After reading your posts, I called the dealer back and tried to get a feel if between $7k and $8k off sticker would be a possibility. I could tell right off that he was going for it. I am going back first thing Saturday morning to discuss it further.
Brian....you mentioned getting the dealer to document that the recalls and TSB's had all been performed. I have read on here about the shift problems that can be corrected via a flash update. What else should I ask him about?? You also mentioned being down a year if I intend to trade in a couple of years. I normally keep a vehicle between 3-4 years. Do you think it would drastically hurt me then? Since I am getting if (hopefully!!) for around $32-33k now.
One thing on the '01 models that I really did like were the new 17" chrome sport wheels. I am leaning toward the black LS with light grey interior and those rims would be very sharp! Wonder how much the dealer would tack on to swith the aluminum wheels out to the chrome ones?
No, but as long as I get to keep the dual-zone climate control, it would be nice to have. I assume that is Lincoln's version of the nav/EATC/radio. Where did you find out about this? And since I have to ask, I probably wouldn't get it anyway
Oh, you mean the interactive touch screen? Sure I have one. You mean they didn't send you yours? It was in the packing material that came with the champagne flutes. I almost threw mine out thinking it was just foam peanuts. Took me a couple of hours to figure it out, but now it is most useful. I thought everyone had one.
Much of the extra depreciation you get by buy a new year old model can actually be mitigated by the lower mileage you will have when you trade it in. The Kelly Blue Book gives a nice bonus for mileage which is much less than the norm.
Well now don't I feel like the big weenie. Yes, we also got that very nice leather Roots folio. It arrived with our (several months overdue)maintenance vouchers and we took it for granted and thought it was just part of that maintenance package. I'm glad I asked you about that. More practical than flute glasses, isn't it? I've had two black cars in the past and I found that black was very useful in helping me perfect the finer techniques in paint treatment, waxing and maintenance. All the nuances (swirl marks, direction of rubbing, not washing or waxing in the sun etc) become evident very quickly, although probably more in those pre-clearcoat days than today. One question I have - doesn't claying actually remove a small amount of the clear coat exposing fresh underneath?(implying a finite number of clayings?) Or maybe I'm splitting hairs here. Regards - Brian.
It's something that shouldn't need to be done too often, maybe once a year. I've done my '96 Sable about 4 times and my LS twice. The purpose is to remove the gunk that has stuck to the surface. It works VERY well as long as you keep the surface lubricated. I use the Mothers California Gold clay bar. When I took delievery of my LS the surface felt like sandpaper. After claying the paint feels as smooth as glass! I am also a recent convert to Zaino. Even on my silverfrost, the shine and depth are unbelievable! As long as you keep a good coat of wax on the finish, contaminants shouldn't stick.
In an apparent effort to screw up a good thing, Edmunds has drastically changed the way they present information about a car in the new car section. Has anyone noticed this? My question is: who can I write to to tell them just how pathetically poor the new way is compared to the old system?
Example: Old way - choose car make, choose model. You are now on a *single page* that has all the information you need about the car, including a fairly comprehensive writeup, a complete list of options, their contents and their prices, the base, invoice and 'TMV', pros, cons, and more.
New way - choose car, choose model. You are now on a page that has a brief writeup and little more. Want pricing info? Find the little 'price' selection. Click. Then you wait for another page which has *only* base pricing. Want options? Another click brings up a small window. You must enter zip code and a BS color selection before you can click again to see the options. But all you see is a name, ie: sport package, and the price. Want to know what's in the package? Another click, another wait. ***One click and wait for each and every option.*** Yada yada.
Good grief. It worked great before. Now it's a rroyal pain. Who bought this software? I've got a nice bridge ...
At the Edmonds home page an annoying extra little window pops up bragging about all the improvements made. At the bottom of this window is a link for feedback. I think you have some?
In addition to the info that Rene` provided, you can do this: Click on Town Hall, then click on the "News & Views" group, then go to "Edmunds.com Has a New Look & Layout!" and you'll find a board dedicated to the topic. Most if not all the participants seem to agree with you, as do I. Some aren't as polite as we are, though.
I'm guessing the people who came up with this little package are proponents of the "de Sade" philosophy of software design...
