2019 Lincoln MKC Reserve - should I buy???

U

urdrwho

Joined
Nov 25, 2012
Messages
140
Location
PA, USA
Still lurking around and thinking of finding an MKC. I want a 2019 and today we test drove one. It has 44,500 miles on it, no accidents and two owners. The second owner put @ 8,000 miles on the car and traded it in on another car. I learned something today and that is that Lincoln says to change spark plugs around 30 to 40 thousand miles. I'm used to platinum plugs lasting 60>100,000 miles but the sales guy said plugs only last around 30,000 miles. Hm????

Then on the plastic engine cover it was written that the oil was recently changed and they used a 40 weight blend? Why would they use a blend on a car that only has 44,000 miles on it?

Then there was the hanging light bulb in the drivers footwell. I assume it was an ambient light but when I tried setting an ambient light color to show my wife, there was no illumination. Why would someone (car lot) leave that thing hanging down in the footwell doesn't look good. Welll....it isn't something I do when I sell my personal vehicles.

My reservations -

1. The very first oil change was preformed into the 8,000 range (break-in period)
2. Going forward oil changes were done at 7>8 thousand range
3. Second owner either went 15,000 on the oil change or it wasn't registered on Carfax
4. Unless there were issues, I don't know if I ever dumped a car after 1 year of ownership (second owner)
5. 44,461 Transmission oil cooler line was replaced (poorly made material these days???)
5. Why the higher 40 weight blended oil at such low miles.


We test drove a 2022 Lexus RX 350 today and both me and my wife believe we liked the comfort of the Lincoln more than the Lexus. Plus I am not a fan of that darn Lexus steering wheel moving up on me when I get into the car (movement of memory seat and wheel).

I'd really like to find one of the Lincolns that I feel comfortable with purchasing but with the issues I've read, I need to tread carefully. There seem to be so many cars with issues these days and rather serious issues, I'm gun shy of buying anything.
 
My thoughts ...

Lincoln has the 4-cyl EB engine; I'm not a fan of those in the long term due to maintenance costs. Also, if you want the "full" HP rating, you have to run premium fuel. Most EBs will make 100k miles with little concern, but past that, you're on borrowed time IMO. I do like the interior and the comfort of the MKC better; I would agree with you there.

Lexus has the 3.5L v-6 buttery-smooth engine; a stalwart of reliability and a dying breed these days, and it runs on regular gas for it's full power rating. Regarding the steering wheel moving out of the way, there's a setting where you can turn that function "off" in the vehicle settings menu. My ES350 has the same function; I like it, but others don't.

If you intend to keep the car a long time, I'd defer to the Lexus as it will hold its value better as well as probably have a lower maintenance cost.
 
dnewton3 said:
My thoughts ...

Lincoln has the 4-cyl EB engine; I'm not a fan of those in the long term due to maintenance costs. Also, if you want the "full" HP rating, you have to run premium fuel. Most EBs will make 100k miles with little concern, but past that, you're on borrowed time IMO. I do like the interior and the comfort of the MKC better; I would agree with you there.

Lexus has the 3.5L v-6 buttery-smooth engine; a stalwart of reliability and a dying breed these days, and it runs on regular gas for it's full power rating. Regarding the steering wheel moving out of the way, there's a setting where you can turn that function "off" in the vehicle settings menu. My ES350 has the same function; I like it, but others don't.

If you intend to keep the car a long time, I'd defer to the Lexus as it will hold its value better as well as probably have a lower maintenance cost.
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The main reason for shopping is comfort. My wife's medical condition makes comfort over function. I agree that Lexus has Lincoln MKC beat in the reliability lane but the cost reflects it. Probably $10,000 difference. So there is that risk / reward ration where that $10,000 difference can pay for a lot of repairs. If comfort on the MKC was more comfortable for her, it would be the way to go. The manufacturers are really asking a lot from 4 cylinders. Volvo has a 4 cylinder that is turbo charged with a super charger. Ouch - poor little car.

The MKC had a screen that is big enough for us, I am not a fan of cars with infotainment screens that are small movie houses.

The 40 weight / blend oil change is something I would have done to my beater cars that had oil issues. Using a higher weight oil to cover the ills. I wouldn't do it to a well running car without any ills.

