The Car Thread ... !

[bunnspecial]

I love mystery parts I kind of pack-ratted anything left over from the last several cars, and recently went through boxes, bins, etc., on a full scale clean out, and I had fun speculating on several parts. Is this a turbo shaft? Are these caliper O-rings?? Is this some kind of DSP tuning microphone for car audio???

Trust me, I packrat MG parts. In fact, when moving recently, I actually gave away a WHOLE LOT to my mechanic when he came to pick up the Marina.

I sort of scared myself when I picked up random bits and bobs and said things like "You can have that bucket full of pushrods if you want them, but they're the short ones that I never run in engines" or picking up a flat sheet of 1/2" Aluminum and saying "That's a kind of expensive one piece tappet galley cover-you want it?"

In any case, I've made some progress on IDing the above. The ID tag references to a Big Healey BN7/BT7.

That's where things kind of fall apart/get interesting(depending on your perspective) though. The throttle linkage is 100% an MGA/MG Magnette part, and not a Big Healey part. It's likely modified to work with those carbs.

The manifold is not something I could find referenced anywhere, as the flange pattern is for a BMC B series engine(MGA and MGB among others), but has a 2" throat on each runner and a 4-bolt flange. The latter is significant, and SU carbs up to 1 1/2"(-4 series) were 2 bolt, while 1 3/4" and 2"(6 series and 8 series) were 4 bolt.

Someone on the MG forum IDed it as a somewhat scarce factory special MGA competition manifold for larger cars.

These may still make their way onto my car

 

[44267547]

I've been loosely following your journey in deciding between the SHO and a Raptor. I've also been waiting to see photos of the car, too. Perhaps I missed it and thanks for posting it.

It's a very sharp car and clean! I love the wheels too.

Though it's less a sleeper than the MKZ since those in the know will look for the signature SHO badge on the sides and the distinct wheels also give it away. With the MKZ the only give away it has is on the rear deck-lid when it says 3.0L AWD. Otherwise, there is no indication that there is anything special about it compared to all the others. Many would probably still not "get it" and think it's just an ordinary luxury sedan. Only people like you and I know these little differences.

A professional colleague of mine has been looking for a SHO as he really loves them too. He almost bought one during COVID as dealerships were about to open again, but the place just wouldn't respond to his inquires so he never got it.

Then he made the decision to forego getting one for the time being and put some money into his other toy, an old VW Bug.

I found a SHO locally last week and texted it to him and all he replied with was an emoji with a tear drop. He still wants one, but not right now.

I love the Raptor and everything it stands for, but I don’t have any regrets I didn’t buy it. I’m just not a ‘truck person‘, but you can find those with some decent deals as well, They just don’t have a fast turnover, As those trucks really do have to appeal to a certain demographic.

As for the SHO, [Being they are discontinued], they’re awesome; Ford gives you everything in those vehicles (The heated steering wheel is almost instantaneous, by far my favorite feature.) Also from your mentionings above, the other way you can identify SHO’s on the road, they are the only Taurus model that has the ‘mono-chromatic’ blackout grill and black accent headlights, aside from the SHO badging.

Anyways, I’m a huge fan of white for cars as your MKZ, my previous 17’ SHO was ‘white platinum metallic tri-coat. You just can’t beat that color in terms of cleanliness and elegance.

In terms of buying what you like, if nothing else, you can’t go wrong with the MKZ. It’s just a classy ride all around.
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Nice. Can see where you’ve been practicing your burnouts in that first shot!

Well... my house is just in the background behind the car in the photo.😁

 

[bunnspecial]

I admit to not being a fan of the MKZ, and I've had mine for 4 years and about 50K miles now.

Still, though, I was spoiled by the car it replaced, the LS. I LOVED that car, and IMO it's easily among the best sports sedan of the early to mid 2000s, and probably the best(sort of) designed in America. I loved every one of the 100K miles I put on mine over 8 years, and in retrospect wish I'd fixed and kept it(it's still out on the road).

The MKZ was something of a let-down after that, but like I said I'm biased.

