Comparison shopping.

The size difference is quite apparent in this photo.

This perspective could fool you.

Today I had the opportunity to inspect and test drive a 2015 Lincoln MKC. Lincoln's smallest CUV based on the Ford Escape. This model has been restyled and renamed, and is now known as the Lincoln Corsair.

The split wing grille suits this design.

I have had more interest in the Navigator and the Aviator, but for some reason I've found these littlest Lincolns oddly attractive. 

Part of the reason is because I haven't cared for the original MKX's roof line. It was the same as the Edge, and I just never found the rear roof pillar design to be that good looking. 

I had seen this MKC listed on CL for a few weeks, and since I knew that I was going to be in the Santa Rosa area, I'd thought that I'd drop by and take a look. 

It's smaller size makes it look sporty.

This is a base model MKC, which doesn't have AWD, the trick multi articulated seats, and most importantly to me, a moon roof. It might also be missing some options that come standard on the Select and Reserve lines. It is equipped with the standard 2.0 turbocharged four cylinder engine and is FWD. Stepping out of my Navigator and slipping inside of the MKC was a bit of a shock at first. It is low enough that it doesn't need running boards. The seat is smaller, but it was quite comfortable. I don't see the need for the super trick seats. Good A/C and Stereo, combined with navigation and a back up camera is all that I need. The interior is black leather, not my preference anymore. The quality of the interior materials was very good, I was especially impressed by the open pore wood inserts. My first impression was that it looked and felt like a real Lincoln.

The controls worked with a nice feel and the steering wheel was padded leather that felt equally nice in my hands. Though I did miss the wood steering wheel that I have on my Navigator. I have had a real issue in my mind with the transmission buttons that flank the left side of the dash. I didn't like them. They seemed to me to be kind of cheap. Seeing them in person, and using them, didn't exactly change my mind, but I could understand the reason they were put there. With an automatic transmission, how often do you actually shift gear positions, anyway? It also had paddle shifters if you feel the need to stir the gears.

On the other hand, there are actual switches and knobs to control the audio system and a/c. That's a plus.

The salesman, Luis, was having a slow day so we had a detailed conversation about Lincoln SUVs and this one in particular. When the engine was started up it settled into the familiar four cylinder sound at idle. This smaller four is rated at 240 hp. which is plenty. I found that this little thing will scoot!

I have read that fuel economy is iffy with Eco Boost engines, that you either settle for Eco or Boost, but I think that the problem is with the road test drivers. They always drive with a heavy foot. I haven't read about the Ford Turbo fours having too many mechanical problems.

I was able to take it on an extended test drive through heavy city traffic and about ten miles of freeway driving. 

It has plenty of acceleration off the line and the brakes are great. Under boost it is pretty impressive. The steering felt stable and the car tracked well. On the freeway it was very quiet and smooth cruising at 70 mph. A stab of the pedal quickly brought it up to 85 mph. The ride was well controlled, and smooth. Smoothness was the operative word about this car. I could see myself taking this on long road trips, it would be relaxing, the stereo sounded quite good, and it still had a CD player! And the fuel mileage would be quite a bit better than my Navigator!

Yes, it is pretty tight in the backseat, though when I readjusted the front seats forward a bit, I still had enough room in the driver's seat. I tend to sit pretty close to the wheel. I could fit back here for a moderately long trip. It's still better than my Mustangs. The large rear windows keep the rear seat from feeling claustrophobic.

The luggage area was pretty small with the backseat up, however with the seat folded down there was plenty of room to carry luggage for a two person vacation. It wouldn't cut it as a family SUV, but I wasn't considering it for that task. I think of it as a replacement for a Mustang, or other compact coupe, in that capacity it would do fine. Hatchbacks, wagons, and now CUVs, all provide more utility than a sports coupe, which is why there are not too many small coupes left on the market.

