Newbie questions 00-02 LS

[swdobbs]

I'm new here, but not to cars, so let the hazing begin. My daily driver 96 DGGM loaded B-body was totalled last week by an old guy turning left in front of me, I don't have the time or energy to put another B-body together. For the most part I've been a GM guy, got great service and performance from the LT1 but my wife has a real nice loaded 2003 mercury mountaineer with the 4.6 and at 70k its been a solid runner. Right now GM is making crap for fullsize sedans, what isn't crap is outta my price range.

What do I need to watch out for on a 01 or 02 LS with 60 - 70k? What can I expect for major repairs? Any upgrades recommended to improve longevity, I'd like to think I could get to 150k?

I'm used to spending some cash on maintenance, my LT1's needed water pumps and opti sparks (crank driven ignition) on or before 150k.

I've seen a few posts by owners with "lemons" and "money pits", but that could be any vehicle that is beat and not maintained.

Thank you for the advice.

s.

 

[eastcoastLS]

Get the 02. You are for sure going to go through coil replacement, likely spark plugs and vcg. A/C may start coming out of one side of the car only. Hydraulic fan might crap on you. Get one that has been well maintained and these could be the only problems you face.

 

[swdobbs]

eastcoastls,

These items sound like typical maintenance for any other mid/high end sedan. I found some tech posts on the coils and VCG, the hydraulic fan doesn't sound intimidating. Is the AC a computer controlled vent issue?

I've looked into the replacement cost of struts/shocks, the cost seems outrageous.

Thank you.

 

[MMAFIGHTER121]

i bought mine at 60k and i haven't had a single repair needed. i had to replace the thermostat and there's an upcoming coil replacement for me but i was planning on upgrading them to accel mustang coils anyway. other than that completely smooth sailing

 

[swdobbs]

MMA,

Thank you for the reply, its either hear from you owners or rely on consumer reports (I rather hear from the source). Is the mustang coil upgrade listed in a tech here? How many miles on the clock now?

s.

 

[MMAFIGHTER121]

just shy of 77K now and the mustang coils is kind of a recent development around here i guess. if you search accel coils you should pull up some results on the install, the pros and cons and whatnot.... i know there's also a few notes on it in the Hi-perf section for the land speed LS section... hard to forget about that thread...

 

[HDDave]

I've looked into the replacement cost of struts/shocks, the cost seems outrageous.

I just got a set of new OEM Sport shocks from Max @ 5 Star Ford (LVC Sponsor) for roughly $80 apiece. I didn't think was expensive at all... We LVC members get good deals...

 

[swdobbs]

I just got a set of new OEM Sport shocks from Max @ 5 Star Ford (LVC Sponsor) for roughly $80 apiece. I didn't think was expensive at all... We LVC members get good deals...

That sounds more affordable.

Before finding this site I was only able to get maintenance cost references from consumer reports. From memory the 2000 - 2002 strut/shock replacement was listed at $1250, and the 2003 strut/shock replacement jumped to like $1900. For that kind of $$$$, I thought it must be some kind of air ride or adjustable setup, but maybe it was just an error in the consumer reports write up.

s.

 

[scjmc]

I bought my 02LS8 at 19K Theft recovery. I now have 69K on it. I had 1 coil go bad, and the common AC DCCV issue. I also had some problems with my auto wipers, and a couple airbag related issues. Cant forget the front knuckles either. I have done all of the work myself, except for diagnosing the auto wipers. I have never had this many problems with a car under 100K before, but I have never had a (newer) car that I enjoy driving so much either. Basically my total parts cost for maintenance for the last 50K miles is about $1500. There are some members on here with high miles 150K+.

 

[swdobbs]

From memory my LT1 required a $450 opti-spark, $300 water pump and a few sets of brake rotors in the 70k I owned it, so that is still within my tolerance of maintenance. I guess this is the price of admission for RWD luxury sedans.

How long has the 3.9L been around?

Is the V6 a slug? Anybody on here throw a turbo or SC at the V6?

s.

 

[cammerfe]

3.9 is the kid brother to the 4.0-4.2 Jaguar. Very little difference. Was used in the small T-Bird and LS. There are threads on doing various hop-ups of both the 6 & 8.
KS