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Lincoln Navigator

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Comments

  • blackrhino1blackrhino1 Member Posts: 19
    I stopped at the dealership and compared the 02 I purchased two months ago with the ultimate 03 model. There is no comparison in interior size. The 02 is larger hands down. I do not see where the dvd system would go in the 03. Did not drive the 03, but it is a smaller suv.
  • siteexperts1siteexperts1 Member Posts: 30
    Does x-plan pricing vary from partner to partner? My company (not ford) now allows us to get x-plan pricing. I ran a few sample navigators on-line and am consistently showing about $700 over invoice.
  • auburn96auburn96 Member Posts: 43
    Can someone explain the X-Plan to me?

    Not many ulitmate models on the lots just yet. Desire an 03 in ultimate with DVD, Navi, and haven't decided on the wheel choice because I have not seen the polished chrome wheel. Has anyone seen these wheels?

    blackrhino1...the DVD system hangs on the ceiling just in front of the 2 row seats. The screen flips down from the ceiling and the small DVD disc area is just above the screen...
  • upsguyfriscoupsguyfrisco Member Posts: 4
    the x-plan is a program that Ford starting offering Ford partners or vendors. They actually have a website, but you need a password. The deal is supposed to be Ford employee price +4%. If you go to the web site they give you a few examples on Fords, Lincolns, LandRovers, Volvos etc.. It varies a little dependant on the make. It seems to be most useful on hot cars the dealers are not willing to negotiate on. It works on all of the products under the Ford umbrella, I'm waiting to see the pricing on the Volvo XC-90. Its pretty good if your company participates, they actually brought a truckload of the various makes to my company and answered questions about the x-plan pricing. They were really pushing the program.
  • karz10karz10 Member Posts: 106
    I wish I was shopping for a new Navigator, but that's not in the plan yet. However, I am considering purchasing a used Nav, I'd prefer to find a '00 w/ m/r and climate seats, but would consider a clean '99

    So I guess I thought I'd check here since some of you may have owned these vehicles to see if you had any feedback for me, tips on buying a used nav, problems to look for, any comments are appreciated, thank you.

    Karz
  • blackrhino1blackrhino1 Member Posts: 19
    I used the X Plan and received a total discount of $10,450.00 on the purchase of the special edition 02. Really like the truck except the 17 inch polished rims. They look good, but on my recent trip to Virginia Beach, I talked to some owners with 20 - 23 rims. The navigators really looked nice. Might investigate once I put some miles on these tires.
  • mikeyrm1mikeyrm1 Member Posts: 1
    Hello, just purchased a 98 Navigator, 63K miles. Noticed that when I am backing up in reverse and than put it in drive, there is a slight hesitation. Is this normal. Everything else seems great with the vehicle. Thanks.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,145
    A reporter is looking for businesspeople who are drivers of the Lincoln Navigator and the Acura 3.5 RL. If you fit this description and are willing to share your story and contact information, please respond asap no later than Monday Aug. 5 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern to jfallon@edmunds.com. Thanks!

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  • jismasterjismaster Member Posts: 3
    Test drove the 2002 Toyota Sequoia and the 2003 Lincoln Navigator yesterday. Navigator wins hands down. The Toyota engine, although smooth, seems too small for the vehicle. The Navigator is the most impressive vehicle I've driven by far. Plush, powerful and user friendly. Plus, the safety factor of numerous air-bags. I qualify for X Plan Pricing and will either buy a demo 2003 4X4 or new one by September. Hopefully there will be no problems with the X Plan. Anyone experienced problems? Is this the best price out there? I'm a 1997 Grand Cherokee Limited owner and thought I'd never drive anything but a Jeep. Jeep quality has gone down. Lower front window causes me to bend down to see the red light. The Jeep's interior lacks the wood trim and plush, yet rugged feel of my older model. Leather is also inferior. Looks like Jeep is trying to save money on their manufacturing process. Any 2003 Navigator owners' thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
  • autobrokerautobroker Member Posts: 19
    I am an autobroker in Southern CA. My client has ordered a 2003 Navigator Ultimate with the DVD Entertainment System. Can the system be used (listened to) with headsets? I know that in prior years, the car came with headsets and does not in the new model. However I was told that you can purchase your own for the system.

