New LS hopeful, though already getting discouraged.

[Katm8ndo]

So this is going to be my first post on this forum bit i've been creeping the pages here for a good month or two.

I've been looking to by an LS and upgrade from my 99 cutlass (the front bumper looks like i've ran over multiple animals.)

I love the body style and the overall look of the car, i'm not looking to race or drive this thing hard at all, 'm just looking for a nice looking ride that'll get me from A to B. ( and maybe a over zealous accelerations.)

But to the point, http://www.keypowersports.com/2003-lincoln-ls-sport.html

That's at a dealer ship down the road, but not my only option.
That is just the only point of actual in person reference i've had.

I'm just starting to delve into how cars work and everything at the moment as well. (dad was a drag racer but i wasn't lucky enough to inherit the gear head gene)

But this is my question, from previous LS owners, how much trouble have you had with your car? i've read that they can be pretty unreliable, which is disheartening but not discouraging.

So is the LS worth it? Any specific years or models that are a better by then others? IF i do buy one are there parts that i could buy that might be a good idea to have on stand by, or specific things i can do to it to increase the longevity of the car? I.e suspension issues like malleable aluminum bushing instead of brass, and that the LS is said to have problems with suspension and is a glutton of coils?

I apologies for the long and arduous post,

 

[donkeyrattle]

Arguably the Gen2 models (03-06) have a better transmission and were a tad faster stock. would have rather picked one of those up. However I ended up with a 2002. I have not owned it long but I do know that they eat coils like skittles.

 

[joegr]

I have a 2006 and a 2004. Both have been very reliable, but have required a little more maintenance than you might like. The key issues are coil failures and plastic cooling system parts.

You would do best to try for a 2005 or 2006 model.

The only caution that I have against one, is that some of the repair parts are no longer available new. This is the single thing that we keep me from getting any more of them.

 

[REDBED]

Don't buy an LS. you will regret it. Many better options out there than these headaches. If this would be your DD buy a second car so you have a backup for when this car is is geting repaired. Ever noticed how many posts are in this forum as oppossed to all the others? JMO Good Luck

 

[marcredd]

Every 7-13 year old car brings it's own set of issues to the table.

 

[Bullschmidt]

Caveat emptor.

 

[chocolat1701]

main issues with this cars are coils and cooling parts even though on my 04 I ran 110k on my original coils but they are cheap enough on ebay to replace all of them. the cooling parts and a little more expensive but you are buying a lux car that was originally worth over 40k new so parts will be expensive. get a gen 2 (03 to 06). when they are working right these cars are amazing. im on my third LS now

 

[MOSES]

I have 2 ls's and lov mine!! yes thay require mantiance but I think there great cars

 

[Ranchero50]

Agreed, I would buy one of these again, in a heart beat. This car blends mild performance with comfort really well. At that price and mileage I would look for a '05 or '06 because they have most of the early car bugs worked out.

That car, $5k or so.

 

[1LoudLS]

here is my opinion when buying $40k for a fraction of the original cost.


most of the time when you find a car super cheap, there is a reason. these cars can cost a lot to fix, and if everything was in great shape and didn't need a lot of work, then the price would reflect that. on the other side, a super cheap car usually has not had a lot of the wear items replaced, and its about time to do so.

not saying that there is not any ridiculous deals out there, because if you look long and hard enough, you can find them. but too often in life, if the price is too good to be true, then it probably is...

 

[oddball]

The good thing going for the LS is the community here. Almost every issue has been run into and thoroughly documented. Sometimes weekly. That's a lot better than having a car with issues and no good community backup, but not as good as a car without issues.
That said, I would recommend either being a shadetree mechanic or stashing a few thousand dollars for repairs. Unless you buy one from a member here, it's likely going to need some catch-up work on it. I bought mine and immediately had a $2k repair exercise.

 

[Turboguy]

Ha, I owned a 98 Cutlass and a 99 Malibu. Let me tell you that the LS is a tremendous step up in feel, comfort, design, power, and fit/finish from those crapboxes.

1LoudLS has a great point, think about that and shoot for the newest lowest mileage one you can afford.

I bought a salvage-title, wrecked, replaced-engine LS for cheap in Florida with like 128,000 on it in 2010. I've replaced the usual suspects:
Window regulators
Coils
ball joints
Cats
Etc.

But I'm still left with a really sweet, really fun ride that I can still park in NYC and not freak when someone jacks up the bumpers.

 

[jjcool00]

The LS is a great car, yeah it's expensive to fix.. but honestly its one of the best cars I've owned in terms of how it drives. It is a sport luxury vehicle so you combine the low to the ground, sporty feel with things like heated seats, leather, etc. It is also one of the few cars that will continuously turn heads. And no one hates it.... there's a lot of people who hate civics, or mercedes or whatever for whatever reason but everyone compliments the LS. I was at a dairy queen the other day and I pulled up next to a brand new AMG mercedes 6.3 and the guy complimented MY CAR... an LS. lol