Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 I just can't stay away from online used car lots.

2010 Lincoln MKS AWD
8,950.00

The MKS was one of the final sedans in the Lincoln line up. It was the largest model, their flagship. It was replaced for a short time by the new Continental. This MKS is a platform mate of the Taurus.

I'll have to admit that I wasn't too impressed by it's styling when it debuted. The front end was okay, but it had a very high belt line with a prominent boot. It's a flowing design with a long hood and short deck, but it looks kind of tall. I had checked one out on a car lot in Hayward. I'd gone there to look at a Cadillac XTS. I came away with a much better impression of the XTS.

Parked a couple of  cars away was a white MKS. I knew what it was, though it seems like the MKZ has been a much more common sight. The interior was a combo of black, and a weird black brown leather. I didn't find the interior to be a pleasant color scheme, even by itself. Paired with the white exterior it was less than impressive. 

That's a tall rear end!
The horizontal chrome bar helps, and it does have a nice set of dual exhaust.

The roof line is similar to a fastback, but the way the belt line curves up results in a heavy looking C pillar and quarter panel. Especially since there is not a little triangular window behind the door. The view from directly behind displays a high, somewhat blocky rear deck. The tail lights didn't do anything to improve the appearance in my initial accessment.

I would add a nice double pinstripe along the side,
just above the door handles,

Looking through CL recently, I came across this black specimen. In black, the car started to look better to me. When I looked at the black interior I was even more impressed. I had gone to see a MKZ at another lot in Hayward. The interior of the MKZ was very similar to the MKC that I had test driven in Santa Rosa. It's more modern looking in design and it has the dash mounted transmission control buttons. 

You can call this old fashioned, I'd say that it's more traditional.

The MKS has an interior that reminds me more of my Navigator. This MKS is a 2010 model, so that makes sense. It is a more squared off, straight lined dash design, with a shift lever in the console and a steering wheel hub that is similar to the shield shaped design of my Navigator. This particular car has built in navigation and a big moon roof. That's pretty much all the high tech stuff that I want.

It has a nice big sunroof, a real plus.

The black leather interior looks high quality, and the wood inserts are integrated into the dash and door panels. I have said that I had sworn off black interiors, but I find myself liking this one quite a bit. I had also sworn off black cars, but this car looks pretty good in black, this is probably the best color for it.

The reflection line on the rear quarter is where the pinstripe 
would go.

The exterior is kind of a mixed bag. I like the hood and grille. The upswept belt line results in a modern interpretation of the formal roof. That's not very common. Most cars like the Cadillac and the MKZ have a small triangular widow behind the door. Later model Lincolns come with some very nice wheels, I don'r see any need to upgrade to an aftermarket design.

This car has a "face" that has grown on me over time.

This particular car is powered by a V6 engine. If it's anything like the motor in my Flex, I would imagine that it would have plenty of power. I would also imagine that fuel economy would be similar. The Eco Boost concept hadn't yet been adopted. This car also has AWD, something that I've been curious about. Yes, I'm keeping in mind that the engine has the notorious "water pump in the motor," but the mileage is fairly low at 102,000. So it might hopefully be quite a while before that issue presents itself.

I am kind of curious about the turbo four, especially in regards to fuel economy. This car is rated at 16 City/23 highway, that's okay, but it's below the 21/31 of the MKZ. The MKC lands in the middle, with 29 mpg. highway estimates. 

I have driven an MKC and I liked it, though the power delivery isn't quite as smooth as a V6, it was still very pleasant.

I  find it kind of find it funny that I'm starting to consider cars that I used to reject completely out of hand. But that's what happens when you decide to move up to newer models, this is all that there is. I can't muster up too much enthusiasm for vintage cars at this point, and those prices! They just don't seem worth it to me.  

One of the nice things bout looking at later model cars is that there is a lot of them available, and their prices go down as they age. The trick is to find the right car in the right condition and mileage, at the right price.

Truthfully, that's the fun part.

I hope that everyone had a nice FriendsGiving, or Thanksgiving, and will have a happy Holiday season.