2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ - any good? Anything to watch for or stay away from?

[92redragtop]

Will have to replace the Lincoln LS sometime this year although I'd hate to lose it but the under-frame is rusted :-(

This is a second car to be used by my wife mainly around Bolton/Caledon during the week and the odd weekend trip. Looking for AWD.

I'm trying to put together a list of used cars to look at and one option on there in addition to the typical Euro cars is another Lincoln like the MKZ for example...mainly because I think there's still a lot of work I can do on it myself without having to take it to a specific shop. I also sat in a couple smaller Lexus models (IS) and find the legroom under the steering wheel pretty tight for a 6-foot tall person.

The 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ - any good? Anything to watch for or stay away from between the 4 cyl and 6 cyl engines? Parts availability?

I've have not ridden in or driven one as yet.

[Stephen06GT]

Is the MKZ like an Edge or an Escape?

[92redragtop]

Is the MKZ like an Edge or an Escape?

The MKZ is their "small" sedan. The MKZ is similar to the LS in size I believe. The MKS is the larger sedan. Only looking for a 4-door sedan.

[Armen]

What about an ATS, Richard...?

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff276/armenk2000/Misc/2013-Cadillac-ATS_5456_zpswhc4caql.jpg


GM's Alpha platform. Rear or AWD. Nice, sporty size. 4 or 6 Cyl. Manual or Auto. Lots of choices for the enthusiast and a great looking design too, imo.



The Lincolns in comparison are boring pieces of shiat, imo. The last cool Lincoln was the LS and they should have really gone further in that direction rather than dump it for Fusion and Taurus rebadging. The only plus with Lincolns right now is their horrendous resale value - which is a big plus for used buyers like yourself.

[ZR]

Caddy ATS AWD = FTW

[NickD]

Not great Rick I passed on getting one, to many little things they are practically giving them away though

[fast Ed]

MKZ is based on the same platform as the Fusion. The 13-up cars got the full redesign, and they've been pretty good so far. V6 is only available in the MKZ in this gen, top engine in the Fusion is 2.0L Ecoboost. Consider shopping a Fusion Titanium as well, similar equipment level to the MKZ but for less$$.


cheers
Ed

[92redragtop]

MKZ is based on the same platform as the Fusion. The 13-up cars got the full redesign, and they've been pretty good so far. V6 is only available in the MKZ in this gen, top engine in the Fusion is 2.0L Ecoboost. Consider shopping a Fusion Titanium as well, similar equipment level to the MKZ but for less$$.


cheers
Ed

I do like the styling of them (especially the last year or so as they tightened up the lines at the rear) but haven't driven one so not sure if they're boring to drive. Of course, my wife probably wouldn't notice because driving the S60R isn't noticeable to her. She does like the LS but that has to do with the seats, etc.

The Fusion Titanium resale seem to be stronger than the Lincolns?

- - - Updated - - -


Not great Rick I passed on getting one, to many little things they are practically giving them away though

You mean the ATS?

[92redragtop]

What about an ATS, Richard...?

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff276/armenk2000/Misc/2013-Cadillac-ATS_5456_zpswhc4caql.jpg


GM's Alpha platform. Rear or AWD. Nice, sporty size. 4 or 6 Cyl. Manual or Auto. Lots of choices for the enthusiast and a great looking design too, imo.



The Lincolns in comparison are boring pieces of shiat, imo. The last cool Lincoln was the LS and they should have really gone further in that direction rather than dump it for Fusion and Taurus rebadging. The only plus with Lincolns right now is their horrendous resale value - which is a big plus for used buyers like yourself.

I do like the look of the ATS but don't know that much about them - seem like a nice sized car (doesn't look too big). Don't know much about them so will look into them. I think they're pretty new on the market so not sure if there are a lot of resales available after the first production year.

I like the fact that the Lincolns have poor resale value since it's good for buyers like me (so if the ATS resale is like the Lincoln then that's a good thing for used car buyers) - I can get a decent car and pay cash for it. Haven't had car payments for several years so would prefer to avoid them for any extended period.

Bought the LS from Fines Ford Lincoln at 4 years old, fully loaded with 75K on the odometer for $16K, and the car at 14 years old has 260K now. If I was Krowning it every year I'd get a few more years out of it because the motor, tranny, and everything else works well and it still has good power and torque.

[92redragtop]

Just did a search on the ATS and they are pretty cheap on resale - seeing a lot of them around the $20K mark with reasonably low mileage. Are they lemons?

