Back in the mid 1980’s a good friend and successful salesman wore the really nice suits , drove Mercedes and Jaguar automobiles. He finally gave up an account he could not seem to do anything with. The person who got it did really well with it. The owner of the firm told the new salesman that my friend just did not look like he really needed the business.
Each occupation has its own foibles. If OP says the financial industry expects a limited choice of automobiles, I suspect he knows what he is talking about. Standing out in some occupations means unemployment.
I like Lincolns (currently own and have in the past also), like them a lot, and certainly do not consider them to be proprietary to the old folks.
I’m also adverse to perception by others being a factor in a car purchase.
Not to keep whipping a dead horse but this was an interesting article on how to save Lincoln. I’ve only owned one but pretty much agree with what he says.
I’m in full agreement with the author of the story in regards to his comment about the nose styling.
In polite terms, it’s nauseatingly hideous; and then some.
Lincoln is a “has been” trying for a comeback. It worked for Frank Sinatra, but he had talent and adaptability. Lincoln lacks these distinguishing qualities.
Lincoln is still associated with white shoes, golf carts, hairpieces, just like Oldsmobile was.
Using a movie star to prop up the mark just does not cut it.
@VDCdriver Is it really bad that the Lincoln MKZ is built on a Ford Fusion platform? The Lincoln Towncar, if I remember correctly, rode on a Ford Crown Victoria platform. I drove a Ford Fusion from my institution’s fleet some five years ago and really liked the car. I know that this was an earlier generation of the Fusion. If the present generation is as good or better,the MKZ_should be a,nice car.
The thing is that old people are changing too. I see quite a few of them daily due to my work and being a car guy, I pretty much know what everyone drives. The list has moved on from Buick/etc, now it is Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, Honda Fit, Chevy Sonic. I notice they want smaller cars, good gas mileage and mostly high sitting position. The closest to the Lincoln is the guy who has a Ford Edge but his is not very old either.
Recent reviews of the MKX and MKC were positive (MKX especially). Assigning old attitudes to the new Lincolns is no different than worrying about what others think. Neither is very productive. If somebody like one, great. The Fusion is one of the better-regarded sedans, so the MKZ has a good starting point. Just like how the Lexus ES350 benefits from starting starting with the well-built Camry.
Lincolns are okay, but they’re definitely not the world class luxury cars they were when I was young. And, frankly, having seen their designs of the past 20 years I think they’ve forgotten how to make a luxury car. The “dead bird” grill stuck on the front of the bloated whale body, all hiding basic Ford parts, just doesn’t “cut the mustard”. The old “slab side” lincs with the suicide rear doors, now THAT was luxury!
But none of that matters. If the OP wants a Lincoln, he should get a Lincoln. I stand by that.
The 2017 MKZ starts at just under $36k. That’s for the front wheel drive, four cylinder turbo base model. By the time you add the stuff you’d expect in a luxury car like nav, leather seats (cloth is standard) and a moon roof, you’re over $42k, if you want a V6, that will bring the price to over $45k. Basically even the bare bones MKZ is at the upper limit of what the OP is envisioning himself spending.
Kind of steep for a Fusion in lipstick IMHO.
“Fusion in lipstick”. I LOVE it! You’ve described Lincoln Division’s problem in three words!
You’d think other manufacturers would have learned by now that the marketplace catches on quickly, and once they do the manufacturer loses their trust. The Cadillac Cimarron should have been a lesson to them all. I guess Lincoln Division wasn’t paying attention. 
I wonder if we should be giving advice to the OP. There is another post on this board titled “Buying the Cheapest Wrenches I Could” to which a,bunch of us regulars also responded. I am not sure even know what a,luxury car is, let alone,what the upper crust should drive. I do,however, have a.lot of cheap tools.
My one experience about a high level person selecting a car was,with the college president at the small private school I attended. My final year, the Board of Trustees decided that the college should furnish a car for the president. The president was,on the road quite a bit doing fund raising for the college. I didn’t know,what had been purchased until I was walking into town from campus and the president recognized me and offered me a,ride. When I got in the car, it was the bottom of the line Biscayne that Chevrolet made. In,1962…The car was a manual transmission and didn’t even have a passenger side sun visor… I made some comment about the car and the president informed me that he himself had,chosen the car. I must have looked shocked, because he,just laughed and said,"I have to raise money for this college. Doners are more apt to give money when they see me,driving something like this,than if I came up in a,Cadillac ".
