Little help on buying a 2000 Lincoln LS a few questions

Alright before I jump in to one, I am sure its a auction car but its a good price, the exterior is clean the car looks good, the interior looks a bit beat and smells like a hotel room but I was assured it would be detailed and cleaned on the inside before I picked it up. What I saw when I drove it. Its got 158k all the windows worked sunroof works heated seats work AC works radio works the change oil message was on. When I started it, the starter sunded like it was grinding metal, when I put it in reverse it went in fine no hesitation but when I put it in the 5 position it kinda slamed into gear, is this a sign that the transmission is about to crap the bed? I am a part time mechanic so changing the starter isn't bad for the price of the car the engine sounds good and runs smooth. But I don't want a tranny job on my hands and I have no records of when the last time it was rebuilt and I am not sure a Carfax would show that if the shop didn't record it by vin. Any comments or help would be great. Thanks

Welcome to the forum!

Any evidence this car has been through a flood? That might explain the price and the smell of the interior. Or, if this car belonged to a smoker, the headliner and interior may not last as long as you'd like it too, plus you may never get the smell out.

The shifting you describe, although I don't think it's abnormal for this car, could be solenoid packs for the transmission which really aren't that bad (relative to a transmission rebuild). There are other common issues to be aware of, most of which have been posted on this forum.

Please try the "Search this forum" feature from the Lincoln LS forum main page. You may try searching for the keyword "common."

-Rod

Thanks for the info, no evidence the car had been through a flood, but you could tell the guy who had it last was a heavy smoker there are ashes everywhere and you could tell he was a heavy driver interior looks like he spent a lot of time in it. It has not been reconditioned so I hope that some of the smell and look will come back, I know once the smoke has been in the car it won't come out but I'll febrize the hell out of it. I can replace the solenoid packs myself if I have to, its better than a rebuild. Thanks for the input.