So the Lincoln Motor Company has decided to introduce a new service called Lincoln Pickup & Delivery. Instead of explaining it, here’s what they posted on their website about this new “ownership experience:”

An effortless door-to-door experience.
We know your time is valuable. That’s why Lincoln makes moving through life seamless with our new pickup and delivery ownership experience. We’ll pick up your vehicle when it’s time for service and drop it off when the work is complete. We’ll also lend you a complimentary Lincoln in between – so your time remains distinctly yours. 
You specify the time and location and we do everything else. With convenient texts or emails, we’ll keep you informed about your vehicle and provide timely updates. To complete the experience, we’ll deliver your Lincoln back to you washed, serviced and ready for your next journey. When it comes to owning a Lincoln, we make it simple.

What’s this you say? Am I dreaming? Let me explain…

For many, many, MANY years, I’ve live with significant anguish over automobile maintenance. I hate fixing cars. So much so, that I stopped buying and began leasing exclusively so that I can give the car back to the dealership before I have to start paying to fix it.

Now, I thought I’d hit the jackpot when I started leasing vehicles with multiple years of free scheduled maintenance… Now this?! So you mean to tell me, not only is there free scheduled maintenance, but, I don’t even have to take the car TO the dealership? Where do I sign up…

But, I have to go a bit deeper…

Lincoln. Not exactly a cutting edge brand. They have done a great job of establishing themselves as Ford’s luxury brand, but… Then you survey the landscape of other options out there. Competition.

I freely concede that I can get past the other options because, I also no longer buy/lease cars for their features alone… I buy/lease cars for their maintenance attributes as well. Let me continue to explain…

The car buying experience is horrid. Consumers spend hours, days, months trying to get the best possible deal and the only way to do that is to engage in the purchase dance until you get what you want.

Then you get what you want… You find yourself elated with joy over your purchase – UNTIL – your brand new car suddenly gets recalled for a manufacturers defect. Now you realize it’s like getting married… The honeymoon lasts for two weeks, then you’re back to life and in it for the long haul. This is where I’ve refocused my energies…

I contend that the process of buying/leasing a car is the easy part – though painful – the pain is temporary. It lasts long enough for you to sign the papers. But taking care of the car thereafter is years ahead of you. It’s the marriage, not the wedding.

Now there are people who do change their spouses as frequently as they change their cars, but, that’s another post for another day… The analogy is valid…

I interview service advisers at local dealerships. I read reviews of maintenance experiences for the car I want. Ultimately, my decision comes down to who makes the best case for long-term-customer-service-oriented-car-care. Lincoln just made it to the top of the list when it’s time to consider. I don’t know if I’ll end up with a Lincoln when all is said and done, but, they were previously not even on the list for consideration…

You’ll still have to shop dealerships because they’re all independently owned and will vary greatly based on the owner’s perspective, but, how easy is pickup AND delivery?

Now if Lincoln could only break the stigma of being old people’s cars… Cadillac did it… So can you Lincoln…

In the mean time, an MKX will suffice…