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Should I buy this LS?

rebel90rebel90 Member Posts: 8
in Lincoln
I am looking at a 2002 LS v8 with 75k miles for 5 grand...Yes thats right 5 grand...I test drove it and right away noticed suspension noise when hitting bumps...I mentioned it to the guy selling it and he said he thought it was the shocks and struts and thats why the price is low...After some research it seems to me that this might be the sway bar and bushings instead? A much cheaper job I might add...At 75k miles do you guys think the shocks and struts would be ruined already? On top of this the paint is chipping all over and its clear that NO maintainence has been done to this car (owned by a kid). If in fact I do buy this what would you guys rec me to do right away for maintenance and repairs? What will I be able to do myself (spark plugs,oil etc) and what is going to cost me $$. Any help would be GREAT!

Thanks.
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Yep - new sway bar for sure. Springs should be fine - struts, maybe. Leaky valve cover gaskets and/or COP failures are common but I wouldn't fix those until they actually failed. Get the coolant and transmission fluid replaced (let the dealer do those - they require special tools and/or procedures). I would also replace the brake fluid but if you do it yourself you need to have the engine running to activate the ABS valves. Get a set of speed bleeder valves - makes it a lot easier. If the paint is actually chipped, it might need a repaint. If bare metal is showing at least get rid of any rust and spot prime it to prevent further rusting. Also be aware the hood, fenders and trunk lid are aluminum and very easy to ding.

    Sounds like a great buy even with the problems.
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    cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,509
    My struts finally wore out last summer as I was coming back from Alaska, or so I thought. Actually, the rear ones were shot, but once I replaced them, the car felt fine. I'd bought all four, so went ahead and replaced the front ones too, but the car felt pretty much the same afterwards.

    Mine's a 2000, and the rear shocks lasted 126,000 miles. Who knows how much longer the fronts might have lasted. I did the sway bar bushings several years ago, but these days you have to replace the whole bar with one with bonded-on bushings. It's a much bigger job to do, and very few opt for DIY, but it stays fixed. That said, my bushing replacement job is still going strong, but generally you don't know till it gets cold outside.

    Good luck. I'm about to sell mine & it's got a lot more miles than the one you're looking at. I think you'll enjoy it.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
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    rebel90rebel90 Member Posts: 8
    I bought the 02 ls with 74k for 4900 dollars knowing its going to need some work...I went directly to lincoln and this is what they told me it needed....

    Let me know what you think..They charged me 240 just for this great news....
    EEC test code P0303 cylinder #3 misfires needs cylinder #3 coil and plug also needs an IAC and fuel filter ...coil and plug $639.10

    I have been reading that in a case like this the oil is leaking and causing the issue...In that case do I really need to replace the gasket covers, all coils and spark plugs? How hard of a job is this....

    The car runs great except for a bit of a hesitation....The check engine light came on about an hour ago for the first time...

    Thanks in advance...
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    If the valve cover gaskets are leaking you'll see oil in the plug wells. If there's no oil then the gaskets are ok. The cops can fail on their own. I'd go ahead and replace all of them and the plugs just to be safe. Check around for the coils - that seems way too high.
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    rebel90rebel90 Member Posts: 8
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    steph13steph13 Member Posts: 2
    Hello
    I found a Lincoln LS 2000 with 61,000 miles for 8900. My concern is the maintenance and gas mileage. I am trading a 96 pontaic Sunfire and I get 29 miles to a gallon highway and 19 city regular unleaded. I concerned that the Lincoln may cost me a lot more in maintenance and gas. I expect some increase but I worry rather it will be a large increase. Open to opinions
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Expect around 17 city, 25-26 hwy but that's on premium. Not a huge difference, but not small either.

    That price sounds a bit high - I think you could get a better one for less than that. 2000 was the first year and had some teething problems (heated seat elements, window regulators, etc.). A 2001 would be better and a 2002 would be better still.

    Expect to replace the COPs (coil on plugs) and possibly the valve cover gaskets (some leak, some don't). Front swaybar and ball joints also at some point.

    They're solid cars though and the overall costs are still lower than other comparable vehicles. You'll love it.
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    cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,509
    I agree with what Allen has said, but you didn't mention whether the LS you're looking at is the 6 or 8-cylinder engine. The COP & valve cover gasket issues are fairly common with the 8; with the 6, I don't recall ever hearing of those problems. My V6 LS has 128K miles on it w/ only a cooling fan issue over an 8-year span, so far as the engine is concerned.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
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    toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    akirby, what happens if you run regular unleaded in a LS? I would think the computer would retard the ignition if it sensed detonation, but I see on some Lincoln forums they say you must use premium. I have an '05 V6
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    It won't damage it to run on 87 normally, but it will hurt not only power but also fuel economy, so any savings on the fuel cost would be wiped out by the lower mpg. It will cost about the same either way, so why sacrifice the performance?
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    toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    I've been using premium and plan to continue to. I was just curious if my wife were to put regular in or if the previous owner happened to use regular.
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
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    steph13steph13 Member Posts: 2
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    stgepro33stgepro33 Member Posts: 1
    does anyone know where the IAC valve is located
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    john987john987 Member Posts: 1
    I am looking at an 02 LS V8 with 95k miles it seems to run good but it has the advancetrac light flashing the current owner says its been like that for a while and the traction control still works other then that the car seems to be in good condition. Any suggestions
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    akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    That's usually an ABS wheel speed sensor.
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    ezaircon4jcezaircon4jc Member Posts: 793
    There is no IAC on the 2nd gen LS> The butterfly is controlled by the electronic throttle controller.
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