Oscar Wilde once said that “With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.” With my 40th birthday barreling toward me like a speeding garbage truck, I think about this statement often. My brain is a malfunctioning kaleidoscope of car-related detritus, especially when I’m getting ready to purchase a new one. Many of my cars were purchased impulsively, or with “car guy math” rationalizations as sound as 20 year old BMW timing chain guides.
I don’t think wisdom comes with age, as we are constantly bombarded with contrary examples. Maybe wisdom comes with experience? I’ve had a lot of experience with many different cars. Did this wisdom help me in my recent daily driver purchase? Will this new car help me as I drive over the proverbial “hill”? Let’s find out.
[Ed Note: It’s been a while, so it’s worth welcoming back Steve Balistreri, our resident NVH engineer-contributor! -DT].
I’ve followed some guiding rules when selecting my cars. The first is to always drive something interesting. I may have bent that rule slightly at times. Is a Chevy Volt interesting, or was it just cheap and reliable at a time when I needed both? I think there is an argument to be made that it is interesting, but certainly not to everyone.
The second rule is to always have at least one reliable car. This has led to some interesting vehicle combinations. Pairing my MkV GTI with a 69 MG Midget makes sense. When I had a non-running 1957 Lincoln Premiere I needed a 2014 Mustang GT to get around. When my E39 528it wagon kept breaking down I convinced myself a $25k high mileage NSX would be reliable because hey, its a Honda, and I was mostly right [Ed Note: Wait, you had an NSX?! -DT]. I had a 300k mile, $500 E30 who’s rear footwells would become ice rinks in the winter, paired with a 200k mile E28 M5 back when you could buy those for around $10k and both of those cars were surprisingly reliable. This rule is why my 2001 Audi S8 got paired with a 94 Pontiac Bonneville SSEI with the venerable 3800 V6, which has been a peach to own. The Audi not so much.
Time For a New Car
This S8 was doing old German car things so I started my car hunt last fall. I replaced the accessory belt and some idler pulleys that started screaming with old age. A plastic fitting on the coolant overflow line broke, necessitating a parking lot bodge job fix until a new piece arrived. The heated seats didn’t work from the previous owner’s incomplete interior swap. The car started running out of gas at half a tank due to some decaying component in the Rube Goldberg contraption of tubes and siphons in the gas tank.
I started the dreaded timing belt/water pump service because it was overdue, which requires surgically removing the face of the car. My kit came with a wrong idler pulley, causing a several-week delay. Then it started snowing and life happened as it usually does. The car is still sitting faceless in my garage like some Teutonic corpse. The front bumper lies in my driveway, a shelter to decaying fall leaves and a shameful monument to my ADHD-addled brain’s inability to get things done.
So I needed a new ride, fast. The Bonneville was working fine, except for the radio, which just played static. It’s also a rare, rust free example with just over 80k miles, so it would’ve been a sin against the car gods to expose its tender underbelly to the salty ravages of a Michigan winter. My bagged C10 is more of a summer cruiser as well. I wrote an article explaining my requirements, and polled the brilliant Autopian commentariat on what my next daily driver should be. There were a lot of great suggestions. Here’s a quick list of the cars I test drove, and my impressions.
Steveo’s Carro Comparo
Mazda 6: It’s really like a Miata sedan in the way it handles. Seats were surprisingly comfortable with a nice interior. My sunny impression changed when I got on the highway and the car’s suspension acted like a record player needle transmitting every nook and crevice in the road to my right foot and butt. If I lived somewhere with smooth, curvy roads this would be a clear winner. But here in Detroit the constant battering would drive me crazy. Sadly had to pass.
Cadillac CTS V-Sport: This is a true sports car, which is reflected in all the accolades it got in the automotive press. The one I drove had like 5 different materials on the dash which somehow all worked together harmoniously. I test drove the Cadillac at a dealer by my office, partially for the convenience, and partially to try it on a terrible section of road nearby. Overloaded semi-trucks sunk divots into the asphalt, and a railroad crossing is so broken up everyone slows to a crawl and swerves off the main driving lane to dodge the craters. Needless to say, the Cadillac V rode quite rough around the area roads. This car would be a blast, but its a little too hardcore for a daily, and my insurance company thought so, too.
