Buying an LS, need some advice/insight

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jdnvodka

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So, I have been checking out these forums for quite awhile and figured I'd register since I may (hopefully) be a proud new owner of a 2002 Lincoln LS. I test drove the car at the dealer yesterday and I have to say I was blown away by the look and feel of the car. Thing is, I have heard a lot of horror stories all over the net about these Gen 1 LS's and I guess I wanted to get some feedback from the community here to help me with my decision.

First off, the car. It's a black 2002 V8 LS with 58000 miles on it, the interior is immaculate, it looks like it just rolled out of the plant, and it drives pretty well, was a little bit of vibration in the steering wheel I noticed when driving, could have been attributed to the tires not being rotated, or to the crap roads I was driving on. Other than that it seemed okay, did not notice and slippage in the transmission, although truth be told I wasn't paying attention that much because I was gawking at the car itself. One thing for concern though was I did pull over just to check out the car away from the eyes of the dealership, and noticed a burning rubber like smell, and popped the hood and there was a small bit of smoke coming from near the brake fluid (I think) container area when the car was revved. Location was upper right side of the engine bay if that helps. I told the dealer about it and he said that it would be looked at and definitely fixed if there was anything wrong before I bought it. Also, it has a 60 day limited warranty and I would be buying an extended warranty that covers the engine.

I guess what I want to know is, does anything that I have mentioned just pop out as a big problem I will be walking into, and also are these cars as big of a headache as everyone says. Like I said, I am entranced by the damn car, but I don't want to blow all the money I saved if it's just going to be literally one repair after another. Insight please? Horror Stories of your own, or good stories? Oh yeah they want 8900 for the car if that's any help, had 2 owners, and regular service and a clean carfax.
 
$8900 is way too much for that car.

For that price you can get a 2005 fully loaded.
 
That's what I thought too, I was planning on talking him down, but kbb for some reason places it at 10.5k
 
retail is that high but you will find them much cheaper.

www.cars.com will help you find a good deal.

If you really want that one find one with similar features and mileage for a lower price, print it out and show it to him.

But i would suggest you get a 2003 or newer.
 
Yeah, I guess cars around here are just higher priced or something, I have looked on cars and auto trader and craigslist and yahoo auto and there are a total of 5 LS's for sale within 100 miles. A 2005 fully loaded they want 12k...and it's tan which no offense to anyone, but is not my color of choice
 
Black, I believe he (as I do) like the 1st Gen better.. :D

Nahh, someday I will own my 2000 and a 2006.. So I can have the beginning and the end..

And that is really high
 
That's too high.
It sounds like it has leaking valve cover gaskets. That should remove any doubt about needing to replace the COPs (Coil On Plug) a little while after the sixty day warranty runs out.
 
Well, like I said they do offer extended warranties on everything under the hood, also knowing that, if I went to buy it I would make sure they took care of that and then get it verified by an independent mechanic that I know. I also am going to try and talk him down to at least like 7500, as I have cash, and that is much harder for them to say no to.
 
Well, I will definitely get an extended warranty if I do decide to purchase the vehicle then. I will also make sure that they take care of those problems too and have them verified. Hopefully, I can talk him down into the 7's
 
I mean though guys, are you happy with your purchase of an LS (mainly people with Gen 1), or do you regret it and have to sink money into them?
 
New and old...the LS is the last of the rwd luxury sport lincolns.

You wont be disappointed gen II is just a little fancier but there wouldint be a gen II without a gen I.
 
I love my LS - and I wanted to be able to get one ever since they came out in 2000. As other people have mentioned in different posts, you'll hear more negative than positive because that's what people tend to want to talk about. It's rare that people just want to strike up a discussion on how great their car is or how much they love. If someone asks them, they'll normally tell you - but they won't usually start a discussion on it.

I don't know how long you've been viewing this board, but it's a FANTASTIC resource for info AND help on owning, modding, and/or maintaining an LS. There are awesome folks here that are very dedicated and loyal to helping other LS owners make the most out of their rides.

Good luck - no matter what you do in either buying this one or trying to find a newer one for a more reasonable price. No matter what - the deal has to work for you on price and quality of the car.

Tru
 
Well, I guess I won't get discouraged by the negative. I mean I figured they can't all be as bad as people say and I am willing to stick with it as long as something like the engine doesn't explode I can work through most things that might go wrong.

Also, yeah I have been searching on this forum for awhile and yes I know this is a quality place to be and to learn about LS which is why I thought I would ask the community here as you are fans of the car itself, not just buying one as a random car to drive. As far as the deal and price of the car, I don't know what to say, I guess New York, there aren't many around this area, and the ones that are around are rare (I have never seen more than 2 LS's on the road) which may explain the price range. I have looked at all 5 or 6 that are for sale nearby (100 miles) and they are all way more expensive than they should be I guess, I mean I found a base 2000 v6 which was the cheapest and it was almost 6k itself. All the other ones are like 8 and up, so not much I can do other than travel a couple states over to get one, which I don't really want to do.
 
jdnvodka said:
I mean though guys, are you happy with your purchase of an LS (mainly people with Gen 1), or do you regret it and have to sink money into them?
Click to expand...

I test drove a gen I and didn't really like it. Later when the gen IIs came out, I tried one and liked it so much that I bought two (one then, and later I got one of the last of the 06s).

Of course, not everyone feels this way. I recommend to you that you at least test drive a gen II before you conclude this deal.
 
Sound advice, maybe I will go check out the 2005 that is for sale just to see how it drives compared to the gen 1
 
Ive only driven a 2005 and a 2006 so i cant say how the gen I handles but with a gen II sport you can take turns at 55mph-60mph and feel like you are hugging the road and still feel like you are riding on a cloud.

Theres an s curve that i take at that speed almost everyday when i come home from work and i love it.
 
Value Factors

Good comments here.

Remember that the newest LS is going to be mighty close to five years old. Cars are mechanisms and are subject to wear. ANY five-year-old-or-better car will need fairly steady attention.

I bought my '02 new, and now have just a little less than 150K miles on it. With that understood, It has been trouble free, for all practical purposes. I race, and the costs associated with installing the roll cage are close to ten times the costs of all the other additions AND all the maintenance together. And I have set four national records in two different classes.

The LS offers a better combination of performance and luxury features at a lower cost than is available from any other source. Good luck!

KS
 
I've taken turns with my LS going 65-70 on the S curves.. I backed off coming out of the hole because I started to slide.. Maybe it was because of all that power though.. :shifty: :lol:
 
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