One of my biggest concerns was whether or not the MKC could satisfy me, like a Lincoln should. If it doesn't feel like a real Lincoln, if it doesn't feel special, and make the owner feel special, then what would be the point? I told my Wife that this would be my main criteria. I added that a Nissan Rouge is about the same size and just as functional, but I want to own a Lincoln!

I have not driven an Escape, so I can't make a real comparison, but I thought that it feels more upscale than my 2017 Ford Flex.

I did a lot of research on the MKC online, reading contemporary road tests and watching videos. The testers seemed to think that it was competitive, especially since it starts a lower price point. It is possible to option the car way over the base models, but by then you could buy a bigger model or a European make that had more prestige. They felt that the lower trim models were the best buy.

To be honest, I was really surprised by how much I liked it. It was pleasant to drive, it felt responsive; probably due to it's small size. But that is also it's charm. It's shorter than my '06 Mustang. It seems to pack a lot of good stuff in a compact, easy to drive and park package that is EPA rated at just under 30 mpg. I read many consumer reviews where the base engine delivered over 30 mpg. on long highway trips. 

I am certain that my Wife would love driving this car.

I like the way it looks. The split wing grille looks distinctive, I like how the upper body accent lines flow back from the headlamps, and I like the roofline and the looks of the rear hatch and rear tail lamp panel. I think that it is much better than the early MKXs.

This is a nice display of dual tail pipes.
I like dual pipes!

The new Corsair shares the front end styling touches of the current Navigator and Aviator. I find these to be attractive, but the older MKC is still quite attractive in my eyes, and is much more affordable.

I drove my Navigator on this Sonoma Wine Country trip, and as you can see in the pictures, in comparison to the MKC.

The Navigator is a very handsome and impressive vehicle with a lot of presence. I find it very satisfying to drive and own. 

Would I be satisfied with a MKC?

Do I need a big "macho" machine to be happy?

The MKC is almost as large as my old Explorer.

For the most part, I don't choose a vehicle just for it's size. First, It needs to be comfortable for me to drive.

Then it has to fulfill my transportation priorities and to be satisfying to drive. It doesn't have to be particularly fast. My F150 has made me happy for 17 years and I still enjoy driving it, and it is a very basic model.

I'm always looking for my next vehicle. While I would love a newer Aviator, they're just still too expensive for my blood. They are still trading in the 40,000 dollar neighborhood. That's a neighborhood that I don't live in! 

I'm also considering a couple of Cadillacs; the 2104 and newer CTS and XTS. These models have also been restyled a bit and renamed. The XTS is a front wheel drive platform and went out of production in 2019. The CTS is now known as the CT5  and remains RWD. 

My current fleet of hobby cars is around 20-25+ years in age, that meant that it was possible to find examples still in good condition with reasonable mileage. I think that my next round of cars will be ten years old or less. For the same reasons, plus they will come equipped with built in navigation and a back up camera.  

I'll report on my experience with checking out those other candidates in future posts.

 Fixing my truck's rear brakes.

How hard could it be to install these?

It should have been easier! 

I don't drive my truck very much anymore. I actually only use it one day a week, adding approx. 60 miles a week. So I haven't paid as much attention to it as I should. I have replaced the front brake pads once before, then I had a shop redo the brakes and rotors. I have replaced the rear pads sometime in the past, but I can't recollect exactly when. I started to notice a funny sound coming from the rear axle when I applied the brakes. But it wasn't the squeal that I usually associate with worn brakes. I kind of ignored it until the noise became constant and somewhat worrying. 

I had rotated the tires of the truck a year or so ago, and I gave a glance to the rear brakes condition.  It looked as though the backing plates of the pads still had enough clearance. The rotors were kind of groovy, there were circular markings that indicated that the rotors were wearing out, but I figured that I'd wait to replace them until the pads wore out. 

Well they definitely wore out. 

I initially thought that I could break the rotor loose by tightening a couple of lug nuts
using these wrenches as spacers.

Now there was a constant metallic metal on metal sound as I applied the brakes. I've been really busy recently so I forgot to do a thorough inspection as I needed to use the truck.