I didn't know about the premium gas needs. Cars were reaching the point that 100,000 miles on an engine was no big deal but it seems that we are heading backward to the days that an engine with 100,000 miles was end of life. My 2011 Honda CR-V has 125,000 on it, burns no oil, leaks no oil and runs perfect. If not for the fact that Honda CR-V went all CVT after 2016, I would might look at CR-V's.
 
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urdrwho said:
The main reason for shopping is comfort. My wife's medical condition makes comfort over function. I agree that Lexus has Lincoln MKC beat in the reliability lane but the cost reflects it. Probably $10,000 difference. So there is that risk / reward ration where that $10,000 difference can pay for a lot of repairs. If comfort on the MKC was more comfortable for her, it would be the way to go. The manufacturers are really asking a lot from 4 cylinders. Volvo has a 4 cylinder that is turbo charged with a super charger. Ouch - poor little car.

The MKC had a screen that is big enough for us, I am not a fan of cars with infotainment screens that are small movie houses.

The 40 weight / blend oil change is something I would have done to my beater cars that had oil issues. Using a higher weight oil to cover the ills. I wouldn't do it to a well running car without any ills.

I didn't know about the premium gas needs. Cars were reaching the point that 100,000 miles on an engine was no big deal but it seems that we are heading backward to the days that an engine with 100,000 miles was end of life. My 2011 Honda CR-V has 125,000 on it, burns no oil, leaks no oil and runs perfect. If not for the fact that Honda CR-V went all CVT after 2016, I would might look at CR-V's.
Click to expand...

CRVs 2015 and later use CVTs. If you don’t like the “feel” that’s one thing but Honda CVTs have proven very reliable and suit their purpose very well. I have one and prefer it in this application to a conventional automatic.
 
I would agree with @dnewton3 on the EB engines. I wouldn't buy one.

But if your OK with that, then I will note that I have looked at a lot of used cars lately and people treat vehicles like junk and the dealers aren't that great at cleaning them up - well the big dealers are not, there are a couple small dealers around here that still take some pride in their efforts. I would think that 40K mile and the fact they actually changed the oil is a reasonable sign. Nothing wrong with a 40 weight in any engine. Ask the seller about the light in the wheel well and go from there.
 
I know a guy who for many years now has prefered to purchase and enjoy several "used" Lincolns. He currently drives a very nice Lincoln SUV as their second driver. He told me he has rarely had any costly repair issues. He does take great care of his vehicles. He usually finds one in about 45,000 to 55,000mi range that someone has traded in. He also makes sure to buy them as"certified used" thru a dealership.
He swears / raves over the quality interiors and how nice he says they ride and drive.
 
Personally, I would run away from that Lincoln MKC which is just a very gussied-up Ford Escape. Two owners in 44,500 miles is a glaring red flag...especially since the 2nd owner dumped it after 8,000 miles. The 40W oil was used for a reason and you don't want to be the recipient of that surprise when it is revealed. If the Lexus doesn't meet the comfort needs of your wife, there are many other offerings in your price range that will.
 
SC Maintenance said:
I would agree with @dnewton3 on the EB engines. I wouldn't buy one.

But if your OK with that, then I will note that I have looked at a lot of used cars lately and people treat vehicles like junk and the dealers aren't that great at cleaning them up - well the big dealers are not, there are a couple small dealers around here that still take some pride in their efforts. I would think that 40K mile and the fact they actually changed the oil is a reasonable sign. Nothing wrong with a 40 weight in any engine. Ask the seller about the light in the wheel well and go from there.
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We are retired and don't put a lot of miles on our car, maybe 6,000 miles a year. But yeah who wants a modern engine that is shot at 100,000 miles. So I would have a hard time with it. Darn car is really comfortable and interior is appealing to us.

Our Volvo V60 had the oil consumption test done and passed the test. At 52,000 miles all kinks are worked out except for the ride is too sporty and rough for my wife. Low profile tires on our constantly crappy roads causes pain. I recently had a discussion on here about tires. OEM says I can go from 40 to 45 aspect ratio and that may help a bit. Plus I am going to try the MICHELIN CROSSCLIMATE2
tires which may have a better ride. So we can spend $1200 on tires and see how it goes.

I just don't know what engineers and manufacturers are thinking? Recently test drove a Lexus with a mousepad. Sorry to any owners that have them but to me, it was the craziest stupid arrangement I ever saw! Now I understand why so many people drive with their heads down and not looking at the road. To me, a knob is much easier to find, to feel and to use that a mousepad or even a touch screen. But then maybe I am crazy because I am from the days you had vent knobs attached to cables. I wanted air into the footwell, I pulled a knob and a cable opened the vent flap. No motor needed. Not sure if I ever had one of those cables break but I have had motor driven blend flap problems on cars.

