Prospective LS buyer

owlman

owlman

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Hi folks,
I'm in the market for a new (er, new-to-me) car :) I test drove a 2005 LS V8 today and really liked it.
I still have some other cars to check out but this LS is high up on my list (even though it's a tad pricey for me). Is there any advice you can offer or things I should look out for? The little display says it needs an oil change, lol. 25k miles.

thanks
:waving:
 
The LS is a very fun and sporty car. There are several different options when choosing an LS. For example, the sport model vs. the regular LS sedan. I have an 02 sport model, which gives you a little more sporty look with different front and rear bumpers, side skirts and a different style of rims. You can view my car in my photo gallery. All 06 models have the sport appearance package on them from the factory. I don't think the interiors vary any from the sport model to the regular LS sedan.

Each car has their problems, and the LS does have a few. Valve cover gasket seals, coils, window regulators, and a few others that I can't remember right now. However with an 05, you should still have a descent amount of factory warranty left on the car, but I'd advise getting an extended warranty for the future. You never know what might happen and Lincoln being on the higher end of FLM, you'll pay a little more for parts and labor due to the simplicity of the LS. I luckily have had mine for over a year now with 36,000, I believe, and have only had to replace one window regulator and the thermostat. A lot of the LS never have any major problems, but as all cars do, you will find those that have had their fair share.

Good luck with your decision, and just remember that cars are not a good investment. Be sure your pocket is comfortable with the bottom dollar, because you will always have maintenance to keep up with.
 
AFAIK, the '05s really don't have any common failings like the valve cover gasket and window regulator that plagued the earlier model years. That's not to say that they never have problems, just that there really aren't any that are endemic to the '05s. There were a whole bunch of chronic LS problems that were fixed in the '03 redesign.

An '05 should have a tremendous amount of warranty left--the standard bumper-to-bumper warranty on all LSes is 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. The warranty started running on the car's "in service" date, which could have been in 2004, so you'll need to find out what that is.
 
I vastly enjoy my 02 V8 sport. 42K and counting mile wise. The only issues I have had are a failed drivers side seat heater ($19) and an auto wiper issue ($400 have not fixed). I drive it hard and enjoy the nice american mix of luxury and sport. The 05LS has many improvements over my 02.
 
Yeah, I figure they would have worked out most of the early-model bugs by 2005. Thanks for that warranty tidbit Sooner, according to Autocheck it was titled in 6/05, so it has about 2.5 years left.

just remember that cars are not a good investment
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that's for sure :D
 
I don't know what price range you're in, but the new 2006s can be had for the $28,000 range (sticker =$42,000). Lincoln is offerring MAJOR incentives on these. Also, if you buy a used car from a Lincoln Mercury dealership, they can "certify" the car for you which allows you to get a lower than normal interest rate and Extended Service Plans (ESP) with various deductables and lengths.

Do your shopping but I think you'll be VERY hard pressed to find a better dollar value than the Lincoln LS.

From my personal experience, the 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder give virtually identical gas mileage (unless you load up the trunk of the 6 & it will give worse) and I would rather lose a leg than live without the heated/cooled memory seats and power moonroof :) .
 
I'm also looking at buying an LS, probably an '03 or '04, to avoid the valve cover problems, etc. from the earlier models. are there any specific threads on here about evaluating LSs? I've seen some notes about people having a few issues with the transmission hard shifting, but otherwise just standard problems every car seems to have.

I'd probably be looking for a v8, and the sport transmission so I can do the paddle shifter mod, although I also saw a thread that said any ls can be upgraded to the better shifter, so thats not a make or break.

I've looked mostly online, autotrader, ebay, cars. com. ebay cars seem to have good prices, but buying sight unseen leaves me a bit queasy.
 
scjmc said:
I vastly enjoy my 02 V8 sport. 42K and counting mile wise. The only issues I have had are a failed drivers side seat heater ($19) and an auto wiper issue ($400 have not fixed). I drive it hard and enjoy the nice american mix of luxury and sport. The 05LS has many improvements over my 02.
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Only $19 to fix the seat heater? What was wrong with it? Details please! Mine has been out for almost 2 years now but have not ever taken it to get fixed.:D
 
PaulJK said:
I don't know what price range you're in, but the new 2006s can be had for the $28,000 range (sticker =$42,000). Lincoln is offerring MAJOR incentives on these. Also, if you buy a used car from a Lincoln Mercury dealership, they can "certify" the car for you which allows you to get a lower than normal interest rate and Extended Service Plans (ESP) with various deductables and lengths.
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Good to know. The '05 I am looking at, the dealer is asking around $21,500. It's a Ford dealer, I guess it's not certified then? They didn't say anything about that. That'll be a good bargaining point! :cool:
 
owlman said:
Hi folks,
I'm in the market for a new (er, new-to-me) car :) I test drove a 2005 LS V8 today and really liked it.
I still have some other cars to check out but this LS is high up on my list (even though it's a tad pricey for me). Is there any advice you can offer or things I should look out for? The little display says it needs an oil change, lol. 25k miles.

thanks
:waving:
Click to expand...
I have mine for sale. Asking $18,000 with all the bells and whistles. Here is the link:

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=20736
 
...All 06 models have the sport appearance package on them from the factory. I don't think the interiors vary any from the sport model to the regular LS sedan...
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All '06 models have the LSE appearance, not sport.
You will find differences in the interiors of different trim pacakges (luxury, sport, premium, ultimate). Different model years had different trim packages available, and I do not know of all the little details, but here are some of the basics:
  • 00-02 Sport model had all-leather steering wheel and leather shifter knob. All other models had wood insert on steering wheel and wood shifter knob. 03+ all models had wood insert on sterring wheel and wood shifter knob (I think).
  • 00-02 had woodgrain trim panels on the dash and doors.
  • 03+ most models had "Satin Nickel" finish trim panels on dash and doors. Opinion vary of course but I do not like them at all. Certain models (Ultimate, Premium, ?) had a very nice real wood finish on the trim panels, matching the wood on the steering wheel and shifter. It was also an option for other models.
  • 03+ "Ultimate" (maybe others like LSE?) had adjustable (read: usable) rear headrests, and sporty oversized front headrests. I am tall so I appreciate the big front headrests on my 06 Ultimate.
  • 00-02 had black plastic trim around radio/AC controls. 03+ had silver-painted trim around radio/AC controls.
  • 03 (only, not 04+) Ultimate had Licoln-logo scuff plates for rear door sills.
Also in general, the 03+ interior is significantly more refined that 00-02. The storage is much better, cup holders are now usable, and a lot of little details are refined to make it look more attractive and be more driver-friendly. The 03+ also has a large number of techinical and performance upgrades, making it much more appealing than the 00-02. I drive an 06 Ultimate now and had a 02 Sport previously. I would never want to go back.
 
There are a lot of nice low mileage used cars on Autotrader.com if you take a peek.
I would stick with at least the sport version, with the woodgrain interior. The reversing park sensors are also nice (look for the circles on the back bumper). I passed on the factory NAV in favor of adding a more feature-rich Pioneer unit later (that plays DVDs).

I love mine, but sometimes wish I had an LSE version just for looks. I believe however that the standard version with an updated grill and spoiler added makes an awfully nice looking ride!
 
macboy said:
All '06 models have the LSE appearance, not sport.
You will find differences in the interiors of different trim pacakges (luxury, sport, premium, ultimate). Different model years had different trim packages available, and I do not know of all the little details, but here are some of the basics:
  • 03+ all models had wood insert on sterring wheel and wood shifter knob (I think).
  • 03+ most models had "Satin Nickel" finish trim panels on dash and doors. Opinion vary of course but I do not like them at all. Certain models (Ultimate, Premium, ?) had a very nice real wood finish on the trim panels, matching the wood on the steering wheel and shifter. It was also an option for other models.
  • 03+ "Ultimate" (maybe others like LSE?) had adjustable (read: usable) rear headrests, and sporty oversized front headrests. I am tall so I appreciate the big front headrests on my 06 Ultimate.
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'06es are all V8s, and they have the side skirts and front and rear bumper covers of the LSE package, but not the spoiler. They also have the body-colored grille and license surrounds with a chrome waterfall on the grille (all hallmarks of the LSE package).

None of the '06es, however, are LSEs. That package did not exist in the '06 model year.

For '03-'05, the wood insert (real American Walnut Burl) on the steering wheel and dash and the wood shifter knob are part of the V6 Premium package and the V8 Ultimate package (or the Premium package on the '06es). The wood was optional on the '03-'06 V8 Sports. All other '03-'06 LSes have leather-wrapped steering wheels and shifter knobs.

The adjustable headrests are part of the Ultimate and Premium packages.

Also, there are a few non-Sport '06es. One just happens to be sitting in my driveway. ;)

If you're looking for a new '06, look fast; there aren't a whole lot of them left.
 
None of the '06es, however, are LSEs. That package did not exist in the '06 model year
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No arguments here; I only said they have the LSE appearance, not the LSE package. I could have been more clear I suppose. And besides the spoiler (which I think does its name justice by spoiling the appearance of the car IMHO), the '06 also do not have the all-red tail lamps that an LS with the LSE package would have.

I was intentionally a little vague on the package/model names, partly because here in Canada, they were different. For example, for 06 there were two models, and no optional packages: the LS Sport or the LS Ultmate. The Canadian 06 LS Ultimate had every option except Nav and Chrome wheels. My Ultimate has the chrome wheels. According the Lincoln LS order guide I have in front of me, there was only a LS Sport model in the US, with Premium and Elite packages optional. But even different geographical areas of the US may have had different models or packages (e.g. Ultimate).
 
If you want a TRUE LSE then you'll have to get the 2002, 2004 or 2005 LSE. Also, the 2006 LS's dropped the all red tail lights that was evident on the 04-05 LSE's.
 
Go w/ the '04 - '05, more options that the '02 doesn't have, and a cooler body style!!!
 
To add to the above..

2003 and up V6's and V8's generate more Horsepower and Torque than pre 03' LS's. This is due to the addition of Variable Timing. V8's go from 252hp to around 280hp, and similiar torque numbers. V6's went from 210hp to somewhere around 230 if I recall correctly.
 
Thanks for all the info, guys. I still have some other cars to test out but at least if I get the LS I know there will be a great forum to visit! haha :rolleyes:
 
It's a great forum to visit even if you don't own a Cadi or a Linc. I've seen a few people who've owned mustangs, jeeps, etc...
 
macboy said:
No arguments here; I only said they have the LSE appearance, not the LSE package.
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No arguments here, either; just a little clarification. :)
 
Osaín said:
Only $19 to fix the seat heater? What was wrong with it? Details please! Mine has been out for almost 2 years now but have not ever taken it to get fixed.:D
Click to expand...

I PM'd ya.
 
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