Cadillac CT6: Nice car with a chassis that strikes a perfect balance between competent handling and a comfortable ride. The interior on this black on black example felt nice but was dark and somewhat anonymous. I got insurance quotes on selling most of my cars and adding one of these candidates. The Cadillacs were the only cars where my insurance would actually increase. With the CT6 it was over $100 a month extra. This and the fact that there weren’t a ton of examples in my ~$20k price range made me pass.
Buick Regal TourX: This was up high on my list and suggested by many of you. Unfortunately ones in my price range were tough to find. Whenever one popped up on Marketplace it would be quickly sold, so no luck getting to drive one of these.
Chrysler 300: I always liked this car. I got to drive a 300 SRT on Michigan International Raceway for the SRT experience many years ago and came away impressed. With my budget I’d be stuck with a V6 model, which I tested. It was a nice cruiser, but it had several negatives. The seats were surprisingly hard, a lot of functions such as heated seats require several taps on the touch screen, which is a big minus. Interior materials weren’t the best which I’m usually not too picky about. Its not a bad car, but for the same price, the car I chose did everything significantly better.
So What Did I Buy?
This beautiful 2017 Lincoln Continental Reserve! Its got an aluminum 3.0L twin turbo V6 with 400 horsepower, 400 ft-lbs of torque, torque vectoring AWD, tons of room, a huge trunk, a premium stereo, a stylish interior. Whats not to like? Well, a couple things that we will get to in a minute.
First let’s go through the basics. This is a large four door sedan with ample leg room and a commodious trunk. I feel the four door sedan is the pinnacle everyday driver for those who don’t need to off road. You get the handling benefits of a car over an SUV, yet there is still plenty of room for people and cargo.
We recently drove my family and my mother-in-law to an Indian wedding in Dayton, Ohio. If you’ve been to one of these weddings you know there are multiple events and a different outfit is needed for each one. The car swallowed two extra large suitcases, several smaller ones, as well as miscellaneous bags of snacks and other stuff that you need when traveling with a toddler. My MIL in the backseat had more legroom than she could ever use and the car cruised in quiet comfort getting 29 MPGs on the freeway.
400 Horseys
Let talk about the powerplant. The 3.0L V6 has two turbos bolted to the sides making a more than respectable 400 horsepower. When you get on it the all wheel drive system digs in and propels you forward in a wave of torque. The Continental came with a naturally aspirated 3.7L V6, a 2.7L twin turbo six, and the big 3.0L TT. This engine is also found in the Lincoln Mk1, Aviator, and the F0rd Explorer ST. There are mods available to gain even more power but I think the car has plenty under the hood at the moment.
The engine even sounds decent, with an enhancement system filling in some of the gaps when you get on it. Some take offense to this type of thing but I don’t mind it. It sounds better when its on than off.
The only drawback is that the transmission is a six speed auto. Compared to many of my previous cars, six is a lot. However it is down a few gears compared to the competition, and it’s probably leaving a few MPGs on the table.
Does It Handle Like A Boat?
I’ve owned many “great handling” cars — the NSX, Fiesta ST, VW GTI, various BMWs. For most people, great handling is something that is accurate and engaging when the road gets twisty. But what happens when your roads have no twists? What do you do when your road surface resembles the moon more than Laguna Seca? You spend a lot of time and energy scanning the street in front of you for holes and frost heaves, feeling every sickening thud as your tire slams into a broken piece of pavement. Your back and your soul are as bruised as your wheels, bushings, and suspension arms.
While I lost some street cred buying a car that would be out of place on a track day, I’ve gained peace of mind and a lot less guilt. The Continental’s ride is quite good, comfort mode makes a decent attempt at replicating the Lincolns of yore. While it might not filter out all the smaller imperfections its body on frame ancestors would’ve glided over, larger undulations come with a single slow, satisfying bounce that would be familiar to anyone who inherited their grandpas car.
Detroit is basically a large grid. The only curves are on ramps and the occasional roundabout. Instead of piloting a stiff car where 1% of my commute is thrilling and the other 99% is tiring, pretty much my whole drive is great. There is also sport mode. I tried it out on some twisty Ohio back roads. While it didn’t turn the Continental into a BMW M car, it removed the Lincoln bounce, and firmed up the pedal, steering, and suspension. It’s not a sports car but it was competent, even enjoyable. Maybe we should redefine “great handling” to mean that the car matches its environment and intended purpose.
