layouts.

Jstas

bigaudiofanatic wrote: »

You know as much as I like the new ones and the new commercials. When I walk up to one at a auto show and see that analog clock and the arraignment of things inside I still say it is a old mans car. People that drive them are older people and same thing with the cadillac's.

:rolleyes:

The adults are talking now, don't you have traffic to play in?

Serendipity

How many miles are on the Lightning?

IIRC, someone on one of the message boards had over 200,000 miles on one. So they definitely can go the distance. Although I may be mistaken...

nguyendot

Both cadillac and lincoln are aiming at the younger crowd. The continental (lincoln) is an old mans car, yes. But the newer Mk(x) are aimed at the 40 something and younger.

Three of my five cars have been cadillacs... Starting from 17 until now (28).

I currently drive a Cadillac CTS and the target demographic for that is about 35.

shawn474

Jstas wrote: »

BTW, get out of the 80's. Ah hell, the 70's. The Lincoln Versailles was made from 1977 to 1980. 30 years ago.

Fixed it for you.

BAF, 30 years ago, they may have been an "old man" car. Analog clock or not, these things will move and give you a comfortable, stylish ride as well. I am 36 years old, so maybe I qualify as an "old man".

bigaudiofanatic

Just when I talk to my friends they all say old mans car so I am not alone. Not to mention it is a ford not my cup of tea anyway.

shawn474

bigaudiofanatic wrote: »

Just when I talk to my friends they all say old mans car so I am not alone. Not to mention it is a ford not my cup of tea anyway.

Don't you drive a mercury capri?!?!?!?!;)

Just sayin'........

bigaudiofanatic

Going to be selling it, decided to sell it and get a 87 300zx for my project car. More reliable "just sayin"

Joe08867

I wouldn't call them old man cars anymore. Just like I wouldn't call Caddy's old man cars.

Heck even Buick is trying to bring down there age bracket. Look at the new Regal. Not bad for an old guy car.

Serendipity

BTW, lightnings are awesome. Nobody expects a fast truck like that.

Ford Lightning = sleeper

jflail2

I like the new MKX; very slick ride!

And my Audi's not pretentious!

shawn474

Serendipity wrote: »

BTW, lightnings are awesome. Nobody expects a fast truck like that.

Ford Lightning = sleeper

Agreed; have you seen the Ford Raptor? It is a BADA$$ truck. I have a Nissan Titan, but it can't hold a candle to these trucks in terms of speed.

cstmar01

My grandfather drives a Lincoln. However the MKX around here is not thought of the same way as my grandfather's Lincoln. Personally I think they are nice and moving out of that stereotype.

mole'

my grandpa has one. im not a fan of it.

but like it better than the Edge

fatchowmein

Lincoln is an old man's label but I have no problems with you driving one while wearing a Brooks Brothers suit and Alden shoes although I have been accused of being an old soul.

Nice car. Enjoy.

treitz3

Of course it is.

snow

I think you need to drive whatever makes you happy, screw what anybody else thinks. Just my 2 cents

REGARDS SNOW

j allen

I'll agree they look like old man cars, but anyone who has ever spent any amount of time in one knows that they're secretly really cool.

Jstas

fatchowmein wrote: »

...wearing a Brooks Brothers suit and Alden shoes...

Now see, there's a big difference between looking good and dressing well and being "old".

devani

John,
So you want to buy an almost 5 year old car at ~30K OTD?

so when the car was new, i assume over 40K when new??

Jstas

devani wrote: »

John,
So you want to buy an almost 5 year old car at ~30K OTD?

so when the car was new, i assume over 40K when new??

A brand new Edge not nearly as nicely equipped costs 10 grand more. The Lincoln, new 3 years ago, was $46,665. A similarly equipped 2011 MKX would run $53,130 OTD and in 3 years be worth about $35K.

Yes, I want to buy a 3 year old "luxury" car at 27K because it's ~20K less and the initial and most drastic depreciation hit was taken by the original owner. The depreciation rate is 60% lower after the first 3 years and 75% lower after the first 5 years. I will lose far less money buying a "luxury" car used, coming in off of a lease than I will buying one new. Besides, this one came off of a "corporate lease". that means it was company owned and given to some high-falutin' exec and maintenance was done by a dealer and to a T. It might as well be brand new. There is not a spot on the car, not a thread out of place. Add the extended warranty i got and I have a car warrantied for 75,000 miles and by then I will probably have unloaded it for something else.

Besides, modern cars have more longevity than they have ever had. They are better built to higher quality standards than ever before. That goes for all manufacturers. Yes, I know, quality studies and all that BS. Look at the studies, look at the actual numbers. In most of the studies, the top 10 companies are separated by 3 percentage points. The top 20 companies are separated by less than 6 percentage points. That's not a difference in quality as much as it is a statistical margin of error.