I also haven't driven a recent one. I have the 3.5L V6, which is no slouch of an engine, but seems to lack the "grunt" of the 3.9L V8 in the LS. It seems to have more of an economy tune, which I appreciate when driving it, but not when driving it for fun . Of note, my MKZ just plain runs out of steam around 121-122mph, while at 135mph the LS seemed to be saying "Give me more, give me more"(that was where I gave out). I'm sure the newer Ecoboost engines are a lot better than what I have.

In all of this on the MKZ, though, I think a friend of mine nailed it a while back-"You just don't like it because it's front wheel drive." I think that was more true than I'd realized. Still, though, it's been comfortable and reliable.

 

[bunnspecial]

Spent some time with the dremel porting a spare intake manifold.

I made some good progress, but I'm not happy with the line(not sure if it's a casting line or welding line) where the balance tube attaches to the runners. I've worked to smooth that, but am waiting on some aluminum epoxy filler to get here to do some dramatic reshaping around the balance tube. I'm afraid I'll end up with things too wide if I try too hard to smooth that particular area out.

Also, I'm finding that there really is no substitute for "real" DyKem. I tried to use some thin laquer paint, but it takes way too long to dry and won't take a scribe line anywhere near as nicely as the real stuff.

I've only worked on one port, and as can be seen I still have a lot of opening up to do(the head was ported to match this gasket, and I'm trying to match the manifolds to those ports).

A few other things-aluminum really fouls up grinding stones, and I see why the pros prefer a die grinder. Some of this work is tight enough that a Dremel is really the right tool, but it can also be awfully slow at removing material and also overheats way too easily.

 

[S.B.G]

You seem to really like the MKZ, and it seems to fit the bill for your desire for "sporty-ish" plus a decent level of luxury - it's probably a blast with the 3.0TT. As you determined, you can acquire a vehicle through any mechanism (lot stock, custom order) and lease it, heck, you can even haggle over purchase price (and you should), with a lease (we got $5K off the DD/RT, nothing down, and a money factor that equates to a ~0.25% finance rate )

Yeah, I really do like the MKZ and Lincoln. Just yesterday I was at my folks house and talking with my dad I mentioned that I think I was spoiled on Lincoln growing up. Dad had a 1989 Town Car, bought used and didn't keep for too long due to ongoing transmission problems. He also had a 1992 Town Car, which I learned to drive on. That car is still a beloved favorite of mine to drive, though it's long been gone and all I have are memories. Then both my parents had a series of Mark VIII's which were fantastic cars. Now here I am with my own Lincoln.

My salesman texted me yesterday with the sad news that the last day to order the MKZ from the factory will be June 30th or July 1st. That may be too early, even given COVID delivery delays, to turn in my current lease without penalty. However, I am going to head over to see him on Monday to talk it all over and see if we can figure something out. He seems to think that he can find the exact car I want later on, but I'm doubtful. The Lincoln sales numbers, especially for the MKZ and Continental are very low and still falling, hence the end of production decision Ford made on them. Couple that with trying to find a 3.OL will probably make it more difficult yet. I remember 2 years ago trying to find the exact car I wanted was hard and I ended up settling on the one I have which did not have all the options I was looking for. He's more optimistic than I am on this situation.

We may be joining you in the Ford 3.0TT world, as I am seriously thinking that our next family vehicle is going to be an Explorer ST (but that's still ~10 months ago, and a lot could change ...)

For a brief day the other week I considered an Edge ST and watched some videos on it. I quickly dismissed the notion because I'm just not keen on SUV's/crossovers (whatever) which as I mentioned before are just station wagon's with lift kits. Don't get me wrong, they're practical and very useful and I got my dad to get one because it's far easier for him to get in and out of given his deteriorating health and mobility at his age.

But I also wasn't impressed with the power output of the Edge ST on paper. Perhaps if I drove one it could change my mind about it. That's just me though.

Looks like the Explorer ST still produces less power than the MKZ 3.0L and it's much heavier too. However, if it's going to potentially be your next family vehicle, it should still be most excellent to haul people and things around with no effort at all.

I love the Raptor and everything it stands for, but I don’t have any regrets I didn’t buy it. I’m just not a ‘truck person‘, but you can find those with some decent deals as well, They just don’t have a fast turnover, As those trucks really do have to appeal to a certain demographic.

