I was hoping that someone could help with with an extended warrenty. i just purchased a Used 2000 LS V8 with 52000 miles. I wanted to know whether it would be a good idea to purchase the extended warrenty. Since I am not sure I would love any advice that anyone is willing to give
kelleyo: Since I don't know your financial situation, I can't make the decision for you, but here are some things to consider:
Although we all know cars & trucks are bad investments, that is they are depriciating assets, spending money on modifications to a car is an evern worse investment. If you are lucky, you will get none of the money back that you spend on aftermarket add ons to your car. In most cases modificatins and add ons decrease the value of your car.
Unless you have a lot of cash lying around, the 0% APR is a better deal than the $3K rebate on an '03. So the best deal is to sell your '00 LS and buy a '03 with $0 down and 0% APR for 60 months. This gives you $18K or so in your pocket and a new '03 LS.
If you had 50K miles on your '00, it would be a no brainer, that is get the '03 LS. But since you have only 28K, you have a hard decision.
Extended warranties:
Extended warranties are an insurance policy. The lowest cost is always if you can afford to be self insured. There is a chance that an extended warranty could save you a lot of $$ but it is more likely that it will be money spend with little or no return.
If you really want the security blanket of an extended warranty, my advise it to spend the extra to get the extended warranty from the manufacturer. I have heard too many horror stories about 3rd party warranties. Remember if you have a claim you win and they loose. The insurance company does not like to loose because they don't make a profit that way.
I brought my car in for service as the intermittent auto wiper feature that should go faster as water hits the windshield stopped working and now all I have is a steady 8-10 sec movement.
I was told by the dealer that this was an "operational characteristic of the vehicle" and there was nothing to fix.
As I used to have and read by the manual this seems an incorrect answer. What recourse should I be following.
Recently there have been several messages posted here offering information in exchange for a private email.
If anyone has information to share, the thing to do is just post it here for all to benefit. Asking folks to reveal personal information in order to get it does not really fit with the spirit of our community.
I've been reading the few recent posts about air box swapout 2002 for 2000. Forgive my ignorance but are you talking about the box that contains the air filter?
My 2000 LS V8 sport model has a rather loud injector ticking that I notice when the car starts up. I brought it to the dealer and was told that this is just normal. Is that the truth or do I have a problem? Thanks.
6 months ago I would not have said or thought this: but I am heavily leaning toward buying this car due to three compelling reasons.
1. Much less expensive than the 530/Sport I want, plus I can drive the LS in the winter w/o switching tires. Forget the 540, that is way to expensive.
2. My companies X-Plan purchasing, which is at 3-4% over invoice
3. 0% finance is awesome
4. I'll add a 4th - the test drive was very impressive!!
So please help me with a question and assure me if you can:
Does Lincoln have an on-line tool to get approval on the 0% financing, or do I have to go through the dealer. I do not like dealing with dealers, especially in the finance office.
Reliability/wear and tear etc........I will be driving this car 25-30K miles per year........will this engine go to 150-200K miles, assuming it will be well taken care of?
My '00 LS8 had injector ticking. It was louder when cold. Some injector noise is normal.
Ford Credit 0% APR - As far as I know, you have to apply through the dealer, but I could be wrong. My experience with the dealers and Ford Credit has been excellent Both when I got my '00 LS (lease) and got a Mercury for my wife last year 0% APR (different dealer). The finance people at both dealers were very professional and appeared straight forward and honest to me. Both offered to explain what the finance charges were and the difference in costs between taking the rebates and using financing with interest (something I can calculate myself and their #'s agreed with mine). I did not feel pressure to go one way or the other, but felt like they clearly explained the options & costs and let me make the decision.
Your dealer could be different, unfortunately. I was originally going to get a '00 LS from a different dealer, but I found that dealer's finance person impossible to get a straight answer out of, all she wanted to do was tell me the monthly payment and I felt like the was trying to hide the total price and finance charges, so I went elsewhere.
"That private e-mail thing" is exactly what I said -- recently there have been a surprising number of messages in this discussion saying words to the effect of "I can help you with that if you will email me, but I'm not going to help you here." Obviously I am paraphrasing, but that is exactly how these messages have come across.
Certainly there are times when some conversations can and (depending on the issue) perhaps should be taken off line. However, so much of that is going on in the last few months within this discussion that it has become detrimental to our community spirit.
We are here to share information and conversation amongst members and lurkers alike, not to say something like I can help you, but only if we talk off-line.
It's just like anything else - sometimes there are people who go to all kinds of extremes stretching the boundaries to the point where they break. And then unfortunately we all have to pay; that thing about the bad apple spoils the bunch comes to mind.
Anyway, that's enough about all of this. We do appreciate everyone's participation here, but really the only "constraints" are that we all be respectful of the Town Hall community. The guidelines are spelled out in the Membership Agreement.
Questions about those guidelines and/or further comments about these issues may be addressed to myself via email or to our Community Manager, Sylvia, at sylvia@edmunds.com.
thanks for the advice. One question regarding your statement
"Unless you have a lot of cash lying around, the 0% APR is a better deal than the $3K rebate on an '03. So the best deal is to sell your '00 LS and buy a '03 with $0 down and 0% APR for 60 months. This gives you $18K or so in your pocket and a new '03 LS."
Yes, I want the 0% as I stated before. However, how do I get 18k in my pocket if I turn in my 00 and buy a new 03? It seems to me that if I buy my 00 for 18.5k or so I will save approximately 26 to 27k over buying a new 03? Am I missing something?
