Lincoln LS

biggs2

taxes are about 6.25%. It is a dealer and certified with warranty extended to 75k miles and time extension (don't remember how many years added but it sounded like a standard mfr-backed deal). Other fees are not that material compared to taxes. I figured they probably got this off-lease aution at something less than $20k so if the car stays on the lot for a while, maybe I can get them down to around $21k otd???

qbrozen

Being certified and all, I think your $21,500 number is fair. I gotta think they'd have about $19k in the car with the certification, so a purchase price of $20k isn't exactly insulting. With your tax rate, that brings you to $21,250. Add the DMV, paperwork, etc, and its pushing $22k. So $21,500 is a fair offer, IMHO.

I'm going to say, chances are, they won't sell at that price (until, like you said, its sitting there for a while). I found dealers all over the place on these cars. I had to drive 90 minutes to go to a dealer that was willing to sell me one at a fair price. Everyone local was at least $2k more.

To help you with my details, I bought a certified '03 with 30k miles and no Nav a little more than 2 months ago for $20k (trade in value was about $18,500 at the time). So I'm figuring that one you are looking at should be pretty close to the same price since it has lower miles, has the nav, but has depreciated 2 more months.

biggs2

Also, do dealers like finance deals better than cash? I can go whichever way gets me the best otd price.

qbrozen

Well, they do get a cut of financing, so, yes, typically that is better for them.

Also, you might want to check into this... but when i bought mine, they were offering lower rates on certified cars as opposed to non-certified. So I paid a bit more to have it certified, but saved more than the difference in the interest over the life of the loan.

biggs2

Thank you. I suspected that but was not sure. Unless I got a super low rate, which I am thinking is not likely on a used car, I would probably turn around and pay the loan off just the same.

As a side note, the only thing I don't care for on the LS, besides the 03 and later wheels, is the rather unsolid feeling/sound when the door is closed. It sounds loose and flabby. No real rattles but just not the vault-like, solid feel of some of the competitors. Thats it. I can live with it be/c of the huge cost differential and the fact that this is an USA-made luxury/performance sedan that pretty much delivers in every other aspect.

Can you tell I am excited?

qbrozen

That's cool. Hope it works out for you.

I don't know what current rates are. With the certification, they gave me a 5-year loan in the 4s (i think either 4.5 or 4.75), which is great for a used car, so i jumped on it.

lateralg

The door feel you describe is totally unlike my '03 LS that I drove for 2 years & 45,000 miles. And I'm VERY critical of the sound & feel of door closing.

I suspect a missing bolt or rivet in the power window mechanism allowing the motor & other parts to whip around.

cdnpinhead

This speaks (loudly) to the quality of the people and/or workmanship of those who work on our cars.

Which is why I'm reluctant to ever take my car in for anything, and why I seek out cars with (out) option packages that will minimize the need to have the Neanderthals touch my vehicle.

That said, I did have to put my car in a couple of years ago to have the cooling fan system (complex, hydraulic) fixed. Afterwards, I discovered (when changing my fuel filter myself) that the "technician" had left off about half the fasteners having to do with the left-front fenderwell. Oh, and they completely left off the clips that hold the shift boot to the console.

In a previous life, I was married to a nurse who brought home similar stories from hospitals. It's all quite similar -- the way to stay healthy is to STAY OUT of the fixit mode. In the case of cars, seek those that as nearly as possible never need to go back to a dealer. When they do have to go there, they (and you) will be be "serviced."

"Serviced" . . .hmmm -- think of animal breeding.

wkmtr

I have a 2001 Lincoln LS and it does not have the message center. The auto locks are driving me crazy. Even though the manual states that the dealer can disable the auto locks, my dealer informed me that they reviewed their manuals and don't know how to do it. Does anyone know how to disable the auto locks if you don't have the message center?
Thanks
Bill

akirby

The dealer has to use their diagnostic tool and go into one of the modules (Front End Module I think) and change the option there.

dcls6

anyone have a quick solution for driver's door wind noise? doesn't seem to coming from the window. Db level is quiet and this is an annoyance above 50 mph.

akirby

Check the weatherstipping for holes, cracks or anything else that looks wrong. Clean and treat the weatherstripping with some spray silicone to keep it pliable and help it to seal against the door.

lateralg

Close the door on a 1" strip from a 3"x5" card at all locations around the door's periphery. If it pulls out easily, shim the weatherstrip at that location.

