I drove a Zephyr...

[pro-five-oh]

And I liked it overall. Here's the rundown. :)

I really like the front end, the rear is growing on me.
Looks pretty sharp when dressed in black/black and the optional chrome wheels.
Interior is nice, though the shiny plastic over the pass airbag takes away from the rest of the package. For example, the steering wheel is so damn nice with soft touch vinyl, leather, aluminum accents and dark wood.
The THX stereo is pretty good, nice imaging. I expected more bass after driving a JBL-equipped Camry two months ago.:(
Good seat comfort, nice armrest. A/C seats rock!
Decent power, pretty smooth engine, moves well thanks to the 6-speed auto.
Transmission downshifts were a little slow, but not insanely slow like a stock Mark VII. :)
Nice ride and handling mix, though I find it a middle ground that doesn't appeal to either the hot-rodder or the Town Car fan. Damn, I really miss the Lincoln LS: that car nailed it.
The rear swaybar is 17mm....its small and gives too much body roll when pushed. We gotta fix that.So go ahead, recommend the Zephyr to your friends.

[JoshMcMadMac]

Sounds like a nice ride, minus a few little things that a little "hot rod lincoln" spirit could easily fix. Those little things are common complaints about most of our Lincolns, but we iron them out. :D I too am unsure about the rear-end styling, and it is growing on me as well.

[v8_dave]

Good stuff!

[OneWayStreet]

I like the rear end styling. :)

[Dana_15]

Glad you liked it.

I agree the front end is nice, very rich looking, I wish the
rear end looked a little more like an LS

I saw a black one with the rims....it was hot! Glad I got the
rims they are sharp.

The interior is nice but not perfect, I think the chrome looks
cheap on our Zephyr in the interior

The THX is very nice and very crisp but two 6X9 subs is pretty
lame, they really should have went with a single (or two) 8"'s
or even better a single 10" just to compliment the decent
mids and highs.

The A/C seats are very nice, reduces sweaty back and sweaty
well you know

The power isn't bad, just a little under powered for 30K, but your
right the tranny is excellent

I like the handleing, but I swear it could use a tighter turning
radius.

Glad to see you liked it and gave an honest opinion. It's much
better than hearing "I hate it, but I don't know why" or "I test
drove it for two seconds and I miss my old Lincoln, wah wah"

Thanks

[pro-five-oh]

One thing I also noticed were those dash vents: they flow like mad!


Glad to see you liked it and gave an honest opinion. It's much
better than hearing "I hate it, but I don't know why" or "I test
drove it for two seconds and I miss my old Lincoln, wah wah"

Yeah it took me a while to drive one, but I finally got to it. Don't take any crap from these "old fogies" on the other forums, I'm on your side. ;):D

And it may suck a little more gas, but the MKZ is gonna be a nice car. It'll fix a good bit of the Zephyr's performance mediocrity.

[Dana_15]

One thing I also noticed were those dash vents: they flow like mad

I noticed that also, even when we had that heat wave a little while ago, if you turn the key and kick the A/C up full blast it was instant cold air and a lot of volume, much more so than any vehicle I've had (including my 06 Silverado--I sold the import and came back to the right side of the tracks :lol:

[pro-five-oh]

including my 06 Silverado--I sold the import and came back to the right side of the tracks :lol:

Really? I just tested a Tacoma and found it to be a decent truck, but my beef with it was its lack of full size performance even with a similar asking price, not to mention the fuel economy is moot since it needs premium.

So why did you switch back?

[Wolfe_83Conti]

Go diesel. One grade of fuel (costs the same as mid-grade lately), and go Dodge. Fords like to break their injectors, and stopping a Chevy/GMC is like stepping on a sponge, and they're as fast as the Congressional sessions. The truck I drove at work was a 2500 Ram with the Cummins, and it would fly. :cool:

[Dana_15]

Really? I just tested a Tacoma and found it to be a decent truck, but my beef with it was its lack of full size performance even with a similar asking price, not to mention the fuel economy is moot since it needs premium.

So why did you switch back?