I wouldn't worry about adding aftrmarket parts to your LS and then not getting anything in return for your investment.
For example, 2 years ago I bought a new Corvette. Shortly thereafter, I spent $2K on a new set of wheels for the car. Why? Two reasons, the first was that I wasn't especially fond of the OE wheels, and secondly so my 'Vette didn't look like every other 'Vette on the road. Will I recoup any of the money I spent? Nope. Do I care? Nope, because it makes me happy to see the way my car looks with the aftermarket wheels. That's justification enough for me, and I've been doing this for over 30 years.
My wife's LS has the snow tires on the OE wheels, and the summer tires on an aftermarket set of wheels. Why? Two reasons, the first being ease of maintenance, as I can swap the summer tires for the snows in less that an hour. Second reason, so our LS doesn't look like every other LS on the road. Don't worry about what other people think, it's your life, your money, and your happiness. Go for it!!
I agree with SLUNAR that after market mods are money losers. However I also agree with you. If I buy the 00 and put a few $$ into it for performance reasons and then keep it 5 years and drive it into the ground I am not too worried about it since the money is spent for my enjoyment.
Got my quote for the 03 loaded with THX/NAV of 44315. With tax 46552. List was 47685.
0% for 60 months yields a payment of 775.87 (assuming no money down).
I can probably get them down to 18500 for my 00 when I turn it in at the end of June. At 775 I can pay it off in less than 28 months even with interest... It only has 28 k miles and I just did brakes and put new tires on it (OEM firestones)
kelleyo, what I was attempting to say, was to sell your '00 LS privately. That puts the $18K in your pocket.
Since you can get 0% APR on the full $46K of the '03 LS, the best deal is to finance that full amount @ 0% APR and preserve the equity you have in your '00 LS, which you can put in the bank or invest and make money on while you pay off your '03 LS.
However, if you don't want the 5 year $46.5K obligation hanging over your head, the best deal, if you trade in, is still to take the 0% APR for 60 months $466.67 payment verses financing for 60 months and taking the rebate.
Your comment on trading in and financing does not make sense to me. With a value of $25K ($28K less 3K rebate) $775 / month @ 4.99% it would take 35 months to pay it off. $775 / month @ 3.9% is 34 months to pay off. $775 / month @ 2.9% is 33.5 months to pay off.
Just to me, whenever someone wants to loan me money interest free, I take all I can get.
leadfoot, I think kelleyo's situation is different than yours.
From your post it doesn't sound like you were debating whether to get a new Vette or work on the one you have. Sounds to me like the only decision was what to do, to make you more happy with your existing Vette. I'd also guess that your Vette is not your daily driver, so you won't need to "trade up" for a very long time.
In kelleyo's case, he is debating whether to keep his present car and put some $$ into it, or get a new car. Even though he drives it only 10K miles a year, he will need to replace it at some point. I generally lean towards putting the money towards replacing a daily driver than throwing money at the one you have.
If it is a toy car, then the better decision may often be to keep it and put some $$ into it, especially if part of the joy of the toy is working on it. Toy's and daily drivers are two different animals.
Came across the specs for the new Cadillac CTS-V. Seems that a supercharged V8 LS would be a great competitor for it. Ford has the supercharged motor in the same platform in Jaguars already, shouldn't be all that tough to produce. Wondering if an automatic will be available in the CT-S...
Vehicle type: 4/5-seat, 4-door, front-engine, rear wheel-drive, luxury performance sedan Engine: aluminum 5.7-liter 16-valve V8 Horsepower: 400 @ 6000 rpm Torque: 390 @ 4800 rpm Transmission: 6-speed manual Length: 194.5 in Height: 58.1 in Wheelbase: 115.2 in Curb weight: 3847 lb Tires: 245/45WR18 Goodyear run-flats 0 to 60 mph: less than 5 seconds (manufacturer's claim) Top speed: 155+ mph Price: $50,000 (est)
You stated "kelleyo, what I was attempting to say, was to sell your '00 LS privately. That puts the $18K in your pocket."
I ask how? My 00 is a lease and the residual is 20k. I have to turn it in on July 2. If I sell it provately for 18.5k I will owe the dealer an additional 1500....
So again: I can try and talk the dealer down from the 20k residual on my 00 to 18.5 which is what I have seen lately for 00 V8 sports. That means 18.5 is financed. or I can buy the new one for 46.5 at 60 months 0%.
Sorry, kelleyo, but I guess I missed something way back at the start of your thread or had brain fade somewhere along the way. I thought that you bought your '00 LS and that your loan was going to be paid off in June. I didn't realize you had a lease which, unfortunately, negates about 80% of my advice and also explains why I wasn't quite able to understand what you were getting at.
dzuba - I bought a Mercury last year on 0% APR and drove away putting $0 down. I think the info. on the Mercury web site at that time said 10% down on 0% APR, but as I said I financed 100% of it's price including tax, title & registration. I asked the dealer's finance person if I had to put down 10% and he told me that the 10% down was only required if your credit rating was below a certain level. It is possible that he made a mistake or the fine print on the 0% APR deal has changed since I bought that car.
Snow tires - I was able to manage without snow tires. The first winter when the tires were brand new I had no problems in the snow. As the tires wore down, it was harder to drive in the snow. I'd say that if your LS will be your daily driver and you have to get to work come rain, snow, sleet or hail snow tires will be a good investment, as is Advance Track.
yes, my Corvette is not a "daily driver", however since my cars are also a hobby as well as basic transportation, they will always be "customized" to some point.
