Buying a Used Lincoln LS

I will throw out a few reasons:

The Lincoln brand was generally viewed in a more favorable light by the public and by the press in those days. They were outselling Cadillac. The LS got great press from both the enthusiast and consumer mags. The LS was the first credible attempt to compete with the Europeans at their own game - sport/luxury. Some Lincoln management participated in our discussions. The LS was not a badge engineered Ford. The LS was extremely competitive in it's market segment.

None of the above apply to the offerings today.

Replies to this message:

akirby (Jan 16, 2008 11:26 am)
- brucelinc (Jan 16, 2008 12:09 pm)
leadfoot4 (Jan 16, 2008 11:40 am)
- jeyhoe (Jan 16, 2008 12:05 pm)
  - brucelinc (Jan 16, 2008 12:42 pm)

#46 of 73 Re: re/welcome back... [brucelinc] by akirby

Jan 16, 2008 (11:26 am)

Replying to: brucelinc (Jan 16, 2008 10:35 am)

A lot of the old regulars are still on that "other" site and a lot still post here. I'm still in both places even though I traded my LS in 2 years ago on a Fusion. It's nice to be able to discuss automotive things with rational people without the trolls that seem to pop up here from time to time.

The LS was the first credible domestic sports sedan and there were big plans for the future - European sales, a 330i competitor, 2 door coupe, etc. Then the Firestone fiasco destroyed the budget, management couldn't figure out what to do with Lincoln and they just sort of drifted along on a life raft until a couple of years ago. Based on the new management and the new vehicles and concepts I think they'll get back to the former glory of the LS and far surpass it. But it won't happen overnight.

Replies to this message:

brucelinc (Jan 16, 2008 12:09 pm)

#47 of 73 Re: re/welcome back... [brucelinc] by leadfoot4

Jan 16, 2008 (11:40 am)

Replying to: brucelinc (Jan 16, 2008 10:35 am)

I'll agree with all of that plus add that the LS was a rear driver. Although it's just my $0.02 worth, FWDs don't appeal to me. Yes, I live in the northeast, and at times, a FWDer can be beneficial in deep snow, but the other 9 months of the year, a RWD is a better balanced, better handling car. The LS was as close to 50/50 weight distribution as any V-8 front engined sedan, so its handling is superb.

And, if it came down to it, and we get a serious blizzard, the LS stays home. My wife, the primary driver, is a school teacher, and the schools would probably be closed. Therefore, that last little bit of extra snow traction a FWD might provide would become a non-issue. I have a 4x4 for the winter.

The other cars that Lincoln markets now are just FWD people movers, although I understand the MKX, or whatever they call it now, can be had as an AWDer.

Replies to this message:

jeyhoe (Jan 16, 2008 12:05 pm)
- brucelinc (Jan 16, 2008 12:42 pm)

#48 of 73 Re: re/welcome back... [leadfoot4] by jeyhoe

Jan 16, 2008 (12:05 pm)

Replying to: leadfoot4 (Jan 16, 2008 11:40 am)

"The other cars that Lincoln markets now are just FWD people movers, although I understand the MKX, or whatever they call it now, can be had as an AWDer"

Actually, they all (mk s, x, z) can be had with AWD. While that's nice, and I certainly would not buy something like the X without it, it's still not RWD.

I agree with all the comments answering my question. I cant even recall how I stumbled upon this site and discussion about 7 yers ago. But a lot of the excitement here contributed to my purchasing a 2001 LS. I loved that the VP of marketing and a couple of engineers were here to answer questions. And then they hosted several LS events. It was great.

akirby - yeah, I dislike those trolls too ...

I should rejoin the other site, but I'm too cheap to pay my way in anymore.

Replies to this message:

brucelinc (Jan 16, 2008 12:42 pm)

#49 of 73 Re: re/welcome back... [akirby] by brucelinc

Jan 16, 2008 (12:09 pm)

Replying to: akirby (Jan 16, 2008 11:26 am)

I share your optimism about the future. I think the MKS is a great step forward and the RWD platform is not that far away.

One other very positive thing: Ford quality has gone waaaay up in the past few years. The model launches have been nearly flawless. Let's face it - some of the early LSs had some teething problems and it turned off some owners. The fit and finish was generally good but the quality of interior materials could have been better. The TSBs for transmission shift quality didn't bother me but could have been a nuisance for some. Other things like window regulators, moisture in the headlamps, failed seat elements, etc. were detrimental to the ownership experience.

I am expecting the MKS to be vastly superior to the LS in terms of overall quality.

#50 of 73 Re: re/welcome back... [jeyhoe] by brucelinc

Jan 16, 2008 (12:42 pm)

Replying to: jeyhoe (Jan 16, 2008 12:05 pm)

Like Leadfoot, I prefer RWD. However, FWD or even AWD is not an absolute deal breaker for me if the rest of the car suits my needs. I have never had any problem getting around Minneapolis with RWD. Like Leadfoot, though, I do park the LS and drive my 4WD Ranger when the snow is severe.

Lots of people disagree with me on this but I consider AWD on a FWD car to just be a crutch. The only reason I would consider it would be if the power is so great that the FWD would be overwhelmed by traction loss or understeer. RWD can handle a lot more power without the need for additional complexity and weight of AWD.

#51 of 73 I Have. . . by cdnpinhead

Jan 16, 2008 (12:56 pm)

nearly 126K miles on the LS I took delivery of in May of '00 and was posting a few months before that.

I left an anniversary message in the general LS board most years about this time, reprising the current situation vs. the "good ol' days." Not this year -- there's just no point. It's clear that most of the people making fresh posts bought the car for a song and are looking for the easy way out when something goes wrong. The LS demographic has finally shifted the way Lincoln wanted it to, but I don't think they wanted the vehicle (sorry) to be cheap used cars.

I have a dimmer view of FoMoCo & Lincoln than almost anyone, yet I drive one, while several of the fanpeople don't.

Go figure.

Replies to this message:

leadfoot4 (Jan 17, 2008 4:16 am)

#52 of 73 Re: I Have. . . [cdnpinhead] by leadfoot4

Jan 17, 2008 (4:16 am)

Replying to: cdnpinhead (Jan 16, 2008 12:56 pm)

"I have a dimmer view of FoMoCo & lincoln than almost anyone, yet I drive one, while several of the fanpeople don't."

Not necessarily true..... I've lived in the Rochester,NY area since January of 1958. My father was transferred to this area by his employer, and the local GM plants were among the companies he sold equipment to. At the time we came here, we had a 1955 Ford Country Squire station wagon. The GM people at Rochester Products and Delco gave him some grief about owning a Ford, so shortly thereafter, we became a GM family. I continued that tradition until 2000, when my wife and I bought the LS.

However, I don't necessarily think that I'll purchase another Ford. As I mentioned, I'm a strong RWDer, and there's nothing in the Ford line that at this time. Actually, GM has nothing at this time either, as the Cadillac CTS' styling just doesn't appeal to us, no matter how good the reviews of the car are. Personally, I think the upcoming Pontiac G8 has promise, but my wife doesn't care for what's been shown so far.

Fortunately, I think the LS still has a little life left, but having been through 7 road salt filled winters is what concerns me the most. The car has low mileage and is still running well. But as we all know, corrosion will get at the dozens of electrical connections that today's cars have, and before you know it, the car is getting all sorts of weird, due to bad electronics. Then you have to decide whether to keep putting money in a car that's depreciating like a rock in the ocean, or bite the bullet and get something new.

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