Thanks for the better pics! The LS is my first 4 door, too, and while I like it, I still miss my coupes! Just when I was finally able to afford a Mark VIII, they pulled the plug. I could sure be ready for a Mark 9 in a couple of years, though.
You mentioned that the concept was on the Town Car platform!? I missed that. Why on earth would they use that old pig? Oops! Don't mean to offend any Town Car owners but that platform has been around since the last ice age. The DEW is the best platform Ford has ever had - that would be the only way to go.
The other angles still don't convince me this is the coupe Lincoln can/should build.
The dash (esp. the steering wheel) is the only part of the concept that cues my brain to think "this is a Lincoln".
Even though these are styling cliches, there's got to be a way to graft them onto the modern car with a fresh note: hidden headlights, opera window and spare tire hump. That old Lincoln stand-up hood ornament was great - how about a spring loaded version that lies flat on the grille top, but the owner can choose to "flip up". And what about the old Designer Series updated: Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, etc. etc.
Can you tell my dad used to be a part owner of a Lincoln dealership from '71-'78?
Wieck is an automotive photo database. I found the aforeposted photos while searching for another vehicle. You can view photos of almost any automotive product by going to http://www.wieck.com/public/ and entering the name of the vehicle in the search window.
FYI I saw four LS6 Premium packages at a Houston dealer yesterday. The package looked great. IT did not have the leather shift, leather steering wheel or SST. The seats were ok. I just looked through the window so I was not able to make a judgement on them. The bumpers did have the chrome inserts. The car really looked good in black with the chrome rims. The tires were Bridgestone Potenza.
If you go to the Money section of USA today, then to the auto section, there is a sidebar titled "Under the Hood." There you will find the average age of LS owners (as well as owners of other cars).
Dick, I asked earlier what your position was on the new Bridgestone tires since you had been so high on the OEM Firestone tires. I have gotten excellent wear out of the Firestone LH tires that came on the sport model, but is Bridgestone now making a Turanza tire in a size that interchanges with the Firestone? I have found the Bridgestones on my wifes Lexus GS300 to be very smooth riding but they don't seem to have the longevity that my tires do. Comments?
This is a test post to see if tis board is broken. There've been no posts for 14 hours and at least a half-dozen posts from yesterday have disappeared. What gives?
Karen has a post in the "meet the owners" section explaining that they had a problem last night and that they were (are) working on it.
Drove by a local dealer on my lunch break and saw an Autumn red LS with the chrome wheels. What a looker!! I wish that color had been available when I got mine back in May of 99.
Folks, Town Hall had a severe problem last night, and posts made after sometime yesterday morning disappeared in the process of getting TH up and running again. The technical folks have been working all night - and are still working - trying to get them back.
I understand some have already been restored, and more may be coming, but there are no promises at this point.
Please accept our sincerest apologies for this situation and trust that every effort is being made to rectify the problem. Thank you for your patience.
Pat Host Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
Looks like you found your way to the right place for feedback on the new layout. If anyone else is interested, here is a link: Edmunds.com Has a New Look & Layout.
Pat Host Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
I have a 7 month old 2001 LS V-8 Sport with about 8,000 miles on it. I have tried numerous different brands of premium fuel in the car, but I can still hear a pinging noise during acceleration around both 30 mph and 40 mph.
Anyone else here have a similar problem? And if so what was the fix? Thanks!
I have a brand new V8 and haven't experienced the problem. But, I did see on another board that the LS is supposedly equipped with a fuel sensor that automatically adjusts the timing of the injectors to prevent the pingining. Maybe your sensor is bad or malfunctioning?
So what would Jonathan say? Firehawks or Turanza's for 2000 LS Owners when we have to replace our tires? Of course this is from the Sport handling and Grip perspective....
If the Mark Nine is the best that Gerry McGovern can do, then we should sincerely hope that the original team that designed the LS continues to do so and that he keeps his paws of off our car. The Mark Nine is the ugliest car I've seen since the Pontiac Aztek. Don't mean to offend anyone else, just personal opinion here. It looks like they copied the Caddy Evoc concept for the front-end.
Based on comments from people after viewing the concept car, I'm not alone in my view that this is ugly. Quite a few people were coming away saying "You've got to be kidding me!" They had a good laugh over the 22" wheels which looked like a steamroller.