Kind of a long story...but what the hell. The Tacoma is the best compact truck out there hands down, but the price is waaay too high (I had an 04--older body style--got a great deal on it when the 05's came out). I have two 8 yr old kids (I'm a step father) and me and the wife want to have our own kid so the ex-cab Tacoma would be too small, and actually it was getting cramped now with the kids, so we were looking at a 4 door Tundra, due to the fact that the 07's are coming out and I was hoping to get a decent deal again on a holdover. But, in the meantime my Tacoma failed inspection due to the TRD Cat Back Exhaust I had on it (Toyota exhaust), Massachusetts passed a law last year banning aftermarket exhausts that amplify the sound over stock :mad: . So when I pulled in to get it inspected a Registry Cop pulled in and ordered the inspectors to fail my truck, eventhough I told him it was a factory option (I installed it myself after purchase). So I fought it and got a call from a man from Boston, who dealed with all the insepection disputes, he was cool he said all I needed was a letter from Toyota saying that they sell the exhausts for the Tacoma so he could have a hard copy and file it. Easy right.......WRONG!!! The dealer where I got the truck and was looking at Tundra's refused to type out two lines on a piece of paper so I called Toyota's customer service and they said I have to bring the truck back to the dealer and pay for a 200 point inspection on the truck and then MAYBE they can do something for me. I went into a rage, told them I spent 24,000 of my hard earned money two years ago on a truck and planned to spend over 30k on my next one and they couldn't type two lines?!! I told the woman on the phone, who was a smart a$$ that Toyota will NEVER get another penny from me or anyone in my family ever again. So anyways I settled on a 06 Crew Cab Silverado Z71, fully loaded except for leather and sunroof. A F-150 was pretty close but the ride quality went to the Chevy, as for Dodge's they are not good looking IMO and are horrible on gas. The Silverado gets 21 on the highway (better than the sticker says) and about 17-18 with just city driving, not bad for a 5.3V8 and a heavy truck......but it has nothing on the Zephyrs ride.

[pro-five-oh]

Wow, that's one heckuva story. I donno what's worse, laws in your state or Toyota's crap-ass service. Glad you like the Silverado, though...and you have a Zephyr for gas-saving too!

[Dana_15]

Wow, that's one heckuva story. I donno what's worse, laws in your state or Toyota's crap-ass service. Glad you like the Silverado, though...and you have a Zephyr for gas-saving too!

Thanks, I will give credit where credit is due, I used to hate cars, I haven't owned one myself in about 10 years (Thunderbird). This car has renewed my interest in cars, I like the way it drives, handles, and is a head turner. I would buy an MKZ for myself if I didn't need a pick-up....Mark LT is a litte too pretty for me ,and expensive LOL

[Led Zephyrlin]

Glad you liked the Zephyr. From what I understand the MKZ will be getting a slightly more sporty suspension along with the 3.5L Duratec which offers more tq/hp. MKZ should address two of your concerns ;)

[pro-five-oh]

Yeah, let's hope Lincoln figures it out: I mean, this chassis can be pretty sporty with little or no loss of ride quality. After all, its still a small(er) car that can't ride as well as the bloated Toyota/Lexus/Buicks in this price range. Might as well crank up the performance a little.

Granted I'm not a big fan of AWD, but with the big power of the MKZ's 3.5L it is probably a good idea. I hate torque steer!

[evillally]

Three words prohibit me from purchasing a Zephyr:

Made in Mexico

[GorgeZeph]

Three words prohibit me from purchasing a Zephyr:

Made in Mexico

Yea, but what isn't these days???? If you want to get picky about origin, figure out why Toyota is entering Nascar....... Think of it as southern California (or Texas).

[pro-five-oh]

Made in Mexico

I can't say that it doesn't bother me...but buying a Honda/Toyota because its assembled in America doesn't reassure me one bit.

Question is: which white collar businessmen do you want to support, the ones from America or the ones in Japan?

[evillally]

Question is: which white collar businessmen do you want to support, the ones from America or the ones in Japan?

Neither. Corporate assholes are corporate assholes, no matter what their nationality is. From my point of view, it all boils down to the nationality of those who work the assembly line.

[pro-five-oh]

Neither. Corporate assholes are corporate assholes, no matter what their nationality is. From my point of view, it all boils down to the nationality of those who work the assembly line.

I know what you mean, but I can't agree with it. I want the majority of my money going to American companies...not trickling down to American employees.

But yeah, the current regimes in Detroit don't deserve anything...at least Bill Ford doesn't get paid a dime right now.

