Lincoln LS v8

[Mystic Cobra]

I am considering buying my wife a 2000-2002 LS v8 with <35K miles. She currently drives an Acura Legend and it is time for a new car. Being the FORD fan that I am, all I will buy is Ford products.

I have talked her into getting an LS, but I wanted to see if you guys could tell me if they have been dependable cars for you. We will basically leave it stock. She will drive it back and forth to work and we will use it on trips.

Thanks in advance....Chris

[CGGorman]

While not the most trouble-free vehicle I've owned, the LS HAS been the best car I've ever owned. Ironic I suppose, but true. Every problem has been fixed by the dealer and noe of them resulted in a no-start/safety situation. I've always got to/from where I'm headed in comfort and safety with great speed and economy.

I can't recommend the LS highly enough. Not the most powerful car on the road, but DAMN fun to drive regardless.

[Nube]

I love my car I have had it for about 3 weeks. I bought it used without a warrently and I GOT IT BAD.... I HAVE HAD nothing but problems. I would suggest buying from a dealor with a warrenty......

Originally Posted by Mystic Cobra

I am considering buying my wife a 2000-2002 LS v8 with <35K miles. She currently drives an Acura Legend and it is time for a new car. Being the FORD fan that I am, all I will buy is Ford products.

I have talked her into getting an LS, but I wanted to see if you guys could tell me if they have been dependable cars for you. We will basically leave it stock. She will drive it back and forth to work and we will use it on trips.

Thanks in advance....Chris

[34Ford]

Well the wife has had her 01 now for a month and it has had to have the valve cover gaskets replaced and now it has got to go in to have a bolt in the steering wheel replaced. 4 hour job.

Thanks god we bought a extended warranty.

And the front tire noise is awefull on these things.

My 88 VII has run great for 13 years.

Dennis

[Mystic Cobra]

Thank you guys for sharing your experiences with these cars. I am still considering getting one, but I'm not 100% sure.

Thanks again,
Chris

[CGGorman]

What has TIRE noise got to do with a car's quality? Get different tires, for cripes sake.

[34Ford]

For your info, every LS I have driven had the same tire noise.
And I was told to live with it.

[fishbone1]

I justed purchased a 2000 LS a few months ago. It had 59000 miles when I purchased it and now has 64000 miles. The car died the first week I bought it!!! It would crank but not start. Luckily the dealer fixed it for no charge. This week it started to misfire and fuel economy dropped severely. I started searching the net and found this forum. Thank You!! After removing some plastic pieces and a few screws I found that I had oil in the #2 and #3 spark plug chambers. I cleaned the plug chambers and replaced the plugs. It runs like a champ. I also picked up a set of Valve cover gaskets from the local Lincoln dealership. I will let you know how bad it is to replace them. But, if I had it to do over again I would still buy this car. It runs and drives great. I have only had one other car in my life that I liked as much as this one. It was a 91 5.0 Mustang. I kept it for nearly 200K miles and it still ran good. It you want trouble free maybe you should look for something else. I have been married for 21 years and I love my wife but she is definitely not trouble free But I still think I made a good choice.

[MercCougarXR7]

My LS hasn't been trouble free (show me one make+model car that is!), but has never given me any serious troubles that weren't fixed quickly and on the cheap.

Front tire noise? As in worse than the rear tires? Get your hearing checked Bud, that's an awfully strange thing to hold against any car.

I love my LS, and have no worries about replacing my 2000 with a 2003 in a year or so. Yeah, I'm poor and can't afford new - but a used LS is a heck of alot nicer than a brand new econo-car .

Buy the LS, but don't get frustrated if/when it gives you minor problems - all cars have 'em.

[CGGorman]

34Ford,

Have all the LS's you've driven had the OEM tires? Conti's or Firehawks perhaps? Junk. Get something decent and you WILL notice a difference in both noise and performance. Michelin Pilot Sport A/S is highly recommended.

[bill05]

I just passed 50K on my 2000 and here's a short list of issues:
- clunk in the front end (common problem fixed under warranty)
- fogged up headlight lenses (replaced under warranty)
- rear window failed (once again, a common problem, warranty work)
- auto-dimming rear view failed ($100 and not covered by extended warranty)
- brake pads (this one surprised me... it happened at 35K)

I've had other vehicles with fewer problems under 60K (both of my Isuzus and an Accord), but NONE have been as much FUN to drive as this car. (I'm on my second set of tires and havee never noted excessive tire noise.)

[Quik_LS]

Originally Posted by bill05

I just passed 50K on my 2000 and here's a short list of issues:
- brake pads (this one surprised me... it happened at 35K)

30k for the stock pads are fairly common - as the traction control wears them out alot faster as the brakes are being applied by the PCM very often.

[BansheeRider]

Well I can tell you that I am on our 2nd LS and we are loving the car. The reason we are on our 2nd LS is because some As* cut in front of my wife and almost killed her. The cop that came to the accident asked her if she liked her car and when she responded that she did he said " well you should because most people dont walk away from an accident like this." We went back out and bought another one right away. Some times the safety of a car means alot. On top of that we have not run into any problems w/either of the cars. I bought both brand new and the 2nd has about 30,000 miles on it now. Be careful about the coments that are made by some of the people on these forums, sometimes the only reason people post is when that have problems with their cars and don't come back and when they are having no problems with their cars. Anyway good luck with what ever you choose to purchase.

[el es]

I have had a ton of problems with my 00 v6 auto sport and would not buy my car again but I would buy a 02 or newer because at the end of the day I love my car and I look good driving it Buy a manual if at all possible!

[jerryls]

You probably bought the LS already. I would never buy another. Although I believe the newer models are probably better. The 2000 V8 I have was the first model year- never buy a first model year! In fact the dealer told me they have made over 500 improvements in the new ones. Here's a list of problems I had after 50K miles.
-Both valce gasket leak($700.00) job from dealer
-at 90K miles coils fail ($150 each including labor) so far I have 4 replaced within three months
- Thermostat sticks causing overheating- This was a recall that they fixed for nothing, then it occurred 18 months later and I had to pay $395.00, the darn thing is under the engine. I argued with Ford that they apparently never fixed the design problem, but all they told me was recall warranty work is only good for 12 months!
- Heated seats failed 3 times.]
-AC blows hot hair out the passenger side frequently
- rear right window regulator broke.- cheap plastic parts used
- cruise control failed, I never fixed it
- seat backs fall off
- I almost forgot to mention the $2600.00 transmission that I just had to replace. It broke up inside as I was leaving a toll booth.

It's fun to drive, and the alpine sound system is great. If you buy one I'd get rid of it before the warranty runs out.
JB