i want to get an ls in the spring after i sell my two vehicles. however, i am a somewhat poor college student and will probably only have about $10,000 to spend. i found a few 2000's for around that price on autotrader w about 70,000-100,000 miles. is it worth my money? or should i go a different route. what are other nice cars? i have had two hondas which i liked, so maybe get an acura or honda.
is it worth it?
- Thread starter swaptrex
- Start date
I have had hondas and acuras. I think the ls is much nicer. My dad has a 01 3.2cl typeS and he like my car better than his. I personally hate FWD cars the jerk you every time they shift. Just be patient when u buy one, don't just get up one morning and decide to buy. Watch this forum also there are some really nice cars being sold because the owners are buying newer. More than likly all the wrongs have been righted(head gasket).
pbslmo
Lincoln LS rules
I was in the same situation a couple years ago. I had 2 paid off cars and decided to trade them in on a 2000 LS. ('91 escort and '98 contour, both 5spd) The insurance on both was a waste cause the escort only had libility and some idiot/hit and run while it was parked in front of my house. Hindsight was that I should have kept one of them to drive when the gas prices were getting up there. (LS's require the highest octane.) Plus, I was enjoying not making any car payments. Oh well, I'm in the LS now and "some" days kick myself in the a** for making the trade. Other days, I'm glad I did... I'm soooo vain... 
bruce98bmw
New LVC Member
Consider
I bought a 2000 LS V8 with 51k miles on it. It now has 108k. Some of the repairs include: most front end suspension parts, new transmission, new coils, valve cover gaskets, hydraulic fan pump, brakes and rotors and calipers, broken secondary timing chain tensioner which broke the chain-had to remove everything from engine to repair ($3,000 at reliable independent repair shop). If you don't have lots of money to pay to fix all the problems that haven't already been fixed then you should run away from Lincoln LS. No doubt, when it is running it is fun to drive. But there are other cars that are fun to drive that are much more reliable. I will never buy another. It has been one problem after another.
I bought a 2000 LS V8 with 51k miles on it. It now has 108k. Some of the repairs include: most front end suspension parts, new transmission, new coils, valve cover gaskets, hydraulic fan pump, brakes and rotors and calipers, broken secondary timing chain tensioner which broke the chain-had to remove everything from engine to repair ($3,000 at reliable independent repair shop). If you don't have lots of money to pay to fix all the problems that haven't already been fixed then you should run away from Lincoln LS. No doubt, when it is running it is fun to drive. But there are other cars that are fun to drive that are much more reliable. I will never buy another. It has been one problem after another.
Mysterio505
Active LVC Member
I agree i love my LS when i was buying mine in may i knew what i wanted and i went after it. i looked at about 4 or 5 ls's before i found mine, i would have looked harder but i found a deal of a lifetime. i bought my 00' for 13.5 with 22k on it. the guy never used it but got it in perfect condition. they only draw back is that it was hit and i never whent through insurance so something got cracked and finally broke after i bought the car but only $250 later and its fine. my advice is if you really want the ls just take the bull by the horns and look, and look some more dont stop till uve found the perfect one cause there are some old ppl selling their mint conditon LS with low mileage. also in my opinion dont buy 50k+, you want to get atleast 4 years out of this thing right, so go below 50K and youll be fine for a while before the problems start arising. mines only 35k and after joining LVC and learning all the problems (which are not alot if you catch it early) im already do precautionary work so nothing goes wrong.
Love my LS but if I could go back to having two cars again and be w/out an LS I would. Hopefully sometime soon my ls is sold and than I can get something much cheaper and spend money on more important things like food and etc.. lol. Plus getting an LS w/ alot of miles is not something I would do, I told myself before the one I have that if I was to get an LS w/ over 70K I would not trade in that way I could have something else just in case.
I'd say go newer if you can, even if you have to make small payment, I mean you do have two vehicles right now right? Cost may even out between insurance, gas and maintance. Plus a Honda/acura is not a bad way to go, most are good vehicles. The new Si is on the top of my list for a possible new car, or a semi used RSX S.
I'd say go newer if you can, even if you have to make small payment, I mean you do have two vehicles right now right? Cost may even out between insurance, gas and maintance. Plus a Honda/acura is not a bad way to go, most are good vehicles. The new Si is on the top of my list for a possible new car, or a semi used RSX S.
I agree with mysterio.. get something below 50 or 60k.. find an old person selling theirs.. or check if u can get something off of a lease..
check out this website.. it's where i bought my car.. all these cars are leases and we all know leases are usually under their expected mileage..
offleaseonly.com
i personally went to the place cause its a 2 hour drive.. but well worth it
check out this website.. it's where i bought my car.. all these cars are leases and we all know leases are usually under their expected mileage..
offleaseonly.com
i personally went to the place cause its a 2 hour drive.. but well worth it
5.7sbc
Well-Known LVC Member
I think I got a good deal on mine, tell me what ya think . . . 2000 LS V8 Premium w/ 17'' chrome 5 star Splenden's all the bells and whistles 62k miles overall in excellent shape only 9k.
