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Comments
We could not even satisfy the 50 that might have had a chance at getting sponsorship to allow us to do the 50 people instead of the 100 initially. The sponsor that was interested backed out due to concern over the lack of participants.
No one is more upset, frustrated and disappointed than I am. I was hoping to draw enough interest that would have made this a special event.
It's obvious that at this stage of the club's development there aren't enough people to satisfy a national event such as this. So until the club grows substantially there will not be any national events scheduled. We will focus on local events centered around the individual state chapters.
I am truly sorry to all the people who had their hearts set on this event that I was not able to pull the required number of participants together.
Brian Gowing
I'll try to follow up with some first impressions tomorrow... But for now let's just say that I've already found myself volunteering to go run errands...any excuse to go drive.
And I look forward to participating here & in the LLSOC. You guys helped me with some of my questions a few weeks ago, too, so thanks.
Cordially as always,
Randall
2 cents worth of advice: If you don't already have them, consider the factory mud guards. They really help keep the lower body clean, and they're very unobtrusive, practically invisible on a dark car like yours. About $40 for both pairs and pretty easy to install.
Enjoy.
Kudos to whoever is behind the new campaign. I don't even care if it's a little derivative-loved it! Keep up the good work, LM.
Congratulations and welcome to randatola. You will now be transported back to the day you first got your driver's license and volunteered to get milk for your mother.
http://www.naa.org/classified/dandy01/buc1_FULL.html
Also are there any scale models of the LS made and sold? I know I can purchase the T-bird model but not the LS. I just checked out the www.bmwfilms.com site and the film ads are great!I hope LM is looking at BMW ad campaing as well to learn from the "ultimate sport sedan company".
http://www.detnews.com/2001/autos/0106/03/b01-231406.htm
Last week I had to replace a cracked windshield and went to a glass shop advertising, "pay no more than $150 deductible." My insurance has a $500 deductible and yet they only charged me $150. We discussed the $500 figure but they insisted that all I owed was $150. How can this be? Incidentally, they quoted a cash price of $589 which seems remarkably low.
dbain1
I just came back from a 755 mile trip. I manually calculated milege for one tank full in the middle of the trip, 424 miles @ 24.8 MPG. This was about 390 miles of highway driving at 75 - 80 with about 150 miles of it into a 30 MPH headwind and 35 miles of stop & go driving off the highway. I compared notes with someone what had just bought an Audi S4 turbo, he had looked at the LS but decided to stay with Audi. He reported about 16 MPG around town with his S4 and 24 MPG on the highway. Interestingly, he said his A8, that he just got rid of, to get the S4 got better gas milage than the S4!!
Trunk - is huge
Pickup - is not there at all
Interior - nice but there are some cheap buttons on top.
leather- looks cheap
sales person - seems desperate
I will lease another BMW 5 530i series.
Sorry folks, I gave it a shot. I looked at the LS with an open mind. The thing that keeps me with the BMW is the tourque.
I have to wonder if the U.S. products are as close to his heart as European vehicles.
Wondering if you gave the LS a fair chance. Of your five comments about your "test drive", only one actually involves driving the car, and that observation sounds like it could've been gleaned from a stoplight or two. I'm wondering how much of a test drive you took. Did you even drive it for more than 30 minutes? More than 50 miles? On varying roads (esp. ones with nice curves)? Did you have the salesperson with you while taking the test drive?
If you didn't test an LS8 Sport and drive it a decent amount of time & miles on winding roads, at high interstate speeds, etc. then not sure you got to see much of the LS's capabilities.
As regards "pickup", I can't believe that a 530i automatic is that much quicker than an LS8. And don't forget that Lincoln is aggressively subsidizing interest rates.
I did like the LS though but I am sticking with the BMW 5 series.
Sorry.
extended drive probably won't impress them given
that the BMW has a 51/49 weight distribution. I
also find it hard to believe that a 525iA could
compare to an LS8 for acceleration but a 530iA
beats an LS8 (as far as specks go). Keep in
mind that the 5-series is a smaller/lighter car
so it will accelerate better. Also, the rear
seat is cramped and the trunk is tiny, so the LS
trunk does indeed look huge. Is the BMW worth
the extra money... I can't justify it, but others
can.