    My client went to look at the car on his own and was told by a dealer that you can only listen using the rear speakers in the car. My contacts cannot confirm or deny because they do not have a similarly equipped car in stock.

    I know that there are 3 ports - one for the game boy, the others for the ........?

    Now I am going to the experts - all of you on the message board. Any help with this is much appreciated.

    Thanks in advance.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,145
    extended deadline...

    A reporter is looking to talk with drivers of the Lincoln Navigator and the Acura 3.5 RL. If you fit this description and are willing to share your story and contact information, please respond asap no later than Friday Aug. 9 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern to jfallon@edmunds.com. Thanks!

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
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  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Road Test: 2003 Lincoln Navigator



    Steve

    Host

    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

  • gteach26gteach26 Member Posts: 576
    Just got back from a short weekend getaway... as I was driving home I noticed the wheel shaking pretty bad at 30-40mph... at higher speeds the truck's ride got really rough also. I checked the tires and they seem fine. It seems like it has got a bad wheel alignment problem, but do these things just pop up out of nowhere? Yesterday everything was fine! Looks like I'm heading back to the dealer for yet another minor but annoying problem. I really WANT to like this truck but it just isn't giving me many reasons to do so. Lease is up in 11 months and counting....
  • gteach26gteach26 Member Posts: 576
    It seems the "shakes" I described on the above post were due to bad tires! Yep, after only 16K miles and absolutely NO off-roading my service rep advised me that the tires on the truck were bad and needed to be replaced. Needles to say I was shocked! I would think tires would go bad so quickly only if there was a bad alignment problem for quite some time, but I've taken the truck in for regular maintenance without a whisper from the service reps that there was a problem.

    I must give Ford their due credit though because instead of giving me excuses as to why the tires went bad they simply decided to change all five tires at no cost to me (just a $50 wheel alignment). Yes, it is an inconvenience to have to go back to the dealer for new tires so soon, but it is refreshing to see a company willing to help out their customers quickly and efficiently when a problem like this pops up. I hope to have my Navigator back this afternoon and am crossing my fingers that the "shakes" will be gone for good! Has any other navigator owner out there had similar tire issues?
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,145
    Sorry for the major spam attack, but this one kinda sounds like fun...

    A contact of ours is looking for a group of luxury SUV enthusiasts who would be willing to come to Irvine, CA August 24th from 9am to 3pm for a test drive, focus group and lunch. Participants will be compensated for their time. If you are interested in participating in this event, please send an email with your contact information as well as the model vehicle you drive to: chotti@earthlink.net.
    Thanks for your consideration!

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  • steve00gatorsteve00gator Member Posts: 24
    Continental just announced a recall for 2000 and some 2001 gators and Expy tires which might explain the dealers action.
  • navigator3740navigator3740 Member Posts: 279
    For what it's worth, I'm just completing a 4 year stint with my leased 99 Navigator. Have 58,000 miles on the clock. Only repair in 4 years was an 0 ring about a year ago that evacuated my A/C coolant. I'm so pleased and impressed with the car, I just bought it out of the lease. Something I have only done once before. I recently drove the competition, including the Sequioa, which didn't impress me much. The 03 Navigator is awesome, but too expensive now, and they're not dealing yet. I'll wait with this one. It's just fine.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Continental Tire Recall