Mysterio505
Active LVC Member
no bad but not great, do a carfax on it.
Mysterio505
Active LVC Member
my bad i read too fast, its a pretty good deal, ive seen better but ive also seen worseMysterio505 said:
thanx for the comments guys, i have a honda and a gmc right now and want to sell both in the spring. i really want an LS, because it is luxury at a fair price.... i don't really want to take out a loan, but i might to get me up to around 16k for a decent car. seem like enough?
LennDawg
Dedicated LVC Member
with 16 you would pry be able to pay outright for an 02... or you can drop that on an 03 or 04... 16 should be plenty
lexmarkz00
Well-Known LVC Member
I seriously wouldn't even consider buying a car that old, but that's just me. For $16,000 though I'm thinking you could get a nice '05 Mustang GT? But if you insist, I say at least get a 2003, no sense in getting any of the earlier models.
ToddG
Dedicated LVC Member
I don't do used cars.
Note to you poor college kids: Nothing beats driving a brand new Lincoln LS!!!! HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!
Note to you poor college kids: Nothing beats driving a brand new Lincoln LS!!!! HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!
steagle
Dedicated LVC Member
i was in the same boat, wanted a LS for a few years, finally bit the bullet and sold my honda and took a loan and got an '00 V8 w/ 20"s at a good price. for me it was a mixture of the looks/luxury of the car (upgrade from a honda, no doubt) but also i promised myself the next time i bought a car, it would be the car i WANTED, not whatever was necessary to get me fromt point A to B.
your question of "is it worth it" depends on your lifestyle and income. if you need to take a loan out like i did, can you afford the monthly payments, plus insurance, plus maintenance, plus gas? and the LS eats up gas like it's no one's business so be prepared for that. are you commuting to work everyday or keeping it more for pleasure? how many miles do you expect to put on it per year? i'm a bit fortunate in that i walk to work, as my apartment is on the same street as my employer, so i expect to put anywhere from 4k-8k a year on it, which balances out some of the high gas & maintenance costs. but if you are looking to put the standard 12-18k a year on it, you have to figure anywhere from $1000-$2000 a year in gas, probably $500-1000 in maintenance, not to mention your other basic costs.
just do the math and see if it works for you. it is a beautiful car and even though i have less money to work with now, i don't regret the purchase at all, cause i knew deep down it was the one car i wanted (short of a Viper, but im going to have to wait for my mid-life crisis for that one).
your question of "is it worth it" depends on your lifestyle and income. if you need to take a loan out like i did, can you afford the monthly payments, plus insurance, plus maintenance, plus gas? and the LS eats up gas like it's no one's business so be prepared for that. are you commuting to work everyday or keeping it more for pleasure? how many miles do you expect to put on it per year? i'm a bit fortunate in that i walk to work, as my apartment is on the same street as my employer, so i expect to put anywhere from 4k-8k a year on it, which balances out some of the high gas & maintenance costs. but if you are looking to put the standard 12-18k a year on it, you have to figure anywhere from $1000-$2000 a year in gas, probably $500-1000 in maintenance, not to mention your other basic costs.
just do the math and see if it works for you. it is a beautiful car and even though i have less money to work with now, i don't regret the purchase at all, cause i knew deep down it was the one car i wanted (short of a Viper, but im going to have to wait for my mid-life crisis for that one).
point is you better have good cash flow to keep any of them running properly. I'm not going to call the car unreliable as whether or not you get one that is or isn't is really luck of the draw. The problem is if you do have a problem, these things are VERY expensive to repair...and most of these are quite difficult to do yourself....look at ball joints, valve cover gaskets, tranny solenoids. I think it's near impossible to have any of the common problems and leave the dealer for less than $500...
lexmarkz00
Well-Known LVC Member
ToddG said:I don't do used cars.
Note to you poor college kids: Nothing beats driving a brand new Lincoln LS!!!! HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!!!!
Ignoring the fact that I'm only 18... I must say:
Amen, buddy!
Edit: As opposed to a used one, anyway. I didn't mean to say that the LS is the nicest car in the world or anything.
there is no doubt i can afford one, but i am only 19 and have many years ahead of me to buy a luxury vehicle. i am slowly getting out of the import scene since i am sick of dumping my money into my car and paying high insurance on two vehicles in spring/summer/fall. i would like another import that is performance oriented, but the demand has made sellers think their cars have gold in the gas tank. i like the ls and will most likely buy one in the summer w/ around 20-30k miles. i am looking for a black/black sport(who isn't right) hopefully my quest will find me well and i won't get a lemon. :shifty:
I was looking for a silver/black w/ no exceptions and I ended up w/ a sage and tan/white and like it much more. Strange how things work out lol. Anyway, good luck in your search and I hope you get what you want. I have enjoyed mine very much.