In the market for (another) LS, what issues to look for?

BrianDye

BrianDye

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Some of you may remember me from back when I was a punk-ass 16-17 year old with a 2000 LS lemon, but since then I've matured a lot and I'm not a teenage know it all anymore (lol!)

Anywho, I've been seeing more and more on the road, and am really wanting to get rid of my Edge and get into an LS. Looking specifically at 03+ and was wondering when I find some, what issues to look for when I drive them.

It's gonna be a work car essentially, 6 days a week driving about 60 miles a day round trip, 99.9% highway. I'd really like an LSE but it seems from online shopping, that adds about 4-6k to the price tag so I'll be looking for a Sport.

I do plan on keeping the car quite a while and doing some small mods like wheels, stereo, tuner, intake and mufflers but nothing major. Any certain year I should stay away from?
 
BrianDye said:
Some of you may remember me from back when I was a punk-ass 16-17 year old with a 2000 LS lemon, but since then I've matured a lot and I'm not a teenage know it all anymore (lol!)

Anywho, I've been seeing more and more on the road, and am really wanting to get rid of my Edge and get into an LS. Looking specifically at 03+ and was wondering when I find some, what issues to look for when I drive them.

It's gonna be a work car essentially, 6 days a week driving about 60 miles a day round trip, 99.9% highway. I'd really like an LSE but it seems from online shopping, that adds about 4-6k to the price tag so I'll be looking for a Sport.

I do plan on keeping the car quite a while and doing some small mods like wheels, stereo, tuner, intake and mufflers but nothing major. Any certain year I should stay away from?
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Thats really hard to "pre-judge" my friend...I have a 00' and have read about tons of issues on this forum from newer years...that I have never experienced..I would advise just to do a good history check and inspection on the year and car that you choose...maintenance (or lack of it) is going to be the key to you picking out the right one..there are '57 Chevy's still on the road in good shape..so any bad talk about the LS goes in one of my ears and out the other..it is mainly about how much money can you afford to stay in a vehicle that is awesome..but costs some to maintain..or resurrect. The biggest complaints I see on this forum come from many who can't afford repairs that come normally on this car..do your research and you will be fine..following the advice of senior forum members has been very beneficial to me..Mlara..Hite..a bunch of guys who aren't just searching in the dark...lol. good luck on your purchase.
 
I agree with the above. As a new ls owner, I knew that I was getting into.

I found a 2005 with 60k on the clock. I have owned it for less than a week at at his point. To get her up to date on maint and new tires it took 1800 in parts and labor. I did most of the labor myself. Plan to start out day 1 replacing the following.

Tires
Plastic cooling components
Coolant flush fill
Coils and plugs
Brake fluid
Oil
Diff fluid
Brake pads
Trans fluid

If you plan on the above financially you will be fine. If not (and its a surprise) you will hate your car.
 
go for a 2006 , stufff to look out for , overheating due to cooling parts failing , coils ( rare to fail on this year but they do ) harmonic balancer (had this one happen to me , part alone cost a grand and only dealer has it ) make sure the trans isnt slipping and shifting well , make sure to get the vehicle history and make sure it was well maintained on oil changes
 
Ford extended the warranty on igintion coils to 10 yr/100,000 mi on 2003-2005 cars. I'd recommend getting one within this warranty period. Then, get the coils stress tested before the warranty expires. You'll pay for the stress test if all of the coils pass (not likely), but they'll pay for any failed coils under warranty.

Aside from what's already been mentioned above, check the window regulators and door locks. If the window clicks when going up or down, then it's getting ready to fail. Check each door lock both electrically and manually to ensure they lock and unlock properly.

Lastly, even though it's already been mentioned, find the car that's been taken care of. You can still find some that were usually bought by an older couple, driven gently and routinely serviced. Unfortunately, there are also a lot that are on their third or fourth owner and get sold because they can't afford the repairs. You don't want to inherit the repairs that the previous owner couldn't afford to fix.
 
I agree with the above. Mine came from an estate sale. ;) it would fall into the older couple (recently deceased) group.
 
Thanks for the info guys; I went and drove it, and from the get-go I loved it, but already was kind of weary.

There are WAY too many rattles on the interior (Panels and whatnot) which is no big deal, but im just curious why;
The rear door make a terrible cracking/scraping sound when opening;
The rear right window only goes down about 3" and then stops, and when going up, the motor has to "catch up" so to speak before it starts going up;
At low speeds, im hearing what sounded to be a wheel bearing, but was intermittent and above 35ish went away;

On the plus side- Engine ran BEAUTIFULLY, and the trans shifted perfectly. Floored it many times cold and warm, shut her off a few times, etc. Seat clicked a bit when I pulled the key out also, for the "easy entry" which my moms also did when she had it. Probably a pinched wire harness or something moving with the seat.

Fortunately/unfortunately I wasnt able to get it, as I owe more than what they wanted to pay me for my current vehicle.

