15th Aug 2006, 06:55

My wife's 94 LHS New Yorker has been reliable & comfortable. She loves the leather seats, compass, & outdoor thermometer. I am fond of the aerodynamics & the large trunk; the Jaguar rear window has grown on me. The ride is not as plush as our 88 Merc. She became 2nd owner in 1998 at 44K; the sellers had traded it in on an Avalon; all manuals & a plausible maintenance record were in glovebox. A/C control system required repair in 2000 (Chrys. dealer had to keep car several days to figure it out), & new compressor was needed in '02 or '03 (local shop; half day). Tie rods have now been replaced (1 at a time; local shop). Originally, hood stayed up well, but now must use a spare pole; don't want to spend money on new cylinders.

The big event occurred at 140K: a head gasket blew out on I-44; by the time I nursed it to an exit ramp, the aluminum heads were warped. So I just went ahead & bought a new rebuilt (cannot remember company right now; not Mopar), since buying a used engine meant buying a used head-gasket.

Last week, it overheated near home, the rad fans were not spinning, CheckEngine was lit, & 10a fuse #20 was blowing; I was able to eliminate coolant system components & trace the fault to engine control & took it to local shop; turned out to be worn insulation on wire to OxSensor; no parts were replaced; codes were OxSensor & EGR.

The past 2 yrs I have been perplexed by the trunk latch, which occasionally goes thru spells when it will not engage. It started doing this again yesterday. Fuse is OK (#13; also for interior lights). Trunk lid is rather flexible on its hinges, & I have learned that sometimes a little twist clockwise or vice versa will reliably cause the latch to engage. But that technique hasn't worked since yesterday after I drove home with large peat moss bales. Has anyone listening had trunk latch problems?

7th Sep 2006, 09:00

I purchased a 1997 LHS about 6 months ago from a good friend. Naturally something has to go wrong lol. I love the car and other than recharging the air it's been wonderful. Yesterday on my way home from work the headlights started to shimmer like the voltage was intermittent, the battery light came on and the ABS and trac control lights also came on. If I turn the car off and start it again they all turn off and pop back on after a few minutes of operation. Anyone else had this problem, or have a solution (other than buying a different car?)

4th Oct 2006, 21:06

I purchased an LHS last week, and had overheating problems right away. The thermostat was replaced, which was needed. it did not solve the problem. It overheated again so I turned the heat up to 90 degrees, full blast. It cooled the engine quickly. I will now have the radiator flushed. I hope that solves the problem. Thanks for all the great comments!

Lisa.

3rd Jan 2007, 07:21

My daughter has a 95 LHS. She bought it used. Had tie rods replaced first. Then started overheating. Replaced thermostat and had radiator flushed, still overheats when it's hot outside. Now tranny is acting up. Forgot to mention that a headlight lens fell off and trunk latch works when it wants to. Needless to say, she's looking for another car. She has her head set on a 99 Chevy Malibu. I've also looked this up and it's another lemon. Kids, why can't they listen to us...LOL.

25th Feb 2007, 20:32

Yes, it is truly outrageous that your 12-year-old used car was not in perfect condition when you bought it! Geez. Give me the LHS, and I'll still be driving it in 10 years because I actually take care of vehicles.

Overheating--flush and thermostat was a good idea, but also make sure that the coolant was completely refilled after the flush because many garages don't bother to check that the air bubble was forced out. Pop off the radiator cap (when cold) and check that the coolant is all the way up. Was the thermostat installed backwards? Also, check to make sure the electric fan is coming on. If not, that could also explain why it gets hot when it's warm out. Check for corroded contacts at the plug.

Transmission acting up--how? Check fluid level (in correct manner). If the car has over 100,000 miles, take it to a Chrysler dealership and have them change the fluid and filter. Don't trust "lube places."

Sticking latches = spray with WD-40.