Also, try tapeing the joint in the outside mirror.

If still noisy, tape the full length of the joint between the windshield & windshield garnish molding. If noise goes away, remove a small section of tape at a time to isolate the location.

biggs2

this is the same car - hard-loaded. I am thinking $20,500 with 02 wheels (they have several on the lot) new brake pads (if needed). They extend the warranty to 75K and I am going to buy up to 100k miles. Hoping the profit on the warranty will get me the price I want on the car.

dcls6

I've suspected something around the mirror/door. But the only joint is where it is attached to the door. Thanks for the advice, I'll try it when it stops snowing.

laxman

Ant or Akirby,

Think we will see the LS replacement at the Auto show in January? Any new tidbits about the car?

Personally, I have always liked Volvo as their safety ratings are a big pull for me. I was in a pretty nasty accident in '96. I was in a Volvo cab-over tractor at the time and still to this day believe I would have been a lot worse off had it not been a Volvo. When I bought my LS in '99 there were 3 things I wanted at a value price. Performance, styling and safety. In '99 I believe the LS was the winner hands down vs. any other car $45K and under.

I guess a true enthusiast wants a RWD car. Then I don't fit the bill. What I really want is AWD w/performance. Until recently those 2 things in one car only seemed to happen in Audi's court. I have a real problem with paying more than MSRP for a car though. Not to mention newer technology and advances to help bring PAWD closer to the masses. Anyone coin that phrase yet Performance All-Wheel-Drive?

Any way, hearing the details about a new model or new model year kind of take me back to the feeling I had when I was a kid. The toy catalog at Christmas time. If I had kept a few more brain cells then maybe I could remember if it was Sears or JC Penny.

Ant14,
You know what would be fun? Letting us guess what the LS replacement will be called :-) Surely they will keep the "LS" piece somewhere in the name. Like "Continental LS". You have the Continental name perfect for the new "People mover" slogans. You have the different flavors of the Continental: longer for true Town Car "people moving" and the slightly shorter wheelbase "Luxury Sport" for those performance fanatics. It is the best of both worlds. You have the Continental, already well known, name in the people moving section. Then you take the Luxury Sport version, shhhh don't call it the LS or the car rags will be immediately biased, and the true LS fans will know what they are referring to Also the LLSOC won't have to change their name

Later guys, have a happy and safe holiday.

qbrozen

sounds like you should take a look at the S60R.

desertguy

Check out todays The Car Connection "Memo to Mark Fields" at: www.the carconnection.com

Guys name is Flint and he makes some very valid points about Lincoln and is full of you know what on others.

akirby

Yes, they are *supposed* to be showing a concept version of one of the new D3 cars but that's all I've heard. My guess is it will be called Continental and it will be the LS replacement. Expect a V8 powered, AWD w/rear torque bias. My guess is it will be very similar to Audi in both performance and appearance, which is a good thing assuming the quality is much better.

gcm_2000ls

I have a problem that's kinda annoying. I recently bought a 2002LS V6 and I love the car. Shortly after starting the car and or turning the key to the on position there is a beep, it beeps 5 times and then repeats itself 5 times and then repeats this about 20 minutes later. I have not yet drove the car much longer than this to know if it continues to beep again after the 20 minutes is up. Took it to a dealer and they were no help. Any suggestions?

akirby

Sounds like one of the instrument cluster warnings that are not normally turned on. Tell the dealer to use the NGS tool and check the instrument cluster configuration and turn off any warnings that are set. Some examples are overspeed warning (going > 70 mph) and reverse warning.

heyjewel

Hey, they already have the "Mark LT"

Anyone up for the "Mark LS" ? Nah, didn't think so.

I have lots of feelings about this, but I'll keep it short.

First, I'm sure any new Lincolns will eschew any relationship to the LS as we've known it. After all, they've abandoned the LS and in the process have abandoned all of us who've considered ourselves "enthusiasts" and lovers of RWD performance cars. The LS having been Lincoln's best example of such and being good enough as well to be called "The best American Sedan we've ever tested" by Consumer Reports.

I don't know if they'll bring back the Continental name as it has a lot of 'blue-hair' baggage.