They're asking $7600 I think for this 2004 with 101k on it, which is KBB's highest value. It needed new headlights or buffing, and the grill needs to be repainted, it looks like flat worn out black. Other than that, the car was spotless in and out.
 
You can do better than that. I picked mine up for 5k (way low I know). Fair market value on that one is closer to 6k. I'd work the angles on the issues. I would not walk away yet but that car better be a steal for the issue list.
 
way over priced , my friend picked up his 04 v8 with 80k for 5500 a year ago from a elderly couple
 
Yeah I'm definitely not walking away, but I'm trying to privately sell my Edge and then I'm gonna walk in with maybe $6500 and start offering cash at $5000. I know it's been sitting on that lot for awhile, and these cars are known to have serious issues so I have quite a few leverage points on dropping the price.

I'll keep you guys posted when/if I go back for it. (Gotta sell my Edge first!)
 
I would start at 4k and hold to 5. All they can say is no. Push on having the issues fixed for 6k. Have an inspection done by the dealer with quote for repairs first. Use that number as leverage. Also leverage lack of maint records. Coils and plugs are due and cost about a grand for the service. Trans fluid swap and rear diff fluid swap add about 300 to that.
 
See that's what I was thinking, I've never had a car inspected before but this one I DEFINITELY wanted to, but I figured if the dealer did it, they'd give me the run around and say everything checks out fine. There's a F/L/M dealer across town I had planned on taking it if it went that far.

My god though I've never dealt with coils so that sounds like a nightmare. Any way to tell if they're stock? Any probability of doing those at home or is it a PITA worth having it done professionally?
 
Pass. For example I bought a 2003 last year in better condition with 60k miles for $5,500. Also, I don't like Groulx.

Inspection also won't do much, they will just say you need new suspension parts which you probably do. They won't tell you that your cooling system is going to fail soon (around $1,000). Without a doubt, I'd do all the coils and plugs on any LS I would buy right away.
 
I have always had an inspection no exceptions. If nothing else you get a good feel for any issues you can't see. Previous accidents, leaks etc.
 
BrianDye said:
My god though I've never dealt with coils so that sounds like a nightmare. Any way to tell if they're stock? Any probability of doing those at home or is it a PITA worth having it done professionally?
Click to expand...

It's not really..... As long as you're careful, take your time and have a 7mm swivel socket you'll be fine. If you have basic mechanical skills (can change the oil, change out shocks, change a tire..... basically turn a wrench) the only challenge is the time (about 2-3 hours 1st time on the V8) and being very, very careful when unhooking the coils. There is a thread here somewhere with detailed instructions. Honestly, it isn't that tough of a do-it-yourself job.

www.autocheck.com Just enter the VIN....
 
daffyduc said:
I have always had an inspection no exceptions. If nothing else you get a good feel for any issues you can't see. Previous accidents, leaks etc.
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Nothing more than a Carfax and a peak under the car will tell you.

I know the Ford dealer he wants to take it to. I can just picture the conversation, they will pressure you into new tires, give you a list of all the suspension parts needing replacement totalling $1,000+, and then you have to pay them.
They won't tell you about the common failures
DCCV
All plastic cooling system
Coils
VCG
Solenoid Pack on 04's
 
In glad that's working out for you. I have had 2 cars inspected with clean title that ended up having frame damage. It's worth the 50 bucks to take it to a mom and pop mechanic to have a once over.
 
BrianDye said:
Thanks for the info guys; I went and drove it, and from the get-go I loved it, but already was kind of weary.
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That you are already feeling "weary" about the car, pass. Listen to your gut feelings, they will usually do you right. You may like the LS in general, but this particular one is setting off your alarm.
 
I would shoot for the 60K mile range. That car already has 102K. Also if you do find a good 06 they are all basically LSE exterior aperance. Not too many built in 06 though.
 
Once I sell my Edge, I think I'll take a shot in the dark and offer them something between $4 and $5000, but not a penny more. Luckily I finally have a second car anyways so if it did need some timely repairs that I couldn't do in one day or a shop, I'll still have another vehicle.

However, I don't care much for that dealer, and I highly doubt they'll take much less than they're asking. Definitely gonna start looking for some 06's, do they also have the plastic cooling system and coil problems?
 
BrianDye said:
... Definitely gonna start looking for some 06's, do they also have the plastic cooling system and coil problems?
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Yes to both, though the newer rev coils (such as the 06es came with) do seem to last a little longer. The cooling system parts don't last any longer than on any gen II, AFAIK.
 
BrianDye said:
See that's what I was thinking, I've never had a car inspected before but this one I DEFINITELY wanted to, but I figured if the dealer did it, they'd give me the run around and say everything checks out fine. There's a F/L/M dealer across town I had planned on taking it if it went that far.

My god though I've never dealt with coils so that sounds like a nightmare. Any way to tell if they're stock? Any probability of doing those at home or is it a PITA worth having it done professionally?
Click to expand...
After $4,000 in repairs you should have a decent car!
 
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