    Steve

    Host

    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

  • gteach26gteach26 Member Posts: 576
    After just having all of my tires replaced I open up the newspaper and read that the tires are being recalled.. MY 2000 2wd navigator fits the recall profile. Just thinking that I drove several hundred miles on these tires over the summer with my wife and 9 month old make me cringe. When my vehicle started shaking badly on my last trip I thought it was just an isolated problem.. guess not. While I was happy to have my tires replaced quickly and easily, I can't help but feel that my dealer knew there were issues with these tires for a while now (hence the quick fix). I really hope Ford (and all other manufacturers)are learning their lesson and will provide safe tires in the future. I know nothing about tire science and don't know if these problems could have been foreseen or if someone's just been cutting corners to save $$. I thank God these tires did not cause me or my family harm. By the way, my Navigator is running smooth as can be with the new Michelin Cross Terrain Suv tires... I PRAY these tires are safe!
  • navigator3740navigator3740 Member Posts: 279
    You know, nobody purposefully puts "bad tires" on their new product. That would be suicidal. Of course, there is always bidding and price comparison issues, and that's how subcontractors, like Firestone, or Continental get their tires on the cars. From my insider friends, I can tell you that Bill Ford has told his dealers to take care of their customers or else. I can also assure you that from this point on, nobody will be more safety conscious than Ford will, as evidenced by the Michelin replacement tires the dealer put on for you. I've never heard of a Michelin tire failing, so drive with confidence.
  • bailey01bailey01 Member Posts: 1
    We are considering buying a 03 Navigator, have looked at and driven it, very nice. Will be ordering a black exterior with a black interior, just happened to see one the other day and the top half of interior is a light color which looks very strange. Does anyone know if this is the way they are with the black interior. Would look so much better if the ceiling was black or dark grey also.
  • navigator3740navigator3740 Member Posts: 279
    Bailey, I disagree with you, (sorry). One of the things that attracted me to Lincoln in 1990 was the two-tone interiors, and it's one of the things that has kept me coming back all these years. I think it's classy. Many Lincolns have a two-tone theme, dash, carpet/seats/headliner, etc. For a while, the Continental came in some radical variations, like White leather seats with forest green carpet, etc. Didn't buy one of those, but two tones of grey or brown, I like.
  • mike38117mike38117 Member Posts: 1
    Hi there,
    We just purchased a 99 Navigator and while there is the minimal wood dash trim on the steering wheel and lower console, I am looking to add the area around the radio. I have seen several aftermarket parts claiming to "match" the factory OEM dash color, but I am a bit skeptical. Has anyone tried this or know of a reputable source to purchase this? Is the dealership my only option?

    Also, I am in need of another remote and while I have seen some that claim to be factory matches on eBay, they are very generic with no Lincoln logo. Does anyone have a picture available of these for the 99 models? Thanks!

    Mike
  • kourykoury Member Posts: 225
    Exotic Wood Dash (www.exoticwooddash) makes is one of the more reputable companies for 3rd party wood pieces. They make a piece that you are looking for. I installed a complete kit on my Lincoln LS two years ago - very easy to do, the parts fit perfectly, the color matches perfectly, and no problems after two years. There are other manufactures, but these guys seem to be the most recognized.

    Good luck!
  • navigator3740navigator3740 Member Posts: 279
    The oil change indicator in my new & old Mountaineer ran me about 5000 miles between, which works fine for me. But the new Nav may have different programming. My Nav doesn't have this option. You can probably reset it yourself to quit coming on for another 2500 or so miles. This may also just be your first oil change run. I don't know if your system runs off a sensor, or a clock. Guess I'm not much help on this one....
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    hope you all get a good laugh at this...

    http://poseur.4x4.org/suvdeath.html


    Odie

  • karz10karz10 Member Posts: 106
    i would buy a used stretch nav limo and turn it into a hearse and save myself a few bucks, but then again, i don't need one :)

    karz
  • gettlinggettling Member Posts: 5
    I live on Long Island. I ordered a '03 NAV on June 12. I was told that it would take 6-8 weeks for the vehicle to arrive. It has been 11 weeks and it's still not here. Would anyone know if one (or more) of the options I ordered is causing the delay?