Disappointed with the Lincoln exhibit. Jaguar had a big fancy display with all their cars plugged in so people could play with the seat controls. The LSes, three of them all LS-8 models, two Sport, were open but without any battery or plug-in power, people were getting in and finding out that they couldn't adjust the seat. Don't even want to venture a guess at how many taller people decided the car wasn't roomy enough because of the seat. Lincoln should have had a LS-6 Sport Manual on the floor.
Most disturbing to me was the fact that two of the black 2001 LS models had a paint problem. I was embarassed to open the hood on the cars and see that there was quite a bit of white or light colored paint showing through the black paint by the fender bolts and around the shock tower housing on the passenger side. I've heard and seen this problem first-hand with some of our members and I thought that the Wixom paint shop had gotten their act together. Based on what I saw today I am disappointed to report that does not seem to be the case. I cannot believe that Lincoln would have a car in a show like NY in this condition.
I also couldn't believe the number of people who came up to us and asked us what this car was. Don't know what the ad campaign in NY/NJ is like, but let's get real. This car is two years old. I would think if Lincoln had an effective ad campaign most people would know that Lincoln had a LS. They all knew about the Continental, and I'm not just talking about the target Continental market either.
I am a tad depressed over the state of our car, in terms of build quality, market awareness and lack of dealer service quality. Any of these could possibly kill our dear car, combined they certainly will.
Brian(who will probably get flamed for these remarks and right now, wouldn't care
I saw the same thing at the Atlanta show last month. The Lincoln display was centered on the Blackwood with the remaining cars appeared just thrown in there for filler. I think one of the LS's had the power equipment working but the other two were dead. I didn't look really close to see any paint or other issues. The other premium brands had better displays and more cars to look at. I think Mercedes, Audi, and Lexus had the most accessible & interactive displays. Lots of product info available and many cars to sit in and drool over.
My drivers side mat is shot after 31,000 miles. I would like to replace the front two with a very nice, thick, plush mat that fits exactly as the factory/stock ones do. Anyone have any suggestions? Really would like to continue to utilize that drivers side mat hook thats on the floor.
I had the same problem but much sooner. I was steered to Acton L-M's web site by the LLSOC and found mats that are MUCH more plush than the factory ones but identical in size. They come in the same colors too. Here is the web address:
They took my order over the phone and I got them with no problem. When I took the car into my dealer for routine service the service manager took the mats in to his parts manager and insisted he buy some to replace the thin junk that diminishes our interiors. They should be like this from the factory.
1. Don't get too upset. Guessing you might be being a bit too hard on Lincoln and LS presentation. Wouldn't surprise me if others like you who love other cars are saying similar things about their favorite's presentation. Just make sure to share your observations with the right people in a positive manner.
2. Does anyone know about floor mats that actually fit the entire space? The front ones in LS are ludicrously small. I have to vacuum out my LS weekly. And about a third of the front carpet space isn't even covered up by the mats. (If you want to see magnificent floor mats, check out those in the Hyundai Sonata. Very heavy construction, nice materials, and they completely fill in the entire floor space, both front & back. Hardly let a speck of dirt touch the carpet.)
Have been quoted $620.63/mo (Incl. taxs - Pa. 10% - any fees & dest. chg.) for 36 mos. 36,000 miles. No money down. 2001 LS 4 dr Sedan - 3.0L 6cyl - 5 Automatic. Following equip.- Advance Trac, Convenience Pkg., Heated Frt. Seats, Moonroof, Sport Pkg. The $620.63 seem high to me. Am I way off base? Anyone out there have similar equipment etc. that can tell me what they are paying? Would appreciate any help.
I bought some at Wal Mart to cover the factory mats. I don't remember the brand name, they were one of the more expensive sets they had there. Very good fit, just a little bulge where the driver's side mat goes around the "dead pedal" on the left. They cover from the front edge of the seats to well up the firewall. I also vacuum weekly, and always peel back the mats to get whatever finds its way underneath them and it's usually nothing. The color matches the carpet in the light graphite interior almost perfectly. Think I paid $30 for a set of four.
It doesn't surprise me that Lincoln would proudly display a poorly painted LS. My LS, as you have seen, was delivered to me with the same paint issues. When I had the factory rep. inspect the lack of paint in the hood area, filler cap area and door jams, he said he saw nothing wrong and the quality and it was prfectly acceptable. I told him that if this was acceptable, Lincoln wouldn't be selling to many LS's. If they want to compete with the there foreign competition, they better start listening to what is important to those looking to purchase the LS.
