1st Aug 2004, 15:25
My wife and I toiled over the purchase of an LS in comparison to a BMW 5 Series. We came across a 2000 LS V8 with only 17k, right in our home town. We bought it at a great price. After several weeks of trying to sort out some small defects with the car, our dealership basically, could not do anything about the engine noise we were experiencing. The car did run great, but sounded embarrassing. I did some research and read several accounts claiming that this was a common complaint, and that the late production 2002's had found a solution to this problem, although Lincoln seems to not officially recognize the problem with a recall or service advisory that my two area dealerships have found. So, we sold it at a fair price, and wished the new owner good, luck.
I really loved the car and sought out a 2002. I was lucky, or so I thought, to find a 2002 LSE, a most rare car. It is black with factory ground effects, Subaru WRX style fog lamps, high output dual fact. exhaust, special suspension custom mono-chromatic trim and blackout package, all totalling a $7,000 add on to the base LSE at the time of purchase. I haven't even mentioned the incredible special wheels that match the cust. grille or the only 5k, tht's right 5,350 miles. The story is that the gent. who owned the car had passed away, and it needed to be sold to clear a settlement. The debt. was exactly $23850 thus that bought the car. This was when the car had only been registered for six months, a year ago now. I skipped Thanksgiving dessert to catch a plane to Florida to buy the car, as my best estimate placed it's value at a min. of $33,500 not accounting for it's rareness. I had to take a chance. I was thrilled when I saw it and we quickly closed the deal. I was home that night by 11:00, and decided to put a quick wash on the car after the 700 mile trip home.
That's when it all started, water in a fog lamp, water in the headlight, delamination of trim and emblems on the trunk, discoloring of the sail panels, noisy power window, noise from the A/C compressor, but NO! I would not be discouraged as the car had full warranty, and even free service to 40K. I would work with the dealership and solve these problems and let this car be the dream machine I wanted it to be. Now, let me put this in perspective, at the time of purchase this was to be my wife's car. What really happened was that I gave her my 2000 Corvette because I was really loving this LS. But now, after several dealership visits, 3, yes 3 times broken down out of state with the same no-start problem each time. Rental cars are never available, although Roadside Assistant did call a tow truck once, which we then had to cancel because the car then decided to start again. We have gone through three or four sets of fog lamps and headlights due to moisture. Our dealership now stocks them in quantity as they know they are basically junk. I don't know, I guess I drive it more now so that I don't have to worry about my wife breaking down, and that is a shame for a car with only 14000 miles. Too bad I already sold my Vette before the LSE showed it's true colors.
Now here's the shocker, believe it or not, I will very likely try one more LSE, or perhaps an Aviator, but this one is STRIKE 2!!!
Respectfully submitted by a guy who truly loves cars and driving. I began the quest for the perfect vehicle under $30,000 about ten years ago. I have owned over 300 cars in all shapes and sizes. No, I am not a dealer, I get asked that a lot. I am an enthusiast or a hobbyist, perhaps a finatic. I have come to the conclusion that in some ways, "When it comes to cars, they're all junk so just pick something you like and hope for the best!!" I know junk hurts peoples feelings, but I mean it to define the inevitable falibilities and frailties of the vehicles we love so dearly. Good luck! and Happy Hunting!!
DC.
21st Oct 2004, 19:25
I have a 2001 LS V8 with 33k miles and absolutely love it. Three weeks ago I started experiencing a very rough idle and the check engine light came on. I took it into the dealer and they still have it. They told me today that they cannot figure out what is wrong with it. It is still under factory warranty, thank goodness, because they are replacing the engine. The service manager told me that the engine repairs were going to exceed $3,000 so Lincoln told them to put a new engine in it. Fortunately their service has been outstanding and they have me in a Navigator until it is ready... which they estimate at a month more.
28th Jan 2008, 20:03
I have a 2001 LS and it has performed very nicely. I never had a heater or A/C problem, no engine trouble, no transmission trouble, no rear end trouble. Yeah a couple of window regulators and a wheel bearing and a ball joint (all taken care of under warranty). It has 60K on it now and I have even done Solo II racing for two seasons. It's an amazing car. I any of you that are griping about the car ever went to a good dealer, they would have taken care of any problems. I have owned many brands of cars and this one has done pretty well. I have seen many LS's with nearly 200,000 miles on them. I used to have a Toyota where the rear windows kept rolling down at highway speeds. My Mercedes was in the shop more than I drove it. My Mazda blew an engine. And hey, quit complaining about the cost of a car repair, I also have a Chevy Cavalier that has $300 wheel bearings, add labor and it gets higher. All cars are expensive to repair now-a-days.
8th Apr 2004, 06:29
The 2001 Lincoln LS is not what it is "cranked up" to be! I've had problems with its ignition system and the Lincoln service center cannot rectify the problem. Other problems include steering column problems, automatic windows, oil leaks, etc. The car was purchased May 2003 and I've being in and out for service every month since. I am extremely disappointed.