Raptor's seem to really hold their resale value from what I've seen, even 6 year old ones are quite pricey. I see quite a few of them around where I live. I think if I were to get one, I'd have to be the type to drive off road on a regular basis to justify having one to myself. Otherwise, I'd just get a regular F-150 since I drive 'on road' 99% of the time.

As for the SHO, [Being they are discontinued], they’re awesome; Ford gives you everything in those vehicles (The heated steering wheel is almost instantaneous, by far my favorite feature.) Also from your mentionings above, the other way you can identify SHO’s on the road, they are the only Taurus model that has the ‘mono-chromatic’ blackout grill and black accent headlights, aside from the SHO badging.

Yeah I forgot about the grill, but didn't know about the unique accent headlights.

Anyways, I’m a huge fan of white for cars as your MKZ, my previous 17’ SHO was ‘white platinum metallic tri-coat. You just can’t beat that color in terms of cleanliness and elegance.

In terms of buying what you like, if nothing else, you can’t go wrong with the MKZ. It’s just a classy ride all around.

Yeah I like white on cars too, but I'm thinking about black for the next one, or maybe ruby red which is the color I wanted on the current one but just couldn't find with the options I wanted.

I admit to not being a fan of the MKZ, and I've had mine for 4 years and about 50K miles now.

Still, though, I was spoiled by the car it replaced, the LS. I LOVED that car, and IMO it's easily among the best sports sedan of the early to mid 2000s, and probably the best(sort of) designed in America. I loved every one of the 100K miles I put on mine over 8 years, and in retrospect wish I'd fixed and kept it(it's still out on the road).

The MKZ was something of a let-down after that, but like I said I'm biased.

I also haven't driven a recent one. I have the 3.5L V6, which is no slouch of an engine, but seems to lack the "grunt" of the 3.9L V8 in the LS. It seems to have more of an economy tune, which I appreciate when driving it, but not when driving it for fun . Of note, my MKZ just plain runs out of steam around 121-122mph, while at 135mph the LS seemed to be saying "Give me more, give me more"(that was where I gave out). I'm sure the newer Ecoboost engines are a lot better than what I have.

In all of this on the MKZ, though, I think a friend of mine nailed it a while back-"You just don't like it because it's front wheel drive." I think that was more true than I'd realized. Still, though, it's been comfortable and reliable.

You must have the older MKZ with the 'wing' grill then? I'm not a fan of that styling on the Lincoln's and am very glad I have the newer grill on mine which I think looks far better and luxurious than the 'wing' grills.

As for the LS, I remember when they came out and thought they looked pretty nice. I never drove one or even sat in one. But I seem to recall hearing that the LS was not of good build quality and had reliability issues. What has been your experience in that regard? Perhaps what I heard wasn't indicative of the mass of LS cars.

Sadly though, most LS's I still see driving around haven't aged well and look rather terrible as their owners haven't cared after them too much, or at all.

Regarding speed, I've had my MKZ up to 130 only once and had to back down due to catching up with traffic. It felt like it still had some more to give but probably not much more. That's with the 2.0L engine though. I'm also curious to know if it is speed-limited or not.

Spent some time with the dremel porting a spare intake manifold.

I made some good progress, but I'm not happy with the line(not sure if it's a casting line or welding line) where the balance tube attaches to the runners. I've worked to smooth that, but am waiting on some aluminum epoxy filler to get here to do some dramatic reshaping around the balance tube. I'm afraid I'll end up with things too wide if I try too hard to smooth that particular area out.

Also, I'm finding that there really is no substitute for "real" DyKem. I tried to use some thin laquer paint, but it takes way too long to dry and won't take a scribe line anywhere near as nicely as the real stuff.

I've only worked on one port, and as can be seen I still have a lot of opening up to do(the head was ported to match this gasket, and I'm trying to match the manifolds to those ports).

A few other things-aluminum really fouls up grinding stones, and I see why the pros prefer a die grinder. Some of this work is tight enough that a Dremel is really the right tool, but it can also be awfully slow at removing material and also overheats way too easily.