I took delivery of a new LS-8 w/ Premium Package two weeks ago. I ordered the car early in February. At the time, no dealers around had any Premium Package models on their lots, in fact, all any of them had was a single brochure (which they would not part with). More than once, when I asked about it, they replied, "Premium huh?" Apparently, they were just going into production.
Anyway, I liked the chrome trim of the standard model but wanted the sport suspension. So, Premium Package it is.
I'm happy to say that I love this car! If anyone has questions about the Premium Package, let me know - I'd be happy to help you out.
I was surprised to see (but did not complain about) the Bridgestone tires when I picked it up. These tires should be quite sufficient for anything that I will ever do with the car.
Color is Cypress Green, which you do not see a lot of. It looks great with the 17" chrome wheels! I will be taking pictures as soon as I have a non-rainy weekend here in Dallas, and plan to send them to LLSOC and wherever else for all to see.
I DO want more power. It sounds like there's not much to do just yet other than air filters & exhaust, though. Somehow I don't think that's going to be enough.
I'm also hoping for some kind of improvement with break-in, as I have read about here and there. I think I read somewhere (on this board?) that someone realized a significant performance increase at five or ten thousand miles. Having worked on engines for 15 years, I do not understand how a motor could take this long to break-in and suddenly run noticeably better. Can anyone comment on this?
Given how complicated lease deals are, can be hard to tell if someone is getting a good deal or not. You want to get one subsidized by the manufacturer. You almost have to have a PhD in leasing. I'd encourage you to read a good car buying book that has a detailed section on the real costs of leasing & negotiating better lease deals.
In today's Omaha World-Herald Auto Section, Stan Olsen Lincoln advertising "new 2001 LS lease for $349 per month, 24 mo., closed end lease, $2999 cash down or trade equity, 12k mi/yr, taxes & licence extra." Woodhouse Lincoln will sell a new 2001 LS for $27,692.
quikls: I think you're the first list member with the premium package. And cypress green makes yours even rarer. That's an interesting color. As for breakin, I've noticed a lot of improvement in my LS performance after only 1200 miles. But mine's a V6 so YMMV.
rugbug: I think $621.00 is high, but not terribly high. I'm paying less than that on a similarly equipped 5 speed LS and I get 15000 miles/year rather than 12000 as in your deal. Plus the 5 speed has a lower residual value than the auto. I would work em some more and try to get that number down by at least 5% and mileage up to 15000, but I don't know if there's any more than that left.
I think your feedback is valid and something Lincoln should take note of.
I too was perplexed why there were obvious fit and finish flaws on the LSs displayed at the Concours in San Juan Capistrano and at Lincoln's Ride and Drive at Santa Anita last year. I would have hoped these minor flaws would have been caught before being displayed to throngs of potential customers.
quikls, re break-in: I've described my break-in experience, a substantial improvement in performance at about 4500 miles, in previous posts. I, too, have built a few engines, but am by no means an expert, and can offer no hard data or technical expertise to support my statements. But I drive my car 90 miles every day on the same roads, and have a pretty good feel for what it does at a given amount of throttle. Also noted an improvement in gas mileage at the same time. For what it's worth.
marsha7: I had a deal in the works to get a group discount for LLSOC at the WalMart High Performance Department, but if you're going to crack jokes you can just forget it.
Cadillac World Challenge Happy Easter to all. Corny as it may sound, I gave up this web site for lent. It wasn't easy as I normally log on at least twice a day. In any event, I attended the world challenge at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie Texas two weeks ago. They had 4 groups of cars from "entry level" where there was a Caterra, LS and Merc E320 to mid range where a deVille, Jag and BMW 540 to luxury which had a Merc S430 a Lexus 400 and a Caddy ST. The 4th group was SUV's which I didn't look at. Hands down the winner was the BMW. You aim it and it goes. No muss no fuss. BUT it stickered out at 20K more than the LS. Was embarassing for Caddy as their cars were there running with no one in line while the others were getting a good work over. Also embarassing for Ford as both the LS and the Jag on numerous occassions conked out mid track and left the test driver stranded. (I hated the Jag J shifter)I beleive I can work my LS around the track as quick as the beemer but with a lot more effort. Where I'd be 4 wheel drifting the LS the beemer would be holding. Almost got escorted off the luxury track. The flag man said to boot it which I did but others didn't appreciate an 80k Lexus sliding through the corners. Has anyone else had a chance to compare at one of these events?