[Laffs]

I don't know a single person with an ATS who hasn't had a plethora of issues with it

[Ponyryd]

^Its a Cadillac after all, lol.

I'd go for a Fusion, great cars along his they are very prone to rotting in the rockers, front fenders and rear wheelwells as with most other Fords. Find a clean one and Krown it.

[Quicksilver]

My father in law had a 2009 and a 2012. The o9 was sold to his son and is now over 100,000 km. No trouble to speak of. The '12 has only 45000 km. I drove it to Florida twice including this January. Runs like a freight train on the highway.
We currently have a '16 Fusion, loaded, with all the driver's assist stuff and with the 2l turbo. Approaching 30,000 km with not a single warranty issue. A good friend of mine drives a 14 MKZ (albeit in California) and says it's the best car he ever had.

[Laffs]

^Its a Cadillac after all, lol.

Entry Model Cadillac, my dad's had everything from the STS to CTS-V and every truck they've made. All have been stellar. However all the entry level stuff Caddy puts out like the Catera, base ATS, first gen CTS, seems to be plagued with issues.

[Armen]

Entry Model Cadillac, my dad's had everything from the STS to CTS-V and every truck they've made. All have been stellar. However all the entry level stuff Caddy puts out like the Catera, base ATS, first gen CTS, seems to be plagued with issues.

Such as? All the reviews I've read seem pretty good. Same with owner reviews after some time. CUE infotainment system gets panned a lot tho.

[Laffs]

Such as? All the reviews I've read seem pretty good. Same with owner reviews after some time. CUE infotainment system gets panned a lot tho.

Lots of wiring/electrical gremlins (related to CUE, Cluster and other control functions) transmission issues, and a big chunk of the first run 2.0T cars had motor issues.

[Armen]

Yes, I see that there were some manual and auto transmission issues that were recalled and corrected. Same with the motor - preignition problem that a pcm flash seemed to correct. The big problem is that if the motor suffered preignition too much before a fix, some had to be replaced. So if one was buying an early ATS, they'd want to ensure these issues were addressed.

[92redragtop]

I read about some issues with the 6 cyl motor (timing chain related?) but did not see a lot with the 2.0T. I figure that the 2013 model year should be avoided but hopefully they worked out issues by the second year. Lincoln had similar issues as well.

[92redragtop]

Looked at a couple 2014 ATS in Bolton tonight and it's a nice looking car - I saw on the ATS forums that some of the first year issues were worked out for 2014. The glossy interior parts didn't look too bad but the sun was almost down by the time I got there. Sitting in the driver's seat I will say that I had enough room for my legs (knees specifically which I don't like jammed too close to the steering wheel/column) and head. More space than the IS250. I didn't look at the back seat but read that it's pretty tight although I used to that in the S60R which has very thick uprights in the front seats.

Will go back on the weekend and take one for a drive. They're going for about $20K still under bumper to bumper GM warranty (4 years or 80K warranty) and 2-3 years left on the Powertain warranty (up to 6 years or 110K).

Concerned about the Run Flat tires. No space for a spare so converting to regular tires can be problematic with a smallish trunk. Seen lots of folks online have issues that cannot be repaired and having to wait one or more days to get a replacement (depending on location when the flat occurs). Anyone have cars with Run Flat tires? Experience?

[92redragtop]

There are no used MKZs or MKSs in Bolton in the age/price range I'm looking for so will have to check in Toronto or other areas (there's a Ford dealer in Brantford with a couple in the price/mileage range).

[ZR]

ATS is on my short list as Kath's next ride.

[92redragtop]

Took the wife to test drive a couple cars yesterday - she like the ATS. Nice size car (not too big) and handles pretty well - a little turbo lag with the 4-cyl but picks up steam pretty quick and the Brembos do a good job stopping the car.

Also stopped into the local Ford dealer who had already closed but they didn't have much on the used lot. They had a couple Fusions available plus Focus and SUVs (and a few non-Ford brand cars). There was one 3.7L MKZ that appears to be a lease return but not up for sale yet - why did Ford stick a shortie antenna on the rear fender of this car? It looks like an after-thought.

[NickD]

Put the ATS into sport mode and it solves the turbo lag
I might go look at a MKS I found online, didn't realize they made 365hp (and run 12s with a tune)

[92redragtop]

Put the ATS into sport mode and it solves the turbo lag
I might go look at a MKS I found online, didn't realize they made 365hp (and run 12s with a tune)

LOL I don't think my wife would drive an MKZ like that!