2003(+) LS durability and reliability

CTX-SLPR

CTX-SLPR

Well-Known LVC Member
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Howdy,

I found the most gorgeous 2003 Alpine Green rather loaded base V6 LS and it was quite fun to drive honestly, though quite a big different from the instant torque of my L67 Supercharged 3800 Series II in my Regal GS. The 5spd auto will take some getting used to with its closely spaced lower gears but I don't miss the 20hp the car is down to my Regal.
However I need this car to last 4yrs without doing things like my Regal did like busting a tranny or slowly shredding every tensioner and idler pulley on the engine. I can do most maintenance work myself and I do like to go for OEM parts over parts store stuff. I use only Mobile 1 full synthetic in my drivers aswell with a 3500-4500mile change interval with matching K&N or Mobile 1 filters. How durable is this car going to be for me and is it going to leave me replacing a tranny or diff or something else big in the next 3-4yrs? I need the straight skinny folks and I'll be asking the same for the cars major competator for my daily driver dollar, a Caddy 3.6L VVT 6spd manual CTS. It does more power on regular, thanks to .6L more displacement, and gets marginally better highway mileage but I've not heard good things about thier reliability, then again heard simular but not quite so loud grumblings about the LS, though most were 1st Gen.

Thanks,
 
You will, of course, find a lot of people here complaining of problems. Then there are people like me who have had virtually no problems. The only thing that worries me is that you are looking at an '03, the first year of the second gen LS. While it is superficially similar, nearly every major system changed. With so many changes there are bound to be some problems. And an 03 will have all of them. More of these will have been worked out in later years. That is why I originally bought an '02, then moved to an '06 when I decided that I wanted to drive an LS for many years to come.
 
Yup, complaints get posted more often since people who are satisfied rarely speak up.

I have an 04 LSV8 so not apples to apples.

Sounds like the universal problem areas which some of us see is the tranny and the coils on plug. These seem to be common failure points which usually are covered under warranty.

The 03 did get away from that weird hydrauliclly driven cooling fan so that is a plus.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson
 
I thought I read here on LVC that the '04 model V6, and V8 models had greatly reduced the COP problem due to oil, because they made the gaskets better, or something to that effect.
Anyone out there with this knowledge? I would like to think my '04 will last for awhile, also...
 
I don't buy new cars.... they cost to much and depreciate too rapidly, especially luxury cars.
I would look at a V8 if I could find one in Alpine Green but I'm a bit hooked on the colour. Gas mileage is also a major concern as I will be driving around 250 miles one way twice a month to return to Dayton from my next duty station to see my girlfriend and to meet with my masters thesis adviser. The V8's don't attract me that much because of thier 3mph freeway hit from the V6 which is already worse than my dieing Regal GS. Yes I do plan on getting the Ford BasicCare warranty which appears to cover most of the stuff I can't fix.

The only other option I really see is a high mileage 2001-2002 Lexus GS430 which ironically gets better mileage than the GS300 for reasons I don't know. The are long lasting durable cars that are also still expensive 5-6yrs later. One with 80+k miles still runs in the upper teens to low 20's.
 
CTX-SLPR said:
I don't buy new cars.... they cost to much and depreciate too rapidly, especially luxury cars.
I would look at a V8 if I could find one in Alpine Green but I'm a bit hooked on the colour. Gas mileage is also a major concern as I will be driving around 250 miles one way twice a month to return to Dayton from my next duty station to see my girlfriend and to meet with my masters thesis adviser. The V8's don't attract me that much because of thier 3mph freeway hit from the V6 which is already worse than my dieing Regal GS. Yes I do plan on getting the Ford BasicCare warranty which appears to cover most of the stuff I can't fix.

The only other option I really see is a high mileage 2001-2002 Lexus GS430 which ironically gets better mileage than the GS300 for reasons I don't know. The are long lasting durable cars that are also still expensive 5-6yrs later. One with 80+k miles still runs in the upper teens to low 20's.
Click to expand...

Don't let mpg be a factor. My '06 V8 gets better highway mpg than my '00 V6. Part of the difference is the V6 having to haul around so much weight. And the color is called Light Tundra.
 
Nope, this is not a Light Tundra car, it is a dark dark green and the only one I see for sale in the country at the moment on a quick autotrader search. Its factory since its under the hood and in place no one would respray it with short of a total disassembly.
MPG will always be a factor and I know what you are saying but considering I don't get excited on the gas that much anyway, the V8 would be nice but largely wasted potential. I mean I'd be just as likely to buy one if I found one I like with all probablity, but I'm not exclusively in the market for one.

2003 Alpine Green LS V6.jpg


2003 Alpine Green LS V6 2.jpg
 
I did some more searching and I did find 1 more of the dark green cars out there for sale under 60k miles. The Town Car has a simularly rare dark green vs the light tundra you see more commonly. I don't like the light stuff and I love love love green cars.
 
Garbone said:
I thought I read here on LVC that the '04 model V6, and V8 models had greatly reduced the COP problem due to oil, because they made the gaskets better, or something to that effect.
Anyone out there with this knowledge? I would like to think my '04 will last for awhile, also...
Click to expand...

My 2004 LSV8 just had the cops replaced at about 45,000 miles. So the newer models are not immune. I am guessing my problem stems from being stuck in traffic for 90 minutes in 105+ heat with the AC on. I am guessing that the cops were degraded due to lack of cooling. I do not know if there was any oil leakage damage since the dealer did the work and didn't specify.

The gaskets are supposed to be improved so I hope that is not a weak spot for the future.

Jim Henderson
 
Forgot about that color. It's Aspen Green and only offered in 2002 and 2003.
 
taylor414ce2003 said:
stay far far away from used cars !!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Buying new cars is a losing proposition, financially speaking; with very few exceptions, cars depreciate, and new cars depreciate the fastest of all, losing 60% of their value in the first 3-4 years. 60% of a loaded LS's $48K MSRP will buy a LOT of parts and repairs.

And if you want a new LS, good luck finding one; there aren't many left, and they're getting fewer by the day.
 
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