I have a squeak in the right rear seat created by the locking mechanism that holds the seat in place. When I let the seat fold down, the squeak goes away, so I am sure that is where it is. Have tried various lubricants, etc but nothing has worked yet. Anyone else experience this and have a suggestion/solution for me--it is really annoying.
jond: I have a squeak when the rear armrest is down. I wonder if it is the same. buckwheat: That first concept looks a lot like the Batmobile! I HATE this new "edge" look. What ever happened to lines that flowed, panels that blended into one classy form? Look at the resurgence of the modified 40's styles. Every piece flowed into the next. The thing that makes the LS so elegant and the Evoc so ugly is the way the body lines flow. The Evoc looks like the old Regatta, IMHO. They started designing, found out that the car was too long/big and just started chopping off corners. (DISCLAIMER: These are my opinions and do not necessairly represent the opinions of......)
Looks like the Premium Package is becoming more and more available around the country. I just saw my first one on the back lot at the local megadealer. It had obviously just been delivered as it had not yet been through cleanup.
This one was ivory and parchment, and it looked pretty good, although I don't really care for the chrome Sport wheels on the ivory car--IMHO, they look much better on the darker colors like Autumn Red.
This car had the Bridgestone Turanzas, and they're 235/50 17s just like the Firehawks. This gives us another alternative when tire-replacement time comes around. I'm still curious about the change; maybe it's to avoid the "Firestone" question.
Looking through the window, it's hard to tell how much difference there is in interior color, but the leather appears a bit lighter than the medium parchment in my car. The bins at the lower front of the front doors are in the darker color rather than matching the lower door panels as are mine, and the console lid is also dark. This lid appears to be about half as thick as mine, too. Odd; maybe it's to align better with the door armrests.
The basket-weave seat inserts look fine, but I wonder how they'll wear over the long haul. In general, the interior differences are subtle and include all the things that have been noted in previous posts. I still prefer the bumper caps without the bright trim, but that's just a personal thing. All in all, it's a good-looking car and a nice alternative package.
They also had a Grand Marquis with the LSE sport package (bucket seats and console) which is a bit of a predictor of the upcoming Marauder. Not bad; really improves the GM.
Finally, this dealer's back lot now has not one but THREE crashed LSs, and they're all Sports. The ivory one with the smashed passenger side that I described a while back is still there, and it's now accompanied by a parchment gold with a crushed right-rear fender and a silver that's had a mild front impact with the left front taking most of the hit. It's really depressing to see damaged LSs; I wish they'd keep 'em inside...
If you don't like the lease deal on an LS6, you might consider a Jag S-type. I know it isn't an LS. But if you are talking about leasing, and if Jag is subsidizing the lease aggressively, you might get a better deal than Lincoln. Worth a look?
Fell behind in my NY Times reading. Just finished the 4/6/01 issue. Big half-page ad offering "2001 Jaguar S-type AJ-V6 MSRP $44,250 including transportation, excluding TTL" for "$499/month for 39 months, $1,000 down payment". No security deposit or acquisition fee. Get 30,000 total miles or about 9,230 miles a year (or 769 miles a month). This specific ad shows 12 Jag dealers in greater NY City area, including NY, CT, & NJ. Works out to be $20,461 over the 39 months. Gives 1-800-4JAGUAR number or www.jaguar.com/us.
Just noticed a slight (maybe 1 to two cups) coolant leak in my 31,000 mile 2000 LSV6 Auto/Sport. Coolant was on ground, and noticed one drip fall in the time I was outside inspecting the car. I inspected the car at about 1pm, and its been sitting since late last night. Couldnt really tell where the leak originated. Anyone else had this issue? Ill be scheduling a service appt tomorrow..
Comments
Brian....you mentioned getting the dealer to document that the recalls and TSB's had all been performed. I have read on here about the shift problems that can be corrected via a flash update. What else should I ask him about?? You also mentioned being down a year if I intend to trade in a couple of years. I normally keep a vehicle between 3-4 years. Do you think it would drastically hurt me then? Since I am getting if (hopefully!!) for around $32-33k now.