Speaking of modes, there is Normal, Sport, and Comfort. You choose sport from a button on the dash. There is a submenu in the instrument cluster for picking the handling and performance in Drive and Sport. In the past I thought the dizzying array of customization options in some cars was a little silly, but it would be nice to fine tune things a little more. Suspension, steering, and pedal calibrations are all lumped into “handling”, while the engine and transmission are under “performance.” I would like to keep the performance steering and pedal feel with he softer suspension.
The AWD system does things. It’s there, you can watch it do its work on one of the configurable speedometer screens. All I know is that in the snow it drove very predictably, not getting stuck or sliding around. The Audi S8 seemed unstoppable in the snow and ice, and I haven’t put the Lincoln through similar torture tests, but it would probably do well enough as long as I don’t do anything dumb.
Rich Corinthian Leather
Speaking of speedometers, we have to mention the interior. Before the Continental came out, Lincoln knew it had to do more than slapping fake wood grain and nicer leather in a Ford interior and call it a day. While competitors went a more anonymous, tech-luxury route, Lincoln looked to their art-deco heyday. The result is an interior that looks special. Matte, open pore fake wood is outlined by thin chrome trim. Silver speaker grills with tiny holes drilled in a swirly pattern successfully ape Mercedes of 10 years ago. It is a nice place to be.
There is a screen obviously with CarPlay and all the modern conveniences of 2017, but a big selling point is you don’t have to blindly peck away at the touchscreen if you don’t want to. All the buttons you’d ever want to press for the radio and climate control are attractively laid out in a four by six rectangle, heated and cooled seats included. The buttons and dials feel nice and have distinctive sizes and textures. You can do pretty much anything without having to take your eyes off the road and tap through menus with zero tactile feedback. It’s a joy to operate compared to most of the new cars I’ve driven lately.
Also aping older Mercedes is the seat controls on the doors. This is necessary as the Continental has the magical 27 way perfect position seats. They heat and cool your bottom, and massage it if you so desire. There are multiple air bladders that expand and contract, each leg has its own extendable platform. Since I’m getting to the age where my back always hurts I leave the seat heaters on pretty much all the time. The massage functions would be nice if they worked, but more on that later.
The Exterior
Continuing with the aesthetics lets move to the exterior, which combines angles which are bold and handsome with others that are somewhat underwhelming. Some of this is the stretched Ford CD4 front wheel drive platform it is based on. If it had the long hood, RWD proportions of the Cadillacs it would be a better looking car. But it has broad shoulders over the rear tires, a handsome upright grille with unique headlights. The door handles are integrated into a sturdy chrome bar that runs underneath the windows. The rear lighting treatment is a continuous light bar that looks distinctive. Overall, I think it looks quite nice even if its slightly anonymous. It fits in with the Continentals history of large, four door sleds.
Not wanting to be mistaken for a cab, I searched for a Continental with an actual color and found one in this deep metallic red. It’s humorously called Burgundy Velvet. Maybe Lincoln is pulling a Dodge and mining through its 70’s brochures for its color names. If you ignore the swirl marks and small bits of bubbling paint that I’ll discuss in a second its a beautiful color.
Do I Still Gotta Wrench on it?
Reliability is a criteria I gave a lot more thought to than in the past. I’ve owned a lot of German cars — VWs, BMWs of all stripes, the Audi S8, a very green 1976 Mercedes. In my younger days I thought nothing of laying on a cold garage floor, hammering away at a pickle fork to refresh bushings large BMWs are so fond of eating, or rebuilding Vanos units in the driveway. I thought of it as a way to learn about and get closer to my car, while pumping up my wrenching bona-fides. Now it feels like annoying bullshit I don’t have the time or money to spend on. I still enjoy wrenching in theory, but I really don’t have time right now. This is why I excluded any of the normal German marques in my search.
Continentals are getting into the high 200k, low 300k mile range in the Facebook groups. I have some maintenance to catch up on now that I hit 90k miles. Transmission fluid is said to be “lifetime” although most people recommend replacing it around 80k miles, along with the PTU and Axle fluid. I have spark plugs and a fuel filter in a box in the trunk that will be installed at some point. The brakes will probably have to be refreshed soon as well.
Beyond that normal maintenance are a couple small issues I have to deal with. There is a TSB for the perfect position seats across all Ford products. The wiring harnesses weren’t long enough which can cause them to malfunction. My front passenger seat doesn’t adjust at all because of this. Most of the adjustments work on the drivers seat except the massage function sadly. You can buy harness extensions from the dealer that come with the connector to give it the strain relief it needs. This is on my long to-do list.