Are you able to, if you have the tools, to put it on a drill press and bore the hole out that way?

 

[bunnspecial]

You must have the older MKZ with the 'wing' grill then? I'm not a fan of that styling on the Lincoln's and am very glad I have the newer grill on mine which I think looks far better and luxurious than the 'wing' grills.

As for the LS, I remember when they came out and thought they looked pretty nice. I never drove one or even sat in one. But I seem to recall hearing that the LS was not of good build quality and had reliability issues. What has been your experience in that regard? Perhaps what I heard wasn't indicative of the mass of LS cars.

Mine is still technically a first gen, but is post refresh with a grill that I like a lot better than what was on the 06-09s, but I honestly don't have an issue with appearance. It's more just the driving dynamics and power are a big let-down after the LS.

As for LS reliability-reading around at the LS owners Club, it seems like a lot suffered from "Monday Morning Syndrome." I tried to stay on top of all the PM, but had one tow at ~125K miles. That was when a plastic coolant junction exploded(for lack of a better term) doing 70 on the interstate. Fortunately, I caught it before it overheated, and it was fine.

Unfortunately, resale value took a big hit on those, and I agree that there aren't a lot of well kept examples now. I had the window sticker for mine(V8 Sport Package) and in 2004 it was around $43K. At the time, that was price competitive with something like a lower spec 5 series, and it gave you a lot more bang for the buck. I paid $12K in 2008(56K miles) and by 2016 it was a $2500 car on a good day.

It sounds like you come from a Lincoln family, as do I. My mom had several Town Cars, as did my Grandfather. My dad got hooked on Continentals somewhere around 2000(with a '98) and bought a few of those over the years. I never particularly took to the Continentals-the big transverse Intech V8 always made me think the handling was "squirrely" on it, and it took a light touch to not chirp the tires and torque steer was terrible(another reason probably for my bias against FWD). For the size of car it was, it was not very nimble, and couldn't turn to save its life. The Town Car made no apologies about being a big, boat-like luxury car-the Continental never could seem to decide what it wanted to be.

I have two "bucket list" Lincolns-a Mark V and a Mark VIII. I love the Mark V for all the little over-the-top touches like the opera windows, the backseat that wouldn't look out of place sitting in a 70s living room, and the little pop-up covers over the headlights. The Mark VIII is just special-it's the ultimate expression of the Mark line, and although I'm sorry it ended they sort of went out with a bang. Unfortunately, it's a car that's gotten to the point where it's difficult to find a clean one.

 

[D.T.]

Looks like the Explorer ST still produces less power than the MKZ 3.0L and it's much heavier too. However, if it's going to potentially be your next family vehicle, it should still be most excellent to haul people and things around with no effort at all.

The ST actually makes more TQ and the same HP

MKV

3.0L V6 TT AWD
400 hp @ 5,500 rpm
400 lb.-ft. of torque @ 2,750 rpm

(FWD models make 350 hp @ 5,500 rpm 400 lb.-ft. of torque @ 2,750 rpm)


Explorer ST

400 hp @ 5500 rpm
415 lb.-ft. @ 3500 rpm

The ST is also backed by a 10-speed, which makes a notable difference. It's a big heavy SUV, sure, but it seats 6 (7 without middle row captains chairs), tows close to 6000-lbs, hauls a ton of stuff, the performance offset is more than fine - it's not unlike our DD/RT, same engine in a Challenger is going to make for a faster car, but it won't seat six (and the RT tows over 7000 lbs!!)


By the time the decision needs to be made, maybe something hybrid will come along. I saw Ford just released the new F150 specs, mostly the same, but they've got a new hybrid option, tows 12,000 lbs and can go 700 miles on a single tank (it's a big 30g tank, but that kind of tow + mileage combo is unheard of).
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Geez, hahaha, take it with the grain of salt that is JDP, and note, this is specifically first 90 (so it's more emphasis on up front factory QA), but wow Tesla, get your **** together ...

 

[bunnspecial]

Are you able to, if you have the tools, to put it on a drill press and bore the hole out that way?

If I weren't on furlough, that could be done, but it's not really that desirable.