One thing on the '01 models that I really did like were the new 17" chrome sport wheels. I am leaning toward the black LS with light grey interior and those rims would be very sharp! Wonder how much the dealer would tack on to swith the aluminum wheels out to the chrome ones?
Thanks again guys! John
I've had two black cars in the past and I found that black was very useful in helping me perfect the finer techniques in paint treatment, waxing and maintenance. All the nuances (swirl marks, direction of rubbing, not washing or waxing in the sun etc) become evident very quickly, although probably more in those pre-clearcoat days than today.
One question I have - doesn't claying actually remove a small amount of the clear coat exposing fresh underneath?(implying a finite number of clayings?) Or maybe I'm splitting hairs here.
Regards - Brian.
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=7975
Example: Old way - choose car make, choose model. You are now on a *single page* that has all the information you need about the car, including a fairly comprehensive writeup, a complete list of options, their contents and their prices, the base, invoice and 'TMV', pros, cons, and more.
New way - choose car, choose model. You are now on a page that has a brief writeup and little more. Want pricing info? Find the little 'price' selection. Click. Then you wait for another page which has *only* base pricing. Want options? Another click brings up a small window. You must enter zip code and a BS color selection before you can click again to see the options. But all you see is a name, ie: sport package, and the price. Want to know what's in the package? Another click, another wait. ***One click and wait for each and every option.*** Yada yada.
Good grief. It worked great before. Now it's a rroyal pain. Who bought this software? I've got a nice bridge ...
Rant mode off.
I'm guessing the people who came up with this little package are proponents of the "de Sade" philosophy of software design...
You mentioned that the concept was on the Town Car platform!? I missed that. Why on earth would they use that old pig? Oops! Don't mean to offend any Town Car owners but that platform has been around since the last ice age. The DEW is the best platform Ford has ever had - that would be the only way to go.
Now, where can I put down my deposit? ;-)
Bruce (from the land of 10,000 potholes)
The other angles still don't convince me this is the coupe Lincoln can/should build.
The dash (esp. the steering wheel) is the only part of the concept that cues my brain to think "this is a Lincoln".
Even though these are styling cliches, there's got to be a way to graft them onto the modern car with a fresh note: hidden headlights, opera window and spare tire hump. That old Lincoln stand-up hood ornament was great - how about a spring loaded version that lies flat on the grille top, but the owner can choose to "flip up".
And what about the old Designer Series updated:
Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, etc. etc.
Can you tell my dad used to be a part owner of a Lincoln dealership from '71-'78?
Dick
Drove by a local dealer on my lunch break and saw an Autumn red LS with the chrome wheels. What a looker!! I wish that color had been available when I got mine back in May of 99.
And I agree on the Autumn red w/chrome wheels. That's how I ordered mine, and it does look great!
I understand some have already been restored, and more may be coming, but there are no promises at this point.
Please accept our sincerest apologies for this situation and trust that every effort is being made to rectify the problem. Thank you for your patience.
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
Dick
Anyone else here have a similar problem? And if so what was the fix? Thanks!
Jeff
So what would Jonathan say? Firehawks or Turanza's for 2000 LS Owners when we have to replace our tires? Of course this is from the Sport handling and Grip perspective....
Victor
Based on comments from people after viewing the concept car, I'm not alone in my view that this is ugly. Quite a few people were coming away saying "You've got to be kidding me!" They had a good laugh over the 22" wheels which looked like a steamroller.
Disappointed with the Lincoln exhibit. Jaguar had a big fancy display with all their cars plugged in so people could play with the seat controls. The LSes, three of them all LS-8 models, two Sport, were open but without any battery or plug-in power, people were getting in and finding out that they couldn't adjust the seat. Don't even want to venture a guess at how many taller people decided the car wasn't roomy enough because of the seat. Lincoln should have had a LS-6 Sport Manual on the floor.
Most disturbing to me was the fact that two of the black 2001 LS models had a paint problem. I was embarassed to open the hood on the cars and see that there was quite a bit of white or light colored paint showing through the black paint by the fender bolts and around the shock tower housing on the passenger side. I've heard and seen this problem first-hand with some of our members and I thought that the Wixom paint shop had gotten their act together. Based on what I saw today I am disappointed to report that does not seem to be the case. I cannot believe that Lincoln would have a car in a show like NY in this condition.
