My parents have a 04 LS and my brother has an 03. Neither one of them has ever had any major issue with their cars. Both are the V8 model. The cars are fast as hell and are very smooth on the road. The only issue I have ever noticed is that the car always wants to go meaning that even off the line can be a bit jerky. The pedal is a lot more sensitive then other vehicles. There isn't a lot of room in the back seat as well for a large sedan car. I'm 6' and have the seat all the way back leaving maybe 4" to the back seat. Maybe fine for kids but not other adults.

 

thats why i think the smaller car will be fine with me, im not a large fella at 5'6 lol. i think tomorrow i'll test drive one if i get to take my truck to ford and use their manual control box.

theres only a few mpg diff between the v6 and v8, and i hear a lot of "the v8 is fast" but nothing about the v6? smiggs whats your reasoning behind the v6 model anyway?

as for fit and finish like the door handles and moonroof, thats all minor to me. i've grown up with used vehicles and have always tinkered with the little things like this.

 

I don't know, you'd do better asking folks who owned one. I test drove one twice, and loved it- but that was a short term stint.

Motor trends says the LS was the best American sedan on the road, until the Chrysler 300 hit the streets.

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Oh man, talk about a lemon. My mother bought a white Ford Thunderbird in the early 80's. It looked good, but what a POS. The only thing "cool" about it, was the digital speedometer.

The next day, she goes out to go to work, and the SOB wouldn't crank. They finally got it started, she took it to the dealership. They "fixed it". She drove hom that night, all was good.

Got up the next morning, SOB wouldn't crank. They finally got it started, she took it to the dealership. They "fixed it". She drove hom that night, all was good.

The third day, she got u, and the SOB would not start. Stepdad got it cranked, and Mom took it back. I don't know what happened, but they gave her- her down payment back and a loaner car (I big ol, orange Checy Caprice Wagon) to drive until school was out (About a month). Apparently they could not fix it, or she wasn't willing to deal with a new lemon, so bought a 1984 Pontiac Phoenix SE. She drove the wheels off that car from 1984 - 1998, and sold it with 188,000 miles on it. The lady she sold it to, drove it until 2002 when she sold it so someone else.

That car never broke down on her or left her stranded. Experiences like hers is what made me think GM was the way to go...

 

I've driven my Dad's V6 for extended trips ( over 8 hours of driving at a time ) and was very impressed at the comfort, ride, and the mileage the V6 got doing 70 mph. ( roughly 30 - 32 mpg ) For a V6, it had plenty of get up and go for passing.

I haven't travelled with a V8 and haven't asked what they get for mileage. I'm basing my opinion of the V8 off the horror stories my buddy has told me and from driving the car once.

As for the insurance aspect, it might be cheaper to insure the V6 model over the V8. You would have to check into that to confirm that though.

 

The 2003 and newer V6s move out pretty well considering what they are. The '03 and newer cars, V6 or V8, are more powerful and faster than the older cars since they have variable cam timing amongst other tweaks here and there.

None of them really get stellar fuel mileage, in mixed driving at least. I won't call BS to 30+ mpg on a long highway drive, but low-mid 20s average is a little more realistic, IMO. And they all require premium fuel.

Also, a lot of the V8 cars had the sport package (especially 2003 and newer), which got bigger wheels and tires, body colored trim, slightly different suspension calibrations and the Selectshift automatic (same trans as all the others, only with a shift gate to manually downshift and upshift. 2003 and newer let you start off in first gear like that, 2000-2002 started off in second, and they'll hold that gear as long as you want, bouncing off the rev limiter, which is kinda cool. The shift engagement kinda sucks though, very herky-jerky).

I like the sport package just 'cause they look better, IMO, ditching the chrome bits here and there for body colored pieces with the bigger wheels and tires. V6 Sports are somewhat rare cars (only made from 2000 to '02), and rarer still are 2000-01 Sport V6s with a manual transmission. If I had to get an LS, that's the one I'd want.

 

Never have used premium in the V6, my Dad doesn't use premium in it either. Runs smooth with 87. Almost has 100,000 km ( 60,000 miles ) on it with zero engine problems.

I agree that the manual would be the better option to get.

 

that raises a question about the trans, which ones behind that block? i know nothing about the powertrain but the select shift sounds like something i've seen on the newer mazda's?

 

I think they are good cars. I worked at a lincoln dealer for 7 years. The V8 drives great. But the yes they are known for valve covers leaking and trans problems. Very expensive to maintain like bmw's or mercedes. Cant just get a hub asy have to get the entire knuckle. I would love to have one but too many problems. If it was under warranty I would say get it. Its a real shame cause I really like the LS.

 

Most of them ping really bad with regular or midgrade fuel. But if it's working for y'all, who am I to argue?

From 2000 to '01, it was the 5R55N, from '03 to the car's end it was the 5R55S. The 5R series is based off the 4R44/4R55 from mid-late '90s Exploders and Rangers, the 4R was based off the A4LD, and the A4LD was based off the C3. The 5Rs can be kinda finicky, they had some shift solenoid problems that caused things like delayed engagements and harsh/missed shifts, but that was mostly fixed by '05 or '06.

 

that sounds like the same trans in the later models as are in the mazda 6's?

 

I drove a v6 model and was so unimpressed and disliked it so much for the price and it wasn't until I drove the v8 did the car make any sense.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

My wife has a 02 LS with a V8. It is a quick car. It gets about 26mpg highway. We have to fill it with premium gas. My wife works from home so it is just driven around town and on road trips. All in all it has been a good car with no major problems. I have done the front brakes and change the oil and filters now since the free oil changes from Lincoln stopped at 40k Miles. The car is hard on tires. I replaced with the stock Continentals at 30k w/ BF Goodrich Traction TAs. They are now looking beat at about 30k later

It has had its weird behavior. It has flooded two or three times where it would not start unless you held the pedal all the way to the floor and kept trying to crank it. I had a tow truck driver that told me that trick and he said that it was common to the LS, Jags and Thunderbirds.
Sometimes the transmission will drop communication to the computer and a Simpsons supermarket type scanning Maggie message will flash on the dash, it happens so quick you do not know what the message is. I had to read up about it on LincolnsvsCadillacs.
The drivers power window cables broke and I had to replace the whole motor/cable asembly since that is the way the replacement comes.
The 6 Disc In Dash CD Player quit working so I replaced it with a Kenwood Head Unit.

We now have a two year so putting her and all of her stuff in the car eats up a lot of room.

That sums up my experience with a Lincoln LS.

 

No, the 6 is front wheel drive, I dunno what transmission it uses.

The 5R is also used in 2002 and newer Exploders and Mountaineers, Aviators, Rangers and Mustangs.

 

Either it's got a/an leaking injector(s), or it needs the updated brake switch/steering wheel angle sensor harness and calibration update, or a new PCM depending on what processor is in it now and what the build date was. Normally though it's injectors, the only way I've been able to find them was by pulling the fuel rail and cycling the key on and off several times to find the leaker. It doesn't stick wide open and blow the engine up like on a 2005 5.4 3V fortunately.

It's probably RFI due to a faulty ignition coil. Or the shift solenoid pack is acting up.
Done a bunch of them. They go through a lot of window regulators, especially the rear.

Yeah, that was back when Ford was sourcing radios and radio repairs from Delphi, they/we couldn't get a radio that worked right.

 

so the 5r has to be rather reliable then, i dont see or hear of that many trans issues on the newer model mustangs, ranger or explodums.

sounds like an 00-02 is a budget / chancy buy and should have the vc gasket issue addressed with the mileage im seeing on these being over 80k

ford service guy said he has seen very few 03+ come through so thats promising.