Been looking for a car for my wife. Im working on turning from the dark side of automobiles. Currently she has a 99 Mitsubishi Galant, what a turd. I have been looking at the LS 3.9L V8. Does anyone know anything about these cars? Is the 3.9L V8 any good? Make decent power? What transmission backs up that engine? Im looking at used cars, so years 2000-2003 around there. The interiors look realy nice but I wouldn't expect anything else from Lincoln.

 

I've driven both several times and the V6 acceleration didn't seem to much different than the V8 acceleration. Ride is VERY NICE and it's quiet with lots of plush, DUH it's a Lincoln.

Sorry, I don't know much about the specs on it.

 

This is useless for you but I know a guy that put nitrous on his '02 LS. I rode with him before this and the car is really nice like Birdhunter said. He really likes that car btw.

 

The 3.9 LS is an excellent car. A friend of mine recently bought one, and he let me take it for a spin. The car is incredibly comfortable, the sound system is great, and the engine is a strong little V8. The power band is up high, so don't expect it to be really torquey down low like most V8s, but she will really scream.

 

It handles really well too. I borrowed a friend's once last winter, and while I was driving, an ice chunk flew off of the roof of a truck in front of me. I swerved, like I would in my normal car, and was nearly thrown out the door. It was almost like it read my mind what I wanted to do...the interior was very nice too.

 

We just bought an '05 for the wife. We drove both the V8 and the V6 and honestly, I didn't notice much difference. With the added weight of the V8 and only a minimal increase in power and torque, they felt much the same. So we chose the V6 which has better mileage.

The car is quite quick and handles very well. It's tight and responsive, a pleasure to drive.

My only gripe is that it's a bit small for me, but that's why she's driving it and I have my F-250.

 

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/forumdisplay.php?f=7

Try that webpage. It is a forum for Lincoln LS owners.

I own a 2004 LS V8. The V8 has nice power for freeway speeds, but is somewhat lacking in low end power. In comparison, my 1996 Chebby Impala SS had 260hp 330ft pounds torque but at relatively low RPM. The LS has something like 280 HP(2003+) at high RPM and I forget what torque but relatively low and at high RPM. The SS would walk away from the LS in a stoplight drag according to my buttometer. But the LS once you get it rolling at freeway speed, screams.

The V8 engine is one of the tiniest V8s I have seen and it is my opinion that it is a very busy(cruise at 2,500 at 70) engine that is not well suited to stop and go. My MPG on street has been as low as 13-14mpg with some stop and go. While my best mostly freeway MPG(some stop and go) has been maybe 19mpg. IF you can stay on the freeway at a relatively constant speed, I have heard mileages of 26+ and have personally seen the computer tell me something like 24-25MPG. As soon as you get off the freeway, tho, the mileage plummets.

Seems like the big problem with this car is the tranny. Many owners have had the problem with valve bodies and solenoids needing to be replaced. I had my tranny dropped and minor rebuild at about 15,000 miles(bought used at 14,000 with some occasional stumbles). Ford knows they have a problem with this model tranny 5R55 I think, which is also used in some Ford trucks, and there is a program to repair at no charge. Some people have had the tranny dropped more than once. I am sceptical about the reliability of the trans since it still occasionally slam shifts and kind of stumbles.

Older LS had a weird hydrauliclly driven cooling fan, how Rube Goldberg can you get? It was prone to failuer and very expensive to replace.

The ignition coils are prone to failure due to oil leakage into the sparkplug well of the valve covers. Replacement is something like $1000 due to the amount of work involved..

Parts are expensive and sometimes hard to find. For example oil filters are between $8 mail order and $20+ at stores and dealers. The engine bay is extremly tight, so I would expect reapirs to be difficult for home mechanics.

I have not owned mine long enouigh to say how well it will hold up, but I am nervous at this time.