I also couldn't believe the number of people who came up to us and asked us what this car was. Don't know what the ad campaign in NY/NJ is like, but let's get real. This car is two years old. I would think if Lincoln had an effective ad campaign most people would know that Lincoln had a LS. They all knew about the Continental, and I'm not just talking about the target Continental market either.
I am a tad depressed over the state of our car, in terms of build quality, market awareness and lack of dealer service quality. Any of these could possibly kill our dear car, combined they certainly will.
Brian(who will probably get flamed for these remarks and right now, wouldn't care
http://store.yahoo.com/actonlmboutique/lincolnls.html
They took my order over the phone and I got them with no problem. When I took the car into my dealer for routine service the service manager took the mats in to his parts manager and insisted he buy some to replace the thin junk that diminishes our interiors. They should be like this from the factory.
2. Does anyone know about floor mats that actually fit the entire space? The front ones in LS are ludicrously small. I have to vacuum out my LS weekly. And about a third of the front carpet space isn't even covered up by the mats. (If you want to see magnificent floor mats, check out those in the Hyundai Sonata. Very heavy construction, nice materials, and they completely fill in the entire floor space, both front & back. Hardly let a speck of dirt touch the carpet.)
Scott
It doesn't surprise me that Lincoln would proudly display a poorly painted LS. My LS, as you have seen, was delivered to me with the same paint issues. When I had the factory rep. inspect the lack of paint in the hood area, filler cap area and door jams, he said he saw nothing wrong and the quality and it was prfectly acceptable. I told him that if this was acceptable, Lincoln wouldn't be selling to many LS's. If they want to compete with the there foreign competition, they better start listening to what is important to those looking to purchase the LS.
Anyway, I liked the chrome trim of the standard model but wanted the sport suspension. So, Premium Package it is.
I'm happy to say that I love this car! If anyone has questions about the Premium Package, let me know - I'd be happy to help you out.
I was surprised to see (but did not complain about) the Bridgestone tires when I picked it up. These tires should be quite sufficient for anything that I will ever do with the car.
Color is Cypress Green, which you do not see a lot of. It looks great with the 17" chrome wheels! I will be taking pictures as soon as I have a non-rainy weekend here in Dallas, and plan to send them to LLSOC and wherever else for all to see.
I DO want more power. It sounds like there's not much to do just yet other than air filters & exhaust, though. Somehow I don't think that's going to be enough.
I'm also hoping for some kind of improvement with break-in, as I have read about here and there. I think I read somewhere (on this board?) that someone realized a significant performance increase at five or ten thousand miles. Having worked on engines for 15 years, I do not understand how a motor could take this long to break-in and suddenly run noticeably better. Can anyone comment on this?
Jon
In today's Omaha World-Herald Auto Section, Stan Olsen Lincoln advertising "new 2001 LS lease for $349 per month, 24 mo., closed end lease, $2999 cash down or trade equity, 12k mi/yr, taxes & licence extra." Woodhouse Lincoln will sell a new 2001 LS for $27,692.
rugbug: I think $621.00 is high, but not terribly high. I'm paying less than that on a similarly equipped 5 speed LS and I get 15000 miles/year rather than 12000 as in your deal. Plus the 5 speed has a lower residual value than the auto. I would work em some more and try to get that number down by at least 5% and mileage up to 15000, but I don't know if there's any more than that left.
I think your feedback is valid and something Lincoln should take note of.
I too was perplexed why there were obvious fit and finish flaws on the LSs displayed at the Concours in San Juan Capistrano and at Lincoln's Ride and Drive at Santa Anita last year. I would have hoped these minor flaws would have been caught before being displayed to throngs of potential customers.
quikls, re break-in: I've described my break-in experience, a substantial improvement in performance at about 4500 miles, in previous posts. I, too, have built a few engines, but am by no means an expert, and can offer no hard data or technical expertise to support my statements.
But I drive my car 90 miles every day on the same roads, and have a pretty good feel for what it does at a given amount of throttle. Also noted an improvement in gas mileage at the same time. For what it's worth.
marsha7: I had a deal in the works to get a group discount for LLSOC at the WalMart High Performance Department, but if you're going to crack jokes you can just forget it.