Finally it got so bad that I decided to not drive the truck until it was fixed. 

As you've heard on the news, California is going through a massive heatwave, temperatures were over 100 degrees during the Fourth of July week. I don't relish working in the driveway with 105 degree temps! 

I was going to order the brake parts through Rock Auto, but I wanted to have them on hand and to do the job when I had the opportunity. Delivery can be a long time off with the base shipping choices, and what really burns me is when the items are shipped from two different locations and the shipping cost is doubled. 

So I decided to support my local  indie auto parts store and buy the parts from them. They should have them in stock, right? Just a week ago I bought a new battery for my '96 Mustang from them. They didn't have their lower priced brake options in stock, but could have them delivered by the next day. 

Fine, it cost me twice as much for the rotors and pads as it would from Rock Auto, but it's important to support your local businesses.

It was the day after the Fourth of July, it was going to be close to 100 degrees, but I figured that I'd get an early start. My driveway is shaded until later in the afternoon. I had watched a video that showed the procedure and it was easy, because the F150 uses a small drum brake as the parking brake. Not that awful disc that you have to thread into the piston of the caliper. just pull the wheel, detach the caliper, and pull the rotor off. Simple, until it isn't! 

I was going to do one side at a time, only raising the wheel high to gain clearance to remove it. My back has been killing me lately, so I was trying to take it easy. After I removed the wheel and caliper I expected the rotor to come off with only a bit of "encouragement."

This rotor was really worn, from what I could see of the front. When I removed the caliper I saw that the rear pad was completely down to the metal! No wonder it sounded terrible! I had never run a brake pad completely out before. It was the inner pad and it wasn't visible when the caliper was in place. The surface of the rotor was incredibly scored. It's not really an excuse, I should have paid more attention, but I had been very busy and drove the truck so little that it was easy for me to ignore the problem. 

The left side rotor was also quite worn, but there was still material on both of the brake pads. 

I banged on the right rotor with a dead blow hammer, that should have been enough to free it, but it didn't. 

I tried to get the penetrant into the space where the lugs
came through the rotor hat.

Then I squirted a penetrant rust dissolver into the lug stud holes and around the nose of the rear axle flange. After that, I set to repeatedly hammering around the rotors perimeter to help the penetrant "penetrate" the rusted mating surface.

It refused to budge. After almost an hour, I had the thought, "what will I do if it doesn't come off?" I could just add the new brake pads and let them get chewed up by the scarred rotor, but at least I'd be able to use my truck... for a while. That would also blow the almost fifty bucks that I paid for the pads. And that would be disappointing and sloppy workmanship, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I needed to use this truck! 

I cleaned and lubed the caliper, pushed the piston back with my giant C clamp, then decided to see how the left side would fare. If that one was also stuck, then I'd have to do the shameful thing. 

I jacked up the left wheel, put a jack stand under it, pulled the wheel and prayed a little. The caliper came off without any drama, none had been expected. I hit the rotor a bit with the dead blow hammer and the rotor came loose quite easily! I decided to replace the parts and reassemble the left side completely then turn my attention back to the right side.

The rotor was also worn, but the pads weren't down all the way to the metal.

The left side rotor came off easily.

Not to the metal...yet.
The surface of the rotor didn't look this good in reality.

I was taking regular breaks to hydrate and rest, so I decided to search the web for helpful videos. 

One tip was to strike the rotor "hat"area with double hammers. Hold one hammer in contact with the hat surface, and strike the first hammer with a bigger hammer. I set to work and it sounded like the Hammers of Hell! Clang! Clang! Clang! That went on for what seemed like an eternity, with no visible results.

I had tried a small pry bar with no results, so I switched to a full size crow bar! I carefully priced between the caliper mounts and the rotor. 

Another video tip was to make a screw type expander out of a large bolt and nut, but my brakes didn't have  an available large bolt hole.  The second tip was to use a butane torch to heat around the hat area. This seemed to work quite well. 

I thought I'd try something after lunch.

