Piston Slap: A Spoonful of Sugar for Bitter Medicine?

Peter writes:Hi Sajeev,My mother-in-law in New England drives a fifteen-year-old Mazda Tribute with a manual transmission that is way overdue for replacement. She won’t settle for anything that doesn’t have 1) the ability to power all four wheels equally at the same time (I think her Mazda has a button or lever to engage the 4WD, so it doesn’t have to be a full-time 4WD system), and 2) a manual transmission. She is suspicious of the modern “all-wheel-drive” systems found on Subaru, etc., and swears that nothing works in the snow like 4WD.Personally, I think she tried my wife’s Subaru Forester and got a bad impression of it because it had the worn-out OEM Bridgestone tires, which were terrible in snow. Anyway, the only new vehicle I can imagine that meets all of her criteria is the Nissan Pathfinder (maybe?), but even that is a dinosaur that’s about to be phased out. (Try 2012! – SM)Maybe a Jeep would do the trick, but I worry about reliability and safety with those. So my question is twofold: 1) what vehicle, if any, would you recommend that meets her criteria, and 2) do you think she might actually like driving a more modern, fuel efficient, all-wheel-drive SUV like a Forester (with proper tires)? Her price range is probably in the $18k range, so maybe she would consider a 1-3 year old model instead of new.Sajeev answers:It’s time for some bitter medicine: but kudos to her for being the car guy’s ideal mother-in-law.Her price range means she’s getting a used vehicle, and she’ll likely hate driving any available unit with a stick and true four-wheel drive: only trucks (the obligatory Jeep Wrangler, Tacoma, Ranger, etc.) fit the bill. Unless she has to dig herself out of unpaved roads, a normal electro-backed AWD system in a superior CUV platform gives her more.I will mention (but not assume) that a brand spankin’ new, stick-shifted FWD hatchback with a proper set of winter tires and active handling is the best choice, but that’s not necessarily the point.What is the point? Your query relates to the 1989 Lincoln Continental I bought for $900 last year, which I (gently) chastised Steve Lang for swiping the story from my Facebook page. I never planned on discussing my “prized” Essex Continental, but again, not the point…The Essex Continental’s original owner powered through the head-gasket blowing V-6 (updated gaskets installed, heads decked, new cooling system), AXOD gearbox (knock on wood), leaky air suspension (converted to coils) for twenty-five years for two reasons: the compact luxobarge dimensions and a column shift transmission.This makes your mother-in-law’s wishes and demands seem beyond reasonable. And since the owner gave up on the Essex Continental far too late to get a new car (Avalon, DTS, Lucerne etc.) with this configuration, the white MDX next to that shifter is her current whip.We all submit to the lures of a modern car crossover eventually, so give your mother-in-law some tough medicine…with a spoonful of sugar to help it go down.You’re right about her test drive in your Subie with bad tires, because she won’t get stuck with winter tires on an AWD crossover. She’ll get more comfort, features, far superior NVH control, superior performance/safety/economy: all the good stuff in a late-model CUV, especially compared to an agricultural Jeep Wrangler. It’ll be the sugar needed to get the bitter medicine’s job done.And for the record, the Essex Continental is an impressive machine (Essex Machine, actually) once the multiple Achilles’ heels are fixed: there’s a damn good reason why they sold like gangbusters from 1988-1989. But that discussion is for another day.[Image: Shutterstock user igorstevanovic]Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.