Good bye LS Hello M35 or M45

[Blip01]

I have to concur with Beamer on Toyota's quality. My wife drives a 99 Corolla, has been in a bout 3 fender benders with it, we drove it cross country in 3 days at about 95 mph the entire way, same to Vegas and LA when we lived in Cali, AND ALL THE CAR HAS EVER REQUIRED WAS OIL, TIRES, GAS, and BRAKES.

A bulb finally burnt out in the temp control panel, and just recently her driver's side door power lock started working intermittently. The car has a tick over 100K.

In comparison my LS8 has needed a new COP and VC gasket(warranty), new sway bar bushings(warranty), all new lug nuts(warranty),new rear window regulator(warranty w/ $100 deductible), driver's door handle, and tranny solenoid.

CURRENTLY the car needs at least 1 COP replaced, the stock radio is freaking out and needs to be replaced, and the sway bar bushings are again making the clunk sound over low speed bumps. The LS has 90K on it.

I'd still rather drive the LS any day, but for a $40K price range car you'd think things would hold up better than a lowly Corolla.

 

[LuxFord]

well as we all know you may hear things about jap cars good or bad and along with american. but either way no car is exactly the same they all wear different they all get different gas milage, maybe not by much but still. you take 2 of the same cars. one will last longer then the other and most likely they wont be close when something does happen to one of them. take american car and japenese car one will last longer then the other. you test and test and test the same cars many many times and it will more then likely not be the same. engine wear, tranny wear, sensors, everything does not go out at the same time. my point is wear is enpredictable, no matter if its a domestic or non-domestic car........but again this is my point of view on things.

 

[bigbuck15]

Warning man whatever u do don't get the ES 350 they suck.
http://autos.yahoo.com/lexus_es_350-reviews_user/;_ylt=ArSVlsPHhwitj8CeF.CbTX90oM8F

 

[bklene50]

IMO ill remain loyal to the US cars here. for anyone concerned with their ls i took this picture a couple days ago

now ive got 101640 and only problems ive had was rear axle from forgetting about how rough railroad crossings are around here. Fairly expensive fix but it runs strong. I will be moving over to trucks by next summer hopefully though

 

[Archer28]

I try my best to buy American when I can. My 86 ranger went to 130k without problems and was a great little truck, my 87 firebird was a reliable car, but the paint and interior really died off quickly, 135k when I sold it.
My 93 escort wagon has been the best little car ever. 180k and nothing out of the ordinary (timing belt, water pump). Still driving the original clutch.

So far the LS has been OK as well. I'm glad to see Amercian car manufacturers trying to catch up to the Japanese. Thats the one good thing thats come out of the competition.

As for Japanese hiring Americans and building their cars in America, their profits still go back to Japan, but hey, my wife's last car was a Kia (and a quite decent little ride, a Spectra 5).

 

[scjmc]

I have had Toyotas, nissans, chebys, fords, a jeep, and my lincoln. List...

1987 Camaro--decent reliability, no major problems sold w 120K
1981 Toyota helix pixkup--unbeatable wrecked at 298K
1981 toyota helix 3/4 ton--unbeatable traded at 558K
1992 Maxima--great reliability destroyed at 140K had tranny issues though.
1999 Toyota Tacoma--good truck airbag, ac blower and shifter problem traded at 30K
2002 Ranger--terrible, absolutely terrible. I bought it new and it spent 8 weeks in the first year for warranty repairs including the improper installation of the cab to the frame.
1999 F-150--great reliability had 1 minor trans problem flooded at 107K
1998 Crown Vic LX--unbeatable never had a single problem flooded at 140K
2000 Pathfinder--numerous problems, expensive fixes trying to sell 91K
1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee--Requires lots of inexpensive fixes currently 143K
And finally my 2002 LS--Stolen in 2001 missing over 30 days drivers seat heater failed that is all 44K now

My point is by making you read all of this is that my wife and I have had a variety of vehicles and we are both hard on them. My wife was downright abusive on her Maxima (hence tranny problem) and in her vic actually crashed into a hill and plowed over a cluster of 15ft tall pine trees spun in the air, landed back on the road so hard it flattened the tail pipes and still drove home. I digress I think as stated earlier it depends highly on model reliability wise. For instance consumer reports says that the 2002 ls is average. That is above average in the luxury car market becuase most luxury cars are a smiggen below average (as of when I bought my LS). Whatever you buy do some specific research on the model before buying and you will have a better idea of what you get. As far as american vs Japs in reliability I have to side with the japs, but I buy what I like and that has mostly been american. Tell me to go buy a new american car that I like now days and I might not be able to find one.