I need to open the hole up to match the gasket, but it needs a sort of gentle "ramp" to blend it in as I don't want to open the entire runner to that diameter.

Also, for a variety of reasons, it's important to keep a sort of rough finish on this. A drill bit would leave too clean of a cut that I'd have to go in and rough up. It's sort of walking a fine line between knocking down obvious casting bumps, but the "polishing" part of "porting and polishing" doesn't mean a high polish finish. It means about like what's left by 80 grit sandpaper, and when this is done I'll probably go in with 80 grit for a final touch-up.

 

[I7guy]

 

[44267547]

View attachment 928735 View attachment 928737

I7, (Aside from our past front page encounters) I believe this is your first time visiting this thread And you’re not gonna share any details about your vehicle? G37? And what happened to your face?😁 (Kidding of course.)

Love black. Nothing beats a black car when it’s clean and pristine, but the upkeep when it’s dirty is the hardest part.

 

[circatee]

Nice! Do you have the option to save seat settings?
Also, I see tiny holes in the seats, so these support air-conditioning/heat, no?

View attachment 928735 View attachment 928737

 

[I7guy]

I7, (Aside from our past front page encounters) I believe this is your first time visiting this thread And you’re not gonna share any details about your vehicle? G37? And what happened to your face?😁 (Kidding of course.)

Love black. Nothing beats a black car when it’s clean and pristine, but the upkeep when it’s dirty is the hardest part.

Nice! Do you have the option to save seat settings?
Also, I see tiny holes in the seats, so these support air-conditioning/heat, no?

It's a 2020 Q50 Sport AWD. The seats have perforations but are not cooled.

I was on my way back from the dealer with my son and decided to stop in a local mall and take a few photos. (I wasn't yet ready for my internet debut). I gave my son the inaugural ride.

And yep, the upkeep on a black car, especially if one is fastidious about the cleanliness, is enough to make one go mad.

 

[circatee]

Throw the XPEL film and ceramic coating on it. You'll be fine

It's a 2020 Q50 Sport AWD. The seats have perforations but are not cooled.

I was on my way back from the dealer with my son and decided to stop in a local mall and take a few photos. (I wasn't yet ready for my internet debut). I gave my son the inaugural ride.

And yep, the upkeep on a black car, especially if one is fastidious about the cleanliness, is enough to make one go mad.

 

[I7guy]

Throw the XPEL film and ceramic coating on it. You'll be fine

That thought did cross my mind. Will have to look into it. Thanks!

 

[bunnspecial]

Still playing with this, but I think I'm done for now on this side, or at least on this particular manifold aside from a bit of touch up with an epoxy filler for one of the seams. I also did some external/cosmetic clean up with a wire brush, but it still needs a bit more attention especially in some of the crevices. Of course, I need to get some NPT fittings to block off the rest of the ports.

I have another idea that I may try on a different manifold that involves completely blocking the balance pipe, shaping it out to be truly round, and then recreating the balance pipe in a less obtrusive way. It might not be pretty, but should be functional.

Also, wire wheels hurt when you run them across your hand(in case anyone didn't know).

I may need to invest in a die grinder if I'm successful with this, as I had to take several breaks with the dremel to let it cool down(that's when a lot of the wire wheel work on the outside got done ). I have a second one I need to get out to alternate between, but ultimately something with more torque for removing a lot of material might be beneficial.

 

[44267547]

In respect to ceramic coating, I’ve ceramic coated my last eight cars. It’s costly, but every time I traded/sold a car, some of the first comments I’ve had was how impeccable the paint was upon the sale. It’s seriously like magic when dirt, water, any road grime sediment wipes off with little effort, the Clearcoat is primarily unaffected from any swirl or hash marks.

But here’s the trick, it’s not necessarily finding someone who can ceramic coat your vehicle, it’s finding someone who can ceramic coat your vehicle properly and professionally. If it’s not Executed properly, you will have little ‘white bubble like’ marks on your paint, which are virtually impossible to remove, because the solution dries very quickly.

The reason ceramic coating is expensive, isn’t necessarily because the cost of the materials, it’s due the person has to use such small quadrants on a vehicle when applying the ceramic coating, it’s the time consumption that is very lengthy.

