**A Smooth Ride: A 2001 Lincoln MKZ Review**

As I stepped into this 11-year-old Lincoln MKZ, I couldn't help but notice how smooth it felt to drive. The doors locking themselves was just one of the many surprises that awaited me behind the wheel. It's clear that this car has been well-maintained over the years, with only a few minor tweaks here and there. One notable modification is the hose installation on the manifold for the air conditioning system, which suggests that the owner has taken good care of their vehicle.

The engine, which was all original, still purrs like new. The six-speed transmission feels great, providing a silky-smooth shift that makes driving a pleasure. I'm impressed by how well it's held up over the years, with only 115,000 miles on the clock. As we took to the drag strip, I could see just how quick this car can accelerate, leaving me wondering what it would be like to own one of these in my daily life.

One thing that struck me as particularly interesting was the fact that this Lincoln MKZ doesn't have a backup camera. Given its age, it's not surprising, but still, it's worth noting that newer cars often include features like this standard on their list. However, this car's absence of such technology only adds to its charm, with the turn signal indicator being especially notable for its loudness – a feature that seems designed specifically for older drivers who may need a little extra help hearing them.

As we continued our test drive, I was pleased to find that the car handled beautifully in the twisties. As a front-wheel drive car, it's naturally more inclined to pull rather than push, making it an ideal choice for driving on winding roads. This proved particularly useful when navigating snow and rain, where control is often crucial. The original struts still ride well, giving the impression that this car has been driven carefully over the years.

**A Hidden Weakness: The Thermostat**

One area of concern I did notice was the thermostat. It seemed stuck in a perpetual state of "open" mode, causing the temperature gauge to remain stubbornly at the lower end of its range. This can have implications for fuel efficiency, as running the engine too cool can lead to increased consumption. Fortunately, replacing the entire thermostat module – which includes the plastic housing – is relatively straightforward and can be done by either taking it to a Ford dealer or doing it yourself with some basic tools.

**A Final Verdict**

Overall, I'm thoroughly impressed with this 2001 Lincoln MKZ. Its smooth ride, handling, and overall build quality make it a joy to drive. While it may lack some of the modern features that have become standard in newer cars, its simplicity and reliability are a testament to its ageless charm. If you're in the market for a reliable and comfortable car that won't break the bank, this Lincoln MKZ is definitely worth considering. And if you do happen to come across one for sale, don't hesitate – it's a rare find indeed.

**A Comparison with Other Cars**

As I reflected on my time with this Lincoln MKZ, I couldn't help but wonder how it compares to other cars in its class. The fact that it handles so well and is still smooth as can be after all these years speaks volumes about its quality. And while it may lack some of the modern features that have become standard in newer cars, its simplicity is also a major plus.

It's worth noting that this car was made in Mexico, which suggests that it may share some similarities with other Lincoln models produced abroad. However, I did notice that it shares some features with American-made Z's – perhaps those are the same qualities that make this MKZ so enjoyable to drive?

