I just bought my first "family" car---despite the fact that I'm young, single, and childless. And to be honest with you, I couldn't be happier! (about the car, and the other parts. 
) I picked up a '03 LS V8, and other than it not having a sunroof, it's exactly what I wanted. I looked at a few others first though, listed below.
Last night I took it out to some twisties and had a ball. I stayed in second gear for the most part, and tried with and without the traction control off. I did find it's limits, but there were no surprises. Either the rear end would slightly come out, or the front end would push a hair, but in any case it was so smooth and gradual that I could just let off a little and then continue railing around the next corner. My last car, a Mustang, definitely had a lot more get-up but this car smokes it in the corners, in my opinion. I liked the Stang, but I was just plain bored with it.
My only complaint about the LS? Every now and then in the manual mode I'd tap into 3rd and it would shift quick, but approaching a corner it didn't always go back into 2nd. I haven't fully learned the RPM range yet so I may have been trying to down-shift too soon. The automatic mode is fine for cruising, but it seems to shift too slow and require too much throttle when being aggressive.
Long story short, I'm happy with my purchase. I've already got a list of things I want to do to it, I can't wait. I've only read these forums for a day, but there seems to be quite a few knowledgeable people here, and even a few from Austin. Maybe one day a drive is in order. Hopefully as I start to waste more money on this thing I may be able to contribute as well.
/end Lincoln Talk
For those that are bored and want something to read, here's the others I look ed at:
The G35 sedan is a nice car, and the 6MT is a major plus for me. It also has a lot of after market support and a vast amount of information to help build up. It was a little too tight for me though inside, plus I like American cars.
Now, I realize nothing is truly from the US these days, so my affection for US vehicles isn't necessarily patriotic. While an American truck may say "I'm a real man," an American car typically says, "I'm really unsophisticated;" for the most part that's true. A typical American sports car or sedan is just plain boring with nothing going for it but HP numbers, and if you're lucky, RWD.
So in my American fleet of sedans I was considering the 300C, Magnum, CTS and LS. The 300 and Magnum pack some punch, and look good---maybe too good. Everyone and their mom has one and they all have them decked out too. No matter how much you customize it, it still looks like you're a trend follower. It almost makes too much of a statement. A trick 300/Magnum is actually more common than a stock one. Given my young age, this car was the default that I should have bought, but I wanted something different.
The CTS is nice, but I really don't like the styling. It's a little too edgy for me. Since I can't afford to buy a new car every year, I like a car with subtle styling that will age well. Trendy today means obviously out-of-date tomorrow. I feel the same way about the current BMW's. They are nice, but too aggressive. The older BMW's aged well because they were conservative. However, the CTS-V was VERY appealing for obvious reasons: big V8 and 6-speed. The V is still pulling big $$$ though, even used, and being that this is my first 4-door I didn't want get caught up in something that I'd care less about 6 months later.
That leaves me the Lincoln LS V8. The styling, while somewhat generic, is very classy and I believe will age well. Five years from now it should still look like a nice car, and not like an out-of-date trend, as I'm sure is what will happen with most of the cars on my list. The interior had nice features but was not over-done or complicated to figure out. It seemed to fit my niche perfectly.
----------
'03 LS V8 - stock for now
Before LS:'00 Mustang GT
Other Rides: '97 Z71 & '61 Coupe DeVille pile-o-parts
) I picked up a '03 LS V8, and other than it not having a sunroof, it's exactly what I wanted. I looked at a few others first though, listed below.Last night I took it out to some twisties and had a ball. I stayed in second gear for the most part, and tried with and without the traction control off. I did find it's limits, but there were no surprises. Either the rear end would slightly come out, or the front end would push a hair, but in any case it was so smooth and gradual that I could just let off a little and then continue railing around the next corner. My last car, a Mustang, definitely had a lot more get-up but this car smokes it in the corners, in my opinion. I liked the Stang, but I was just plain bored with it.
My only complaint about the LS? Every now and then in the manual mode I'd tap into 3rd and it would shift quick, but approaching a corner it didn't always go back into 2nd. I haven't fully learned the RPM range yet so I may have been trying to down-shift too soon. The automatic mode is fine for cruising, but it seems to shift too slow and require too much throttle when being aggressive.
Long story short, I'm happy with my purchase. I've already got a list of things I want to do to it, I can't wait. I've only read these forums for a day, but there seems to be quite a few knowledgeable people here, and even a few from Austin. Maybe one day a drive is in order. Hopefully as I start to waste more money on this thing I may be able to contribute as well.
/end Lincoln Talk
For those that are bored and want something to read, here's the others I look ed at:
The G35 sedan is a nice car, and the 6MT is a major plus for me. It also has a lot of after market support and a vast amount of information to help build up. It was a little too tight for me though inside, plus I like American cars.
Now, I realize nothing is truly from the US these days, so my affection for US vehicles isn't necessarily patriotic. While an American truck may say "I'm a real man," an American car typically says, "I'm really unsophisticated;" for the most part that's true. A typical American sports car or sedan is just plain boring with nothing going for it but HP numbers, and if you're lucky, RWD.
So in my American fleet of sedans I was considering the 300C, Magnum, CTS and LS. The 300 and Magnum pack some punch, and look good---maybe too good. Everyone and their mom has one and they all have them decked out too. No matter how much you customize it, it still looks like you're a trend follower. It almost makes too much of a statement. A trick 300/Magnum is actually more common than a stock one. Given my young age, this car was the default that I should have bought, but I wanted something different.
The CTS is nice, but I really don't like the styling. It's a little too edgy for me. Since I can't afford to buy a new car every year, I like a car with subtle styling that will age well. Trendy today means obviously out-of-date tomorrow. I feel the same way about the current BMW's. They are nice, but too aggressive. The older BMW's aged well because they were conservative. However, the CTS-V was VERY appealing for obvious reasons: big V8 and 6-speed. The V is still pulling big $$$ though, even used, and being that this is my first 4-door I didn't want get caught up in something that I'd care less about 6 months later.
That leaves me the Lincoln LS V8. The styling, while somewhat generic, is very classy and I believe will age well. Five years from now it should still look like a nice car, and not like an out-of-date trend, as I'm sure is what will happen with most of the cars on my list. The interior had nice features but was not over-done or complicated to figure out. It seemed to fit my niche perfectly.
----------
'03 LS V8 - stock for now
Before LS:'00 Mustang GT
Other Rides: '97 Z71 & '61 Coupe DeVille pile-o-parts
It had 98K miles on it when I traded it, and it drove like new, absolutely perfect. It has some cosmetic imperfections, but it had cold a/c, fresh clutch and brakes, no noises or rattles... Why is it that we just HAVE to have something different sometimes? But I'm very excited about my LS.
