I am not gonna lie, get something from Honda or Toyota for a worry-free vehicle that you can use reliably for your college years and perhaps far far beyond. While my '17 2.3 MKC has more or less 'reliable', it has been in the shops far more times my wife's 2012 Camry. And the fixes (Sunshade, Transmission, Engine) has been progressively more and more expensive.
I am going off to college soon looking to get a 2016 lincoln mkc 2.3? would you reccomend?
Hello, I am about to head off to college in the fall and looking for a vehicle. Is the 2016-2017 Lincoln MKC 2.3 good? Are they reliable? Is the maintenance expensive? such as oil changes, tires, etc. Also, is the 2.3 Eco boost engine a reliable engine? How is the gas mileage or am I better off with a Honda Accord or Camry? I've looked at car complaints and haven't really seen anything too bad mostly on the 2.0 engines and I read the maintenance schedule I didn't see anything too severe to be honest. I know this is a "Lincoln" forum but be honest!
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Last note on the engine, this being a forum, you will see an amplified voice (and complaints) on issues, but nevertheless this is something that never should have been happening for cars with properly designed engine. So I would stay far away from a 15-19 MKC 2.0/2.3 unless it has its engine replaced in the last 3 years.
The 2.3 l engines are more dependable for some reason than the 2.0, you still see way more problems than you should out of those motors until you get to about 2020. For some reason the 2015's seem to be more robust than the 2016 to 2019. In the early days they had problems with the transmission and with a software flash the transmission issues were cleared up if it was done in time. Absolutely loved mine and had zero issues with it.
Thank you for your honesty! you're right! I think I will look at Hondas.I am not gonna lie, get something from Honda or Toyota for a worry-free vehicle that you can use reliably for your college years and perhaps far far beyond. While my '17 2.3 MKC has more or less 'reliable', it has been in the shops far more times my wife's 2012 Camry. And the fixes (Sunshade, Transmission, Engine) has been progressively more and more expensive.
As others have said, stick with a Honda or Toyota (though regardless of which brand you're looking at, always do as much research as you can before forking out thousands of dollars). No car is perfect and exempt from flaws, it's just a matter of finding ones with the least flaws, and I can attest the MKC has many (i.e., for example relating to Hondas, their 1.5L turbocharged I-4s (like in Accords and CRVs) have major fuel dilution issues. I don't know if they ever fixed that problem, but it infuriated a mountain of loyal Honda customers throwing lawsuits at the company left and right. Their V6 engines also are prone to consuming oil, especially at high mileage). Whatever you're set on buying, be sure to get a CarFax report if you're not provided one (it'll be the best $45 you'll ever spend if it prevents you from buying a lemon). Additonally, if you have an OBD2 scanner, be sure to bring that with you during the test drive.
As a side note, when it comes to MKCs, stay far away from the 2017-2019 ones. Their engines, both the 2.0 and 2.3 are second gens instead of first gens and are notorious for blowing head gaskets. The entire engine in my '18 was replaced under CPO last week. Saved me from a $7,000+ repair bill...
And as another side note, I prefer Toyota over Honda from personal experience, but that's just me.
As a side note, when it comes to MKCs, stay far away from the 2017-2019 ones. Their engines, both the 2.0 and 2.3 are second gens instead of first gens and are notorious for blowing head gaskets. The entire engine in my '18 was replaced under CPO last week. Saved me from a $7,000+ repair bill...
And as another side note, I prefer Toyota over Honda from personal experience, but that's just me.
