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Well, since there are always some musings about the LS as a possible step up from a Contour, I decided to see what all the hubbub was about.
I checked out a 2004 V6 and a 2003 V8. First off, they are no longer offering the LS in a 5 speed manual with either engine, so let's end that myth right now. On with the review...
I have to say that I was very impressed. The car had a sophisticated and agressive ride.
The seats were very comfortable and supportive, although a little more side bolstering would have been nice. The rear seat was OK, not huge, but noticably bigger than the CSVT, and noticably smaller than an A6. The leather seemed like a very high quality and the perforated seats on the climate controlled V8 were very nice. The center console between the seats was a bit disapointing. The console pocket was set too far back to make it easy to use on the road and the dual cup holders were an odd shape to hold anything but....well...cups. Overall the materials were pretty good and the feel of the knobs and switches was better than normal for Ford. There was a wobbly seam/gap between the dash materials covering the gauge cluster, but the imperfections were not really noticable unless you looked cloesly behind the steering wheel.
The V8 had the THX surround navigation system. That was very cool to play with but hard to see with a lot of glare on a sunny day. And the sounds was decent.
The V6 was OK in the power department. 230HP with variable valve timing, mated to a 5 speed auto. It would be adequate for most people but definitely was not exciting enough for me, especially without a stick. Seeing that I wasn't truly satisfied, the dealer pulled out the fully optioned 2003 leftover. Sticker was $47k. I have to say that the V8 is WELL WORTH the extra money. Much more power. Much more confident feel. Much quieter at idle. Much more pull on the highway. I was up around 100MPH in no time coming off an exit ramp.
And the 5-speed Auto-Stick tranny was probably the best one I have driven yet. The downshifts were actually crisp! And the upshifts were seemless with the right amount of overrev before clicking into the next gear. And the tranny will let you stay in gear regardless of your speed. It will only automatically switch you to 1st or 2nd if you are in 4th or 5th and approaching a complete stop. (Audi won't let you do that. It anticipates your gear and will switch for you when you don't want it to.)
Overall, I think this car would be a good option for someone shopping around. It's not too big, not too small. It has classy lines and a nice growl at WOT with the V8. And the options help pull it closer to the G35, 525/530, and C320.
The best part was this dealer was willing to part with the fully schtoncked-out 2003 V8 for about $11k below sticker. If I had the cash ready, I would have taken it because I like the looks better than the G35 and that V8 has a lot of potential. Besides the salesman was great. He gave me a tour of their new building and showed me around the shop, which was very clean. Much more attentive than ANY other F/L/M experience I have ever had.
So, for $35k-38k, try and grab one of these 2003 left overs while they last. They are pretty nice for the price.
That's all for now!
Last edited by baco99; 11/16/03 05:27 AM.
For Sale:
- Sony PSP with a Baseball 2k6 and the movie Crash. $100
- 1973 Karmann Ghia Convertible w/ Auto-Stick. Needs Restoration. $1200 OBO
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I think they redid the 2003 in a lot of ways to improve it's quality, and ride & handling characteristics from the 2002's & lowers.
They are nice cars. Nothing beats a V8 either.
"Fear is the little death."
Muadib.
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A friend of the family had a 2000 V-8 and traded it in for a 2002 V-8 sport. Both have been quite good in regards to reliability and I have spent some time behind the 2002. Definitely a good car to put 800-1000 miles/day on the highway without feeling tired.
BUT, the infiniti M45 is much along the same lines and sticker at about 40k new.
"Bros before Hoes" <-- More men need this mentality.
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I miss the hell out of mine.
Suck it Trebek! And by Trebek I mean Seaegee!
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I had an '03 V8 for about 2 weeks through work. Agree with your impressions, especially that the power is impressive and the autostick is the best in the business. Oh yeah, Ford's corporate nav system is also the best in the business IMO.
