Opinions re. daughter's car dilemma.

[John Schmidt]

She's been driving an '08 Lincoln MKX the last 10 years or so and has wracked up about 215k miles on it. This past week the engine finally took a dump with only a slight warning. She's 66, can't go on full SS until this time next year so making a car payment is kinda out of the question so again...it's dad to the rescue. Physically(body, interior, etc.) the car is in good shape, everything works. In the recent past she had full brakes done, new tires the past year, some front end work done due to normal wear at that mileage, some of it came out of my pocket. I can get a replacment used motor for it for about $2500, plus another $2500-3000 for the installation. She would have to rent a car for at least a week to commute to/from work which is about a 20 minute drive one way. My problem is simply this; I'm trying to decide if paying for the engine swap is a better option than simply buying her another used car. Or would a different car be a better investment...hard to say. At least she knows what she has with the current vehicle as far as overall condition. As for a reliable choice, it's a bit of a toss-up...used car or used engine. The Total amount of $$ would be similar, in either case she would be paying me monthly what she can afford. She's quite frugal, chose many years ago to not have credit cards and simply puts away $$ each month to cover incidentals if needed. She lives in central Illinois, about 450 miles away, so I would most likely just tow the car down if I decide to go that route. I believe she did find a used engine from a large local recycle yard, it has approx. 65k on it so kinda leaning that way. I'm just trying to mull through what might be the best option in the long run.

[old2soon]

   Used engine IS a crap shoot. How much more is a reman engine?? R & R should be the same and with a reman usually a better warranty. Considering most if not all subsystems as good as ya sez they is my 2 cents say reman. RIDE SAFE.

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

I'm not a Ford tech, but the way I understand it, the 3.5's Achilles heel is the timing chain-driven water pump and chain itself. Other than that, they aren't known for being a POS. What happened to it, when you say it "took a dump"? Catastrophic, as in rod-through-the-block-dead or something less sinister? I've heard of plenty of shops diagnosing an engine as no good when they are very fixable if you know what you are doing. If they are not very familiar with the engine, they may be far more comfortable swapping in a running used one than trying to fix what they don't understand.

[Jersey mike]

I have to assume time is of the essence so a decision needs to be made fairly soon.

That's said I have to agree with some of what was said above by Ken (oil burner) about the crap shoot of a used engine and what exactly is wrong with the engine right now. We went through a similar situation with my wife's '99 4cyl (375k miles) Camry a couple years back, it dropped a cylinder and the repair scenario was similar (and costs) to what you are dealing with now. We got lucky and found a very nice 2013 Toyota Avalon with very low miles at a good price, so we went that way.

From what you wrote you will ship the car to you (or a mechanic/shop) near you along with the replacement engine. If the car is going to a mechanic you know why not first let him diagnose the the issue unless the car and replacement engine will be shipped together to save the extra shipping cost of sending the engine through a separate shipping service.

Good luck, I know how difficult this type of issue can be.

[Pluggy]

Hello, John.  There are a few risks about replacing an engine.   The mechanic's estimate to replace the engine may be low and less than the final bill.  Is a "good used" engine really, really good?   And, a Lincoln (or any luxury SUV) is complicated with a lot of things that can fail in the future. 

Selecting to replace the engine assumes that the entire car will be reliable and you don't have a "money pit".

If a decent, basic replacement car is available, that would be a choice to consider.

Your Pal / Pluggy.

[Jersey mike]

Hello, John.  There are a few risks about replacing an engine.   The mechanic's estimate to replace the engine may be low and less than the final bill.  Is a "good used" engine really, really good?   And, a Lincoln (or any luxury SUV) is complicated with a lot of things that can fail in the future. 

Selecting to replace the engine assumes that the entire car will be reliable and you don't have a "money pit".

If a decent, basic replacement car is available, that would be a choice to consider.

Your Pal / Pluggy.

And yes to this point as well. 

[scooperhsd]

If time is of the essence - get a replacement car - say 5-10 years old with maybe 10,000 miles per year of age. Of course, this may / may not need some some things done / maintenace caught up, and would probably cost more, but it is probably a better long term solution.

[Timbo1]

The value of a 2008 Lincoln MKX isn't very much, perhaps not even the cost of the estimated repair of $5k - $6k.

A used engine assembly (no accessories) can be picked up from PYP.com for $438 +Tax but there's labor to remove and reinstall.  Since I'm still capable I'd probably choose this as my first choice if I felt the car was worth the amount of effort to do it myself.

Remanufactured crate engines are $4k + but would probably be more reliable / longer lasting and have better warranty than used.


My second choice if it were my daughter in this situation. I'd probably be looking to buy myself a newer vehicle and let her have my current one.  The thinking behind that is I know the maintenance, care and how my current vehicle has been driven and know it would be very reliable for her.  But it's older (2005) and I've had it since new with only 76k miles currently.  I'd probably come up with other solutions if I had a newer vehicle but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't invest $5k - $6k into a 18 yr old vehicle unless it was in pristine new condition.

[Pluggy]

John, I understand you know some men who work at a dealership. You may want to ask what $5K buys in today's used car market. And, of course we can look at private sellers.

The new cars have become quite expensive. That has pushed up prices in the used market, too.

[flsix]

John, any friends back in Fl who may know someone with a condo car that a snow bird is trying to part with?

[crow]

That's more miles I've ever heard a Ford go, except a diesel. I'd go with a kia ect, not American, with 100k miles. Should last a long time.

[John Schmidt]

Good advice from all, thanks loads. Strangely enough, my thinking has been along the same vein re. options. The car is currently in the shop that did get it running enough to determine the problem and it didn't take but a few seconds I'm told...lost a cylinder and a second one knocking like someone beating the motor with a hammer. The shop's feeling the motor isn't a candidate for repair/rebuild. As for giving her my old car and buying a newer one is exactly what I thought of a month ago when I bought a 2024 Buick Enclave to replace my  2018 model. Three weeks later I'm wishing I had done that. I could have driven my car down to her, rented a front wheel tow dolly from U-Haul and brought it back here to Wisconsin, then used it for my trade. I know where there's a 2010 Buick Enclave with 75k miles, apparently a former company car and appears to be in great condition. It's $6500 which is about what engine replacement would cost on her current car. Financially, I can do it but won't be cheap, she(I) also will have to rent a small car for a short time until we make a decision. I can dip into savings for part of it but won't do all of it, cuts my own throat. I can put the balance on one of my 4 credit cards where I have literally thousands available at well under 10%. Her plan is to repay me monthly which I'll accept for a while until she gets back on her transportation feet, how long is unknown. She has a good job with good bennies but at age 66, she isn't going to be there much longer.

A person has to stop and think about all this help handed out to your kids over the years, even when they're adults. Even at her age of 66, she's still one of my children and I love her now as I did when I first changed her diaper. I'll post the outcome here when all is done.

[Jersey mike]

Just food for thought;


Does she really need a larger SUV type vehicle and could she handle a 3 year lease on something smaller, say a Hyundai or a Kia in their smaller SUV models, maybe even Toyota or Honda?

If she's traveling 20 minutes to and from work (5 days) each day (say about 30 miles round trip, that's about 600 miles p/month) and doesn't do too much driving other than that it may be to her advantage on the yearly mileage (I think 3 year leases typically allow 12k per year or 36k over the 3 years) plus it might give some peace of mind that she's in something new and should be worry free. Of course there's the basic maintenance she'd need to contend with like oil changes and brakes but in three years that's probably just one, maybe 2 sets of brake pads.