Sport vs. Base Model VIN Issue

Bazil

Bazil

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Good morning everyone,

This is my first post here on the forum, so please bear with me. I have an odd question regarding the sport vs. base model for a 2000 LS. I am in the process of replacing a few miscellaneous trim pieces, one being the chrome strip on the front bumper. The old one has a few rock pits in it and needs to be replaced. I contacted Ford today to order the part and they told me that based on the cars VIN, it was a sport model and did not have the chrome strips on the bumpers. This particular car is LS #101 off the line and has been in our family since it was new, so I know someone didn't swap out the bumpers. Just curious if anyone here has ran into that same problem before. Thanks in advance for the help!
 
Bazil said:
Good morning everyone,

This is my first post here on the forum, so please bear with me. I have an odd question regarding the sport vs. base model for a 2000 LS. I am in the process of replacing a few miscellaneous trim pieces, one being the chrome strip on the front bumper. The old one has a few rock pits in it and needs to be replaced. I contacted Ford today to order the part and they told me that based on the cars VIN, it was a sport model and did not have the chrome strips on the bumpers. This particular car is LS #101 off the line and has been in our family since it was new, so I know someone didn't swap out the bumpers. Just curious if anyone here has ran into that same problem before. Thanks in advance for the help!
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I'm not one bit surprised that FoMoCo has it incorrect. I'd be real interested in knowing how much of your money they want for that part as well.

EBay is your friend here.
 
Ha! Thanks for the reply. Ford wants $154 for the part. Could be worse I guess. One thing I remembered was when the car was about a month old it was brought back to the dealer to switch out the shift knob. The one it originally came with was a leather one that I believe was only for sport models. They swapped it for a wood one and said they put the wrong one on at the factory. Has a partial wood steering wheel also, so I'm not sure what else Ford needs to see to know its not a sport model. Thanks!
 
Bazil said:
Ha! Thanks for the reply. Ford wants $154 for the part. Could be worse I guess. One thing I remembered was when the car was about a month old it was brought back to the dealer to switch out the shift knob. The one it originally came with was a leather one that I believe was only for sport models. They swapped it for a wood one and said they put the wrong one on at the factory. Has a partial wood steering wheel also, so I'm not sure what else Ford needs to see to know its not a sport model. Thanks!
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My 2002 Non-Sport:

2002-12.jpg

Wood Shift, Wood Steering Wheel. Another dead giveaway: Wheel Size - 16" = No-Sport, 17" = Sport.

2002-12.jpg
 
izzy said:
I like that floor mat you have there.
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Car came with all 4 mats. Lincoln logo even. They would hold a lot of liquid. I'm guessing you could spill a 32oz Margarita in there and be OK. I mean, it's clean, you could get most of it back in the goblet.
 
izzy said:
NICE....probably a rare dealer add on. They look fitted to the LS.
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I checked on the Ford Parts website and it looks like you can still order these. Part # 6W4Z-5413300-A. Not sure if these are exactly the same as the ones in the picture, but they are all-weather floor mats fitted for the LS. I am surprised just how many parts Ford still carries for these cars, and that's a good thing.
 
When I enter my VIN on fordparts.com it thinks I have a sport model. Mine is not a sport model.
 
Keep in mind a Sport Premium puts the chrome and wood back on. The factory wheels then tell you if it's a Sport or not.
 
Hey guys. Sorry to bring back this old thread, but I had another question relating to this. As stated, the car is a 2000 V-6. It was built June 24, 1999. It was shipped from the factory with the all-leather steering wheel and shift knob, which was changed by the dealer to wood in Sept. or Oct. of ’99. I have had several VIN reports done on the car and every one (including Ford) states that the car is a sport model, not a base. As you can see, this car does not have SST, message center, 17 inch rims, or sport bumper covers. It does have the high polished 16 inch rims. Do any of you think this car would have been built with the sport suspension? I am just curious what led Ford to classify this as a sport model. The original window sticker doesn’t say “sport” on it, but it doesn’t say "base" either. Also, did the sport suspension lower the car at all? It seems like this one sits high, but that could be partially due to the smaller rims. Perhaps being such an early built car Ford just classified it incorrectly. If this post is somewhat redundant, I apologize. Any input is greatly appreciated.

-Bazil

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IMG_1901.JPG


IMG_1902.JPG
 
joegr said:
No V6s have the message center. That is a V8 only item. It is not at all related to sport or not sport. (All V8s have the message center.)
I do not think that any of the stickers said "base."
Ride height is the same for non-sport as sport. There is no factory/OEM option to alter the ride height.
Go to the site below and put your VIN in.
http://www.etis.ford.com/vehicleRegSelector.do;jsessionid=8F289AF5D6C440139C939129FC0CCA52.fcvas507
"special" = sport
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Thanks for the link. That was one of the places I went before posting this. It comes back as "sport" under the "Version" section of the report.
 
if you really want to know what suspension it has on it, get under it with a set of calipers and measure the anti-roll bar

as far as base goes, there is no badge that says it, and that looks exactly ()other than exterior color, so not exactly...) like my 2000 base V6 was, same bumpers, same wheels. its an entry level luxury car, the base version looks the fanciest with all the extra wud trim, and the sport takes a lot away for a sporty look.
 