I have not gotten to take it into really twisty roads, but from what I can feel and read, it is an excellent handling car. Supposedly this is the best handling production chassis Ford has made in a long time. It is the same chassis as used on the Jaguars and T'Birds. Lots of aluminum chassis bits and a cool independent rear end. Too bad they didn't put in a limited slip.

It is an adequate comfort car for me. I am 6'4" and 270#. My F250 and old SS are much more roomy. It does have a nice fold down rear seat into the trunk access. The heated/cooled seat is nice.

One disappointment is that it looks a lot like a large Honda Accord or even the big Hyundai.

There are not a lot of aftermarket parts and may never be since the car is being discontinued after 06.

If I could change the car, I would make it a tad more roomy and give it maybe 50-100 horses more and make it lower in the RPM range. I would like the computer to be smarter, few real features just a lot of essentially dummy light messages on the display panel.

I would also want to have less exotic parts since the cost of replacements is murder on thsi car, but then I suppose that is the norm for this class of car. Ford Designed the LS to be the alternative to people who would buy a BMW 5 series which it compared favorably against in C&D tests.

A used LS is a bargain. Their price drops as soon as you get it off the new showroom floor. For example mine was a 2004, listing for something like $44,000 new. I got it 1 year and 3 months after it was first put in service with about 14,000 miles on it. I paid $25,800. A drop of almost $20,000 in a little over a year is horrendous/terrific, depending on which end of the stick you are on.

It is also rated as one of the safest vehicles in it's class. I forget the exact text, but essentially it was right at the #1 or 2 spot for it's class in crash protection.

Anyway, I ramble on. Last comment... If I had the choice I would have rather kept my ImpalaSS. Roomier, more fun on the street, almost same mileage, and it's value was appreciating. Too bad a hit and runner solved that problem for me. But the LS is a good car, for someone who is into a bit of exotica and has the money for repairs.

Jim Henderson

 

I think Jim hit most of the high (and low) points pretty well. Oddly, the Town Car is roomier, gets better gas mileage, has a stellar repair history, and is cheaper to buy- but it's not everyone's cup of tea either.

FWIW, the Cadillac CTS is the car to beat in this class.

 

Great site. I have had mine for almost a year and love it. Jim has covered everything. I bought mine with trade for 11,000. it is a 2001 and had 55,000 miles on it so I think I did alright. My Coils are going bad which is a common problem on these but other than that it has run strong. There are many people that have gone the V-6 route and wish they would have bought the v-8, and since you are looking at used there probably won't be a big difference. Good luck and I think you'll enjoy the site and the LS.

Nolan

 

Thanks for all the input. Good and bad. Its exactly what I was looking for. I will have to check out that lincolnvscaddy site when I have more time.

 

OH, if you do buy a used one, BE SURE, the dealer or whoever supplies you with a minimum of 2 keys, 3 is better. To make new keys you will need 2 so that your computer can "compare" them against the new key. If you only have one key, you must take it in to the dealer and it costs somewhere above $100 unless they are feeling generous. If you ever loose the last key, you will have to be towed into the dealer to have new keys made, and the manual says they are going to ream you, or to that effect. New keys from the dealer are about $70. YOu can get independent shop made keys for less and program them yourself, IF you have TWO keys like I said.

Also MAKE SURE they give you the factory keyless entry passcode. FORD will not give you the passcode if you are not the original owner. The dealer may or may not be able to get you the code read out from the computer. If they can read it, I have heard rates of around $70 average just to read the code.

These two issues have been a significant irritation to me.

A spare keyfob is easy to get from eBay for around $15 or so and you can program the newer models, I think 2003 and up.

Jim Henderson

 

Another place for LS information is www.llsoc.com . That's the Lincoln LS Owner's Club.

 

I believe you have to pay just to view their site, and most of the people in there are on LVC as well.

 

Yup - llsoc is a pay site.

Ford has run a Lincoln LS in the Cannonball Run for the past two years. It isn't exactly stock, but it is a fascinating car to see. It is powered by a highly modified (blown) 4.6L CrownVic motor. I have some videos somewhere...