Also, I bought our LS, rather than leased it, so even though at some point it will have to be replaced, I hope it won't be for a number of years. My wife puts about 7500 miles a year on it, so I'm hoping it will last quite a while, especially since they don't seem to be holding their value very well. In our case, the sticker was $39.5K, and realistically I'd be lucky to get $18K for it today. It hurts, especially when I hear how much the improvements for 2003 made it an even better car, but trading up just isn't financially practical.
My 00 lease is over in July with a residual value of 20k. Most 00's I see in the paper are around 18.5. Is it reasonable to assume I could get it for that? Since I just did tires and brakes I hate to throw that away and with only 28k miles it has been a great car and is in awesome shape... Once again if I kept it I would do a few performance mods (all I have now is a K&N) that truly make sense and a difference (Supercharger would be cool).
I do like the new ones however but 46500 is steep.
Mod List: 99 TJ Sport 4.0 L 5 Speed 3" Body Lift, Explorer Pro Comp shocks, 33" Procomp Mud Terrain on American Racing Baja wheels, K&N FIPK, B&M Short Throw Shifter, Borla Cat Back Stainless Exhaust,Alpine 60X4 with in dash CD, Mopar Sound Deck Sub, 4.56 gears, Bestop soft top, Wet Okle Hawaii Seat covers, Bestop oversize spare tire carrier
I would like to know if anyone has had a problem with a variable sounding whine in there LS 2000 Sport V8 ? I have owned this car since new and it has 35000 miles the noise has been there since day one. Dealer says "it's normal" This whine is only noticeable when moving.
'00 & '01 LS V8's have an engine whine which is due to a harmonic resonance in the cam chains. The whine occurs only around 1800 RPM ( 40 - 45 MPH in 4th and 50 - 55 MPH in 5th). If the noise you are hearing is this cam chain whine, the easy way to check it is to park your car, lift the hood, start your LS and rev it to around 1800 RPM. You should hear the whine.
If you do not hear the whine when doing the test, but only hear it when the car is in motion and hear such a whine over a wider range of speeds then it is not cam chain whine, but probably transmission gear noise. I have heard that there are a small # of LS's that had really bad gear noise in the transmission. If you search back through the posts on this forum IIRC there was a thread where someone got their transmission replaced due to excessive noise.
"There is a project going on right now from a reputable engine builder who is working on ported 3.9L V8 heads and an intake manifold, but unfortunately if I tell you anything more about the project Host Pat will delete my post."
Hey, that's just what I'm interested in. Why can't you post it?
Drove the 2003 Sport yesterday (I own a 2000 LS8, 58K miles) - and WOW!!!! Those extra 28hp (along with whatever else Lincoln did) make that puppy shoot off the line, especially now that you can start in first gear with SST. I didn't expect to see a huge difference - the sales rep's head snapped back when I hit the throttle.
I also like the satin nickel finish - very refined look, along with the cooled seats. Looks like Lincoln did their homework...only problem is, I don't really need a new car yet. They've made it very difficult for me to keep my 2000.
There are some folks who persist in soliciting within this discussion. Yes, absolutely we are here to exchange information, and those folks are free to post their information here. They have been repeatedly encouraged to do so.
However, the "information" that they post is designed to lure you to a paid-membership site rather than help you here. In no way is that in line with our community spirit, nor is it compliant with the "no solicitation" term of the Membership Agreement. They have been told this over and over again, but they still come in here posting messages like you have just seen.
I will be glad to discuss it with you or anyone else in email, but it cannot happen here, as the folks who are posting these baiting messages well know.
I am interested in a 03 Sport Premium but have some concerns:
1. X Plan pricing will get me the car for about 40K. Someone earlier mentioned at 0% down "I'll take all the money I can get" - so going with thay logic and financing the whole 40K over 5 yrs my payment is $666.00 per month. $40,000 divided by 60 months = $666.00.
2. 24 months later I have paid off $15,985, and still owe $24,016. 0% may be great - but I am totally upside down on this car.
Is there any other solution besides putting a large down payment on the car, or leasing?
I bought my 2000 LSV8 new and have really been unhappy about depreciation. I'd never buy another Lincoln new. I've not driven an 03 so I don't know how much better they are than the earlier versions. If you're set on an LS I'd consider looking for a very nice used 01 or 02 and let the sucker who bought it new (like me) take the biggest hit. Or wait a while and eventually an 03 will show up used. Or do what part of me wishes I'd done and get a nice CPO BMW 5 series. Don't get me wrong, the LS is every bit as good as the Bimmer but the financial reaming you take with a Lincoln is awful.
The LS fans here will not like this - but you make a great point and I agree.
I was all but sold on a CPO 530 for 38-42K (2002) - then I drove the LS and really like it etc.......and the 0% was great........but the depreciation is a killer.
A 2001 530, or even a 2000 528 hold their value so much more it is incredible. 60 extra horses in the LS (vs. the 02 530) are nice, but the 220 in the BMW 530 is all I need. Higher Insurance Rates due to the V8 with the LS, and the depreciation rate - Ouch!
But for the rest of you, keep in mind that the upfront cost of the statusmobile is quite a bit higher. Any car ends up costing you what you pay for it, minus what you sell it for, minus what you paid to have it maintained. Given that approach, several European vehicles don't come off quite so well.
Right you are. The cost of maintaining a BMW if you go by the book is atrocious. My guess is that car insurance would be higher also. My LS insurance was quite reasonable. I think dzuba should go ahead and get a BMW and be happy.
I don't think that ALL LS enthusiasts have left the building just yet, only those few of them with an agenda.