After filling the car with gas it would idle weirdly for a few minutes which required replacing some evap valve, a five minute procedure that I also had to do on my Fiesta ST. On 2017 model years, the electronic door popper buttons would occasionally crap out. I can tell by the unpainted plastic on my rear passenger handle that this was fixed at least once in the car’s past. Knock on wood, I haven’t had any issues.
Some of the exterior cameras get cloudy which is also a known issue. Even though the cameras were replaced at least twice according to the Car Fax, certain angles in the top down view of the car are still cloudy looking. Thankfully I have friends who work for the camera supplier who said they could solder in some better cameras, a benefit of working in the industry.
The paint is also bubbling in some spots — odd because they are aluminum panels. Apparently this is a problem at several automakers. If the car were still under warranty the dealer would repaint it but unfortunately I just have to live with it.
Besides that the car has started up and run fine, every time I’ve turned the key. That’s something you really appreciate after being in the wrenching trenches for so long.
Conveniences I’ve Been Missing
Other things I appreciate; remote start is a godsend. When you’re trying to wrangle a toddler and drive him to day care in the early morning, the last thing you need is to have to chip the car out of an ice cocoon so you can open the doors. Heated steering wheel; also amazing. I forgot how often I had to press my frozen hands against the vents, waiting for the air to warm up and get some feeling in my fingers. Soft close doors are kind of nice too, especially when dealing with a sleeping kid.
It has CarPlay and an awesome Revel sound system with 19 speakers which is great for long drives. I don’t miss having to deal with an FM transmitter to listen to music. Also helpful for long drives is the radar cruise control. It has cross-traffic alert when you are reversing which is super handy in low visibility situations. Front collision alert can be a little sensitive but it doesn’t go off enough to be an annoyance.
After driving so many 15-20 year old cars I feel like I’m caught up to the modern age.
The Continental Isn’t Just For Old Folks
I’ve been joking about being old, even though I don’t feel old. My automotive tastes have sort of been stuck in the past. When I was a kid I’d pour through every car magazine and memorize their stats. These days there aren’t a ton of new cars I get excited about these days, at least ones I can afford.
Maybe this is why the Continental appeals to me. They had to keep it somewhat old school for the geriatric traditional Continental buyer. It’s not beeping at you all the time, you don’t have to use the touchscreen if you don’t want to, two golf bags and jumbo box of Depends fit in the trunk, the boat can float like a cloud.
But its also got 400 hp, a twin turbo V6, and torque vectoring AWD. The floaty suspension can reel itself in when needed and this Lincoln can be a fun partner on a back road when asked to. It has a significantly higher power to weight ratio than the S4’s and Skylines I lusted after as a kid. All in a comfortable, classy interior that can blast my tunes through a killer stereo system. The Continental can do it all. Maybe I have gotten wiser with age.
Funny enough, my boss went with a CT6 over the Continental when he had to choose a new work vehicle. He said he found the Ford cabin slightly cramped and wasn’t a fun of the FWD based AWD system, which I can’t blame him in some aspects.
I’ve been taken out to lunch a few times in the Caddy and I love it, some of the best cars Detroit makes right now. That being said, the Continental will be cheaper to run over the years and you’ve done the right thing in that respect.
The problem with being an enthusiast is that you fall in love with a car, whether it be old or new, and you convince yourself it’s the best. The best engine, the best chassis, the best experience. Then you get a new car for maybe a loaner or a rental and you get used to remote start, heated and cooled seats, luxury sound systems and magnaride technology. Suddenly, you realize that maybe the average person is doing it right and we’re doing it wrong.
I know I’m profoundly out of touch with many aspects of today’s automotive world but personally I’d be more inclined to say this about your ’69 MG.
Always liked these, but have heard mixed reviews about seat comfort. I suppose that’s the general nature of seats, though, so I’d have to try one myself. I have a sports car, but if I couldn’t get one, I would want a land yacht. When I was a teenager, they were practically free and, as much as we made fun of them, I secretly loved the ride and lazy cruising on big low-end torque with your arm on the sill as you float down the road is one of the great automotive experiences largely lost now. I’m sure the Continental isn’t like this, but another great thing about the old boats was that they discouraged speeding, not just because of the handling or brakes, but because it was the attitude of the car. Had I owned one myself back then, it would have saved me a good chunk of change in fines (that I suppose I would have spent in fuel).
