Hmm, a 2001 Lincoln Cont listed at Edmunds as “Trade in $3,391 Private Party $4,544 Dealer retail $5,745” and that’s without figuring in options or “clean” condition. High milage?
Oddly my Saturn from the same year comes out as $3,703 $4,692 $5,782, in other words, my Saturn is worth about the same as your Lincoln, and the original price was half.:eek:
125+ kilo-miles. Plus there’s a difference based on zip code.
No, most of them have torque converters. A 2002 Saturn might have a lockup torque converter, and that might have a small clutch (I have no idea, to be honest), but it’s safe to assume that that isn’t what someone is referring to when they speak of “replacing the clutch.”
Pretty high milage. But it is interesting that your Lincoln has certainly not held it’s value, while my Saturn has done almost as well as a Toyota, in fact considering the difference in purchase price, it’s about a wash. So, some American cars do hold their value.
automatics have clutch packs in them but I agree that “replacing the clutch” generally relates to a manual transmission.
Yes, it’s a manual transmission. This is another of the reasons I’ve decided to do the engine work - it’s getting harder to find stickshift cars, which I favor. Also, my car has no power windows or other bells and whistles, which is also something I favor. I view that stuff as minimal convenience (for someone like me), but which costs a lot to fix when they break.
Ordered my new engine yesterday. Work will be done toward the end of this week, I think. Will let you know how this gamble pays off.
What’s interesting is that my car has been (until recently) on the Consumer Reports list of best 10 best used cars. It was the only American non-truck on the list. But, there are a lot of things the figure into value. For me, the utility value of having a “beater” in excellent condition is worth more than any potential sales price. In practical terms, I’d regard the true potential sales price as $0, because my plan is to drive in into the ground. Now we’ve come full circle, and need to decide whether “into the ground” means needing a new head, or simultaneously need brakes, shocks, engine work, transmission work, and so on.
Probably a good call to replace the engine, especially where you don’t have an automatic tranny to worry about. Before it’s installed, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to inspect and/or replace the water pump, especially if the stock pump uses plastic impellers, the plastic ones are failure-prone and it’s a cinch to do it prior to installation. Check the timing chain tensioner too. Also make sure all belts and hoses are new. Be very careful with the warranty, make sure you give it a thorough once-over to make sure there’s no gotchas. I got hosed on a warranty many years ago for just that reason.
Good luck.