Considering an LS

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venomz

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Hi. In 2012 I plan to buy a newer car. My financials have improved to the point where I'm willing to put a few bucks into a toy. I drive a 97 Town Car right now.

I originally bought it with plans to eventually park it and completely redesign the interior, as well as fabricate some custom exterior pieces (bumpers, skirts, grill) to modernize it. I also plan to squeeze about 600 hp into the engine bay, starting with a 03 Cobra motor, twin-turboed or supercharged. Obviously - I can't efficiently do any of this fiberglass or mechanical work while I use it as a daily driver, so ...

... earlier this year, I began looking at 03-07 CTSes, 98-2003 XJRs, and 95-02 E-classes. 8k gets you a good example of any of these cars, with the XJR taking top marks in every aspect aside from ... reliability. And for a daily driver, obviously, reliability matters a great deal.

Which brings me to the LS. Being a Lincoln fan, I knew about these cars, but I always wanted a Town Car more. Well, I have one now, and it runs like a champion. The question is, how reliable is the LS V8 considered? I mean, I have one project already - I would rather not have to consider my DD another.

I can get a good example of an LS for about half the price of the other three models I'm considering. But should I? Is it more reliable?

And on a side note, are there ever meeting where both Caddy and Lincoln owners meet up? I've seen plenty of threads with one division or the other having meetings, but never the twain mingled, and with this being a Caddy versus Linc forum, I would think ... well. What gives?
 
The LS (particularly the 2004-2006) compares favorably to the reliability of the XJ/XJR. Its a good car, but it will always be a lot more maintenance required than your Town car. If your top concerns are reliability and low maintenance, then the LS may not be for you. For sure, you would want to just stick to the 2006 ones.
 
Go for it! And, go for 2006 model years. They are pretty reliable cars. For the money, you won't be able to buy anything else that is half as luxury as the LS.
Plus, the body on the LS looks a lot more up to date than the cars you mentioned in your post.

Good luck with your search!
 
Of course I'm bias, but I say go LS. Even though I have a 1 gen '00 I agree with everyone on going as new as you can.
 
Stay as new as you can and keep up with the scheduled maintenance. I've had mine now for over a year and the only thing mechanically wrong I've had was an o2 sensor go out and the battery died on me. after 6 years I think it was time for a new one.

Like others said I don't know if you can find another car that can still look up to date 5-11 years after it's been made. Lot of compliments on it's looks and interior if its clean and you keep it clean.

I'd say go for it but do your research on what you're buying. Try to stay away from the the first gen '00-'02 model years. The second gen '03-'06 improved greatly, and of this obviously try to go for a 2006.

Good luck on finding a keeper.
 
If you have a choice look into getting an 03-06 for the money you can't complain really, I have 2000 Ls8 and its been great for me, of course it has broken before and so on.....but what car doesn't break?
 
Thanks for the advice. I won't lie. THe XJR has every car on my list beat for looks, power, and allure in general. But I don't want to be under the hood every Saturday trying to fix some niggling problem.

I'll seriously look into the LS.
 
I too was looking to purchase a 03 or > LS. but after doing some research on the internet and hearing all the negativity people posted, im a bit hesitant to buy now. some common problems i've read about include: ignition coils, window motors, airbag light being on/blinking (clock spring prob), thermostat, stabilizer bar, and lug nuts falling off or breaking. i understand that most of these problems can happen with any other cars, its just that they seem to be very common with the ls. i would like to know what actual ls owners think about this, and if u guys can give me any advice. thanks
 
In the year that ive owned my 06 ive had none of those issues and its at 70K.

As far as i know everything is original expect for the the tires, brakes, plugs, belt, and tensioners which i had replaced after i got it.

Had one overheating issue which was due to a stuck tsat which i replaced. Only thing i have right now is delayed shifting which is a common issue for the tranny. Soon i will do a filter change and flush and unhook the batt to reset the adaptive learning and go from there.

Oh and a broken tab on my message center that ill get to soon.

Its a wonderful ride....not many other vehicles can compare to it for the same price range. Only a few come close like the STS but ive heard many issues with them as well.

It combines luxury with a sporty and quick ride. Its not fast but not slow either. I like to think of it as my 4 door luxury mustang.

Think about it....you get a 4 door luxury sedan with leather, sunroof, wood trim, semiauto transmission, independent rear suspension (the car handles on rails compared to my old one) HID headlights and a V8 32 valve engine that makes some good power.

Problem i see is a lot of guys buy a gen I since its only a few grand and then when they see all the issues they get discouraged. Go buy any other vehicle from 2000 and i guarantee there will be some similar maintenance that needs to be done.

Also the LS is a luxury car but its a ford. Any other luxury car pretty much is gonna cost a lot more to maintain.
 
I've loved every minute of owning, maintaining, and upgrading my 2006. Best car I've owned (so far).
 
Funnily enough I was looking at at 2000-2003 towncar to succeed my 94 Buick roadmaster wagon. After taking my brother along for a towncar test ride, he suggested that I should consider the LS. I took his advice and i'm so glad I did. These cars are fantastic inside and out. Now I like the towncar, but the LS is in a different league. It truly is a remarkable car, and the coil problem is covered by ford up to 10 years/150000 miles on 2003-2005.
 
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All the problems mentioned are both solvable and cheap to solve, relatively speaking. Coils are the only problem that seems to be unsolvable, and they don't really cost much. Furthermore, I do all of my own repair, so it costs even less.

The only thing I am worried about is how often things happen, not if they do happen.
 
I traded an '02 Continental for my '06 LS. I even had a Superchip flash done in the Conti. It was pretty fast but the suspension was way too soft for me. My wife tried talking me into keeping it. It was also an excellent car and very reliable but after driving my wife's '05 LS Sport V-8, I had to have one. I paid $12k for one with 44k miles and a carfax report that showed the oil had been changed every 3k mile at the dealership. Two owners and both bought and serviced at the same dealership. I say an '06 LS as well for my pick. Take some time to find the right one. There is bound to be one with your accessory wishes. It took me about a month looking EVERY day at auto trader, Ebay and like places and found my '06 only a couple of miles away at a high end used car dealer and even was able to get a 3.4% loan.
 
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