    Last week the dealer said that the vehicle is awaiting transport from NJ. He went on to say that they are having trouble transporting the Expy's, Excursions and the Nav's.

    I word in NYC and see a fleet of '03 Navs with US Open stickers on them. I guess Ford didn't have a problem getting these trucks for their sponsored event.

    Here are the options:
    Nav Ultimate 4x4
    Silver w/black int.
    2nd Row Bench
    DVD Ent. sys.
    Power Moonroof
    MSRP $57,840 (~49K w/x-plan)
  • bosbearbosbear Member Posts: 9
    gettling,

    I ordered a 4x2 ultimate with Nav & ent packages on 7/2 just picked it up on Saturday 9/1. It arrived at the dealership on 8/28. I am in Southern California, the transaction went exactly as promised when I ordered it. Did the dealer give you a copy of the order to the factory? My guess is that he did not place the order promptly or he sold it and knows he has a like model following shortly. Good luck.
  • siteexperts1siteexperts1 Member Posts: 30
    I placed my deposit on a Navigator (every option) a little over a week ago. The order sheet I was given is dated June 4th. (Dealer claims there was a recall early on and they were waiting for a lot of cars to come in).

    Is there a way to verify from the order#/dealer# where the car is in the build process? My last two cars were imports and I was able to call customer service and get complete status on the car (w/ a VIN# provided the moment the build process started). It appears you can't get a VIN from Lincoln until the car is at the dealer. When I called Lincoln they just forwarded my request to the dealer who said they won't know until the car is on the way.
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    I can confirm that allocation of the 2003 Navi is very tight. Most dealers have sold more units than Lincoln has the ability to build.
    The initial bug that held up a bunch of vehicles is now over and they are shipping as fast as possible...This held up some vehicles for 4 weeks.

    Right now, If I placed an order for a sold unit the expected ETA would be around Jan-Feb. 2003.

    So...if you have one on order, hang in there. Also, the selling dealer wants it to come in as fast as you do.

    Rich
  • bosbearbosbear Member Posts: 9
    I guess I am lucky my order was exactly on time!!! The fleet manager that I was dealing with also confirmed the inability of getting new units was extremely tight, especially the with the ultimate package. In fact since I ordered and locked in my price at $500 over invoice the best deal the fleet manager is willing to do is now $3,000 over invoice, the salesman said the owner of the dealership was very happy when people had canceled previous orders. However, as far as I know, there is now way to track the status of an order. Good luck to those still waiting, but I assure you the wait is worth it.
  • sqibsqib Member Posts: 4
    Hello all.. I am a newcomer to the site and wanted some advise/opinions.
    Have just come out a terrible experience where my 99 Grand Cherokee Ltd. caught fire while driving on the highway for no apparent reason [let me know if anyone has had this problem - or heard of it - I need to get Chrysler to take care of this for us and others].
    I am looking to buy either a Navigator or a Range Rover and I wanted to know if people generally had any major problems with their Navigators once they started to hit the 50,000-60,000 mile mark and if so - what type of problems were you experiencing. I look forward to your input - Thanks.
  • the_reel_deelthe_reel_deel Member Posts: 9
    I test drove a new Navi last week and WOW. The interior is improved so dramatically that I am shocked. My only complaints are that the dials for the aux climate controls felt cheap and the stereo looks oddly similar to the one found in the Sport Trac. Otherwise, the new wood was great, the seats were superb and the overall ambience was that of a far more substantial vehicle than the previous model. The model I looked at stickered at approx. $57k.
  • navigator3740navigator3740 Member Posts: 279
    I have 59,000 on my 99 Navigator. Leased it new, and just bought the car out of the lease because it's been so good to me. Only repair it's ever had is an 0 ring breach in the A/C that evacuated my R-134. Fixed under warranty. Oh, and the rear wiper just quit. That's it. I've been extremely pleased with the car. Power is exceptional, and great for towing. Reliability is awesome and it's a real great driver. When it starts giving me trouble, I'll likely get another one. But for now, it's too good to sell.
  • karz10karz10 Member Posts: 106
    Sorry to hear about the JGC. To add to Nav3740s comments, I just purchased a '00 Navigator. Although I can't speak for new owners turning 50-60k mi, I went out to purchase one w/ 45k mi on it, I started w/ JGC, Pathfinder/Qx4, looked at Expeditions, Excursions, Tahoes, Yukon's, Escalades and the like, mostly in the '99 and '00 yr model, some in '01.