E0 #36
'95 Ranger
'82 Honda CX500
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Glad to hear you enjoyed your drives in the LS! As a proud owner of a 2000 LS V8 Sport, I concur with most of what you have mentioned. I belong to the LLSOC, and even though it's a membership site ($35/year), it's well worth it when it comes to the parts deals and events. If you were to pursue an LS, the best upgrades so far have been an intake and an exhaust, as no tuner has yet cracked the PCM for the LS, so modifications like turbos/superchargers are unavailable unless you swap in an S-Type R motor (around $20k).
As for reliability, so far I have had no major problems since I bought mine in May. In fact, the only work I know of on the car was some valve cover work for an oil leak.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
James
'00 Lincoln LS V8 Sport
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Lincoln LS's suffer from severe depreciation. You can easily find a 2000 V8 with low mileage for less than 18000. I wouldn't buy a new one.
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Originally posted by jerseycat10:
Lincoln LS's suffer from severe depreciation. You can easily find a 2000 V8 with low mileage for less than 18000. I wouldn't buy a new one.
i agree with that, somewhat. 2003 seems to be the best year to look into beause the scheduled maintenance is included up to 3 years/36,000 miles. that probably saves about $1500 for the first 3 years of ownership. in 2004 they lowered that to 1 year/12,000 miles. the 2000's did not offer an AutoStick, to my knowledge. feel free to prove me wrong, but i think that was a 2002+ feature. also, the climate controled seats, larger wheels, and better brakes are part of the 2002+ value-adds. from what the dealer told me, they were having some problems with brake vibration every 8k-12k miles on early LSs. also, the later LSs have a more usable center console and better sound system.
i'm not immediately in the market, but if i weren't in school, i'd be trading up to that 2003 V8 very soon.
For Sale:
- Sony PSP with a Baseball 2k6 and the movie Crash. $100
- 1973 Karmann Ghia Convertible w/ Auto-Stick. Needs Restoration. $1200 OBO
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Originally posted by metermac:
I belong to the LLSOC, and even though it's a membership site ($35/year), it's well worth it when it comes to the parts deals and events.
What about for people like me who want to peruse the site without paying the fee? Are there any others that are free and offer similar information?
For Sale:
- Sony PSP with a Baseball 2k6 and the movie Crash. $100
- 1973 Karmann Ghia Convertible w/ Auto-Stick. Needs Restoration. $1200 OBO
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Originally posted by baco99:
the 2000's did not offer an AutoStick, to my knowledge. feel free to prove me wrong, but i think that was a 2002+ feature. also, the climate controled seats, larger wheels, and better brakes are part of the 2002+ value-adds.
With the LS, you're basically looking at 2 packages for the US, standard and sport. Every year they've made the LS has a Sport model which is pretty much defined with no chrome strips on the bumper, SelectShift, and sportier springs, and I believe 17 inch wheels.
As for climate controlled seats, I've got heated seats on my 2000, but would kill for the 2003+ that has heated and cooled seats. I just moved to Las Vegas and my charcoal interior is going to fry my fat ass when it goes over 100F.
Originally posted by baco99:
from what the dealer told me, they were having some problems with brake vibration every 8k-12k miles on early LSs. also, the later LSs have a more usable center console and better sound system.
I haven't heard of problems with brake vibration, but do know about an auto tranny problem on the 2000s that required a reflash. One of the things I don't like about the LS is the lack of space to put crap. The glove box is tiny and barely holds the manual let alone a decent sized flashlight. But, that just means I carry less crap in my car!
Originally posted by baco99:
What about for people like me who want to peruse the site without paying the fee? Are there any others that are free and offer similar information?
Brian and Debbie Gowing (the owners) have made the conscious effort to allow visitors to peruse the site and its contents by offering a 30-day free trial. From what I've seen on the board, the LLSOC actually manifested itself from the Edmunds board, so no, there are no other sites that offer the quality/quantity that the LLSOC does. I'm not trying to sound like a salesman for the LLSOC, because the last thing I wanted to do was fork over $35/year for a computer forum about a car, but with the knowledge/ingenuity/deals available on the LLSOC, it's well worth it. Of course, you're mileage my vary.
James
'00 Lincoln LS V8 Sport
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