I'm tempted to agree with the arguement about the German brand B regarding maintenance costs, but the LS hasn't done well with depreciation at all.
I recently saw a 2000 LS Sport V-6 Stick (Double Black) on a lot for $12,000.00 locally. Ouch!! I checked it out closely expecting a rebuild, but it was not molested, only forlorn with the present market conditions.
Since there will be an influx of people with LS questions, wouldn't now be appropriate to step up and help them out with their questions? A local used car dealer also explained to me that the LS has become an even greater bargain right now, due to market situations.
I mean, since 75% of the 2000 ownership were leases, the market is already glutted with used LS. That should be a true fanatics role right now, embracing the car and spreading the word about the virtues of ownership, warts and all.
I plan on sticking around for awhile, since I figured that I'd own mine for six to seven years to justify the purchase of the LS. Most of the questions asked have been covered on this board, so the "non" fans will be able to direct interested parties to those posts. I can also share my experiences of ownership of a 2000 LS Sport V-8, which I will gladly attempt to do.
I was only stating an opinion - if you disagree that is fine, but no personal BMW shots. I have yet to purchase either as I am still in the decision making process.
After driving the 03 LS Sport and loving it, I can not compare it to the 02 LS after back to back test drives. I think if I found a great used 02 LS - I would always be thinking "what if I had an 03.........."
Which brings me back to my original problem - as I only want to keep the car 2-3 years - DEPRECIATION.
Maybe I'll look into a 2-3 yr lease on a 03 Sport Premium. Can anyone share recent lease deals on an 03?
IMHO Lincoln is still being consistent w/its "marketing" of the LS. 2004 competitors will be actively marketing their products soon. When cars pile up on the LS lots (again) Lincoln will probably have to resort to the usual heavy incentives to move the product, fine car that the LS is. Would postponing a lease/purchase be worth it to save thousand$ ?
In December, 1999, when we got our LS V8 Sport, it was the only car available with its size, performance, and features for $40,000 or anywhere near that price. We bought it to support our plans to travel around this big country during retirement, and it still meets those needs fantastically well.
For a year or so, it had the added excitement of being something new on the market, but if that were a very important issue, I'd have to get a new one almost every year. The cost of that would eventually limit how much travel we could afford to do... not such a good trade-off. I didn't expect this car to be so far ahead of the competition after two or three years, but I do expect it to still be the beautiful, great driving, quiet, reliable and comfortable machine it has always been for quite a few years.
I bought a warrantee extension to 6 years, and I think that by that time I may look around and perhaps find a good-condition 2003 or 2004 model that someone else (maybe one of you ;-) has already taken the main depreciation hit on.
I love my 2002 LSE but I do have 2 issues with it: (1) I have a creak on the driver's side of the body that 1st appeared to be related to the post, (2) excessive steaming up of windows.
For (1) I've had it in to the dealer 3 times. The 1st time the service advisor said they had seen a few with this problem. It's prevalent most on right turns. Since I live off a curvy mountain road and like to drive the car to enjoy it, this creaking takes a little away from my enjoyment. Has anyone else experienced this on any LS?? They haven't been able to resolve it and now it seems to maybe be related to the window framing.
Issue 2: I can get into the car in 60 degree weather after it's sat in the parking garage at work all day and the windows are still steamed up. Needless, to say, when the temps are colder, it's worse. I drive with the single defrost control on and also have the A/C system set to deforst with the fan at high revs and it doesn't help much. I've also tried a product that is supposed to help prevent window fogging and have applied it twice with really no difference. Anybody have any similar experiences??
Your first issue with the door is not a discussed issue as far as I can remember.
Your second issue has been brought up before. You might try leaving the window cracked open, at least for a while until the windows clear. As previously stated, make sure you have the recalculate switch off to allow fresh air inside the car, especially on long trips and when you have a couple of passengers. I believe this is suggested in the owner’s manual. Even if it’s cold outside, you may also need to use the A/C to help remove the moisture.
I think that there was a problem in the "B" pillar itself on some cars. Some mounts wore out and started rubbing, or some such. I believe that Stanny had a similar problem with his LS, so maybe when he sees you post, he might have a solution for you.
Your window fogging problem sound interesting. I have never had such a problem that I couldn't attribute to snow I tracked in or to a build up of snow in the vent system (At the windshield base). I would need more information about this problem before I could offer any ideas.
Does the car get the chance to reach full operating temperature before you shut it down?
Do you set the temperature in the car at it's highest setting (90?)?
Do you ever attempt the "old smokers" trick of cracking a window to help remove moisture (Smoke)?
Have you got any seepage or weeping of moisture into the trunk that you've overlooked?
Have you thought about slightly cracking two windows while the car is parked in the garage all day?
Rene; I agree with you totally. I still love my LS, even with it's 59,000 miles and three years of ownership. I liked the car as described in the motoring press before its release, and thought that it was about time the American Manufacture's got the idea. I still believe that Lincoln got it right with the 2000, and I'm in no hurry to replace mine. I justified the purchase knowing that any car I bought would have to last me six to seven years, and I made a great choice IMO.
dzuba; When I bought my LS, I even toyed with the idea of a BMW 750 at the time. I could afford it then, but the service issue raised it's head. The dealer would have been 35 miles away, if had a problem presented itself, that's a long commute. I still think that BMW makes a fine Automobile and wouldn't shy away from one, it was just my personal choice at the time.
If, as you've stated, depreciation is your main concern, then leasing might well be your answer. I can add nothing further, since I don't lease my cars, but purchase them.
