The Lincoln MKT is almost certainly the best used-car on the Planet
Um, if you have kids and are already in a committed relationship of course.
I hate to start with caveats immediately, but I mean come-on, look at the thing! I can hear you already… “it’s so ugly, does this dude not get that?”
Trust me, I get it. It’s very ugly, and most people wince when I drive by. But that’s the point! This car is freaking awesome, and the fact that it’s ugly means you can get it for a literal steal right now, so read on.
Where did the MKT come from, and why have I never seen one before?
In 1997, Lincoln introduced the next generation of arguably the greatest car to ever roam the streets. The Lincoln Town Car. Old people bought them up like clappers so they could drive while feeling like they were on a sofa. Limo companies bought them up because they were comfortable, quiet, and could fit four full-sized suitcases in the trunk. And one young man was impressed enough that he built a phone-app that would let him summon them from anywhere!
But two things happened that made Ford decide to deep-six the loved Panther platform. One, Americans continued their trend of not buying rear-wheel drive sedans, in favor of cross-overs and SUVs. This has now killed every American sedan out there. And two, their old Town Cars (and Crown Victoria's too) never broke down, removing critical demand from the folks who actually knew how awesome they were.
So Lincoln had the brilliant idea to kill two birds with one stone! They would make a new luxury 7-passenger Crossover that wealthy old Americans would continue to love, and call it the MKT! And then take the exact same car, move the rear seats back for ultra-legroom, remove the third row, and call it the MKT Town Car! Matthew McConaughey fans would buy model A, and limo companies would buy model B.
Sounds like a reasonable enough idea, but with the benefit of hindsight it didn’t work, nobody actually likes ugly vehicles, and neither group really bought a lot of them.
For a while now, the MKT has been the worst selling vehicle that Ford makes. And this is where OUR story starts. If we know how great the MKT is, but everyone else doesn’t, that’s where we get our EDGE, and the ability to exploit it.
If you go to Lincoln.com right now, even Lincoln doesn’t talk about the MKT! Which is fantastic since they are helping us suppress demand and keep these babies cheap!
So what are these things that we know that nobody else does?
Why Actually Buy an MKT?
- Technology + Luxury features
- Limo DNA
- Cheap as hell
Technology + Luxury features
If you look at the cars on the road, you can’t deny that three-row SUVs are just dominating. You should probably just buy a Leaf, but you won’t. Every car company on the planet is working overtime to design and sell high-profit three-row SUVs to Americans, because they are just super useful.
And I get it. You can fill them full of kids and gear and go anywhere you want.
The MKT fits the bill here, but has the benefit of being Ford’s luxury entry into the segment. The one I’ve got has things like:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Auto parallel parking
- Xenon headlights that turn with the steering wheel
- All wheel drive
- Full glass roof
- Remote start
- Heated and cooled (not just ventilated) second row seats, along with the front seats
- Power folding and stowing third row
- THX stereo (ok this one is probably crap)
The point is that it’s got all the goodies, and the real comparison here in terms of trim would be the Acura MDX or Infinity QX60 (along with their price!)
Lincoln decided to put a monster motor in this thing, assuming (correctly) that nobody buys vehicles based on fuel economy anymore, especially in the luxury segment. The twin-turbo V6 “EcoBoost” engine puts out 365 horsepower, about the same as a Porsche 911, which is definitely something that nobody knows about. At least in my experience at stop-lights :)
The MKT also has a unique second row option if you don’t plan to have more than two kids. Along with the typical bench and dual captain options, you can get a rear center console that has storage, charging, and a refrigerated compartment built in. There is no better road-trip car on the planet, especially considering…
Limo DNA
Ford designed this monstrosity to be on the road, all the time. And you get all the benefits of that design consideration!
First off, it’s comfortable. Talk to any high-end couch salesperson and they can tell you how much foam density and thickness matter…and how they are expensive, so you don’t get them everywhere. Lincoln puts money into their seats, and you can be sure they feel plush, and will feel that way for a long time.
[July 2020 edit] I need to add that it’s absolutely the best car in the world for CAR SEATS too! My favorite YouTuber Tyler Hoover just posted a video trading in his wife’s E Class wagon for a Range Rover LWB [long wheelbase] to better fit a rear facing car seat.
Hoovie brags about getting a $130,000 Range Rover for only $65,000. What a huge miss, he could have gotten FOUR MKT’s for that price!
[end edit]
It’s also quiet. This was super noticeable when I CarMax’d an Acura MDX, Infinity QX60 and Buick Enclave. (Their salesperson literally didn’t know they had an MKT on the lot, and had never even been in one!) Lincoln spent the money here too, with a thick windshield, and sound deadening everywhere. Between the turbos and the mufflers you can’t hear the engine at all, and you can whisper to one another while on the freeway. It’s freaking great.
It’s repairable. I’m expecting more things to break on this car than if I bought a Corolla, but I’m also expecting them to be easy and cheap to repair. This isn’t the first livery car that Lincoln put out, and I’m betting they had relationships they were concerned with. Not only that, the MKT shares a platform with the Ford Flex, so anything other than bodywork should have two types of junkyard cars to supply from. And that monster motor? Shared with the Ford F-150, of which Ford has sold quite a few of.
If you drive a Rolls-Royce around every day, you might not be very impressed. But here’s where things diverge…
Cheap as hell
The MKT is amazingly cheap, which is really why it’s the best used car on the planet. And it’s not 100% explained by its ugliness.
The values of normal models are artificially suppressed by the limo “Town Car” versions, which works to our favor! Who wants to buy an ugly car that has 200,000 more miles that it should? Nobody, that’s who! And since they are all technically MKT’s, the resale values of high-mileage, well used “Town Car” MKTs help depress the values of normie MKTs.
Want some numbers? The 2014 MKT I bought sold for ~$55,000 when new. I picked it up in late 2017 for $15,600. Mind-numbing depreciation that we get to take advantage of!
Here’s a 2014 non-limo version on Autotrader with the EcoBoost engine, and almost all the high-tech options for $12,200! And I bet they’d take less!
So. If you aren’t hung up on looks, want a fast and comfortable car that can fit all your offspring and all their toys, and don’t want to spend a lot of money, I think you know what you need to do…
Buying Guide
If you believe everything you read on the internet, I can’t wait to help put you into a used MKT. Here are the things I looked for, to narrow the selection process down.
Front Grill
2009–2012 was the first generation. For model year 2013 Lincoln changed the front grill (I think it looks like a baleen whale) and updated the instrument cluster and interior. In 2017, they updated the grill again. 2013+ is the sweet spot IMO.
Adaptive Cruise Control
You will have a button called “Gap” on the left thumb rest of the steering wheel.
Auto Parallel Parking
The button for this is in front of the transmission gear selector, which means if you want it combined with the feature above, will show itself in TWO buttons in front of the gear selector, since Adaptive Cruise also comes with lane-keeping.
Power Folding Seats
There will be four buttons on the left side of the body when looking at the open hatch, just below the button for automatic tailgate closing. Non-power models will have straps dangling from the rear seats.
Towing Package
The EcoBoost has everything needed for towing, including relays, plugs, and transmission cooling overhead, EXCEPT for the hitch. That’s what you get when you pay for the package.
That said, upgrading a non-towing package MKT with a new bumper bar looks doable for someone with a few tools and a weekend. I actually did it to mine and it took two days.
If there are other reasons why the MKT is the best used-car on the planet, and especially better than the Infinity QX60 and Acura MDX, please let me know what I missed!!