Maybe a used car is just not for you if simple maintenance is beyond your ability. Whether it's a '94 Chrysler or '99 Chevy, no used car will ever be good enough for you because all cars have some little thing that needs to be fixed or maintained periodically. Just go ahead and make the car payment if you can't take care of machinery.

6th May 2007, 14:50

I bought 1994 New Yorker new and drove it for ten years. I parked it in 2004 with 225,000 kms on it after buying another Jeep Cherokee. It still runs like a charm, but the A/C needed re-charging every spring and a new compressor in 2000. I never had overheating problems, but the timing belt fell off the pulleys in 2000 because the tension pulley bearing seized and the pulley fell off. The rear brakes were also a nightmare with the mini emergency brake shoes inside the disc brake rotors rotting away constantly. I've also had the roof rot through 3 times over the driver's door due to condensation build-up under the reinforcing channel on the driver's side and it wasn't properly sealed. It's been sitting in the back yard since 1994 but I've driven it around the block a few times every year since. This spring, it turns over to beat the band, but it won't run unless a spray gas into the air intakes... the fuel tank-mounted pump isn't getting any power. I've also noticed the brake and fuel lines running under the floor are completely rotted away... why can't they make brake and fuel lines with stainless steel.

It's got a new set of tires. The wife says "put it back on the road so we don't have to buy another car. I love the old car for its smooth ride and interior comfort, but, sadly, I must call the scrap yard and have her towed away. My only other option is to buy another for parts, but I haven't the room for another clunker.

1st Aug 2007, 19:22

Wow, after reading these reviews I think a reality check is in order for anyone posting another comment, I've had a 94 LHS since 96 and it's been nothing, but good, but has required minimal maintenance up till now, but of course now it needs work since its 13 years old!

POSTERS, YOU ARE BUYING A 10+ YEAR OLD CAR! If it's 10+ years old I would EXPECT to have to replace/thoroughly inspect the following parts NO MATTER WHAT THE MILEAGE IS (this applies to other cars besides an LHS, I've owned Cadillacs and BMWs and they're the same way:

1) Suspension components (shocks, springs, control arm bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, strut mounts, sway bars/bushings/links)

2) Coolant system (radiator, hoses, thermostat, water pump, heater core, coolant flush ~ it's supposed to be done every 2-3 years!!!)

3) Engine components (timing belt the spec on the 3.5L is 84 months or 105k miles, chances are you're over one or both of these and you're living on borrowed time. Should also have a hydrocarbon test done on coolant to determine if you're getting any combustion byproducts in your coolant which would indicate a headgasket sealing problem or cracked block, but HGs are more common)

4) Electrical (switches ~ 9 times out of 10 the contacts have corroded and removal, disassembly and cleaning with isopropl alcohol and/or high grit sandpaper will fix the problem, Gauges ~ check your fuses and relays, if its something like your fuel level indicator you'll most likely need to drop the tank, may as well do your fuel pump too!)

5) Fuel system (fuel filter, fuel injectors, fuel rail, FUEL PUMP FUEL PUMP FUEL PUMP, on a 10+ year old car or over 100,000-150,000 miles your fuel pump doesn't owe you or your car a thing! Fuel pressure regulator, same goes for this little item, cheap and easy to replace!

6) Engine (camshaft position sensor, crankshaft position sensor, spark plugs, spark plug wires, air filter, oil change, oil filter)

7) Transmission (transmission fluid, tranny filter screen)

8) Brakes (Rotors, if you've got a low mileage car you may be OK, to be sure you can have them reground, new brake pads, BRAKE FLUID FLUSH (I like Super Blue, it's DOT 3, 4, 5.1 mixable, and is far superior to standard fluids), inspect calipers to ensure they're in good shape.

If you expect to buy an old car for cheap ~$2000 or less like some are saying in previous posts realize you got what you paid for, I thought this site was a survey of experience, not a complaint board, I recommend going to online forums in the future before you buy a car to get ACTUAL people's experiences BEFORE you buy!!!