Clever is as clever does!
A third World solution to a First World problem!

My morning shade had disappeared by now, I was sitting directly in the 100 degree heat. Even wearing my yard hat wasn't enough protection, but I got an idea. I got a large piece of cardboard and balanced it on the roof of my Navigator which was parked in the driveway next to my truck, and the truck bed side. This functioned as a lean to roof and gave me the shade that I desperately needed. 

I didn't have a butane torch, and I was a bit worried about applying a flame to a surface that was soaked in petroleum distillates, but I had an electric heat gun that could produce 1100 degrees F according to the box. I also got my fire extinguisher and laid it close to hand! 

I mimicked the heating pattern that I'd seen on the video and saw that the penetrant was evaporating from the surface, as well as a thin plume of smoke rising from behind the rotor! I also was banging on the rotor with my double hammers and prying with the crow bar with no results. There was an initial "give" in the assembly, which made it hard to maintain constant pressure.

Things were not looking good.

I thought that maybe I could force "something" between the caliper mounts and the rotor. I had a small ball joint splitter, but I had something even better, a pickle fork! 

Sometimes the job calls for a bigger hammer.

I could hammer the tapered fork into the gap, and that would maintain pressure. I applied more heat around the hat between the lugs. It must have certainly gotten hot after repeated applications. Then I would rotate the rotor and hammer the fork in. It started to work, as I rotated the rotor and repeated the procedure. I could see the darn thing starting to slowly creep towards the end of the axle flange! 

Finally success! Then it was just cleaning and installing the new rotors and brake pads, and the cleaned and lubed caliper. 

The outside of the right rotor didn't look that bad...

The inside rotor surface and that bottom pad, Yikes!

It does not look better in a close up!

I applied some grease to the mating surfaces to hopefully avoid this same situation in the future. That rotor had sat in place for 17 years! I would bet that the OEM rotor fit a bit tighter than an aftermarket unit, as the factory would want the rotors to stay in place as it went down the assembly line. There weren't any retaining washers used on this assembly. 

The grease should do the job.

I had thought that I could complete the job in an hour and a half, it actually took me almost four and a half hours. Still I was happy with the results and had restored my truck to operating status. The brakes are now quiet and velvety smooth. It took me the rest of the day to cool down. 

Shiny clean and new.

Victory, sweet victory!

 A torrent of of hobby car expenses are beating me over the head!

image source:Food Safety news

Chicken Little exclaimed that the sky was falling, maybe she was right!

First off, my '96 Mustang needed a new battery. That set me back 200.00

Now my Navigator's registration is due, and I forgot to keep an eye on it. Now I owe penalties on it, and it will need a smog test. That will be 230.00. Plus the smog test. That will be another fifty bucks, even with the coupon!

My '06 Mustangs' tires were getting thin when I bought it two years ago. I was supposed to rotate the tires so that I could get the maximum mileage out of them, but I didn't.  It went all the way down to the cords in one spot, and that required a new set of tires before I could even drive it. This just set me back 900.00! 

This is not one of my hobby cars, but my truck wore right through its rear brakes! The noise got so bad that I stopped driving it. I never noticed the squeal of worn brakes that I kept anticipating, now I'm hearing metal on metal! Mea Culpa! I need to use the truck regularly, so fixing this is a priority.

Just today the renewal form for my '95 Riviera showed up in the mail box. This will set me back 180.00, but at least there's no smog test required for renewal.

Vehicles need yearly registration, maintenance, repair, and upkeep. Plus insurance. The more vehicles that you have, the more you will have to spend. That's just a basic fact. It doesn't matter how many miles that you drive them, or don't drive them. If you choose to keep your entire fleet up to date and available to drive at all times, you pay. 

Sure, this is a First World problem, and while I have a lot of hobby cars, their value, added up, wouldn't even approach that of one "desirable" mainstream collector car.  But having multiple vehicles does result in more ancillary expenses.

So I'm thinking about how I can manage my fleet as I attempt to pare down it down.