Last I will say this - I have seen the car to which you're referring and it is, IMHO, a stunningly beautiful car. Better looking than most anything I've seen that might compete with it. It does have one rather over-the-top styling 'feature' that - well nuff said. But if I were to get in the mood to forgive Lincoln for dumping the LS and if this car handles as good as it looks and has an efficient V8 AND I come up with some as-of-now-unforeseen disposable income in the next 2 years, well like I said, this is one beautiful automobile. Sleek, modern, guaranteed to be an anti-blue-hair machine.

gcm_2000ls

thanks
I will give that a try and hope it works

ANT14

You'll see Lincoln vehicles, but nothing really D3 related. The Aviator mainly, then the other Lincolns (specially the Navigator) will be refreshened to show it's new grill, but on another show.

The names for them are still some ways away from being decided, but it wouldn't be a stretch to say to look to the past for possible names. COiNsidenTally, some will resurface and be tested with market research.

akirby

Then the reporters are wrong about a D3 based large sedan at Detroit?

" A concept version of a Lincoln large sedan scheduled for production in 2007 also is expected at the Detroit show."

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=103544

heyjewel

"Then the reporters are wrong about a D3 based large sedan at Detroit?"

Yeah, what IS taking so long anyway? Montego and 500 have been out over a year, Continental gone for 4 years? Still haven't even seen the *concept* car in public?

And I gotta pose another question: Is the Autoextremist right? Per his .com website, Mr DeLorenzo has a list of his 'Stocking stuffers' for the automotive crowd from Deiter and Bill to "the boys and girls at Lincoln" It's quite hilarious, if a bit too 'inside' for many folks. ANT will love it - or hate it.

Basically, Autoextremist hopes Lincoln will finally get in it's stocking "serious money to bring a proper, rear-wheel-drive, big-time Lincoln back into production. You need it - desperately."

Is he right? Cause it seems THAT's the furthest thing from Lincoln's mind.

One other one I liked" Wishes BMW gets "NO People Mover."

rlowsky

George,

Was wondering if you ever got any resolution on your problem with the HVAC 110 degree air while simultaneously blowing 68 degree air from the defroster? I'm getting cool air from my defroster while @ the same time getting heat from heat ducts. I even went so far as to set the system to 100% defrost at idle & was getting cool air, but then revved the engine & got almost instant heat there.

Thanks,

Roger

heyjewel

Roger;

No I didn't. They 'blew me off' pun intended. Said it was in spec but refused to produce said spec. I did take it to another dealer who actually tried a couple of things - lubing the cam and other mechanisms to be sure doors etc were moving properly and all. But that didn't really help. I take all my Ford products to that dealer now for service though.

Other than this issue, I'm quite happy with my LS. I've found that if I set the system from auto to heat+vent then no air is directed out the defrost/demist vents and I can be relatively comfortable then. I do often have to still close the vent to the left of the steering wheel because the air out there can be cold to cool even with nice heat out the center. It's annoying but liveable. Makes me leery now of auto-HVAC systems. Two other cars I know have similar problems are the Aviator and the Subaru Outbacks and Legacys.

As to your problem, don't know why revving the engine produced hot air from defrost. How high was the temp set? I have found that to get decently hot air out of the defrost I must have the temp way up - in fact, at start up if I need to clear the windshield, I'll set it to defrost and the temp to 90. Another trick is to turn off the AC button as that's where the cold air is coming from. But this can cause the windows to fog up.

In short, love the LS but my 220K mile 1986 Jeep Cherokee has an HVAC system that actually blows the proper temp air out of all the ducts.

falconone

Is it true they've going to stop producing the LS??? I mean I know the car never really sold that well (bland boring styling and cheap interior). I was wondering if I could get a used one to use for livery service in NJ. I am sure Ford will be selling them in a fire sale soon (no punn intended)!!!

akirby

Yes, it's true that the current LS will be gone sometime next year and replaced by a D3 platform vehicle with V8 power and AWD. Don't agree about the styling and cheap interior. However, you won't want one for Livery service. The trunk and back seat legroom is way too small.

ltucker

Maybe I'm responding without all the details, but your problem sounds like a heater booster pump used for low speed operation.