Thank you so much! Quick question so will a 2016 MKC 2.3 be okay or is it still prone to those problems? And you're right about everything!! Heck, I am looking at some Camry's right now!As others have said, stick with a Honda or Toyota (though regardless of which brand you're looking at, always do as much research as you can before forking out thousands of dollars). No car is perfect and exempt from flaws, it's just a matter of finding ones with the least flaws, and I can attest the MKC has many (i.e., for example relating to Hondas, their 1.5L turbocharged I-4s (like in Accords and CRVs) have major fuel dilution issues. I don't know if they ever fixed that problem, but it infuriated a mountain of loyal Honda customers throwing lawsuits at the company left and right. Their V6 engines also are prone to consuming oil, especially at high mileage). Whatever you're set on buying, be sure to get a CarFax report if you're not provided one (it'll be the best $45 you'll ever spend if it prevents you from buying a lemon). Additonally, if you have an OBD2 scanner, be sure to bring that with you during the test drive.
As a side note, when it comes to MKCs, stay far away from the 2017-2019 ones. Their engines, both the 2.0 and 2.3 are second gens instead of first gens and are notorious for blowing head gaskets. The entire engine in my '18 was replaced under CPO last week. Saved me from a $7,000+ repair bill...
And as another side note, I prefer Toyota over Honda from personal experience, but that's just me.
If I had to compare the reliability of a 2016 MKC to a 2017-2019 MKC I'd say the 2016 will be better primarily because there's not the issue of blowing a head gasket as the 2017-2019 ones do, but MKCs, like any luxury vehicle, have more than average electrical gremlins that like to pop up whenever they feel like it and I've heard of a few reports on this forum of transmission failure (though I don't know how common that actually is, I just know it's not fun spending thousands to have it replaced). For the electrical gremlins I've experienced since buying mine in December 2021, it took twelve or so attempts to get the power liftgate to close each time (it'd stop halfway and beep, eventually it closed normally after being fussy for a week) and the subwoofer went out a year later (replaced under warranty).Thank you so much! Quick question so will a 2016 MKC 2.3 be okay or is it still prone to those problems? And you're right about everything!! Heck, I am looking at some Camry's right now!
Another thing I don't like about MKCs is they can be gas hogs (especially the 2.3, rated somewhere around 18 city, 26 highway, 21 combined. There are some V6-powered vehicles that get better fuel economy than that and have nearly the same power and torque). I don't know why Ford calls them "EcoBoosts." It's always Boost with gobs of power on tap, but almost never any Eco. I drive like a granny and only average around 22. It's not fun filling up a vehicle like that when gas is $4+ a gallon, at least where I live. I'm assuming the Toyotas and Hondas you're looking at are much more economical.
Man thank you so much for the REAL truth!If I had to compare the reliability of a 2016 MKC to a 2017-2019 MKC I'd say the 2016 will be better primarily because there's not the issue of blowing a head gasket as the 2017-2019 ones do, but MKCs, like any luxury vehicle, have more than average electrical gremlins that like to pop up whenever they feel like it and I've heard of a few reports on this forum of transmission failure (though I don't know how common that actually is, I just know it's not fun spending thousands to have it replaced). For the electrical gremlins I've experienced since buying mine in December 2021, it took twelve or so attempts to get the power liftgate to close each time (it'd stop halfway and beep, eventually it closed normally after being fussy for a week) and the subwoofer went out a year later (replaced under warranty).
Another thing I don't like about MKCs is they can be gas hogs (especially the 2.3, rated somewhere around 18 city, 26 highway, 21 combined. There are some V6-powered vehicles that get better fuel economy than that and have nearly the same power and torque). I don't know why Ford calls them "EcoBoosts." It's always Boost with gobs of power on tap, but almost never any Eco. I drive like a granny and only average around 22. It's not fun filling up a vehicle like that when gas is $4+ a gallon, at least where I live. I'm assuming the Toyotas and Hondas you're looking at are much more economical.
Agree 100%. I have the same car.I am not gonna lie, get something from Honda or Toyota for a worry-free vehicle that you can use reliably for your college years and perhaps far far beyond. While my '17 2.3 MKC has more or less 'reliable', it has been in the shops far more times my wife's 2012 Camry. And the fixes (Sunshade, Transmission, Engine) has been progressively more and more expensive.
Just to add to this.. My backup camera is starting to fail. I would get a blue screen or 'camera not available' message about once every 10 reverses now.
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