 

[scjmc]

I almost forgot my 71 stang. I have had it for 9 years. It is on its 3rd engine, 17th transmission, 2nd AC system (broken again) 3rd front end and second rear end as well as too many other things to even remember. It now has 116K. It has 69K when I got it. I realize that this info is not relivant to newer cars, but I had to throw it in.

 

[captainalias]

600 lbs heavier than its competitors. That is like riding around with 3 200 lb men all the time.

Haha, that's hilarious. I hadn't thought about it that way. IMO, the upcoming Buick Enclave looks great.

 

[Kelleyo]

My thoughts.....
Ford is in serious trouble with all their brands. I want to buy American, I prefer American but Ford is doing a lousy job in keeping me and apparently many others from buying American cars.

1. I have a 2005 Ranger ext cab, lots of upgrades and extras. My son just bought a 2006 Tacoma, with a crew cab. Miles ahead of the Ranger. Feels better, seems like a better truck. I went to the Ford dealer to inquire about getting a Ranger w/crew cab. The sales manager told me not available. Maybe in 2008. Meanwhile Toyota, Nissan, Chevy, Dodge all have that option. Not Ford. I asked my son why he didn't look at the Ranger. His answer, The Ranger platform has not been updated in over 10 yrs.

2. I love my LS, unfortunately Lincoln brings out an exciting product and then no engineering improvements are ever made.
They keep the car a few years and then shut it down. I.E. Mk VIII, LS.
The only thing you can count on is the Town Car and that client base is dying off.
The LS is no more. Yes, I have had 4 problems with it and they have been covered under warranty. These were interior issues like headliners , seats, water leaks. I don't think Lexus or Infinity would have this type of problem. Like I said, now the LS is finished the Wixom plant is closed down. American workers are now laid off. The new MKZ is now made in Mexico with Mexicans. So why should I buy American now?? Especially when the Japanese have American plants, hiring Americans.

3. Read the latest about the Edge, the new CUV. The only thing that makes me want to buy it is the Ford nameplate. But read the reviews. 600 lbs heavier than its competitors. That is like riding around with 3 200 lb men all the time. The gas mileage is already seriously compromised by the added weight.


4. My daughter wants a Murano. We took one out for a test drive and I have to admit it is a nice vehicle. I don't care for its looks but it is well made and the interior is smart and modern looking.
She doesn't even want to look at a Ford. I forced her to test drive an Escape. She hated it. I have to admit the Murano is a better vehicle.

My daughter and friends all want Japanese cars. Ford has a real perception problem with younger buyers and they better start changing that.

5. I have thought about buying an F-150 with a crew cab, but Ford is now shutting down the F-150 plant here in Norfolk. My neighbors and friends are losing their jobs, so someone from Ford please tell me why I should remain brand loyal.

Just a few of my thoughts....

Doug

Agreed.

I have owned (between me and my wife)
2 Ford Rangers
Ford Escort GT
Ford Mustang
Ford Explorer
3 Ford Taurus SHO's
2 Ford Windstar 's
2 Lincoln LS's

Now I have a second car (Wrangler) and my wife has gotten rid of the Windstar (one of the worst cars ever made IMHOP) and she now has a Nissan Murano and loves it. No trouble whatsoever.

I have had my 2003 LS for 3 years and am at a decision point. Since I got it with 0% financing, it was cheaper than leasing. I am no longer upside down so I can possibly clear $2-4K if I sell it since I only owe 14K. On the otherhand, I can keep it a while longer and keep enjoying it. I could also sell it, drive my Jeep, and save $750 a month towards a new car...

To tell you the truth, I have not considered a SINGLE Ford product as a replacement. Mercedes, Bmw's, even Corvettes, but no Fords. They do not have a car in this class unless you consider Jag.

They (Ford) have definitely screwed the pooch.

 

[Beamer]

Before I got my new car, Cobalt SS SC I did alot of looking around. I really wanted to get the new Civic Coupe but they are becoming quite the premium econo car. I looked at ford but their Fusion has 2 more doors than I am interested in and the dealers I went to and checked out did not have an Focus zx3 SVTs or even the 4 dr ST. I test drove an ST way back and really liked it but after that no one had one. Thats when I started to go back to GM because they are finally peeking their head out of their ass's and offering rather nice cars.

