Strongly considering a '14 CPO MKS

[fusion66]

Hello. Have been mulling the idea of purchasing a fast, luxurious car for retirement (20 yrs. FDNY) and the MKS has come to my attention. Saw a very clean example at a Lincoln-Ford dealership in upper New York and the drive was very nice. It was quick and cosseting but I haven't pulled the trigger yet because: 1. It is a complex car brimming with technology and I rue the day when it goes wrong and the dealer has no clue, and 2. the gas mileage may prove to be horrendous. On the last note, I am hoping I could expect somewhere in the low twenties combined if I am prudent. The car will not last forever and I am certain the dealer will bargain (especially as the end of the month approaches.) Can anyone with a '14 MKS ecoboost share their experiences (joys and tribulations) with their cars and possibly make a case to buy one. By the way, I live in NYC, have no major debt and will park the cars indoors overnight.

[FoMoCoSHO]

Hello. Have been mulling the idea of purchasing a fast, luxurious car for retirement (20 yrs. FDNY) and the MKS has come to my attention. Saw a very clean example at a Lincoln-Ford dealership in upper New York and the drive was very nice. It was quick and cosseting but I haven't pulled the trigger yet because: 1. It is a complex car brimming with technology and I rue the day when it goes wrong and the dealer has no clue, and 2. the gas mileage may prove to be horrendous. On the last note, I am hoping I could expect somewhere in the low twenties combined if I am prudent. The car will not last forever and I am certain the dealer will bargain (especially as the end of the month approaches.) Can anyone with a '14 MKS ecoboost share their experiences (joys and tribulations) with their cars and possibly make a case to buy one. By the way, I live in NYC, have no major debt and will park the cars indoors overnight.

Buy an extended warranty and enjoy your retirement present.

Yes, you can get low 20's if you drive like my Mom.

The worst I have gotten with a full E85 tune (30% + more fuel needed) and lots and lots of WOT pulls was 14.6

Sounds like you are in a place in life you can afford to exercise the go pedal at will.

It's strange how these cars make you want to do that much more often.

There is a strong possibility I will move from a SHO to an MKS because of some of the creature comforts the Lincoln has over the SHO.

[SHOdded]

Welcome to the community, fusion66, and thank you for your service   The '14 MKS should be a very nice car, and yes, it is full of tech, but that is what extended warranties (direct from online ford dealerships) is for!  As to finding a dealer that has a clue, you can possibly find help on dealerrater.com, repairpal.com, and yelp.com.  As a rule, Lincoln dealerships are more well-versed than Ford dealerships in Ecoboost vehicles, so the scales are already tipped in your favor.

Pricing, IDK.  Others will chime in 4 sure tho.

[MarkC.]

I bought one a couple months ago.
2014 MKS ecoboost w/35k. It has all the options except for cold weather package. (Heated st wheel and heated rear seats).
Nicest car I have ever owned.
The CPO Lincoln Warranty is one of the best.(6yr 100k with $100 deductible that they usually waive) You can look up reviews on CPO warr.
I did months of stalking CarGurus within 200 miles of residence and ended up (Luckily) with a beauty in DarkSide Metallic 15 miles from my house. $21k
Be prepared to travel
Ask me any questions and I would be glad to answer them.
Welcome to the forum and good luck.
What type of vehicle are you moving from?

[fusion66]

Thank you. I currently own an '03 Cadillac CTS base (~30K miles) It has been largely trouble free for the year that I have owned it and is a surprisingly solid and surefooted vehicle. However the 3.0L V6 is somewhat sluggish and rarely returns more than 20mpg in mixed driving. A K&N car has livened things up a bit but there are no tuning options for this Opel-based motor. I am attracted to the MKS because it  promises luxury and performance in a package that is engineered to a higher standard for a domestic vehicle. Although many factors influence fuel economy I would hope that a conservatively driven MKS would return slightly better numbers than my Cadillac. Although I have found Ford products to be generally reliable I have read about carbonization issues with the 3.5L Ecoboost motor and this, as well as the tech laden nature of this automobile, gives me pause. I have narrowed my search down to two cars. The first, as I have indicated previously, is CPO with ~30k miles. It is being sold at a Ford-Lincoln dealership in upper New York and has a clean and documented Carfax. I have driven this car twice and it drives well but the transmission seems somewhat slow-witted during spirited acceleration. Also, I noticed a bit of what appeared to be coolant splatter on the engine cover when I went poking around in there. But the experience left me underwhelmed somehow. Perhaps I am being cruel but this particular car drove
liked a tarted-up Taurus. The second car is on the lot of a Cadillac dealership in Westchester, the very same place where I purchased my CTS in fact. This car has ~44K miles, has some factory coverage left and is the same color (black) as the other Lincoln. The Carfax is clean and shows some service history. However, this car drove somewhat differently to the other car. In particular the transmission seemed to shift more quickly and unobtrusively, making the car seem more powerful and elegant, more Loncoln-esque. I can purchase a 4yr 60K comprehensive service contract from a well regarded provider for approx. $4K; seems expensive but I wouldn't dream of owning a car of this type without good coverage (and I pray it is good.) I am torn but latter appeals to my heart because it felt more satisfying, but I must take it for a second drive. I solicit your opinion.   