**Conclusion**

The 2001 Lincoln MKZ is a true gem among cars of its age and class. Its smooth ride, comfortable handling, and overall build quality make it a joy to drive, even if it may lack some of the modern features that have become standard in newer cars. If you're in the market for a reliable and affordable car, this Lincoln MKZ is definitely worth considering – especially if you're willing to do a little research to find one that's still on the road.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: engraev up your engines okay today I got a car that I don't make anymore the Lincoln MKZ Lincoln sold originally 30 40,000 them of a year but then it got down to 20 and the last year they sold them they sold like 12,000 they just decided not to sell them anymore in the United States now realize the ones we got in the states well made in Mexico number three means Mexico and even though they don't sell them in the United States anymore what they did was they dropped the MK and they sell them as Z's in China but they're made in China too so now they still sell them but they sell them in China they don't sell them here the thing is in the United States people have gone Gaga for SUVs and sedans just didn't cut the mustard in the United States for a lot of reasons but the main reason that for GM chle doesn't make them anymore it's because the Japanese did such a better job they ate their lunch they're still selling SED Dan you see Honda Accords Toyota Camry lexuses hey they still sell them cuz they ate the American car manufacturers up alive the quality was better the cost was less and so they don't really sell sedans in the United States anymore they figured SUVs we're going to make our money with SUVs right but this particular sedan has nothing wrong even though it was made in Mexico he's got like 115,000 on it and he's never had any major problems with the thing it's a beautiful looking sedan he can get 28 mes a gallon on the highway not bad for a big luxurious car right but they just couldn't compete with what the Japanese were making and they just for gave up they don't want to make them anymore look under the hood see the linkage used to have hydraulics on them or Springs now you got a rod they' even cheaping that up right naturally aspirated V6 engine it is actually a very good engine they really don't need turbocharging and all that stuff right this is a good engine that can go a long distance he's had no problems with it it still runs perfectly fine but of course all the engineers are into so much technology now what are they putting in they're putting little four-cylinder engines with gasoline direct injections thousand more PSI some of them have twin turbochargers not one turbocharger but two twice as many things to go wrong that will break right this has none of that stuff on it and as you see 115 plus th000 miles he hasn't had any problems with it yet because it is actually a pretty good design but even not to for the AC still works he did have to change the manifold hose cuz it leaked and they wouldn't fix it free under warranty even though they shut have but it's still blown plenty cold check out those Wheels they're still in excellent shape it's a spiffy looking car these are Chrome clad they bonded on but I got to say they did a good job bonding it on it's hauled up pretty good so we'll take a look inside the leather's still looking good as you can see it's got 11 15,590 and that's a combined City Highway drive and it's more in the highway that's the combined mileage a real parking brake not this electronic stuff that's going to break down it does have Microsoft sync but for my experience on these Fords it doesn't sink all that well half the time oh we got a little scan tool hooked up let's see how this thing is held up over time detected it we'll do a standalone diagnosis thread the VIN it's an MKZ forv engine 3.5 L automatic Federal emission s here we go a fault scan while we're doing it hey the inside's nice look how fast it scanned it quick now there's four codes we'll see if they mean anything six-speed automatic you can either put it in to drive or you can shift it manually if you want now it doesn't have paddle shifters like more modern ones cuz it's a luxury car most people are just going to put it and drive and go first thing it says the coolant thermostat is stuck open it probably see how it's running colder so they need a thermostat no big deal control says speaker number six isn't working but it's got a bunch of other speakers he's not complaining about the noise it says that the climate control seat module voltage is out of range for the driver's dual climate control seat module see here you can heat the driver's seat you can even cool it with air conditioning they have little built-in wires that cool off seems to work okay but he voltage out of range he maybe the battery is weak or something the code is for the HVAC system invalid data receip from instrument panel cluster control module the AC the heat works he doesn't care so we really don't care what we'll do is we'll turn it off we'll turn it back on and we'll will erase them they're gone we'll start it back up and we'll look at live data all the live data we'll start analyzer remember Black's good Red's bad let's just see what things look like here so far all the data looks good okay air flow trimmed not much I mean look at this minus 0.01 so it's one 100th of a per off that's nothing sensors are working right they're going Rich lean like they're supposed to the other ones Rich lean just like they're supposed to fault in the heaters to the oxygen sensors ejectors all six of them have no Faults well is good 3.7 L engine look 3.6 3.7 really close that's good little trim for the rear oxygen it's almost perfect zero is perfect it could be Min - 10 to 10 it's still in range it's almost perfect and that shows that the catalytic converters are still working good right this has two cats on it and if one was bad you'd be able to look at that that and see well that one's bad but the other one's okay so you don't waste money and replace Parts you don't need to but in this case it's fine you don't have to change anything T TR test time interestingly it looks like a newer car but it doesn't have a backup camera cuz it is 11 years old first thing I noticed it's a very smooth car that was the doors locking themselves you feel safe in this thing I mean it just feels safe may have been put together in Mexico 11 years ago but hey it's still solid pretty quiet and he really hasn't done anything to it other than putting the hose on the manifold for the air conditioning system engine is all original that six-speed feels good now we'll see what it does when we get the drag STP land but I can't tell the thermostat stuck open cuz we've been sitting for a while and it still hasn't even got near half yet and you can tell a lot of these are old man cars because that turn signal indicator is loud baby and old people need them loud or they don't see them you see them driving down the road with their turn signals on at least with this they're going to hear them clicking and you got a better chance that they're going to turn it off when they're done turning we got to our little drag strap there's nobody behind us let's hit full gas in wow it started to do a burnout until the track control take it out this is a fast car let me tell you gets off fast let's say you want to pass somebody will foro it it goes this is a quick car maybe 11 years old 115,000 mil but hey it still Picks Them Up and puts them down suddenly a lot faster than this tractor we're going by I do have to say it's a very comfortable car to drive around it it's pretty much a luxury four-door car that people like to drive around they just don't make them because Ford wants to make SUVs I guess there's more profit in them even though this thing was made in Mexico was pretty solid build he didn't have any problems with it and it's still cruising along like no tomorrow and when you're coming to stop it's got excellent four-wheel disc brakes the ABS system still works fine really it's a nice comfy car to drive around in now this is a front-wheel drive car classic Lincoln of course or rear wheeel drive but being a front-wheel drive car it really handles the twisties better than an old fashioned rear wheeel drive Lincoln front-wheel drive cars just inherently are going to handle curves and stuff better because cars pull better than they push so if the front is pulling the car you actually get more control than when you're pushing in the back and especially when you're driving in the snow and the rain when you really need control surprisingly enough it wrode as good as my wife's Lexus I am totally shocked it's got the original struts and everything still rides right so does my my wife's Lexus and that's even older it's a 2001 right but it does need a thermostat the owner kind of knew it cuz he had a scan tool right supposedly somebody changed it but he didn't see the old part and here's what I'm going to tell you these have these crazy plastic thermostat module housings go to the Ford dealer and buy the hous and either put it on yourself or pay a mechanic the labor is only like 1.4 hours so they can't charge you a fortune but I notice the temperature gauge didn't even come close to halfway it stayed down there and you'll get a little bit better gas modu with a hotter thermostat the warmer your car runs the more efficient it is at burning gasoline until it overheats and then it blows up but that's another story as long as the cooling system's working running a little bit hotter is always better because it's more efficient and this one is stuck open so make sure you get the right one get the whole thing the whole module at the dealer put it on yourself or pay something to put on so what do I say about this MKZ it's a shame they don't make them like this anymore no turbo no GDI it still runs smooth as can be the transmission six-speed automatic silky it still looks good in Mexico they CLA those things pretty good look how shiny it still is the paint's not faded hey they did a good job when they make these I wonder what the Z's in China are like so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that Bell\n"