I also pay extra to have my wheels ceramic coated, they clean easier and brake dust doesn’t even seem to phase the aesthetic appeal.

I don’t lease any of my cars, but if I did, then I probably wouldn’t invest in the ceramic coating process.

 

[S.B.G]

An update to my FWP car desire cluster **** squirrel brain thoughts.

Yesterday I went to see my Lincoln sales guy since he was told that July 1 was the last day to put orders in on the MKZ before it was too late forever and ever.

Well it turns out Lincoln has already pulled the plug on orders. He and his manager tried to put in an order through the computer (just to see if it would go) and it wouldn't. They then called Lincoln and tried that way and was told no one can order an MKZ now.

I bet if my name were Jim Hackett I could get one ordered.

While they were checking on that I took the only Continental they had on the lot for a nice long test drive. I asked my sales guy earlier in the day via text message if I could and he said absolutely. When I pulled in the parking lot later in the afternoon, the car was already pulled up front and fueled up with the key fob in it. That's service! They've always treated me well there.

That was my first time in a Continental and boy was she nice! It was Pristine White with the Cappuccino interior (same as my MKZ), Reserve trim level with the monochromatic, the luxury and the technology packages on it which included the 20" rims. The only thing it didn't have was the $3,000 rear seat amenities package. That's nothing I care about because I don't sit back there. The other thing it lacked was the 3.0L engine. Instead it had the 2.7L engine.

Sticker was $71,000. He showed me the A Plan price which I qualify for and it was a healthy discount.

That was the first car I drove which had the adaptive cruise control on it and that was really slick. My MKZ doesn't have the option on it and I wish it did. The Continental practically drove itself and all I had to do was steer it. It did excellent on the expressway and even sensed and adjusted for a motorcycle who merged into the lane in front of me.

But the best part of the car was the 30-way power adjustable seats with massage built in. Oh baby! I had the seats fairly well adjusted when I left the dealership and I drove the 25 or 30 miles out to my dad's house so he could see it and get a quick ride in it. He loved the massage seats too. When I left dad's house, still in the driveway, I made further adjustments to the seats and got the headrest and upper supports in the perfect position and leaned back a bit. It was amazing. I've never been so comfortable in a car before, even better than dad's old 1992 Town Car.

Couple those seats, also ventilated and cooled (it was 90F yesterday) with the adaptive cruise control (ACC) and I was almost in heaven on the ride back to the dealership. That ACC takes all the road rage right out of me and it was great. If people were slowing down and speeding up in front of me, the car took care of all of that and I didn't care one bit.

The one thing the Continental is not, is sporty. However, it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be an easy and luxurious driving experience and it excelled at that, too. Even with the 2.7L engine, acceleration was respectable for what the car is and it did not leave me lacking for anything.

So... when I got back to the dealership he told me the bad news about the MKZ. Here is what my current plan is and is very likely the foremost plan I will stick to.

I'm going to wait 6 months and reach out to him in December, maybe November, and we're going to search dealer inventories hoping to find an MKZ with the 3.0L engine and all the fixings on it. If we can find one to my liking I'll be getting it.

If we can't find the MKZ of my dreams I will very likely get a Continental. I'll get one almost like the one I drove yesterday except it will have the 3.0L engine and no monochromatic package. I don't care for that look and prefer the more chrome look instead. We ran the numbers on that and with the A Plan discount and other incentives and rebates it brings the price way down, well into my budget range.

 

[Apple fanboy]

An update to my FWP car desire cluster **** squirrel brain thoughts.

Yesterday I went to see my Lincoln sales guy since he was told that July 1 was the last day to put orders in on the MKZ before it was too late forever and ever.

Well it turns out Lincoln has already pulled the plug on orders. He and his manager tried to put in an order through the computer (just to see if it would go) and it wouldn't. They then called Lincoln and tried that way and was told no one can order an MKZ now.

I bet if my name were Jim Hackett I could get one ordered.