But, to each his (or her) own. If we all liked the same thing we'd all still be driving Henry's Model A (black, of course). I'm glad you posted back here and told us what you decided on and why.
The LS and 530 are also two different cars. The 530 handling is phenomenal and the LS only slightly less so. Acceleration is comparable. For us, the 530 is a much more comfortable car to sit in and drive especially with the optional 16 way seats. It is also more quiet in the interior. The LS trunk is larger and rear seating is comparable. Overall, the 530 feels and drives like a more refined car than the LS. Is it worth the difference in cost?
Bought the 530 after we rationalized the cost differential. Not an easy decision.
As for acceleration figures for 528/530 automatics versus LS8, does anyone have any published results? LS8 in 7.2-7.5 sec range with top speed in Sport at about 140 mph.
And yes, BMW's 3.0 liter 6 cylinder engine in the 330 and 530 is a powerful, torquey engine. I tend to believe that BMW even underestimates their HP figures. These guys can make a motor. They get ~320hp from the naturally aspirated six cylinder in the current M3, AND its evenly spread across the entire rev band. Now thats technology and engineering.
With that said, still impressed with my 2000 LS V6 Sport Auto
Thanks for taking the time to test drive the LS and your feedback on why you chose BMW over Lincoln. I hope you consider revisiting Lincoln when it comes time to replace your 530!
Happy motoring,
BTW, can anybody tell me what a 530 prices out as? I've not had the time to check.
TIA,
Scooter
Auto Tranny
Heated front seats
Headlight washers
Gararge door opener
Power passenger seat
leather seats
auto day/night mirror
wood trim
rain-sensing wipers
pwr moon roof
lumbar support
automatic sun shade
xenon lamps
in dash CD
split rear seat
upgrade to comfort seats
heated steering wheel
cost is 43,770 and they are selling at $2 above cost or around $2k below MSRP.
Because of this I am leaning toward the 525iA which would $4k lower.
Thanks.
I ultimately chose the LS8 sport because I liked the exterior styling more, and the performance per dollar represented what I considered to be a significant advantage. To each his own . . . you bet! I'm just not interested in paying a premium for a car badge simply for its reputation and marketing hype as "the ultimate driving machine". The proof for the BMW was not in the drive.
Bottom line: no matter what the specs and stats are, you really have to go with your feel. GLeen - if you liked the 530 you are the one writing the check go for it! If I had my Apr '00 purchasing decision to do over, I probably would have seriously considered ponying up the extra bucks for the CLK. But then I didn't do a lot of shopping and really didn't know exactly what I wanted. Frankly, the Mercedes lot was a bit intimidating until I met the salesman that ultimately put us in the C240. All that being said, my '00 LS8 has been a decent value and I have not regretted owning one, with the exception of my initial dealership experience which has since been resolved.
Brian
Brian
While I didn't state this in my previous post, there are only one or two Audi or BMW dealerships in the Phoenix, Arizona metro area. Once you're outside Phoenix, good luck in finding service!
For all their faults, at least you can find a Ford dealer anywhere you're likely to drive.
My point about servicing for Lincoln is that you are not held "hostage" to a single (or at least limited) dealership. If I needed to, I could bring my LS in for service at virtually any Ford dealership, reglardless of where I am. Obviously, Ford's dealership network is FAR more extensive than any foreign competitor offers. Knock wood, I haven't yet had a car problem outside the Phoenix area, but if I did, I'd far more easily find service for a FoMoCo product than a foreign brand.
As has been pointed out by several people on this board, BMWs have their problems as well.
Re: maintenance costs: from what I hear the dealers are without mercy. But at least the first 36/36 is included free. May have to sell car after that...!
But if you're now looking at the 525 instead of the 530 you need to go back and retest the LS8. You may be subconsciously comparing the LS with the 530 performance wise, not the 525. If you still think the 525 is for you, great.
Personally I think the LS exterior and dimensions, Audi A6 interior with a BMW drivetrain would be almost perfect.
Pricewise, 528i/530i really compete with Jag S-type. These are $45-60K cars, esp. if heavily optioned. Mere fact we are discussing the $32-40K LS vis-a-vis great car like 5 Series shows what an exceptional value the LS, esp. LS6 manual and LS8 Sport, can be!!!