While I am thinking of selling my '96 Mustang, I'm also strongly considering putting some of my cars on non op. 

I kept my XJS in the garage on non op, for several years. I kept the battery on a trickle charger. I had to spend 240 dollars for a new battery, and I wasn't going to neglect keeping it up! I would start it up every couple of months, back it out of the garage, and let it run for at least thirty minutes, until it was fully warmed up. Then I would drive it back and forth in the driveway to circulate fluid through the transmission. and exercise the brakes.  

I had hoped that I'd get the car into shape, eventually, so I went through that ritual for a couple of years. In the end it was all for naught, as I gave up on the project. 

I'm the only one that drives my hobby cars, and sometimes it's just easier and more convenient to drive the Dailys. These are always kept easier to access.

Since I bought my Riviera last Summer, I was mostly driving it, as I was concentrating on getting that one vehicle squared away.  As well as trying to use it as a means to get interest in local ROA activities.

My last post that raised the question about who we are saving our cars for, has been extremely popular. There has been more page views of that post than I've ever gotten. I must have struck a nerve. 

I wasn't trying to criticize other enthusiasts, or to start a controversy, I was addressing a topic that has become clearer to me, especially as I get older. 

I'm always reminded of a story that I read in a Chopper magazine, either Big Bike or Choppers magazine,  back in the 1970's, entitled, "Are you chopping more now, and enjoying it less?" It was a discussion on the idea of diminishing returns.

If you enjoy owning a large number of cars, that's your prerogative. If you have the means to easily handle them, more power to you.  I know that I enjoy owning my cars, even if I don't get to drive them as much as I'd like to. 

But as I've detailed above, the expenses keep on coming. I'm wondering if it is really worth it.

Back in the 70's I read an article about a guy that had owned one hundred hobby cars, but he owned them one at a time! That certainly makes the number much more palatable.

Since I have always been a hands on DIY guy, I don't relish the idea of having to pay a shop to maintain and repair my cars. I don't even like to take my newer car in to the dealer for warranty or pre paid maintenance. (This is a story in itself!)  I can't imagine that my attitude will change in the future, but I also don't expect that my back will be feeling much better as the years go by. 

You can dismiss this all as an Old Man's grousing, and you'd probably be right. That kind of goes along with the territory. But none of this means that I'm giving up on the hobby.

 So who, exactly, are we keeping our cars for?

If you've got a set up like this, then you
probably don't have any worries.
photo source: Robb Report

Have you ever given that any thought?

Whether or not they are valuable, or just an albatross around our neck, who will take them when we "shuffle off our mortal coil?"

Is this too depressing a thought to discuss? 

Who will even want the things?

If you have a younger family member that currently has a lot of interest in one of your cars, this could be a good starting point.

Getting an early start on deciding who will take possession of your little collection of cars is a good idea. This is especially appropriate if the vehicle is relatively modern, practical, and not that valuable. This is an especially good plan if the car is one of your daily drivers. 

An important consideration will be who will be able to take a vehicle without it becoming a burden?

Inheriting a vintage car of middling value will be a burden for most heirs. It's a car that will take up space, and will not usually be usable for daily transportation.  It will cost money to maintain, insure, and especially to store properly. The inheritor may like the idea of inheriting Gramp's or Dad's old car, but the reality is likely to be much different. They might be willing at first, but after a while they might decided that it's not going to work out. Then they might be criticized by their family members if they decide to sell the car. 

This is a consideration because many of our children, who are already in their 30's, are not quite where we were financially, and especially in terms of home ownership. It's hard to hold onto a car without a garage, driveway, or curb space in front of our residence.

photo source: dreams time.com

A somewhat unpleasant thought for those of us who own vintage vehicles that are actually valuable, is that they become a big part in settling the estate. If you have a collection of valuable cars you can't just pass them out willy nilly to your grandkids or nephews, your children are liable to think that they should be sold and the proceeds divided up. 