    Wanting to spend mid 20's, once I determined the true value of above referenced vehicles, I set out to purchase a 99 or 00 Nav, it seemed to offer the most for the money in that class to me, one thing I realized was that the '00 has bigger running boards than the '99, and if you find one w/ the quad-seats (which most of them are), the 00 second row folds down, whereas all the '99s that I looked at did not fold, they only tilted forward for rear third row entering/exiting, plus if considering a '99 double check to make sure it has the 300hp, the '98s and as I recall some early '99s had the weaker 5.4L, also I believe the air conditioned seats came out on '00 and the consoles are wider/bigger

    I've only put a 1,000 or so miles on it so far, but I haven't found any major problems and I am very meticulous about vehicles. I was fortunate to find one w/ a custom TV and VCR system already installed, it had the Alpine system which already includes the subwoofer and cd changer, they had already replaced the tires prior to the recall of the ContiTracs, mine has brand new Michelins on it which by the way are awesome, no tire noise, good smooth and corner handling for such a large vehicle, it had been fun to drive so far, oh by the way, the reverse sensor thing is also pretty cool, mine has this, and although I used to drive large vehicles all the time and would have no problem maneuvering the Nav, I have still found these to be quite helpful and accurate assuming you look at the design of whatever may be behind you it works pretty well.

    As for Range Rover, I assume you meant Range Rover and not Discovery series, a Range Rover would be WAY more than a Nav (at least the 4.6 would be) and I'd be concerned about quirky things in any Land Rover although they are nice vehicles, a Discovery series may be more in the price range of the Nav or a little less, if you like the size of the JGC and offroad prowess, maybe you should give a Discovery a look, but if you want space, comfort and long wheelbase, then you may find yourself leaning towards the Nav.

    Good luck.

    Karz
  • navigator3740navigator3740 Member Posts: 279
    I recently test drove the RR, to see if I had any desire to move that direction when my Nav gets tired. This was an 02, not the new BMW design. Quirky is how I would describe the layout and controls, but I guess one could get used to that. I was impressed with the performance, but it's quite small compared to the Navigator. No room in the back, no 3rd row, of course, and that wouldn't suit my needs very well. I'm guessing it's probably better crawling on rocks, but I don't do a lot of that anyway. They're a lot of money. I think the Navigator is a much better value. More room, power and luxury for the money. Equal performance for routine use.
  • siteexperts1siteexperts1 Member Posts: 30
    I know there are some discussions of tight supply but I am getting really mixed info from the dealer. Over a week ago I was told the car was built awaiting shipment (given a delivery date of 9/23) then I was told it was in quality control without a firm ship date and then I was told they do not know the status of the car (told to call next tuesday which is after 9/23 which is 2 weeks after the first delivery date I was given). The order sheet shows early June. I am starting to wonder if I will ever see this car (and I won't buy it without the current 3.9% financing that ends at the end of the month - the dealer has not given me a definitive answer on whether I can lock the financing).

    Does anyone know if there is a way to independently check the order status of a car from the dealer/order#?. When I bought my BMW I was given a VIN the moment it went into production and could call BMW customer service to find out exactly where the car was (down to where in the ocean the ship was). I am a little surprised of the sales process on a 50K+ vehicle (I would assume the dealer would have explicit details on all the cars on order).