I was skeptical with my mechanic, but must admit it was the problem. With high speed operation all air temperature is OK. In city slow speed some vents are cold while others are warm.

cwz

I am looking at replacing my 2000 LS V8 Sport. Nothing out there in the LS price range seems to be on par with the LS or models that are close are much more $$.

What are the downsides of buying a 2006 LS and it being the end of its model life?

akirby

None that I can think of. Given the current sales rate you can get a steal (maybe even find a leftover 05 at a bigger discount - they didn't change anything except the appearance. The 06 has the LSE front and rear treatment).

ANT14

A Teaser pic of one of the new Lincoln sedans headlights...

link

laxman

You suck! That is just down-right cruel man :mad:

You got anymore?

I would say nice headlights but I got slapped the last time I did

akirby

"You got anymore?"

You mean like this one?

ANT14

Here's a vid of it...

link

laxman

Sweet pics and clips guys. I must say I love the front end in the head-on shot in the video. Looked aggresive...nice. Also is it just me or does the car ,from the limited shots I've seen, seems to have a little Jag and Acura resemblance? Also, how close to a production model do you think this look is?

The headlight technology... what is that? Varying levels of brightness? One circular headlight and 4 small cubes beside it? Or were the cubes supposed to be the turn signal? I need some explanation guys :confuse:

akirby

There is a row of LEDs on the side that illuminate sequentially based on speed and rate of turn. This is totally different from the previous and current systems that move the main lamp.

heyjewel

The tail treatment is very modern too. The only thing I could compare it to would be the last of the Mark VIIIs - the ones with the neon tailights spanning the rear deck. Only this is even nicer than the Mark. Don't know if they'll be neon, but why not, since lighting technology seems to be important here. (This based on what I saw close to a year ago and my belief that this is the smaller of the 2 vehicles I saw then.)

As Allen said, the 3 or 4 side lights are bright white LEDs that serve to illuminate the road progressively as you go around a curve. Similar to present systems which move the headlight to do the same thing. Lincoln says this is better because the main headlight illumination remains, the LEDs provide *extra* illumination for curves.

ANT14

If you remember MANY years ago, the Mark9 concept, which was a Lincolnized version of the T-bird...the front sort of has a recemblance to that concept.

As for how close is it to the production version...hmmm 90-95% actually.

akirby

One of the many things that impressed me about Peter Horbury was his comment that he was not going to watch Lincoln keep putting out concepts that never made it to production. I expect it to be very close to production with only minor changes.

qbrozen

can't see a whole lot from these pics. but it kinda reminds me a bit of a 7-series looking down the side.

in any case, i love what i see. Good grief, i hope its not a FWD V6 like Ford seems to be doing with everything else these days. When is this for? '07? '08?

mwdream

I wouldn't buy American for good resale value. I usually check to see what the current year is selling for with discounts as to what the used ones are going for to get an accurate depreciation.

Now that we are in 2006. I anticipate finding 03 LS lease returns around $15-$16k, V8 versions $1500 higher. And these cars will still depreciate steadily down to $6,000 in 4 years with 100k miles on them. Now if you had an 03 Lexus ES 300 with 100,000 miles, your resale would be almost twice that of the LS in my opinion... something to consider. Paying more now, for getting more later. Decisions, decisions.

ANT14

For 2007 as a 2008 model, it'll be AWD and V8's...

akirby

Standard AWD (hopefully with a rear torque bias) with V8 power at least available but most likely standard. The Zephyr already fills the FWD V6 role.

qbrozen

thanks for the additional info.

i'll hope for RWD, too, as I'm not too keen on the potential mileage of an AWD V8. But we'll see.

qbrozen

The Zephyr already fills the FWD V6 role.

yes, well, i would have thought the same thing about the Ford 500, but that didn't stop them from making the Fusion with the same setup.

div2

Eventually, any way. It's a pristine 1967 Cougar XR-7 with under 10K on the clock, and still in the hands of the original owner. I'm first in line to nab it.

laxman

Thanks for the info fellows. As I have previously stated, safety is a big concern of mine. I am glad to see some of the safety staples Volvo has been known for coming to the rest of FMC. A few more questions for you guys.

With Wixom closing where it will be made?

So the LS we have at the dealers now will be the same one on the lots in Jan '07?

Also, if the D3 platform won't be at the shows in January how soon in '06 will we get some real numbers and info?