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9.5 years later ⌛️

I finally did it!

I officially have my first new car in nearly 10 years.

I've been posting a lot about my car troubles with the Audi A4 that I was driving. I have since called it quits on that car and decided to trade it for something else.

I ended up purchasing a 2013 Lincoln MKZ with the 3.7L and AWD

A huge thanks to my awesome salesman Todd Watson over at Moses in Saint Albans. Ask for him if you’re looking to buy a car anytime soon.

^{I want to give a big shoutout to @intothewild for commenting on one of my posts to tell me that he had a Lincoln and loved it. I hadn't considered a Lincoln until he told me how awesome they are. He sure was right!}

I spent a few weeks browsing the local used cars online and I struggled to find anything that fit my strict criteria. That was until Monday night when I discovered the listing for a car that at the time I had no idea would soon be mine.

This was my first look at it...

As I mentioned before about having strict criteria, I somehow managed to check basically every single one of my boxes. Let me explain why this was the perfect car for me.

1.Low Mileage
Although this was a 2013 model, it somehow only had 52,568 miles on it. It was very well kept and had never been in an accident through its two owners in 10 years.

2.Stylish and Mod-Friendly
If you are a fan of chrome, then this thing is a dream come true. I really am not. I much prefer black accents on a car, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from getting this ride. It's not my favorite car on the road, but I do still think it is gorgeous. It's also not extremely mod-friendly, but I didn't really have big plans for it anyway. A change to the exhaust and wheels is about the only thing that I had in mind.

3.Four Doors
This is indeed a four-door sedan and very spacious.

4.AWD Drivetrain
This car came with the optional AWD system which means I will have a car that is ready to handle the snow. I just like how AWD cars handle, they really can hug turns and never lose traction at take-off.

5.Fun To Drive
This car has 300 hp, which is quite the jump from my 210 hp Audi. It's a 3.7L V6 engine and it's far from slow. It will throw you back into the seat if you want it to and acceleration is great. It handles like a dream too. The paddle shifters are something else new I'm hyped about. I love driving in sport mode and feeling like I have a little bit more control over when gear shifts happen in those instances.

6.Fair Price
This was listed at a fair market price, which is unusual these days. It had been on their lot for a few months and at this point, they just needed to get rid of it. It was right in the middle of my budget and I'm glad I saved some extra money so that I could afford to purchase an extended warranty.

7.Nearby or Cheap Delivery
It was located less than 20 minutes from my apartment. I had actually been over there to test drive an Infiniti a few weeks prior. I contacted a salesman named Todd Watson, he had given me his phone number from the last time I was there. I told him I saw this car for sale and wanted to come to look at it and most likely buy it the next day. He came in on his day off just to help me purchase it and I appreciate all of his hard work. He's a really cool dude and if you are ever at Moses in Saint Albans, WV be sure to ask for him.

8.Modern Tech
I have been totally mind-blown by all of the fancy new gadgets this car has. There are dozens of things it does that my older car did not. It was ahead of its time back in 2013 when it was released. The only thing it doesn't have is Apple Car Play, but that's okay because it does have Ford's Microsoft SYNC infotainment system and I've already grown to like it quite much.

9.Decent On Gas
I'm getting slightly less gas mileage than my Audi, but with all of this new power, that makes complete sense. I've been driving it slow when I do Instacart so that I don't burn extra gas. I will save the aggressive driving for fun trips on empty roads.

10.Plenty of Cargo Space
The Lincoln MKZ has just as much, if not more space than my Audi. The trunk is massive and the rear seats fold down for longer items that may not fit otherwise. There is even a button on my key fob that opens and closes the trunk for me.

It was time to say goodbye to my 2009 Audi A4 with Candy Teal VMR wheels. I loved this thing so much and it was great for many years. However, all good things come to an end and this car was on its last leg. Although I was still getting compliments on it regularly out in public, I felt it was best if we parted ways. It wasn't worth much due to CarFax's history and many issues with it. I only got $1000 out of it, but that allowed me to have a bit more wiggle room with financing the Lincoln.

It took about 3.5 hours at the dealership, but shortly after noon, I was on my way home. I was giddy as you could have probably assumed. I hadn't ever pictured myself driving a Lincoln, but I became thrilled as soon as I sat in it the first time after signing the paperwork.

It has black leather with woodgrain on the dash and various other places in the car. There are also some chrome accents and plenty of fancy buttons.

When the car is off, all of the console buttons disappear and it makes the interior look very minimalist. There are ample storage areas throughout the car. The front has more space than I even need. The fact that it doesn't have a traditional gear shifter and instead has buttons means that there is an opening under the center console to store large items. I also love that it has Ford's patented keypad system on the driver's side door. This means that if I ever lock the keys in the car, I will be able to unlock them with the code that I set. I could also send someone else to my car to grab something without having to give them my keys. It's a really cool feature and only Ford/Lincoln/Mercury has it.

In terms of the exterior styling, the ass is my favorite part about it. I love the light strip that goes from one side to the other. It has dual exhausts. Plus the badging is pretty cool too.

A feature I didn't even realize that the car had until a few days after owning it was ambient lighting. I have seen this in cars and always thought it was so freaking cool. I figured it was reserved only for newer cars, but the Lincoln MKZ came standard with it in 2013. There are 7 colors to choose from, but I currently have it set to blue.

Just look at how it glows at night, it's a total vibe.

The car has bluetooth, that means no need for an AUX cord anymore. My Audi didn't even have working speakers anymore, but this MKZ bumps and sounds great.

SYNC allows me to do everything with the car. Phone calls, GPS, AC control, music, and more. One unique feature I never would have guessed that it has is the ability to set a custom wallpaper. I used a USB stick to upload my Daltono design so I can always glance down and see that blue beauty.

I was given two key fobs when I bought the car. One of them was missing the silver cap on the end to attach to keychains. The other didn't work at all. I went a few days later to meet with Moses's key guy to fix my issue. He not only got my key working, but he also gave me a third key fob at no charge. These things usually cost several hundreds of dollars, so I lucked out big time there.

You may also notice that it has remote start. The other button is to open the trunk as I mentioned previously.

I've already been filling this thing with groceries. It's so nice to be able to get back into doing my Instacrt work. I enjoy it a lot, but having to take off due to car troubles was very stressful. I can finally rely on my car to help me get the job done for my customers.

My first full day out with it was the hardest rain we have had in a long time. There were floods in some places and I was getting soaked every time that I got out of the car. Thankfully it is leather inside, so getting the seats wet wasn't a problem.

I can say that it handles very nicely in the rain, even with high water. Something I totally am in love with about the car is the headlights. Not only does it have blue HIDs, but it also has cornering lights. If you've never heard of that before, let me explain. The cornering lamp function is activated when turning. Depending on the steering angle, the headlights swivel left or right. They illuminate the area to the side of your car, considerably increasing safety in the dark or while driving in poor lighting conditions. In short, the headlights can change their aim depending on if you are going straight or making a turn.

I'm in love with this car and it is exactly the type of car I was hoping to find. I'm beyond grateful for everybody on Hive who has helped me earn my stake. I was able to put $2,000 down on it which came directly out of my Hive wallet. I didn't want to spend it, but kind of had to at this moment.

Thanks for checking out my 2013 Lincoln MKZ!