1LoudLS said:
if you really want to know what suspension it has on it, get under it with a set of calipers and measure the anti-roll bar

as far as base goes, there is no badge that says it, and that looks exactly ()other than exterior color, so not exactly...) like my 2000 base V6 was, same bumpers, same wheels. its an entry level luxury car, the base version looks the fanciest with all the extra wud trim, and the sport takes a lot away for a sporty look.
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Thanks for the input. I'm planning to take a look at the suspension this weekend and figure out exactly what it is. It's not a big concern of mine, just curiosity. Thanks again.

-Bazil
 
Hi there. On my quest to find out the facts about my 2001 'LSC' Lincoln CS gave me this site:

http://www.martiauto.com/reports2.cfm

It is the official archive of all the build sheets for Ford. Unfortunately that guy has to make a living too, and you have to pay a bit to him, but if you want the facts, it may be worth it to you. The sheet will give every detail about how the car went down the assembly line.

I would even bet if the sheet states all was sport, and yet it appears you dont have sport, someone FUBAR'd at the factory.
 
grizzlyls said:
Hi there. On my quest to find out the facts about my 2001 'LSC' Lincoln CS gave me this site:

http://www.martiauto.com/reports2.cfm

It is the official archive of all the build sheets for Ford. Unfortunately that guy has to make a living too, and you have to pay a bit to him, but if you want the facts, it may be worth it to you. The sheet will give every detail about how the car went down the assembly line.

I would even bet if the sheet states all was sport, and yet it appears you dont have sport, someone FUBAR'd at the factory.
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Hey, thanks for the info! I'll order one of these reports and see what it comes back with. Says it may take up to three weeks to get it back but it should be worth it. I've seen these reports before but didn't know much about them. I'll be sure and let you guys know what the report says when I get it back. Thanks again!

-Bazil
 
Looks like you have a bit of an oddball there.... No Comfort(?) Package (memory seats/mirrors, power lumbar...) but looks like it does have the Alpine radio. Do you have the subs in the back? IIRC, ALL early LSes ('99's) were shipped with the leather wheel & shift knob due to a shortage of the wood units. The dealers would put the wood items on as they arrived. Does the sticker say sport suspension?

My vote is base no matter what a build sheet may say. I had a non-sport V6 with the Comfort package but the base radio and it looked pretty much like yours.
 
LS4me said:
Looks like you have a bit of an oddball there.... No Comfort(?) Package (memory seats/mirrors, power lumbar...) but looks like it does have the Alpine radio. Do you have the subs in the back? IIRC, ALL early LSes ('99's) were shipped with the leather wheel & shift knob due to a shortage of the wood units. The dealers would put the wood items on as they arrived. Does the sticker say sport suspension?

My vote is base no matter what a build sheet may say. I had a non-sport V6 with the Comfort package but the base radio and it looked pretty much like yours.
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It does have the Alpine radio with the subs in the back. No memory seat or mirrors, but it does have power lumbar on the driver seat (manual on passenger). Also, it was ordered with the heated seats, wiper park, etc. When I get home I will upload a picture of the window sticker. Maybe there is something on there that I'm missing. Thanks!
 
Heated wiper park is standard on all LSes. It wasn't something you could order.
 
Bazil said:
It does have the Alpine radio with the subs in the back. No memory seat or mirrors, but it does have power lumbar on the driver seat (manual on passenger). Also, it was ordered with the heated seats, wiper park, etc. When I get home I will upload a picture of the window sticker. Maybe there is something on there that I'm missing. Thanks!
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Can't... It's either or. Besides, I can see the manual adjustment on the front, right (near the console) side of the driver's seat.
 
LS4me said:
Can't... It's either or. Besides, I can see the manual adjustment on the front, right (near the console) side of the driver's seat.
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My apologies! I just figured the two speakers in the parcel tray were subs. If I recall, the window sticker lists the "audiophile" system and then the glovebox mounted 6 disc changer. Both options are listed separately on the window sticker. It has a large plastic cover in the trunk and I just assumed it was something to do with subs. Thanks for the clarification. Also, sorry about the heated wiper park. I wasn't aware that was standard. Thanks for the clarification. When I get home I'll get an actual picture of the window sticker.

Edit: misread your post. For some reason I thought the driver was power. Sorry!

-Bazil
 
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all of the rear package tray speakers are subs, early models had a plastic enclosure and after a certian point they just started mounting the amp and subs to the rear deck itself
 
Ok, here is the window sticker. Also, I'd like to apologize for my apparent lack of knowledge. I am always confusing the LS with our S-Type. I just can't remember exactly which car has which features. I hope that I haven't annoyed you guys too much. Thanks for all the help thus far.

-Bazil

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