Scott
Happy Easter to all. Corny as it may sound, I gave up this web site for lent. It wasn't easy as I normally log on at least twice a day. In any event, I attended the world challenge at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie Texas two weeks ago. They had 4 groups of cars from "entry level" where there was a Caterra, LS and Merc E320 to mid range where a deVille, Jag and BMW 540 to luxury which had a Merc S430 a Lexus 400 and a Caddy ST. The 4th group was SUV's which I didn't look at.
Hands down the winner was the BMW. You aim it and it goes. No muss no fuss. BUT it stickered out at 20K more than the LS.
Was embarassing for Caddy as their cars were there running with no one in line while the others were getting a good work over. Also embarassing for Ford as both the LS and the Jag on numerous occassions conked out mid track and left the test driver stranded.
(I hated the Jag J shifter)I beleive I can work my LS around the track as quick as the beemer but with a lot more effort. Where I'd be 4 wheel drifting the LS the beemer would be holding. Almost got escorted off the luxury track. The flag man said to boot it which I did but others didn't appreciate an 80k Lexus sliding through the corners. Has anyone else had a chance to compare at one of these events?
Pat
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I have a squeak when the rear armrest is down. I wonder if it is the same.
buckwheat:
That first concept looks a lot like the Batmobile! I HATE this new "edge" look. What ever happened to lines that flowed, panels that blended into one classy form? Look at the resurgence of the modified 40's styles. Every piece flowed into the next. The thing that makes the LS so elegant and the Evoc so ugly is the way the body lines flow. The Evoc looks like the old Regatta, IMHO. They started designing, found out that the car was too long/big and just started chopping off corners. (DISCLAIMER: These are my opinions and do not necessairly represent the opinions of......)
Looks like the Premium Package is becoming more and more available around the country. I just saw my first one on the back lot at the local megadealer. It had obviously just been delivered as it had not yet been through cleanup.
This one was ivory and parchment, and it looked pretty good, although I don't really care for the chrome Sport wheels on the ivory car--IMHO, they look much better on the darker colors like Autumn Red.
This car had the Bridgestone Turanzas, and they're 235/50 17s just like the Firehawks. This gives us another alternative when tire-replacement time comes around. I'm still curious about the change; maybe it's to avoid the "Firestone" question.
Looking through the window, it's hard to tell how much difference there is in interior color, but the leather appears a bit lighter than the medium parchment in my car. The bins at the lower front of the front doors are in the darker color rather than matching the lower door panels as are mine, and the console lid is also dark. This lid appears to be about half as thick as mine, too. Odd; maybe it's to align better with the door armrests.
The basket-weave seat inserts look fine, but I wonder how they'll wear over the long haul. In general, the interior differences are subtle and include all the things that have been noted in previous posts. I still prefer the bumper caps without the bright trim, but that's just a personal thing. All in all, it's a good-looking car and a nice alternative package.
They also had a Grand Marquis with the LSE sport package (bucket seats and console) which is a bit of a predictor of the upcoming Marauder. Not bad; really improves the GM.
Finally, this dealer's back lot now has not one but THREE crashed LSs, and they're all Sports. The ivory one with the smashed passenger side that I described a while back is still there, and it's now accompanied by a parchment gold with a crushed right-rear fender and a silver that's had a mild front impact with the left front taking most of the hit. It's really depressing to see damaged LSs; I wish they'd keep 'em inside...
If you don't like the lease deal on an LS6, you might consider a Jag S-type. I know it isn't an LS. But if you are talking about leasing, and if Jag is subsidizing the lease aggressively, you might get a better deal than Lincoln. Worth a look?
Fell behind in my NY Times reading. Just finished the 4/6/01 issue. Big half-page ad offering "2001 Jaguar S-type AJ-V6 MSRP $44,250 including transportation, excluding TTL" for "$499/month for 39 months, $1,000 down payment". No security deposit or acquisition fee. Get 30,000 total miles or about 9,230 miles a year (or 769 miles a month). This specific ad shows 12 Jag dealers in greater NY City area, including NY, CT, & NJ. Works out to be $20,461 over the 39 months. Gives 1-800-4JAGUAR number or www.jaguar.com/us.
You should post your observations on the GM LSE at the Edmunds Marauder site. Those folks might be interested.