Help..Thinking of buying an LS

jcavz24x

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I have been looking around for a used LS for about a month now. I have read posts on other forums about problems other people have had with the LS. (Computer, tranny, windows, and some other electrical problems) I saw a few 2000s, one with 25k miles.

Is there any pointers or sugestions that will help me out?


Chris
 
Sifrino3 said:
www.autotrader.com

There will be problems with any new or used car. That is how it is. Warranty's are very good to have for a Lemon like a Cadi. Hahaha Im playing. . .


yeah..I got ya on that one. The reason I ask is because I heard some of the problems are ridiculous, some common. As far as finding LSs I am not having a problem.


Chris
 
Sifrino3 said:
Opps, thats what I ment!

Im looking for another car to get away from all the problems. I had about $5k of aftermarket parts on my car and finally sold them all. The only cosmetics were springs/struts. After spraying it for a year I got tired of the car altogether and am looking for a nice car. The LS is the only car in my price range that I am interested in.

Anyway, im just looking for tips on what i should look out for when I look at them.
www.automotiveforums.com seems to have a lot of negative posts from LS owners.

as far as the origin of my logon..close
 
I hated my girls Cavi! It had exhaust, intake and MSD. With some nice 17" wheels with 205 Essenza tires. I hated the ride and everything about the car. Now we got two Lincolns again. Well, we had two Lincoln before. i dunno!
 
I love my 00 LS V6

I wasn't in the market for my LS when I was looking. Grandfather had towncars for past 20 years and he always received a good trade in value and the ride was always nice-safe. So I stopped by the local Lincoln dealership after hitting all the honda dealerships-yup, I wanted another accord-but they wouldnt give me much money for my 00 explorer sport. I think I got a pretty good deal on a Certified LS with 32k miles, but don't think I would have bought it not being certified. After some first week hassles, the guy that certifies Lincolns at the dealership was fired because they had to my replace tires, brakes, oil, rear gears and drivers side mirror-bad vibration because he didn't do the actual inspection, just a walk around visual. Soooooo. after all this, the car rides great. I love it. Also, chicks dig th heated seats in the winter ;) The fuel milage is good, much better then my explorer, but nothing like an accord. I didn't put any money down so the payment is a lil steep for me, but I will be trading in for another sometime down the road. I would suggest trying to get an 01 or newer. I like the subtle changes with the interior. I also wish I would have got the communication center option. I had a V8 loaner for a week with it and thought the comm center was a cool toy with all the warning it tells you. I love mine, but feel that if I am going to invest in a Certified Lincoln, that is what I want and how I want to be treated. Being that I was 31 but look 21 the dealership took for some young kid till I started pushing their buttons. I gained their respect though. Just look the car over and don't hesitate to get on it during the test drive. And find a bumpy road to test on, not some smooth road, you don't hear everything that way. Sales trick. "Rides like a dream" they all say.

My 32 cents.
 
Thanks for the info...Im 21 and look 17 so you could imagine i have fun..I actually found a guy at lincoln I could talk to. I test drove a '00 with 25k miles and he said he would give it to me for $14k. Definately sounds like a good deal. I have driven one before but this one had some hesitation between downshifts at 40+...It would seem to stay in neutral a little too long and rev high, then pick up speed. Its black which i definately like but the bumper looks like it had some paint fade. It rained before i checked it out so it was hard to catch some things.
 
jcavz24x said:
I have been looking around for a used LS for about a month now. I have read posts on other forums about problems other people have had with the LS. (Computer, tranny, windows, and some other electrical problems) I saw a few 2000s, one with 25k miles.

Is there any pointers or sugestions that will help me out?


Chris

I purchased my fully loaded, non-sport, early (4/99) build '00 LS8 just over 2 yrs ago w/ 22K-mi on the clock. It has the 3.58 rear gear (V8s switched to 3.31 in ~7/99). I had it in the shop once to fix squeeking front windows (no breakee on the rears - knock on wood), loose license plate lamp, and re-flash the PCM to fix the slow D-R-D engagement (they ended up crashing the PCM and giving me a new one in the process), ALL under warantee, and I was provided w/ a loaner (Taurus) for a week. My warantee has since expired and the only additional problems I've had is needed a new battery, the driver's seat heat quit working (still need to fix), and the valve cover gaskets needed to be replaced (burnt oil smell w/ the heater on, did those my self for ~$85 in parts). I'll need tires before winter, and have driven it to Winnepeg and absolutely love the car. My only complaint is I wish it had ~340HP and 390-ft-lbs of TQ. :D

$14K sounds like a good deal for those miles. The newer models ('01+) have a better console / cup holder design. The air box was improved in '02, VVT in '03 (280HP vs 252), some minor shuffling of gear ratios over the years. Most of the transmissions complaints are fixed w/ a PCM reflash. There will always be the oddball issue w/ any car, where if 3 people have the same problem it gets voiced and turns into a crisis. Overall the LS is a very solid car, and a BIG step up from a cav. ;) Only problem you might encounter is finding aftermarket support. About the only things you can do is CAI, cat-back and NO2.
 
How would I go about getting the PCM flashed if it is not under warranty. This is also a v6 so i do not believe that whole valve cover problem, which i have heard a lot about, applies to this one. I asked the saleman about that and he said they would not do that.
 
jcavz24x said:
How would I go about getting the PCM flashed if it is not under warranty. This is also a v6 so i do not believe that whole valve cover problem, which i have heard a lot about, applies to this one. I asked the saleman about that and he said they would not do that.

Most of the trans/PCM issues were covered by a TSB, which the dealer should take care of even if warranty has expired.

You are correct that the V6s don't have the valve cover leak issue. The gasket material for the V8s was improved at some point (don't know when) so the newer ones don't have the problem. Some early ones leaked so bad the COPs were ruined and needed replacement. Thankfully I caught mine before other problems developed.
 

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