Actually, no1trust has a very good point in his post. I'm not saying that this will happen with the 2003 LS since I see a lot of adds for it, but American Manufacture's have destroyed the market with their rebate schemes. Not that they're bad for consumers, but after two-three years of ownership, the car's value drops like a rock.
I have added freon to all of my other cars and trucks, but I would be leery of touching the LS. If your LS is still under warrantee, bring it to the dealer. All you need is a set of gauges and the freon, but unless you are experienced and know the proper pressures, you could damage the compressor and I would hate to see what a compressor replacment would cost on the LS. My suggestion would be to have a professional do the work.
On the steamed windows issue, there is no way to engage recirculate mode with any defrost mode selected, by design. You can run a/c mode and recirculate, which should condense moisture out of the car's interior, and that should help lower the car's internal dew point.
On the a/c recharge, yes, I did my own last season, on a 2000 LS6M with around 40K miles. I got one 12 oz can of r-134a into the system and its performance improved dramatically. Yes, I know, it means that the system leaked some of its refrigerant, and needs service. Will do. As far as overcharging the r-134a, most self-service kits now have a guage included. If you go by the guage, you can see if you need a recharge or not, and if you do need one, you can also check your progress as you introduce more r-134a into the system. I started off very low in the good range, and ended up right in the middle of the good range (the acceptable operating pressures, depending on the ambient temperature). One problem you may run into, is, where the H is the low-side fitting? That was what I had to ask, and I was told to look on the compressor itself. The trick is to actually get under the car to service this system. As messed up as that sounds, it's the only access path to the low-side (charging) port. If you have the professional setup for charging, you can attach the hose and then move your guage and valve tree to the topside for performing the charge operation. If, like me, you only have the entry-level charging setup, you need to do all of this under the car. Working under a set of ramps affords enough clearance to do this. The fitting is actually just to the engine side of the compressor, on its side, tucked up into a recessed area. It was, by far, the toughest find I ever had to execute on any A/C system, since some cars have these fittings scattered around in various places ranging from the firewall to the grille area. I am not sure if the V8 engines have the exact same compressor setup as the V6s, so the V8 may be a bit different for its low-side fitting.
Comments
Although we all know cars & trucks are bad investments, that is they are depriciating assets, spending money on modifications to a car is an evern worse investment. If you are lucky, you will get none of the money back that you spend on aftermarket add ons to your car. In most cases modificatins and add ons decrease the value of your car.
Unless you have a lot of cash lying around, the 0% APR is a better deal than the $3K rebate on an '03. So the best deal is to sell your '00 LS and buy a '03 with $0 down and 0% APR for 60 months. This gives you $18K or so in your pocket and a new '03 LS.
If you had 50K miles on your '00, it would be a no brainer, that is get the '03 LS. But since you have only 28K, you have a hard decision.
Extended warranties:
Extended warranties are an insurance policy. The lowest cost is always if you can afford to be self insured. There is a chance that an extended warranty could save you a lot of $$ but it is more likely that it will be money spend with little or no return.
If you really want the security blanket of an extended warranty, my advise it to spend the extra to get the extended warranty from the manufacturer. I have heard too many horror stories about 3rd party warranties. Remember if you have a claim you win and they loose. The insurance company does not like to loose because they don't make a profit that way.
I was told by the dealer that this was an "operational characteristic of the vehicle" and there was nothing to fix.
As I used to have and read by the manual this seems an incorrect answer. What recourse should I be following.
Thanks.
Joe
aiuto@att.net
If anyone has information to share, the thing to do is just post it here for all to benefit. Asking folks to reveal personal information in order to get it does not really fit with the spirit of our community.
Thanks for your understanding!
Thanks
1. Much less expensive than the 530/Sport I want, plus I can drive the LS in the winter w/o switching tires. Forget the 540, that is way to expensive.
2. My companies X-Plan purchasing, which is at 3-4% over invoice
3. 0% finance is awesome
4. I'll add a 4th - the test drive was very impressive!!
So please help me with a question and assure me if you can:
Does Lincoln have an on-line tool to get approval on the 0% financing, or do I have to go through the dealer. I do not like dealing with dealers, especially in the finance office.
Reliability/wear and tear etc........I will be driving this car 25-30K miles per year........will this engine go to 150-200K miles, assuming it will be well taken care of?
Thanks
Ford Credit 0% APR - As far as I know, you have to apply through the dealer, but I could be wrong. My experience with the dealers and Ford Credit has been excellent Both when I got my '00 LS (lease) and got a Mercury for my wife last year 0% APR (different dealer). The finance people at both dealers were very professional and appeared straight forward and honest to me. Both offered to explain what the finance charges were and the difference in costs between taking the rebates and using financing with interest (something I can calculate myself and their #'s agreed with mine). I did not feel pressure to go one way or the other, but felt like they clearly explained the options & costs and let me make the decision.
Your dealer could be different, unfortunately. I was originally going to get a '00 LS from a different dealer, but I found that dealer's finance person impossible to get a straight answer out of, all she wanted to do was tell me the monthly payment and I felt like the was trying to hide the total price and finance charges, so I went elsewhere.
Or, am I missing something?
Anyway, there are a number of us who have owned or leased LS's for 3 - 4 years who would like to help the new posters here.
We're doing the best we can, given the constraints.
Certainly there are times when some conversations can and (depending on the issue) perhaps should be taken off line. However, so much of that is going on in the last few months within this discussion that it has become detrimental to our community spirit.
We are here to share information and conversation amongst members and lurkers alike, not to say something like I can help you, but only if we talk off-line.