While they were checking on that I took the only Continental they had on the lot for a nice long test drive. I asked my sales guy earlier in the day via text message if I could and he said absolutely. When I pulled in the parking lot later in the afternoon, the car was already pulled up front and fueled up with the key fob in it. That's service! They've always treated me well there.

That was my first time in a Continental and boy was she nice! It was Pristine White with the Cappuccino interior (same as my MKZ), Reserve trim level with the monochromatic, the luxury and the technology packages on it which included the 20" rims. The only thing it didn't have was the $3,000 rear seat amenities package. That's nothing I care about because I don't sit back there. The other thing it lacked was the 3.0L engine. Instead it had the 2.7L engine.

Sticker was $71,000. He showed me the A Plan price which I qualify for and it was a healthy discount.

That was the first car I drove which had the adaptive cruise control on it and that was really slick. My MKZ doesn't have the option on it and I wish it did. The Continental practically drove itself and all I had to do was steer it. It did excellent on the expressway and even sensed and adjusted for a motorcycle who merged into the lane in front of me.

But the best part of the car was the 30-way power adjustable seats with massage built in. Oh baby! I had the seats fairly well adjusted when I left the dealership and I drove the 25 or 30 miles out to my dad's house so he could see it and get a quick ride in it. He loved the massage seats too. When I left dad's house, still in the driveway, I made further adjustments to the seats and got the headrest and upper supports in the perfect position and leaned back a bit. It was amazing. I've never been so comfortable in a car before, even better than dad's old 1992 Town Car.

Couple those seats, also ventilated and cooled (it was 90F yesterday) with the adaptive cruise control (ACC) and I was almost in heaven on the ride back to the dealership. That ACC takes all the road rage right out of me and it was great. If people were slowing down and speeding up in front of me, the car took care of all of that and I didn't care one bit.

The one thing the Continental is not, is sporty. However, it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be an easy and luxurious driving experience and it excelled at that, too. Even with the 2.7L engine, acceleration was respectable for what the car is and it did not leave me lacking for anything.

So... when I got back to the dealership he told me the bad news about the MKZ. Here is what my current plan is and is very likely the foremost plan I will stick to.

I'm going to wait 6 months and reach out to him in December, maybe November, and we're going to search dealer inventories hoping to find an MKZ with the 3.0L engine and all the fixings on it. If we can find one to my liking I'll be getting it.

If we can't find the MKZ of my dreams I will very likely get a Continental. I'll get one almost like the one I drove yesterday except it will have the 3.0L engine and no monochromatic package. I don't care for that look and prefer the more chrome look instead. We ran the numbers on that and with the A Plan discount and other incentives and rebates it brings the price way down, well into my budget range.

Sounds like a plan. ACC is so easy on a motorway. Just set it and forget it. I have it on my Golf and wouldn't want to go back to standard Cruise control now.

 

[bunnspecial]

I have to admit that I did like my dad's MKS(which he just recently sold). His was a 2015, and IIRC the 2016 Continental was a nicer, more refined MKS.

I did always like the MKS, even though he didn't drive it much. I played with adaptive cruise some, and always liked things like that.

A bit of a funny anecdote from the first time I drove it-I kept telling him "You need to take this back and tell them that you have a wheel out of balance. I'm getting an awful shimmy in the steering wheel, but it comes and goes." I must have said a variant of that a dozen times. It turns out it was just the lane departure warning

 

[S.B.G]

One thing I am glad Lincoln is doing is that they're getting away from all the letter names on vehicles and back to regular names again. All those letters can be confusing, even to me, if you're not very familiar with them. I had to search the MKS to see what it looked like.

 

[D.T.]

@SandboxGeneral

Have you looked into something sporty, fun, and semi-lux like an Infiniti Q50 Sport 400? Can be had with AWD, 400HP TT, lots of neat tech, looks fantastic. Maybe something like an Audi RS3? Super quick, very sport oriented, killer AWD system, Audi owner experience.

It seemed like you wanted something leaning more to the sport-sedan segment, the Continental is kind of the other direction.

 

[S.B.G]

@SandboxGeneral

Have you looked into something sporty, fun, and semi-lux like an Infiniti Q50 Sport 400? Can be had with AWD, 400HP TT, lots of neat tech, looks fantastic. Maybe something like an Audi RS3? Super quick, very sport oriented, killer AWD system, Audi owner experience.