Final decision came down when the Honda dealers did not want my LS even though they said it was a "awesome car, great looking and well taken care of but unfortionately we cannot give you what you want for it." So I said screw it and was ready to go full-boar and put the car on every sellers site, book and yada yada(which is not cheap) than I pulled into a chevy dealer and boom, I had a car I wanted for the price I wanted and got a few extra's along w/ it.

Now I could of went and looked at Bimmers and I actually sort of did, I checked out the Cooper's but they turned out to be a let down but for the most part none of them offered a coupe at a good price. I had my luxury and was ready to go back down the pole what I was happy w/ longer than one year.

My parents are ford people, I used to be but there is nothing to get excited about now and many feel that way that I have talked to who are looking for something new. Only line of Fords I like is Mazda but again, dealers did not want to do anything so I did not get a MX-5 or the 3, both of which were high on the list. Nope instead, GM took me back and gave me what I was looking for and did not dick me around.

I do not have plans on getting another new vehicle again now. To much is going into cars, pretty soon you well get a ticket w/out be pulled over or even seeing a cop. Not to mention all the crap you go through to get one unless you walk in and lay out the money or check, sign a paper or two and leave w/ it paid off. My g/fs parents just got a new Sierra, walked into the dealer, found one they wanted and wrote a check, talked about a trade in. The dealer gave them a nice trade in price without the car being there(car was paid off too) and they were on their way. Now that is the way it should be, even though the dealer knew them because their grand prix needed a catalytic converter, the dealer did not have one and it was going to take awhile to get one but they managed to find one a few hours away, had someone drive out to get it and had their car back to them in 1 day. After that the parents sent them some stuff to say thank you and the dealer than asked them to be in a commercial, gave them $500 for a future purchase, a weekend fully paid to Carolina Beach and a few other things!

Not sure why I wrote all that but I think its alittle valid for this topic. Alot of times sales are made based on things like that. I was pushed around at a couple honda dealers not to mention belittled so I said no, same happened at some other places. Than I get treated great by the last dealer I went to and even though I wanted a foreign car I ended up w/ "American." Even if they just kissed my ass to make the sale(of course) atleast they did it and did not treat me like a child and got my business.

 

[02BlkNightLS]

Not the Tranny its the Engine!!

After starting this post I secretly thought to myself maybe if the problem isn't to big I 'll just keep my LS. Well it turns out that what I thought was a tranny problem is actually a engine problem.

Well $$1800.00 is kinda big to me, plus the fact this problem has nothing to do with keeping up on the maint. of the car, or something I did wrong. This is a problem of quality. The dealer said that I had a bad seal on the number four. Requires a new coil, spark plugs and a few other things. total cost should be $$1800. Could do minimum for 600.00 just to buy some time.
If I had the time or a third car I could try to do it myself, I don't.

I have really had a good time with my LS, the day I got her I will never forget. I got her on ebay for 21k with 32k miles on it. (now at 75K)

I recently thought to my self when did the warranty run out on my 4Runner.
(108k on it right now) I actually don't know. Think about that, It has never had a problem so I never had to think about it, WOW. I replaced a fog light and battery, that's it. Now granted, I payed top dollar for my 4runner back in 01, but I would rather pay more for a car that would be solid than less for toss-up, maybe you get a good one or bad one.

 

[decibels5]

I think I have found the car that might replace my LS. It is the new 2007 Infiniti G35.

http://www.infiniti.com/g_sedan/photos/exterior_photos.html

I almost bought one before the Ls, It was 6 grand out of my cash price range. I still Love the looks of the 2 door. today i just saw a black on black with everything i would want on one. From what I heard they are great cars, but on the new ones the tranny and drivetrain cannot withstand much of any horsepower gain. I have a friend that has a new one and he said he took it back to the dealer, because he thought the tranny(clutch) was slipping, dealer told him that the transmission cannot withhold the type of driving he is used to. He said he is looking to upgrade the transmission, but resources were thin.

 

[MDavis0424]

My experience

Just my experience with foreign vs US made cars . . .

1988 5.0 Mustang bought new, 88,000 miles no problems
1994 Chrysler New Yorker timing belt went at 45,000, major problems with A/C (repaired under warranty 3 times)
1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee 121,000 miles, replaced water pump at 80k, and major recurring issues with A/C. Still drive it in the winter.
1995 Lexus SC400 bought at 60,000, had 140,000 miles & ran like new when I sold it.
1997 Toyota Avalon Steering box and power steering pump went out around 80k. ABS brains went out 90k. Paint started peeling off 95k.
2003 Maxima no problems during 36k lease.
2004 LS V8 two months, no problems yet
2006 Montego (the wife likes it, I guess that's all that matters)