mmrfr

Purchased mu wife a Lincoln MKZ last week. Drove it for the first time today.
Great car for the money. It handles better than my ES350, is quieter,requires
regular gas and almost has the same get up and go. Fully loaded it set me back 33k list was 36k. $12,000 less than my ES. cost me. Did I mention a 1.9
interest rate. Maybe american makers are back. It sure doesnt hurt them that
Lexus built a lemon this time. If I could get out of my lease unhurt I would be in a MKZ tomorrow.

350Dave

Great news, but my Lexus has none of the issues yours seems to have.
Enjoy your Ford product.

ES350Bob

mmr...,

I almost waited for one of those myself, congrats to your wife and you on the car.

For you, have you considered trading to a vehicle with a lower MSRP to offset what would be a loss?

Though I ended up getting a check from Honda in my trade, I did still lose money on the 2 ES350 experiences I had, but I GAINED big time not having to deal with the issues of the ES. As for the vehicle, the only thing I do not have in the Accord that I did in the ES is the push button start and I didn't like it much to miss it anyway.

Consumer Reports will list the ES as it does the Camry as they technically do currently by association, and once that happens by directly listing the ES the book value will drop like a rock, so waiting may not be the answer, trading before that happens may save you money in the long run.

LexBob2

Same situation here with my Lexus.

Good luck with the MKZ/Zephyr, it seems like a nice car.

MD350

One area that is important to me is resale/residual values. That is one area that the American makes can't compare to the Toyota/Honda lines. I flip my cars every two years. I cannot afford to take the hit on these cars. They would be great used cars to purchase.

I will say that the American car residuals are improving. But, still have a way to go.

Enjoy the MKZ.

LexBob2

Into their 2nd model year, thru November, sales of Camry (434,277 +6%) and ES350 (74,862 +11%) are holding up well which should bode well for resales and residuals.

MD350

I will give the ES its when it deserves it, and yes its resale value is holding up well.

amf1932

As it has been ever since the beginning.

<VENOM>

very nice congrats, just picked up an 08 300c AWD with a lifetime bumper to bumper warranty

I like Lexus but it seems like they are just starting to capitalize on the popularity of their products and charge a premium for the name Lexus

MD350

I heard that Chrysler was offering a "wrap around" warranty for their lifetime powertrain warranty. I think that is a great offer for those who keep their car a long time. Congrats!

twister

What issues?!? His point was that MKZ was a better value. Oh, and if he got AWD version of MKZ, than your FWD will have an issue in comparison to his. No need for sarcastic "enjoy your ford" comment.

As much as I'm enjoying my AWD 3GS, if in a near future Hyundai will make Sonata in AWD, I might even consider that.

350Dave

[quote=twister;3147242]What issues?!?


Great car for the money. It handles better than my ES350, is quieter,requires regular gas, Lexus built a lemon this time.

The bold text above appear to be his 'issues'. My 'comment' to reply is-
I feel my 350 UL is also a great car for the money. I did not buy an ES to be a race car, the handling and perfomance on snow and ice here in Colorado is nothing short of amazing! It is among the quietest cars I have ever driven (no American car has even been close). I use nothing but regular gas in my 350, with no problems and great MPG. As far as the 'lemon' comment, are there not laws to protect the consumer? Dare we look at track records for recalls and lawsuits, Ford vs. Toyota?

Are you unclear about the meaning of the word 'issues'?

twister

"comparison" doesn't mean "issues". Everything he listed is a comparison of his new MKZ to ES350.

Dave, I'm happy you have a trouble-free ES350 and joined a small group of ES350 "cheerleaders" who reply to every single trouble-post in this forum with "My car is great, I have no problems". But you can't be in denial about hundreds, actually over a thousand just on East Coast, buybacks (including myself after 2 failed trannies). Lets hope '08 models are better. Also, its very alarming to see people who had occasional flares last year and didn't address it with their dealership now having "x-mas light celebration on their dashboard" when tranny needs to be replaced.

<VENOM>

The wrap around was just an added benefit, this being the 1st Chrysler/American product in our family we figured it was just cheap insurance, it will see it's fair share of mileage, it a phenomenal car.

The 4Runner had an extended warranty that paid for itself, another great vehicle but my only real concern with new cars is the electronics, replacement parts and labor is shocking.

LexBob2

This warranty was a good move on the part of Cerberus/Chrysler LLC to improve consumer confidence in their vehicles. Especially since the sale of Chrysler to Cerberus.