[worldkeepsakes]

I know what you mean, but I can't agree with it. I want the majority of my money going to American companies...not trickling down to American employees.

But yeah, the current regimes in Detroit don't deserve anything...at least Bill Ford doesn't get paid a dime right now.
I'm going to agree with Evillally here. So much gets misunderstood on a chat board, that I stay away from topics like this, however, I Majored in business too! And I live off of investments I've made in this country.
And I will agree with you that Capitalism is the reason I've done well. However this country would be Nothing, without "blue-collar" workers to capitalize on. And if you don't think taking care of the "blue-collar" worker is important anymore i.e. "trickling down to American employees" I can only assume they aren't teaching "the history of America" anymore? Which is understandable, when you look at current events and the "real" economy we have. I'm also glad Mr. Ford isn't drawing an income at this time. I ran without an income for three years once, In-order to build my company up? Was that a big sacrifice? I didn't think so.

[Led Zephyrlin]

I bought the Zephyr even though it was made in Mexico. I wish it were made in the US but unfortumately it isn't. In more unfortunate events it seems that even more Ford products will soon be made offshore and imported back into the US market.

If you examine cost structure of car manufacturing and sales you will quickly find that the profit margins are thin in comparison to cost of production. So buying a foreign car built in the US or a US car built elsewhere is offsetting.

What concerns me the most is corporate greed of the US based companies whoring out american jobs to foreign workers en masse. This trend is alarming and if it continues will spell disaster for the american economy, real estate and job markets.

[pro-five-oh]

What concerns me the most is corporate greed of the US based companies whoring out american jobs to foreign workers en masse. This trend is alarming and if it continues will spell disaster for the american economy, real estate and job markets.

Wow, we are really going big picture here. But it isn't all their fault.

The UAW isn't a partner looking for what's best for Ford, all they want is what's best for them. If that means asking for more benefits, an idiotic Job Bank, and contractual obligations to make it cheaper to sell cars to Hertz (lowering the value of retail counterparts) than to close a factory, so be it.
Our government allows for free trade while our major trading partners restrict imports and practice currency manipulation, and our trade deficit proves it.So in all fairness, the Zephyr had to be made in Mexico...or foreign companies need to operate under the constraints of Ford.

That ain't gonna happen and Detroit executives aren't the only problem, they're just most of it. :p

[LuxuryLiner]

People complain about the Union , and the workers therein. However, wouldn't you really like to see the cumulative saleries of the top execs of the Old Big Three. If you only look back 5-10 years ago, you would see their salaries (plus stocks/options/etc) are more than I will make in 10 years working 60+ hours per week, driving an 80,000 truck hauling all of the junk made all over the world to the stores in the US, that people buy faster than water for a dehydrated desert survivor of a plane crash...just something to think about...

Bless us one and all!

[Rhett]

Good seat comfort, nice armrest. A/C seats rock!


Pro-5,

You must be a good bit shorter than me (6'8"). I test-drove one and found the seats unbearable. Plus, I had to put the back of the seat down so low for headroom that I felt like I was in the space shuttle awaiting blastoff. That also caused the armrest to be WAY too forward, thus totally useless for me.

It's the MKS or nothing for me. Got in to a 500 the other day and was surprised at the room, but it's still a little tight. Might work. It's all I've got, right?!

[pro-five-oh]

Yeah I am 5'10...maybe 5'11 if I hold my breath. The armrest slides back and forth for comfort, but I guess that wasn't enough for ya. :)

The 2007 Montego/500/MKS will be just as comfy as what you felt in the current 500, but with a lot more style and power. I'm guessing the only thing bad about that car for you is the massive center console that's gotta hit your legs.

There's still the Grand Marquis/Crown Vic, ya know. They are gonna get some nice upgrades come 2009, your current ride will last that long, no prob. :)

[93towncarexec]

Hey now, why is everyone dogging Mexico? Are there still people who subscribe to the stereotype that Mexicans are nothing but drunks?

Which would you rather support... an American car built in Mexico or an "American" car built in Korea/Japan?

I have no problem at all with them being ASSEMBLED in Mexico. It's still American parts, an American design, by an American company, where the profits are kept in America.

That's what matters.

I haven't driven the Zephyr yet, but I'd love to have one. It's truly beautiful.

[Wolfe_83Conti]

((Scratch this post. I was replying to a much older one but didn't notice where it would end up :p ))