It's just like anything else - sometimes there are people who go to all kinds of extremes stretching the boundaries to the point where they break. And then unfortunately we all have to pay; that thing about the bad apple spoils the bunch comes to mind.
Anyway, that's enough about all of this. We do appreciate everyone's participation here, but really the only "constraints" are that we all be respectful of the Town Hall community. The guidelines are spelled out in the Membership Agreement.
Questions about those guidelines and/or further comments about these issues may be addressed to myself via email or to our Community Manager, Sylvia, at sylvia@edmunds.com.
Let's get back to the subject now.
Thanks.
"Unless you have a lot of cash lying around, the 0% APR is a better deal than the $3K rebate on an '03. So the best deal is to sell your '00 LS and buy a '03 with $0 down and 0% APR for 60 months. This gives you $18K or so in your pocket and a new '03 LS."
Yes, I want the 0% as I stated before. However, how do I get 18k in my pocket if I turn in my 00 and buy a new 03? It seems to me that if I buy my 00 for 18.5k or so I will save approximately 26 to 27k over buying a new 03? Am I missing something?
Thanks!
For example, 2 years ago I bought a new Corvette. Shortly thereafter, I spent $2K on a new set of wheels for the car. Why? Two reasons, the first was that I wasn't especially fond of the OE wheels, and secondly so my 'Vette didn't look like every other 'Vette on the road. Will I recoup any of the money I spent? Nope. Do I care? Nope, because it makes me happy to see the way my car looks with the aftermarket wheels. That's justification enough for me, and I've been doing this for over 30 years.
My wife's LS has the snow tires on the OE wheels, and the summer tires on an aftermarket set of wheels. Why? Two reasons, the first being ease of maintenance, as I can swap the summer tires for the snows in less that an hour. Second reason, so our LS doesn't look like every other LS on the road. Don't worry about what other people think, it's your life, your money, and your happiness. Go for it!!
Got my quote for the 03 loaded with THX/NAV of 44315. With tax 46552. List was 47685.
0% for 60 months yields a payment of 775.87 (assuming no money down).
I can probably get them down to 18500 for my 00 when I turn it in at the end of June. At 775 I can pay it off in less than 28 months even with interest... It only has 28 k miles and I just did brakes and put new tires on it (OEM firestones)
26k is a lot of money to save in this economy...
Especially since I bought a 20k "toy" last year, my Jeep Wrangler... (She does not have that much control...)
Since you can get 0% APR on the full $46K of the '03 LS, the best deal is to finance that full amount @ 0% APR and preserve the equity you have in your '00 LS, which you can put in the bank or invest and make money on while you pay off your '03 LS.
However, if you don't want the 5 year $46.5K obligation hanging over your head, the best deal, if you trade in, is still to take the 0% APR for 60 months $466.67 payment verses financing for 60 months and taking the rebate.
Your comment on trading in and financing does not make sense to me. With a value of $25K ($28K less 3K rebate) $775 / month @ 4.99% it would take 35 months to pay it off. $775 / month @ 3.9% is 34 months to pay off. $775 / month @ 2.9% is 33.5 months to pay off.
Just to me, whenever someone wants to loan me money interest free, I take all I can get.
From your post it doesn't sound like you were debating whether to get a new Vette or work on the one you have. Sounds to me like the only decision was what to do, to make you more happy with your existing Vette. I'd also guess that your Vette is not your daily driver, so you won't need to "trade up" for a very long time.
In kelleyo's case, he is debating whether to keep his present car and put some $$ into it, or get a new car. Even though he drives it only 10K miles a year, he will need to replace it at some point. I generally lean towards putting the money towards replacing a daily driver than throwing money at the one you have.
If it is a toy car, then the better decision may often be to keep it and put some $$ into it, especially if part of the joy of the toy is working on it. Toy's and daily drivers are two different animals.
Vehicle type: 4/5-seat, 4-door, front-engine, rear wheel-drive, luxury performance sedan
Engine: aluminum 5.7-liter 16-valve V8
Horsepower: 400 @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 390 @ 4800 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Length: 194.5 in
Height: 58.1 in
Wheelbase: 115.2 in
Curb weight: 3847 lb
Tires: 245/45WR18 Goodyear run-flats
0 to 60 mph: less than 5 seconds (manufacturer's claim)
Top speed: 155+ mph
Price: $50,000 (est)
You stated "kelleyo, what I was attempting to say, was to sell your '00 LS privately. That puts the $18K in your pocket."
I ask how? My 00 is a lease and the residual is 20k. I have to turn it in on July 2. If I sell it provately for 18.5k I will owe the dealer an additional 1500....
So again:
I can try and talk the dealer down from the 20k residual on my 00 to 18.5 which is what I have seen lately for 00 V8 sports.
That means 18.5 is financed.
or
I can buy the new one for 46.5 at 60 months 0%.
The difference in cost to me is 28k...
1. With the 0% financing - don't you need to put 10% down? In an earlier posting - someone said you could finance it all!
2. In the snow, do the tires on the LS Sport need to be replaced with snow tires?
dzuba - I bought a Mercury last year on 0% APR and drove away putting $0 down. I think the info. on the Mercury web site at that time said 10% down on 0% APR, but as I said I financed 100% of it's price including tax, title & registration. I asked the dealer's finance person if I had to put down 10% and he told me that the 10% down was only required if your credit rating was below a certain level. It is possible that he made a mistake or the fine print on the 0% APR deal has changed since I bought that car.
