Lincoln Zephyr or Avalon?

Debating which would be the better.

The Av seems to be popular, well built, well, equipped, and fast.

The Lincoln is interesting in its own ways.

Anyone tried both yet? I hear the Linc is a bit wheezy under the hood.

Reply to
Bob H
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Reply to
ma_twain

Yeah, because nobody's buying them. :-)

Reply to
High Tech Misfit

Last time we had a Mercury Zephyr was a brand new one in 1980

I'm surprized they had the BALLS to revive the nameplate! People must be running away from the showrooms (Or at least those of us that remember the LAST Zephyr model...)

Reply to
Hachiroku

Why would anybody of sound mind even contemplate basing their opinion of any vehicle on what is on the market today with what was available many years ago? Should I judge all new Toyotas by my first Toyota? ;)

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

One should be comparing the Zephyr to the Camry, not the Avalon. The Zephyr competes in size with the Camry but with more standard equipment than a similarly priced Camry. The Zyphyr is many thousands less than a base Avalon that has less equipment. The Fords to compare with the Avalon are the larger 500 and the Montigo. But again even those are larger but even less expensive, they are available in AWD for at least $6,000 less than the Avalon FWD.

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

You forgot to say "in my opinion."

The Camry has more head room (front and rear), similar leg room, more shoulder room and has a bigger trunk. The Camry SE-V6 has a power-to-weight ratio similar to the Zephyr and gets better gas mileage. What's not so comparable there?

You can get a fancier stereo in the Zephyr but, so what? I can buy one at Curcuit City with the $4K I save on the Camry up front and on the better gas mileage and on repairs I won't be purchasing.

But, that's just me. Enjoy your Zephyr!

Heck, the Camry looks good compared to the Five Hundred, too. I've posted on that, previously.

Of course, again, that's just my opinon - backed up by facts.

Reply to
dh

Isn't that the reason why Ford and GM keep changing car names? That's due to the poor reputation of that particular name.

Reply to
Viperkiller

Why would any company be stupid enuf to resurrect a brand name when the original model sucked. That was his point.

Reply to
Art

Reach FURTHER BACK into history, Artie.

Reply to
Philip

The 1939 Lincoln Zephyr was a great car in its day. LOL

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

I don't know, but I'm sure that is why Toyota no longer sells the Toyopet. LOL

PS At least I got my money back

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

The original poster was comparing the Avalon and the Zephyr. I not sure what comparison to which you are referring, size or price, of the Zephyr to the Camry or the 500. There is only one model, and three options, for the Zephyr. As to size comparison the 500 is bigger than the others and less expensive than either.

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

With respect to the Zephyr and the Camry, I wrote: "The Camry has more head room (front and rear), similar leg room, more shoulder room and has a bigger trunk. The Camry SE-V6 has a power-to-weight ratio similar to the Zephyr and gets better gas mileage."

That's a comparison based on the functional interior space, performance and fuel economy. I didn't bother to say anything about price but the Camry's going to be about $6k less, according to Edmunds TMV.

So, you can compare the Zephyr to the Camry and, for $6K extra on the Zephyr, you get wood trim and a better radio. Or you can compare the Avalon to the Zephyr and, for about the same price, the Avalon is a bigger car with similar trim and better fuel mileage.

Your choice.

As regards the Camry and the Five Hundred:

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* Even the 4-cylinder Camry offers a rougly similar power-to-weigh ratio, has very smilar interior room (the difference in headroom for front-seat passengers is about .2", I think all other measurements were within an inch and the Camry had slightly more front legroom) and has a similar-sized trunk. If you object that they're not "comparable" because the Camry is a smaller car on the outside, I say, "So what?" Sure, the Camry is smaller on the outside but all "bigger on the outside" gets you is more trouble parking (especially since the Five Hundred's turning circle sucks).

Where are you getting your pricing information? According to Edmunds, the Five Hundred is not "less expensive than either," as the Camry's MSRP is $2500 less than the Five Hundred and Edmunds puts their TMV, after rebates at $2k less for the Camry.

I can't see purchasing a Five Hundred or a Zephyr over a Camry.

Of course, that's just me. I buy a car for transportation. I select one based on capacities, capabilities, needs and the likelihood that it will be entirely trouble-free (my experience with Toyotas) or at least mostly trouble free but easy to fix when something does go wrong (my experience with 4-cylinder Volvos). I don't buy a car because I'm trying to prove something. I don't feel a need to spend extra for a high-status brand badge or a hot quarter mile to compensate for something else.

Reply to
DH

You are right. I should have said previous version.

Reply to
Art

Um, I think the ToyoPet is still available in other parts of the world...

At least, it was a few years ago.

Reply to
Hachiroku

Maybe the name but certainly not the car. Goodness what an awful things the first ones were. They where built on a truck chassis because nothing available in Japan at the time would hold up to use in the US.. My friend now departed owned a Dodge dealership and was taking on Toyota. If I recall it was around 1958, he asked me to take one for the invoice price of $600 to get some on the road and he would buy it back any time within in a year for the same amount. I was not my only vehicle, but I gave it back to him in six months. He sons run the dealership today in Allentown Pa and advertise it as Toyota oldest dealership in the US.

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Exactly correct one must compare vehicle by size and price. The Camry is clearly better than the Zephry in that comparison but when you load up the Camry to compare in content to the Zephy, it becomes the better buy. The Zephry is cleary better than the Avalon. The 500 is clearly better than the Camry when price is considered. ;)

mike hunt

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Reply to
Mike Hunter

They were so poorly made that Toyota took the remaining lot of them and did not return to the US for another 8 years!

But, when they came back, they came back with a vengance. You will recall, at that time, getting 100,000 out of a car was a Good Thing. The Corollas would go 100,000 with very few problems. As demands for higher mileage came, Toyota rose to the challenge.

Problem was, even into the '70's they were fairly 'disposable' cars; when something finally DID go wrong, it did so in a Big Way. But the worst problem, for those of us in the Norteast, was Rust. The engine and tranny would run forever, as you drive down the street watching flakes fall off the car! The worst one I had personally was a '72 Corona MkII. Hell of a car, but the rails that comrpise the 'frame' rusted right through!

Reply to
Hachiroku

Not too suprisingly, there are STILL some of those old Coronas on the streets of southern California. Yeah, it's nearly always some Mexican driving it but ... the car's still rollin'.

Reply to
Philip

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