No, I have little interest in import brands. Remember, I'm from Detroit and the Big 3 is where it's at for us here. I have nothing against the imports, it's just that in Michigan, we primarily drive domestic brands here. Plus, I get the Ford discount which is always a plus.

If I could afford it (winning the lottery) the only import I'd love to have would be a Ferrari.

It seemed like you wanted something leaning more to the sport-sedan segment, the Continental is kind of the other direction.

True story.

Yes, the Continental is the other direction from what I've been looking for. The MKZ fits my bill well in that it is luxurious and sporty at the same time. Although, I have a soft spot for huge land yachts like the Town Cars, the Continental, a 1970 Cadillac Sedan Deville, or a 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I have to admit that I did like my dad's MKS(which he just recently sold). His was a 2015, and IIRC the 2016 Continental was a nicer, more refined MKS.

I did always like the MKS, even though he didn't drive it much. I played with adaptive cruise some, and always liked things like that.

A bit of a funny anecdote from the first time I drove it-I kept telling him "You need to take this back and tell them that you have a wheel out of balance. I'm getting an awful shimmy in the steering wheel, but it comes and goes." I must have said a variant of that a dozen times. It turns out it was just the lane departure warning

You realise cruise control doesn't mean the accelerator is stuck on as well right?

I'm surprised you don't have all these options on the MG?

 

[bunnspecial]

One thing I am glad Lincoln is doing is that they're getting away from all the letter names on vehicles and back to regular names again. All those letters can be confusing, even to me, if you're not very familiar with them. I had to search the MKS to see what it looked like.

The "MK" branding supposedly was to stand for Mark, but I agree it got out of hand. The first year Fusion-based midsized was called the Zephyr(another old Lincoln name that was dusted off) and without any other changes it was rebranded as the "Mark Zephyr" abbreviated "MKZ" in 2007. I don't know if the Mark Zephyr name actually appear on any official documents, but supposedly that's where it came from.

Similarly, the big hearse was the "Mark Touring" or MKT.

I'm not sure where the "S" in MKS came from. Continental was a logical name progression from it since that's a VERY old Lincoln name for their top-of-the-line car, and of course in the 70s you could buy either a "Continental Mark IV/V/Whatever" if you wanted a 2 door or a "Continental Town Car" if you wanted a 4 door.

In the 90s, the Continental came back based on the Taurus platform, and of course stuck around to 2002. Since the MKS was on the redesigned Taurus platform, renaming it the Continental made a lot of sense.
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You realise cruise control doesn't mean the accelerator is stuck on as well right?

I'm surprised you don't have all these options on the MG?

I have had a few stuck accelerators

Amazingly enough, I found a Wal-Mart that could do a good job balancing RoStyles, so mine runs pretty smoothly.

 

[S.B.G]

The "MK" branding supposedly was to stand for Mark, but I agree it got out of hand. The first year Fusion-based midsized was called the Zephyr(another old Lincoln name that was dusted off) and without any other changes it was rebranded as the "Mark Zephyr" abbreviated "MKZ" in 2007. I don't know if the Mark Zephyr name actually appear on any official documents, but supposedly that's where it came from.

Similarly, the big hearse was the "Mark Touring" or MKT.

I'm not sure where the "S" in MKS came from. Continental was a logical name progression from it since that's a VERY old Lincoln name for their top-of-the-line car, and of course in the 70s you could buy either a "Continental Mark IV/V/Whatever" if you wanted a 2 door or a "Continental Town Car" if you wanted a 4 door.

In the 90s, the Continental came back based on the Taurus platform, and of course stuck around to 2002. Since the MKS was on the redesigned Taurus platform, renaming it the Continental made a lot of sense.
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I have had a few stuck accelerators

Amazingly enough, I found a Wal-Mart that could do a good job balancing RoStyles, so mine runs pretty smoothly.

I remember reading some rumors last year that Lincoln was considering keeping the MKZ line going but rebranding it as simply the Lincoln Zephyr. Clearly that never materialized.