I say my comments about BMWs being one of the biggest, most vocal fans of their magnificent I-6 engines. (I couldn't imagine owning a V-8 BMW, unless it was a 540i 6-speed. Give me an I-6 M any day!!! If only I could afford...)
Invoice: 32,665 MSRP: 36,045
With all the added features one would want including auto cranny it comes out to 44 MSRP or about $42k price tag.
"For Clor, driving the Lincoln LS rarely failed to bring a smile, and driving it hard could even be gleeful. And despite its inherent shortfalls, the fact that it's not a BMW made it all the more satisfying."
What are the performance figures for the 525iA? Do you believe the 525iA has "pickup", but the LS8 doesn't? I'd be willing to bet that the LS8 Sport can outperform it in most acceleration and top speed measures. And with its 52/48 weight distribution, it is competitive in handling measures as well.
I thought the LS was nice but I would miss the instant response. Again I am only comparing automatic to automatic. The manual may be a different story but I doubt it.
What are the performance figures for the 525iA? Hope you stick with reality over perception when it comes to things like "pickup" and "instant response".
Don't think you ever did answer one of my initial questions. Please describe the test drive you took in the LS. (Was it an LS8 base or Sport?) How many minutes & miles, what type roads, with salesperson, over dealer's route? Have you taken a 525iA over same route? Hope you do.
Don't forget that Lincoln is about giving away '01 LS leases and heavily subsidizing financing. Great car, great price/value, great financing! Does 525iA get you all 3? Two? One?
Short of having the entire bumper fascia replaced and painted, any other ideas for hiding the damage? (and yes, driving lessons have already been suggested...)
530: 225 HP @ 5900 rpm / 214 ft-lbs. @ 3500 rpm
525: 184 HP @ 6000 rpm / 175 ft-lbs. @ 3500 rpm
It seems the 525 is giving up almost 100 ft-lbs of torque to the LS8. Hard to perceive it feeling "torqier" than an LS8.
I'm not one to advocate shopping for a car purely on spec.'s, but I don't think the 525 even comes close.
I think you may not have much of a choice other than living with it or replacing it. If it was only as deep as the clearcoat you would still end up buffing off the clearcoat to get it smooth and then need to put it back on. bumpers.com has the LS fascias for about $100.
Brian
When I bought my '00 LS8 Sport I did so on a lark. I had spent much of the day trying to buy a 323iA. But the price was too high for what you got. Left BMW dealer frustrated on a cold December Saturday afternoon. Saw a mega dealer two lots down. Selling Porsche, Audi, VW, Mazda, Mercury and Lincoln. Looked at an A4 auto. Wasn't impressed given its price. So while walkin' lot ran across a green LS8 Sport that my wife loved. It had all the options I wanted, the exact mix. Only then, in desperation & despair, did I test drive it. Like it much better than A4 or 323i. Talk about value for the money! Never did test drive and A6 or 525/528. Out of my price range for the options I'd want.
On the LS, leather is standard. To get a "like" equipped BMW, the 3-series cost $4-6k more and the 5-series $8-10k. WAY over my budget. Besides, there are about 8 BMW's in the parking lot at work (<150 cars at a time) and 1 other LS. My fellow LS owner doesn't get the car much so mine is really the only one. There are also 4 GS300's.
Sorry to hear about the disagreement you had with the wall.
While I have been using Mother's Wax, polish and cleaners on my black LS, I was quite interested in a commercial I saw for a new product by Turtle Wax called Color Cure. It is basically a colored wax (available in red, blue, white and black) and it also comes with a "lipstick" type crayon that you apply to deep scratches. The idea behind the colored wax is that it is supposed to get rid of light scratches and swirl marks. Yeah, I know, these things always work great on TV!
Well I decided to try it to get rid of some stone chips and much to my amazement, it really did do a fantastic job! Might be worth a shot on your car.
My only hope is that they continue to make the LS, and particularly the manual, for enough years to assure spare parts in the future. The bean counters have a way of erasing vehicles that don't "pay for themselves," which is why we're likely to never have a V8 manual.
One person's opinion.
Does anyone know what Lincoln is planning for the '02 LS? Navigation (GS) system? Xenon lights?? Please let me know - thanks!