Snow tires - I was able to manage without snow tires. The first winter when the tires were brand new I had no problems in the snow. As the tires wore down, it was harder to drive in the snow. I'd say that if your LS will be your daily driver and you have to get to work come rain, snow, sleet or hail snow tires will be a good investment, as is Advance Track.
Also, I bought our LS, rather than leased it, so even though at some point it will have to be replaced, I hope it won't be for a number of years. My wife puts about 7500 miles a year on it, so I'm hoping it will last quite a while, especially since they don't seem to be holding their value very well. In our case, the sticker was $39.5K, and realistically I'd be lucky to get $18K for it today. It hurts, especially when I hear how much the improvements for 2003 made it an even better car, but trading up just isn't financially practical.
My 00 lease is over in July with a residual value of 20k. Most 00's I see in the paper are around 18.5. Is it reasonable to assume I could get it for that? Since I just did tires and brakes I hate to throw that away and with only 28k miles it has been a great car and is in awesome shape... Once again if I kept it I would do a few performance mods (all I have now is a K&N) that truly make sense and a difference (Supercharger would be cool).
I do like the new ones however but 46500 is steep.
Sheesh. I can't make up my mind!
Someone Slap me!
Just look at what I have done to my Jeep toy:
http://home.mindspring.com/~kelleyo/_wsn/page3.html
Mod List: 99 TJ Sport 4.0 L 5 Speed
3" Body Lift, Explorer Pro Comp shocks, 33" Procomp Mud Terrain on American Racing Baja wheels, K&N FIPK, B&M Short Throw Shifter, Borla Cat Back Stainless Exhaust,Alpine 60X4 with in dash CD, Mopar Sound Deck Sub, 4.56 gears, Bestop soft top, Wet Okle Hawaii Seat covers, Bestop oversize spare tire carrier
Won't be selling this baby anytime soon!!
If you do not hear the whine when doing the test, but only hear it when the car is in motion and hear such a whine over a wider range of speeds then it is not cam chain whine, but probably transmission gear noise. I have heard that there are a small # of LS's that had really bad gear noise in the transmission. If you search back through the posts on this forum IIRC there was a thread where someone got their transmission replaced due to excessive noise.
"There is a project going on right now from a reputable engine builder who is working on ported 3.9L V8 heads and an intake manifold, but unfortunately if I tell you anything more about the project Host Pat will delete my post."
Hey, that's just what I'm interested in. Why can't you post it?
Edmunds facilitates this in an objective manner so why would anyone censor your post? I don't understand what's going on. Please clarify, Pat.
I also like the satin nickel finish - very refined look, along with the cooled seats. Looks like Lincoln did their homework...only problem is, I don't really need a new car yet. They've made it very difficult for me to keep my 2000.
My
However, the "information" that they post is designed to lure you to a paid-membership site rather than help you here. In no way is that in line with our community spirit, nor is it compliant with the "no solicitation" term of the Membership Agreement. They have been told this over and over again, but they still come in here posting messages like you have just seen.
I will be glad to discuss it with you or anyone else in email, but it cannot happen here, as the folks who are posting these baiting messages well know.
Pat
I've got an 01 LS and a swap would cost close to 20 grand. Think I'll wait till the rumored total redesign in 05-06.
1. X Plan pricing will get me the car for about 40K. Someone earlier mentioned at 0% down "I'll take all the money I can get" - so going with thay logic and financing the whole 40K over 5 yrs my payment is $666.00 per month. $40,000 divided by 60 months = $666.00.
2. 24 months later I have paid off $15,985, and still owe $24,016. 0% may be great - but I am totally upside down on this car.
Is there any other solution besides putting a large down payment on the car, or leasing?
I was all but sold on a CPO 530 for 38-42K (2002) - then I drove the LS and really like it etc.......and the 0% was great........but the depreciation is a killer.
A 2001 530, or even a 2000 528 hold their value so much more it is incredible. 60 extra horses in the LS (vs. the 02 530) are nice, but the 220 in the BMW 530 is all I need. Higher Insurance Rates due to the V8 with the LS, and the depreciation rate - Ouch!
Sorry LS fans - what can I say.
But for the rest of you, keep in mind that the upfront cost of the statusmobile is quite a bit higher. Any car ends up costing you what you pay for it, minus what you sell it for, minus what you paid to have it maintained. Given that approach, several European vehicles don't come off quite so well.
To each their own.
I'm tempted to agree with the arguement about the German brand B regarding maintenance costs, but the LS hasn't done well with depreciation at all.
I recently saw a 2000 LS Sport V-6 Stick (Double Black) on a lot for $12,000.00 locally. Ouch!! I checked it out closely expecting a rebuild, but it was not molested, only forlorn with the present market conditions.
Since there will be an influx of people with LS questions, wouldn't now be appropriate to step up and help them out with their questions? A local used car dealer also explained to me that the LS has become an even greater bargain right now, due to market situations.
I mean, since 75% of the 2000 ownership were leases, the market is already glutted with used LS. That should be a true fanatics role right now, embracing the car and spreading the word about the virtues of ownership, warts and all.
I plan on sticking around for awhile, since I figured that I'd own mine for six to seven years to justify the purchase of the LS. Most of the questions asked have been covered on this board, so the "non" fans will be able to direct interested parties to those posts. I can also share my experiences of ownership of a 2000 LS Sport V-8, which I will gladly attempt to do.
I was only stating an opinion - if you disagree that is fine, but no personal BMW shots. I have yet to purchase either as I am still in the decision making process.