I recently heard a story where an adult child of the deceased, put up one of their own cars for sale because they wanted to buy a particular car from the estate. I guess that it had been decided that their Father's collection would be liquidated and the proceeds dispersed to the heirs. We all know that most of our kids are not gear heads, and they have absolutely no interest in getting an old car!

"Car Collector," that's a term that makes some people think of affluent enthusiasts with Garage Mahals and warehouses where they store their vehicles. The vehicle code sees a collector as a hobbyist that owns one or more vehicles. Two vehicles constitutes a "Collection." 

There's probably at least one car hidden behind that junk!
photos source: Quora

Like a lot of car guys, besides actual cars we might have parts, tools, motorcycles, books, and memorabilia in our collections. If no one wants this stuff, then it just might remain with the surviving party until their passing.

It might also be a good idea to start thinking about where we can divest ourselves of this stuff.

From my experience with the AACA forum, it appears that really old cars are losing their appeal to younger members. Even Pre War cars from the 1940's. They are often difficult to sell. It doesn't matter what the actual value of an antique is, it is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. A car could be legitimately valued at 50K, but if the car can't generate buyer interest, it really doesn't have any value. 

Whoever dies with the most toys wins! I'm sure that you've heard that statement. That's a fun thought, but what about the people that you leave behind?

You can't take 'em with you!

I have bought a couple of cars from estate sales. 

With my first, my XJS, the sale was handled by the son in law. The car was not titled in both spouses names, so the surviving spouse could not legally sign off the title. An official death certificate was needed to release the car for sale, along with some other forms. However, the SIL did not want to bother his MIL in her time of grief and he did not secure the needed certificate. I made the mistake of buying the car without the needed paperwork in order, and was unable to title the car in my name. It took months of waiting, then I contacted the widow who graciously straightened out the situation. I had to make another trip to So Cal to have her sign some documents, and provide me with the death certificate. It took almost a year.

It doesn't get any easier with the passing of time. It is intrusive to have to release a death certificate to a buyer. Better to have the necessary documents ready to go.

The second car I bought from an estate, was my '51 Jaguar. The sale was handled by the deceased's son, who had all the necessary paperwork lined up before the sale. He had an  entire package ready for me to take to the DMW, which made the transfer very easy.  

A simple thing that we can do is to have our cars titled to both ourselves and our current spouses. This way they can easily sign off the title and can sell or donate the cars as they see fit. 

We can be very idiosyncratic as car collectors, we like what we like. It doesn't matter to us if it is popular, or valuable. As "regular Joe" collectors we probably own several cars that don't have much market value. Many times we might have several non running rough projects, that we never got around to. We don't have the financial infrastructure available to maintain "this collection" for the future. We are not Jay Leno. 

We are involved with cars because we "love" them. It is distressing to think that a vehicle that we sacrificed to own and maintain, might not be valued by our survivors and heirs. But that is likely to be the case.

Maybe the time arrives when we should simplify our lives.

I'm beginning to feel that way. My house is full of cars, well at least my garage, driveway and at the curb. I only keep two vehicles at the curb, so I don't feel that I'm imposing a hardship on my neighbors by hogging the available parking spaces. But since I've got so many hobby cars, and since I'm retired, most of my cars sit, most of the time. My two garaged cars are a bit buried in there. The two driveway cars have to be shuffled around to get them out. That means pulling the car covers off, not an easy job with a Navigator!

Besides the expense of maintaining the cars, it's the sitting that bothers me. 

Sometimes my cars can sit for months on end. That's not good.

It's pretty clear to me that none of my kids will want, or be able to take any of my cars. I don't hold that against them, after all my Dad left two Chevy wagons and a Step Side truck behind, and I didn't want any of them. But if my cars will all be disposed of by donation or sale, why not deal with them now?  As much as I like my '96 Mustang, why not sell it right now? 

Why not pare down the stable? If we find something that we really have to have, we can buy it, and we'd probably have the room to keep it!

I have been considering this. More on this subject to follow.