They did make a 2.3 for the MKC. Was that more reliable than the 2.0?
 
Nukeman7 said:
Personally, I would run away from that Lincoln MKC which is just a very gussied-up Ford Escape. Two owners in 44,500 miles is a glaring red flag...especially since the 2nd owner dumped it after 8,000 miles. The 40W oil was used for a reason and you don't want to be the recipient of that surprise when it is revealed. If the Lexus doesn't meet the comfort needs of your wife, there are many other offerings in your price range that will.
Click to expand...
I'm also an anti-CVT guy which whittles down our list. Think I'll do a search of cars without CVT and take it from there. Yeah I'm leaning on the side of --- there are hidden surprises awaiting me in that car.
 
My thoughts. the 2019 Lincoln MKC is the last model year before it was replaced by the Lincoln Corsair. I did a quick search on the Lincoln MKC forum, https://www.mkcforum.com/forums/lincoln-mkc-general-discussions.113/ , and it had stories of owners with no issue and others having to replace the engine due to a coolant leak after 100k miles. This forum is probably more reliable since the original owners have had this vehicle a minimum of 5 years. In other words, they put some miles on the car and likely past any warranty.

I went through a similar search in 2021 before I bought my 2017 Acura RDX. I avoided the MKC because it had 4 cylinder; it was discontinued and I have little faith in Ford building a long term quality product outside the F150.

Good luck with your search. Don't rule out a new car. Yes, they are more expensive than used but you have some excellent choices plus you have the warranty.
 
urdrwho said:
They did make a 2.3 for the MKC. Was that more reliable than the 2.0?
Click to expand...

Yes, the 17-19 2.0 have gasket issues, the 2.3 does not as far as I know.

We've got a bunch of EcoBoosts in the family (5 I think) I'd up the reliable service life without drama to more like 150k. Assuming you avoid a few known chronic troublesome years that is.
 
SammyChevelleTypeS3 said:
I know a guy who for many years now has prefered to purchase and enjoy several "used" Lincolns. He currently drives a very nice Lincoln SUV as their second driver. He told me he has rarely had any costly repair issues. He does take great care of his vehicles. He usually finds one in about 45,000 to 55,000mi range that someone has traded in. He also makes sure to buy them as"certified used" thru a dealership.
He swears / raves over the quality interiors and how nice he says they ride and drive.
Click to expand...
I have to agree with him on the ride and the interior is also nice. I think I read they use real wood. Hm? As a CPO it might be worth a try, 6 years / 70,000 miles on the powertrain would mean up to 2025. I also take very good care of my vehicles and get into a zen mode cleaning, polishing and taking care of my leather. Hm??? I'm driving my wife crazy, MKC is off the board, MKC is back on, MKC is off the board...etc. etc. I keep trying to find someone in a parking lot who owns one and is willing to give first-hand experience.
 
The Michelin in question on a Tire Rack comparison test in their own words---- "What We'd Improve: The ride could use some softening"

In comparison the Bridgestone WeatherPeak---- "What We Liked: It's easy to drive and comfortable over broken pavement."
 
skyactiv said:
The Michelin in question on a Tire Rack comparison test in their own words---- "What We'd Improve: The ride could use some softening"

In comparison the Bridgestone WeatherPeak---- "What We Liked: It's easy to drive and comfortable over broken pavement."
Click to expand...
Oh, I need to check those out.
 
KCJeep said:
Yes, the 17-19 2.0 have gasket issues, the 2.3 does not as far as I know.

We've got a bunch of EcoBoosts in the family (5 I think) I'd up the reliable service life without drama to more like 150k. Assuming you avoid a few known chronic troublesome years that is.
Click to expand...
Is the 2.3 still the old "mazda" version - not the new Twin Scroll EB with the head gasket issues?

Ford could make it easier to keep track of all these variants.
 
SC Maintenance said:
Is the 2.3 still the old "mazda" version - not the new Twin Scroll EB with the head gasket issues?

Ford could make it easier to keep track of all these variants.
Click to expand...
No don’t think so. My understanding is the 2.3 is one of the better EcoBoosts in the lineup.
 
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