Well we had a 61 Biscayne wagon, manual, 6 cyl., standard brakes and steering, etc. Seems to me it had only one sun visor but that might have been the 58 Yeoman. Actually it wasn’t a bad car, just a little embarrassing with the lack of chrome and black walls. It really was the same car as the Impala with less seat padding, cheaper upholstery, no chrome on the outside to rust, and I think the springs were different but I don’t know. My dad was laid off for a little while and I remember thinking we were pretty fortunate to have a new car even though it was the bottom model.
I have a trophy wife, do not think a black trailblazer is a trophy car, but there is a persona involved with success implied by the car you drive, dress for success, or to be impressive you have to look impressive come to mind. Do not worry myself as many millionaires I know care not, but to some it matters.
" Is it really bad that the Lincoln MKZ is built on a Ford Fusion platform?"
No, Triedaq it isn’t at all a bad thing that the MKZ is built on a Ford Fusion platform, and is mechanically and electronically 99% identical to a Fusion. What IS a bad thing–in my humble opinion–is paying several thousand more dollars for a cosmetically-altered version of the same car.
Perhaps my values are different than yours are, but if I could get a fully optioned Fusion–which is a very nice car–for a few thousand $$ less than an MKZ, I wouldn’t consider the MKZ to be a good value. Investing a few thousand $$ that I saved in the process would likely yield more tangible benefits in the long run, as compared to the…benefits…of having a different badge on my car.
You’re right, @VDCdriver. It does come down to values. In 2003 we needed a new van, and I discovered that the Olds Silhouette had significantly more comfortable seating compared to the equivalent Chevy and Pontiac vans. I was willing to pay more for the van because of the comfort and a few other features that were either not available or were a lesser level than the Olds. Fortunately for me, Olds had just announced its demise, and discounts to attract buyers decreased the margin significantly. It’s still a very comfortable car after 13 years. A neighbor bought the Chevy van about the same time, then traded it for the Pontiac and has moved on from it while we still drive the Olds. For us, buying what we liked translated into paying less than half what the neighbor’s did for “equivalent” transportation.
I still think the OP should drive the competing models and make an informed decision. Asking for a test drive is a step in the buying decision. When I buy, I pick two levels of car to look at. When I bought the Taurus, the Civic was the other finalist. The Taurus had more room in the back seat and a lot more trunk room; both important for a young family. When I bought the Accord, I compared comparably equipped Accord EX V6 and Buick LaCrosse models. Both were great, but the Honda was $3000 less. I went with the less expensive model because the features were equivalent and the better value. I will do the same thing soon when we buy our next car.
@VDCdriver I think we do have different values. You would buy a fully optioned Ford Fusion over the Lincoln MKZ. I would buy the base Ford Fusion with as few options as possible… I was in high school and was a new driver when Studebaker came out with the stripped down Champion and called the car the Scotsman. The Scotsman wasn’t even available with a radio or automatic transmission. If you wanted a radio, you went to Sears or Western Auto. If you couldn’t shift gears back rhen, you had no business driving. If you didn’t like the painted hubcaps, it only took a few seconds to take them off. If your significant other did not like it that the Scotsman didn’t have a passenger side sunvisor, then either have her move over close to you and share the driver’s sunvisor, or buy her a pair of sunglasses… The options that were offered on the Scotsman included the Borg.Warner overdrive transmission which allowed the Studebaker to get 30 mpg on the highway and a,limited slip differential. The Scotsman had a hand choke so you ,didn’t have to worry about the automatic choke sticking. The car was simple and easy to work on. I really admired that car for its,simplicity, but I,was probably the only teen-ager on the face of the planet that did. The only car that was simpler at the time was a King Midget where even an electric starter was an option. The Scotsman was the pinnacle of luxury compared to the King Midget. When I did buy cars, I was perfectly happy with my bottom of the line Rambler Classic 550 and my Ford Maverick. I certainly today wouldn’t spring for the extra cash to buy a Lincoln MKZ over a Ford Fusion.
Base your decision primarily on what YOU want. You’re the one stuck with whatever you get.
Even the base Fusion is decently equipped, IMO. Sure a lot nicer than the strippo models of 20 years ago, that’s for sure
“If you couldn’t shift gears back then, you had no business driving.”
My dad taught my brother and I how to drive stick. We got the learner’s permit at the earliest opportunity, and we drove with him every day, every weekend, under ALL conditions, for a year, before we took the driving test. Passed with flying colors.
“If your significant other did not like it that the Scotsman didn’t have a passenger side sunvisor, then either have her move over close to you and share the driver’s sunvisor, or buy her a pair of sunglasses”
I would have bought “her” a pair of counterfeit sunglasses from a street vendor, and told her to stay on her side of the car 
And I would have slept on the couch 
I used parentheses because I’ve never been married