I turned 40 this year. I commute about 50 miles each way. My car is lowered like 4 inches on seemingly hammered if not blown coilovers. My wife pretty much refuses to ride in the car further than maybe 10 miles. I’ve considered growing up. Sometimes the commute is exhausting and I’m pretty sure its because of the car. But here I am, still driving that POS. Probably until it dies and I start driving some other POS cause I’m cheap.
But I do like those Continentals. My wife would love the massage feature for sure.
A couple of years ago, another couple and my wife and I flew into Miami and then drove down to Key West in a rented Chrysler Pacifica. Unlike California, there are not a lot of twisty roads on FL Highway 1. It had a ton of storage, was quiet, comfortable and even got decent gas mileage. I wouldn’t want one for my daily driver, but it was a great road trip vehicle.
It looks like you got a great car that someone else lost significant depreciation.
But I’m with Angry Bob. That engine compartment looks just as scary as your S8’s.
Detroit has its unique ‘requirements’ for driving; I think leads the American automakers to think that it applies across the board everywhere.
But just a short drive across the border to Ontario or Ohio: and it’s like you’ve crossed into a completely different world. Not only are the roads smoother and generally free of roadkill or dead cars, but the cars themselves are in better shape.
Nice, well bought! I was right around 40 when I traded my MK IV GTI for a comfortable, sensible sedan to commute in. I rarely regret it. I wish I could’ve kept the GTI around as a toy, but I needed the trade in value and the GTI needed old German car stuff, so off it went.
Great choice! Should have decent reliability, and the interiors were highly thought of when these cars came out. These are a bit underappreciated as Lexus really stole the “soft luxury” market in the used car world. I see some on the road, and they always stand out. I myself would’ve probably gone with a used E-class (especially since my parents have had great luck with many of them and they always seem reliable), but I think the Lincoln is a more interesting choice, and you definitely are getting more car for your money!
2020 Conti owner, also in Detroit area.
There are two annoying features that you are going to find out about, if you don’t have a garage.
Otherwise, a great car.
Thanks for the tips!
Very nice, I’ve been enamored with these since they came out. And I’m not a Ford fan.
This car seems like the perfect highway bomber, especially with those fantastic seats.
Great decision, always loved the look of these continentals. So many neat details, and a lot of value for money.
Seems a solid choice! I’d be interested in one myself if I was not spoiled by hybrid fuel economy. My other concern is material durability, my Toyota is not luxury, but is comfortable and the interior materials wear like iron. I hate having an otherwise great reliable car with a worn, torn up interior. Yes, I typically prefer cloth to leather.
Durability is one thing giving me pause about Lexus. I’ve owned and loved 2 Acura’s but the soft touch and leatherette are a bit more fragile than lower Honda/Toyota. All of my cars have well over 100k and the interiors still look almost new when clean.
I’m with you on the cloth vs. leather thing. Cheap leather wears fast and then looks terrible, whereas there’s really not cheap cloth anymore, at least not compared to the bad old days.
I wish you better luck than my mother had with her MKZ
What issues did she have? Would be nice to know what to look out for.
That Lincoln is sooo nice, good choice on that one I say. Please do keep the SSEi as long as you can though, they’re harder to find every day. I’m keeping my grips on my 92 L67 SSE, 77k on it and also rust free, and only one tail lamp lens has some slight delamination. It’s a real treat to drive.
Nice! The Bonneville’s previous owner replaced the fender mounted taillights with NOS ones, but the trunk mounted ones are pretty beat. Finding ones in decent shape has been hard. Been enjoying it a lot so far, always the only Bonneville of that generation at any car show I go to.
Yeah, same with me, people still remember and appreciate them though, and yes, tail lamp lenses or assemblies are really a tough find especially the inners. I have a set of old ones that are delaminated that I want to remove the lenses from and send out to have replacements made up one day. I know I could sell every set I have made if I do. The lens separates easily enough from the housing, GM serviced them both ways at one point in the car’s life.
Alright, alright, alright!
Matthew McConaughey and Data approve. Makes me want 19 feet of Lincoln.
I suspect there’s a nice road near that Cadillac dealership which may be the only nice road in Wayne County
I’ve been shopping for a daily driver after my son got my ForTwo to commute to work in the next town over, and I’ll buy after clearing out a few project vehicles. It sounds like I’ve got the same criteria and been looking at the same cars. I’ve been wrestling with the luxury vs fast/quirky/tossable decision.