After driving the 03 LS Sport and loving it, I can not compare it to the 02 LS after back to back test drives. I think if I found a great used 02 LS - I would always be thinking "what if I had an 03.........."
Which brings me back to my original problem - as I only want to keep the car 2-3 years - DEPRECIATION.
Maybe I'll look into a 2-3 yr lease on a 03 Sport Premium. Can anyone share recent lease deals on an 03?
When cars pile up on the LS lots (again) Lincoln will probably have to resort to the usual heavy incentives to move the product, fine car that the LS is. Would postponing a lease/purchase be worth it to save thousand$ ?
For a year or so, it had the added excitement of being something new on the market, but if that were a very important issue, I'd have to get a new one almost every year. The cost of that would eventually limit how much travel we could afford to do... not such a good trade-off. I didn't expect this car to be so far ahead of the competition after two or three years, but I do expect it to still be the beautiful, great driving, quiet, reliable and comfortable machine it has always been for quite a few years.
I bought a warrantee extension to 6 years, and I think that by that time I may look around and perhaps find a good-condition 2003 or 2004 model that someone else (maybe one of you ;-) has already taken the main depreciation hit on.
For (1) I've had it in to the dealer 3 times. The 1st time the service advisor said they had seen a few with this problem. It's prevalent most on right turns. Since I live off a curvy mountain road and like to drive the car to enjoy it, this creaking takes a little away from my enjoyment. Has anyone else experienced this on any LS?? They haven't been able to resolve it and now it seems to maybe be related to the window framing.
Issue 2: I can get into the car in 60 degree weather after it's sat in the parking garage at work all day and the windows are still steamed up. Needless, to say, when the temps are colder, it's worse. I drive with the single defrost control on and also have the A/C system set to deforst with the fan at high revs and it doesn't help much. I've also tried a product that is supposed to help prevent window fogging and have applied it twice with really no difference. Anybody have any similar experiences??
Your second issue has been brought up before. You might try leaving the window cracked open, at least for a while until the windows clear. As previously stated, make sure you have the recalculate switch off to allow fresh air inside the car, especially on long trips and when you have a couple of passengers. I believe this is suggested in the owner’s manual. Even if it’s cold outside, you may also need to use the A/C to help remove the moisture.
Tom
Your window fogging problem sound interesting. I have never had such a problem that I couldn't attribute to snow I tracked in or to a build up of snow in the vent system (At the windshield base). I would need more information about this problem before I could offer any ideas.
Does the car get the chance to reach full operating temperature before you shut it down?
Do you set the temperature in the car at it's highest setting (90?)?
Do you ever attempt the "old smokers" trick of cracking a window to help remove moisture (Smoke)?
Have you got any seepage or weeping of moisture into the trunk that you've overlooked?
Have you thought about slightly cracking two windows while the car is parked in the garage all day?
Rene; I agree with you totally. I still love my LS, even with it's 59,000 miles and three years of ownership. I liked the car as described in the motoring press before its release, and thought that it was about time the American Manufacture's got the idea. I still believe that Lincoln got it right with the 2000, and I'm in no hurry to replace mine. I justified the purchase knowing that any car I bought would have to last me six to seven years, and I made a great choice IMO.
dzuba; When I bought my LS, I even toyed with the idea of a BMW 750 at the time. I could afford it then, but the service issue raised it's head. The dealer would have been 35 miles away, if had a problem presented itself, that's a long commute. I still think that BMW makes a fine Automobile and wouldn't shy away from one, it was just my personal choice at the time.
If, as you've stated, depreciation is your main concern, then leasing might well be your answer. I can add nothing further, since I don't lease my cars, but purchase them.
Actually, no1trust has a very good point in his post. I'm not saying that this will happen with the 2003 LS since I see a lot of adds for it, but American Manufacture's have destroyed the market with their rebate schemes. Not that they're bad for consumers, but after two-three years of ownership, the car's value drops like a rock.
I have added freon to all of my other cars and trucks, but I would be leery of touching the LS. If your LS is still under warrantee, bring it to the dealer. All you need is a set of gauges and the freon, but unless you are experienced and know the proper pressures, you could damage the compressor and I would hate to see what a compressor replacment would cost on the LS. My suggestion would be to have a professional do the work.
Tom
On the a/c recharge, yes, I did my own last season, on a 2000 LS6M with around 40K miles. I got one 12 oz can of r-134a into the system and its performance improved dramatically. Yes, I know, it means that the system leaked some of its refrigerant, and needs service. Will do. As far as overcharging the r-134a, most self-service kits now have a guage included. If you go by the guage, you can see if you need a recharge or not, and if you do need one, you can also check your progress as you introduce more r-134a into the system. I started off very low in the good range, and ended up right in the middle of the good range (the acceptable operating pressures, depending on the ambient temperature). One problem you may run into, is, where the H is the low-side fitting? That was what I had to ask, and I was told to look on the compressor itself. The trick is to actually get under the car to service this system. As messed up as that sounds, it's the only access path to the low-side (charging) port. If you have the professional setup for charging, you can attach the hose and then move your guage and valve tree to the topside for performing the charge operation. If, like me, you only have the entry-level charging setup, you need to do all of this under the car. Working under a set of ramps affords enough clearance to do this. The fitting is actually just to the engine side of the compressor, on its side, tucked up into a recessed area. It was, by far, the toughest find I ever had to execute on any A/C system, since some cars have these fittings scattered around in various places ranging from the firewall to the grille area. I am not sure if the V8 engines have the exact same compressor setup as the V6s, so the V8 may be a bit different for its low-side fitting.
hope this helped,
Mike