    Thanks
  • navigator3740navigator3740 Member Posts: 279
    Just one of the dealers here in Vegas has about 20 new Navs on the dirt. I should think you could find what you want available now. You ordering something unique?
  • siteexperts1siteexperts1 Member Posts: 30
    I am ordering every option (willing to forgo the DVD as that can be easily done aftermarket) and want a black interior. I have been flexible between silver, black, and mineral gray exterior. Only found 1 car in stock that matched my specs and that was over 200 miles away. They would not honor the x-plan price and only wanted msrp (most dealers aren't offering x-plan on loaded navi's in my area - one dealer agreed to sell x-plan when I first started looking 3 months ago - after 3 weeks of test driving they tried to bait and switch me on the price when I was ready to put a deposit down).

    Maybe I should rethink buying American :-(
    (first american car - all imports I have bought have been very good experiences with straightforward communications).
  • navigator3740navigator3740 Member Posts: 279
    If you want, look up Signature L/M in Las Vegas. I think they have what you want, and it's a small locally owned dealership. I've not known them to double-clutch customers. X plan is a question mark, but you could ask.
  • surfinmuttsurfinmutt Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone have information or knows of a site with information on lowering my 4wd Navigator. I spend over 90% of my miles on-road and would like to reduce the on-road ride by about 2 inches while preserving the off-road ride-clearance.

    The Navigator is truly impressive off-road if you have a capable set of tires. I keep a decent set mounted on another set of wheels. That way I can switch modes in about an hours time. And you do have to take her out a ways to really appreciate what she was intended for.

    But what I'm trying to do now is to improve her on-road capabilities. I'm not talking Eibachs and Kumhos but just a measure of improvement to put more fun in the daily grind. And I'm thinking a 2 inch decrease in the center of gravity could do wonders for a top heavy beast like our Navigators. Increasing roll-stiffness could improve handling but with many undesirable effects off-road and all-around NVH would be a concern on an already marginal area. So that leaves me with tires and ride-height.

    I used to have a 91 Mark VII where sensors could be adjusted to affect ride-height. The flexibility was great. But I can find no corresponding way to affect the ride-height of the Navigator; must be built-in to the suspension components with no user accessible adjustments possible.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Surfinmutt
  • naviradnavirad Member Posts: 5
    My order has also been bumped back (only 1 week) - and this will probably push my delivery into October. I'm concerned about missing out on the 3.9% financing. Has anyone heard what Lincoln has planned for October? Any chance of 0% financing, like GM is advertising?
  • nofeernofeer Member Posts: 381
    I read somewhere that after the first (jan) nav gets more power to compete with escalade. Anyone can confirm?
  • bearingbearing Member Posts: 4
    Am looking at a 03 Navigator msrp 49530 for 42304, does that sound about right? Second choice is a msrp 52797 for 45047. Both are about 3% below invoice, as near as I can figure. I have been told also that for the A-plan you can't order, but must take delivery from dealer stock or through a dealer trade. Does that sound correct. Really like my 00, and look forward to getting a 03, many good changes.
    Thank you for your assistance!
  • nosuvyetnosuvyet Member Posts: 72
    Anyone out there that has 2 car seats in the back, can a full size adult also fit comfortably in the back seat?
  • gteach26gteach26 Member Posts: 576
    I sat in a new 2003 third row seat and fit fine. I am 6'4" with a large build! If you get the power lifgate it will take away some headroom back there but not much. I currently own a 2000 and the third row is not comfortable for me at all. Most people who have been back there don't feel too comfortable either (except smaller folks).
  • nosuvyetnosuvyet Member Posts: 72
    I mean is sitting in the second row at the same time as the two child seats comfortable?
  • gteach26gteach26 Member Posts: 576
    I misunderstood your question.. I don't have two car seats YET.. check back in a few years though and I hope to have a bunch more car seats!:) (it looks like there's plenty of room though).
  • auburn96auburn96 Member Posts: 43
    I have heard a couple of "rumors" that the Navigator may be going away in a couple of years? Any truth?
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