[MarkC.]

If both are ecoboost vehicles, I dont have any good reason for one feeling more spirited than the other unless the lower mileage one needs some transmission love.
There is a few things in driver settings to check also.
You can set the drive modes to comfort, normal and sport within D & S on the shifter. Pretty big difference between Comfort and Sport.
Also ask for a copy of the 200 point inspection if you pull the trigger on one for some extra insight to follow that warranty.

[SHOdded]

Warranty stick with ford for less.

Would definitely like to know if the cpo had water pump replaced. Maybe  just a topoff.

[Ramairetransam]

I have a 13 mks ecoboost i got the end of october . I have been averaging around 19  with a lot of 65 and 75 mph driving . Its cold so it will go up when it warms up . I got 23.4 on the way home from buying it and i wasnt easy on it .

Please get a warranty on it . I got mine with the lincoln extended one till 2020 an d 140k on it . I bought it with 42k .

Also my car has been a nightmare but not all are like that . Its mostly fixed except for a vibration in the steering wheel and the ass of the seat .

Im 33 and have a 99 procharged ws6 formula and i think that rides better than this . Even in comfort mode this rides hard. Take a long ride in the car . Also my tires were flatspotted from sitting so long and the brakes were bad too , they got turned but i just got new factory stuff from rock auto for 334 shipped for everything front and rear.

My car has had a new ptu; common issue on these , driveshaft , battery , tires , i did brakes and tons of balancing issues.

I very strongly suggest to take the car on a long ride over 1 hour and get it on the highway and see if it shakes. Mine was determined after being bounced around from dealer to dealer to be within spec. Meanwhile is annoying and my work van 02 2500 chevy doesn't shake in the steering wheel .

A tune , new plugs , 160 thermostat and new air filter will make a big difference in power and mpgs . I have been getting 2 more mpgs in the winter with my tune installed.

[derfdog15]

A quick FYI, not sure if its legit or not, but I have looked at MK-S spec sheets vs. the SHO/Flex/Explorer and the MK-S is listed at 355 hp at the crank rather than 365. I am betting the base tune is a bit different due to the luxurious factor.

Also the MK-S weights a bit more than the SHO, so another reason it may seem a bit slower, and again the luxury factor would IMO lead to softer transmission tuning. Another option is that the SHO had a recent battery reset/adaptive reset and the trans was learning, it always shifts harder while learning with or without tune.

Either car will be an amazing choice, and tuxedo black is the best color IMO (I'm biased)

[fusion66]

I will certainly take the car out for a longer test drive in order to flush out any alignment and vibration issues. Do you think additional coverage is needed with the CPO warranty(question mark).

[MarkC.]

I dont think that extending the CPO warranty is necessary. They wont certify a car that they think will be a headache for them.  6yrs 100k  is pretty darn good for a warranty on a CPO vehicle.  Now, I wouldn't buy into the fact that they say CPO warranty is why the price is higher either.  Some dealers claim it is worth $2,000.
My car drives great.  It sounds like time is on your side.  These thinks are coming in off lease from grandmas and grandpas  (no offense to the grandparents here, I know yall drive hard and fast) every day.  Stay patient and get the right one.
Mod it.
Tune it.
Rocket SHip

[fusion66]

Will do. I recently discovered that the MKS at the Cadillac dealer (and the one I prefer) has fire damage. A mechanic once told me that a vehicle having been involved in a fire is never the same, as the water used to extinguish the blaze often does more damage to wiring and electrical components than the fire itself. A pity because that car drove very impressively.

[SHOdded]

Sad to hear.  Possibly driven hard in winter without sufficient warmup.  Transmissions take even longer ...

[fusion66]

That fire damaged MKS is still available and they have reduced the price to $19995. I know. You don't have to say it. But consider: I called Carchex for a service contract quote before and after the information
about the fire damage appeared on the Carfax report and the price was unchanged ($4200 B-t-B for 3 yrs.
45K miles). Perhaps they consider the damage less critical than I inferred. Feel free to box my ears but is it possible that the car may actually have been repaired properly after such an event(question mark not working). I wouldn't even consider it unless I checked for codes and let my mechanic examine the car but I remain struck by how impressively the car drove and I didn't notice anything untoward under the hood (but I wasn't looking for signs of fire damage, either). I know I shouldn't even consider it, but considering the leverage I have, can anyone make a case for it(question mark).

And please comment on the Quote I received from Carchex. 

[SHOdded]

Did you get a quote from Ford for their warranty, for comparison?