Good to know about the Caddy’s insurance, I hadn’t even considered it when looking at them. I’m over 50 and married with a 800+ credit score, why would I think about insurance any more? I needed the reminder that I should still figure insurance into costs.
After this article I don’t know that it convinces me luxury is the way to go, but it’s lowered my reluctance somewhat. It’s not not the way to go.
I was very anti luxury car for a long time, but I talked myself into a 90s JDM luxury car, and it was one of the most fun cars I have ever had. Top 5 for sure out of 27 vehicles.
It all depends on how you drive. I usually do long trips on straight highways and having a luxury car has been great. If I was somewhere mountainous with nice curvy roads I may have sprung for something a little more tossable. Definitely take some luxury cars for a test drive when you start shopping.
Volvo recharge. S60 or S90 depending on your desire to have a 5/E or 7/S. Fast, beyond comfortable and stealthy
Cool! I love these guys; they have a street presence in line with the best of Lincoln traditions – elegant, but in an understated way. They’re also fairly compact for what they are, which for me, enhances the cool.
I believe that 3.0 engine was Lincoln-only when it debuted, and the torque vectoring system comes from the Focus RS! Both were courtesy of the hotted-up MKZ I think, so the car has a nice lineage but with its own handsome design.
I didn’t know that about the AWD system! Would’ve been a hoot if they ported over the drift mode 😀
I think if more people had actually tried driving an “Old Man’s Car” – they’d have realized how good they are, and would have left the Softroaders, Lowlanders, M-Sports and AMG-packs on the lot.
Too bad nobody builds one anymore.
Agree. At the end of the day, much of the other stuff is based on people’s fantasies of themselves, not their actual selves. The older I get, the more I appreciate how the older generations were somewhat more comfortable with who they were, compared with us.
Dad had a 1990 Town Car when I was in college, that was about the smoothest, most comfortable highway cruiser known to man. The dual exhaust 302 was well suited to the car.
This right here. So many of these SUVs ride like ass, with stupid low profile tires and overly stiff suspension selling to people who are never going to use the kind of potential performance (especially in such unrewarding vehicles), but will likely ruin some more expensive tires and wheels and would appreciate a nice ride if they knew what it was. Everyone chased the horrible German junk that—if they were ever actually all that good—have been Camry boring for years now with a shit ride, but ooh, the computers let a professional driver (not the people buying them) post some great Nurburgring times! Very important when cruising down a potholed road to then sit in the line to pick up kids from school. When my GR86 glides over bumps that shake or bang in an SUV, there’s a damn problem with the latter’s ride. If I can’t have a sports coupe or a sport wagon with a manual (barely with the former, can’t with the latter), I want a land yacht and a land yacht today wouldn’t have to be as bad as a land yacht of old. Suspensions are far more sophisticated and adjustable and chassis far more rigid so they could float, but still handle reasonably well. Unfortunately, it seems like the market is increasingly just a Fantasia-esque endless water bucket brigade of shit-riding S/CUVs.
The low-profile tire + giant wheel thing seems really out of control. And what gets me is how exponentially pricey both are, but yet few buyers seem to realize this on the front end of the purchase.
I just wanna say that I LOVE the door handle detail. I sincerely wished that car success just so I could see it around more.
They brought that exterior door handle style back with the newest Lincoln Nautilus. I probably wouldn’t have noticed the vehicle otherwise so it’s a great styling cue, imo.
Pairing a mk5 GTI with a 69 MG Midget- which of these is the reliable car here?
Lol, scrolled down to make sure no one else had made this comment already.
Haha! I bought the GTI new so it was reliable for a while, until it wasn’t. The MG broke down most of my cars, but was simple enough I could usually get it running on the side of the road and make it home.
Nice ride. But with the looks of that engine bay, I’d put the cover back on and pray I never had to take it off again.
The headlights on these seem like they might be a candiidate for something like those Acura light-array swaps.
I have looked at these a few times. I absolutely love the door handles built into the trim, and they just look like very pleasant places to be. It was high up on my list of cars to look at next. I bought a Miata instead, they’re commonly cross shopped right?
Rust warranties often only apply with perforation. I suspect that’s how Stellantis has gotten away without fixing so many Pacifica and Jeeps.