Blog Category: Lincoln

As auto buyers, we tend to focus most of our energy on the purchase cost of our vehicles, and other than fuel cost, we spend less time thinking of the ongoing costs. Of course, figuring our fuel cost is relatively simple; the MPG is listed right on the window sticker and with a little quick math in our head, we can easily guesstimate our gas bill.

There was a time when Lincoln and Cadillac ran neck and neck in the battle for American luxury car supremacy. Then the Lincoln brand suffered years of neglect, with a long run of substandard, badge-engineered vehicles that failed to inspire buyers. Sales plummeted as more competitors entered the premium vehicle arena. Rumors of Lincoln’s demise swirled overhead like vultures. When long-standing brands such as Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Mercury bit the dust, it seemed like Lincoln was the next candidate for closure.

Two reports, by AutoMD and Black Book, are showing that owners are holding on to their vehicles longer and for more miles than ever, as reported by The Detroit Bureau. Ten years and 150,000 miles are no longer unusual.

The AutoMD survey showed 78% of owners plan to keep their vehicle for more than 10 years, with only 3% expected to change cars within 3 to 5 years. And according to the Black Book Study, most trade-ins will have 125,000 to 150,000 miles by the time owners get a new vehicle.

This is a significant change from the glory days of the automotive past.

With auto sales scorching this year, the simple law of supply and demand would suggest that great deals would be harder to find than normal. With vehicles moving briskly off the lots, there is less motivation to offer strong incentives. To a large extent this is proving to be the case in the marketplace, but that doesn’t mean there still aren’t some deals to be had out there.

The Wall Street Journal investigated the car market and found there are still some savings to be found. Here’s where:

Last month we asked the question: Is a hybrid right for you? The answer to that question was conditional. If your primary concern is the sociopolitical goal of using less fuel regardless of cost, you have the thumbs up. If saving money was your issue, we had to apply a comparative formula of initial purchase premium versus annualized fuel savings to determine the break even point. Simply stated, we had to do the math. Eyes became glazed over. No one wants to do the math.

Their name is a little hard to remember, but if you are in the market for a new or used auto, you definitely do not want to forget who the IIHS is.  Formed over 50 years ago, the mission of the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) is to help reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage.