| Author | Message | ||
     Pkforbes87 |
Anyone here drive one? How's the fuel economy, reliability, and would a V6 offer enough power for those "oh shit" situations? This would be my first American car purchase. Dad would hate it if he knew I was looking at a F.O.R.D.  | ||
| Patches |
Help make this Country Great again Buy American! | ||
| Littlebuggles |
LS? I thought your thread was "Lincoln is?..." Do you know hich V6? If it's the standard (SOHC) 3.8 run away. The Supercharged 3.8 is pretty cool. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
it's a 3.0L V6. I know nothing about Ford engines, but apparently it's a modified version of an older "duratec" design. The reviews I've read basically say that it's competition for european entry level luxury sedans and the lower price tag comes along with lower quality in the interior materials and engine reliability. I'm curious if less reliability means it's not 100% bulletproof like german engineering or does it mean that it's got "tuber" reliability?  Patriotism alone won't convince me to buy American. I've got to have confidence in the mechanical reliability of the car. | ||
| Patches |
"Patriotism alone won't convince me to buy American. I've got to have confidence in the mechanical reliability of the car." You hate America So Bad, why do you Live Here? I have worked on all Makes of Cars and Bikes. Just Because it is made Overseas DOES NOT MAKE IT BETTER! They all have Problems. Remember BMW & Mercedes is used for Taxi Cabs in other Countries. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
I don't hate America, I go to work every single day to defend it. Please don't make assumptions about me or my devotion to my country just because I strive to be an informed consumer. Now can we get back on topic.. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Had a Taurus (99 model year) with the 3.0 24v DOHC engine, it was pretty good, strong and reliable, no problems with the motor except a bad seal on the oil pan (part of the engine case) Did have trouble with sensors and fuel pump at the end of ownership. My wife's new Fusion (07) has the same engine with some performance upgrades. It's fast. I had a 03 Jag S-type for about a year, I believe with the same motor(3.0 24V DOHC), improved intake and exhaust and maybe higher compression. Standard tranny and traction control (rear wheel drive), it was a blast! Couldn't afford it. Wonder which version the LS is running. | ||
| Patches |
I Apologize for that. "I'm curious if less reliability means it's not 100% bulletproof like german engineering or does it mean that it's got "tuber" reliability?" When I Here Someone Talk the Superiority of German Engineering it really rubs me the wrong way. As an Electronic Technician I have worked on Automation Equipment made here Dating back to WWII and Equipment from Germany and Japan non are Superior. | ||
| Gunut75 |
I had a 73 Continental with a 460, C6 trans, and a 9" rear axle. All black, and fully functional. You should get one of those. Plenty of power with the 4bbl carb for "oh poop" situations. Fuel economy sucked though. As far as new ones, I would put reliability as a crap shoot, as with ANY newer car. | ||
| Easy_rider |
I have an LS with the V8. The power in that is good. Not as much as I want, but I had a Z28 before. Right now I'm at 60k miles with 0 engine problems. My problems have been finish related. Chrome flaked off of the wheels. Two were replaced under warranty, another started too late. The one that didn't flake, I bounced off a curb. Paint also flaked off some of the exterior plastic parts. PM me if you want more info. | ||
| Froggy |
Sorry, I just fell out of my chair laughing! | ||
| Easy_rider |
Now that I've got a little more time... I believe the LS and the Jag S-Type are identical under the skin. There weren't any production supercharged LS's. I've had no problems with the interior other than the brake pedal becoming unglued. The green LEDs make the dash look a little dated, but you can change that with aftermarket if you really wanted. There was a point where there were numerous upgrades. I think 2003, but definitely by 2004. | ||
| Xl1200r |
My dad had a Taurus with the DOHC 3.0L and he drove the wheels off that thing - well over 100kmi in just a few years, and not a major problem I can think of. The thing moved along pretty well, too. Definately "fast enough". He got rid of it about a year ago to buy an Escape with the same engine, has around 30k on that now and has had just as good of luck with it. Ford, at least of late, makes good, reliable products - they just hadn't been all that emotionally appealing to many. Your Lincoln will be just fine. | ||
| Patches |
Have you looked at Cadillac http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2lM5SdMVlc | ||
| Swordsman |
At 32, I'm really surprised how much I like Lincoln's new designs. That 2009 MKZ is frikkin' SHARP. ~SM | ||
| Court |
>>>Have you looked at Cadillac? They are kind of like in bankruptcy. I'd consider that purchase at peril. Interesting that this cash for clunkers deal has resulted in about a 50%/50% mix of American and foreign with Kia and Hyundai being the big beneficiaries since 100% of the cars they make qualify. There are so darn few Chrysler/Dodge products that they are pretty much out of the picture and GM inventories were so low the pickings are slim. Most the American sales are Ford Focus. A couple stats:
You figure out how much Carbon has been taken out of the air . . . someone theorized this morning that it will take the more efficient (at 3mpg) vehicles something like 743 years to overcome the pollution generated by the disposal of the "old" cars. These guys are geniuses. I've owned Ford's for 25 years and have had wonderful service. I am glad to see them as the LAST SURVIVING American car maker. | ||
| Crackhead |
From WIKI The Lincoln LS and Jaguar AJ30 versions have direct-acting mechanical bucket (DAMB) tappets. Output is 232 hp (173 kW) at 6750 rpm with 220 lb·ft (298 N·m) of torque at 4500 rpm. The engine is insanely reliable. I have viewed pics of the motors with 200k on them still with good cross hatching on the cylinder walls, bearings still in OEM tolerances and those motors were beated on regularly. I think after 2003 the 3.0 received the VVT, and variable runner length. | ||
| Xl1200r |
someone theorized this morning that it will take the more efficient (at 3mpg) vehicles something like 743 years to overcome the pollution generated by the disposal of the "old" cars. Let alone what it took to build the new one. This is madness. The idea is novel, but if one just sits down thinks for a minute... I think the idea behind this was to get people to stop driving their 1986 Oldmobile Cutlass Supreme coupes with the 5.0 liter V8 in a state of untune making all kinds of smoke and getting 12mpg, and have them drive a nice, new 30+mpg Chevy Cobalt. What nobody thought of was - how many people out there driving a beat up 1986 Olds Cutlass can afford a new car at ANY price??? | ||
| Sifo |
"100% bulletproof like german engineering" I had a VW Scirocco. I hope that's not the German engineering to which you refer. That car had too many quirks to shake a stick at. Most of it fairly minor, but the electrical system suffered from corrosion problems in a big way, and it would from time to time just not run for days at a time, then would just fire up right as rain all of a sudden. Dealer threw a bunch of parts at it for that problem, but it never went away. I've had good luck with Fords in the past, and my next car will likely be a Ford. | ||
| Froggy |
GM has been out of bankruptcy for about a month now. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic le/2009/07/10/AR2009071001473.html Court, there is more to the improvement that fuel economy. Compare emissions numbers of a 98 Explorer (most traded in vehicle) and a new Focus (most traded in for vehicle). Not only has fuel economy doubled (14mpg V8 4WD Auto Explorer vs 28 I4 FWD Auto Focus), but emissions were cut in half (Explorer 13.1 tons of CO2 annual, Focus 6.6). | ||
| Etennuly |
My wife has an '05 Mustang with what ever V6 automatic. The Mustangs are built on the LS chassis. Let me qualify this by saying I am not a Ford guy. This thing really hauls butt. It is comparable to the previous generation Mustangs with the HO 5.0. Something like 210 hp. Scooting through traffic is no problem for this car. And the automatic transmission shifts seamlessly in a kind of neat way. You hear the roar, see the tach sweeping up and back, but never feel the shift. It is just a steady pull. I had owned several mid 80's Z28's and Firebirds, all with V8's. This Mustang V6 would be right there with any of the 5.0's of the time. It does 20 to 27 mpg, at about 108 mph it hits a limiter, but has the stuff to go more without mods. I don't know how this will relate to the car you are looking at, but for probably four or five hundred pounds more weight in the Lincoln, it should still be pretty snappy. At 45,000 miles now, it had only a few warranty problems in the first 10,000. All solved in a few tries. No real problems since. (Message edited by etennuly on August 04, 2009) | ||
| Easy_rider |
The Mustang and the LS do not share the same engine. I wish they did, the aftermarket costs for the lower quantity LS items is a bit spendy. The older body style Thunderbirds would be a better comparison. | ||
| Xl1200r |
I had a '97 Ford Thunderbird with the 4.6 liter - one of the best cars I ever owned. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Driving a 96 t-bird now. That's why I advised against the 3.8 SOHC. First motor went at 111K, it started knocking at 97K and by 107 I was afraid to drive it. These specific engines have a weak head gasket and it can go anywhere after about 80-85K, plenty have gone earlier as well. I've got a low mileage replacement in there now, it's hard to get much power out of it, but it's getting 24+mpg on the freeway and should be good for another 3-5 years depending on how many miles I put on it. Change oil at regular intervals, tranny service and fluid change at 30K and you can make it last a long time. Belts, hoses, brake fluid... follow recommendations and it will last as long as any other mechanical thing. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Yes, the older-style 3.8 have head gasket issues, but Ford did correct this with a recall later on. I don't believe the newer 3.8s (I'm guessing around 1999 and newer) have this issue anymore. Regardless - the 3.0 liter DOHC V6 originated, I believe, from the 2.5 liter variant (maight have been bigger than that) that came in the Ford Contour - which was the same car under the skin as a Mazda 626, which is where that engine came from in the first place. They're pretty good motors. | ||
| Buellboiler |
The press on the LS was good, very positive handling characteristics. While the base engine is no race winner, it is a dependable power plant, remember it is the base engine option. The Mustang is not on the LS platform but an updated 3rd gen Fox chassis. The LS, the Jaguar X-type and the late model Thunderbirds all shared the LS platform. I drive a 20 year old Cougar XR-7 with the 3.8L with the Eaton Supercharger and it has been a very dependable car even though the previous owner (18 year old boy with a heavy foot) beat it hard for years. I have replaced fluids, plugs/wires, brake pads, right rear caliper, and clutch disk. Remember this is a 20 year old car, I would say the engineering exceeds most makes including German. | ||
| Mnrider |
If your looking at an MKZ,that is an great car,lots of power and handles really sharp. I have a Milan and its been a great car,no problems and we get lots of compliments on the looks. Go for it! Oh wait now I see your looking at an LS,the only real problem they had was at higher mileage getting oil from valve covers on the coils and causing a misfire,easy enough to check and repair. (Message edited by mnrider on August 04, 2009) | ||
| Patches |
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| Froggy |
Sex on wheels I think I will get the wagon that way I can throw the bike in the back (somehow). | ||
| Easy_rider |
As a data point, a coworker has a 2000 LS with 150,000 miles. Light out in the radio, power window switch bad but not out of line with what you can expect from an older car. No major problems. | ||
| Svh |
The one person I knew that had one liked the car for the first few years. Then stuff started to go bad. Brakes twice in less than 35k mi, electrical issues, body/trim problems, radio issues, and some others. No problems with the motor or trans though. She had it until 65k mi and the depreciation hit was immense. If you can deal with the little things going bad and the searching for how to fix it they can be had for a great deal. She had the V6. | ||
| Court |
>>>>Compare emissions numbers of a 98 Explorer (most traded in vehicle) and a new Focus (most traded in for vehicle). You must have heard the same interview I did . . . . they are interviewing the "Car Czar" and he's bragging how most the vehicles being brought in are trucks and SUV types. Then . . . after a commercial break, to tout the whole "Buy American" thing he spouts of that he just ordered a new vehicle . . they ask "what?" You guessed it a Ford Explorer. . . . and you thought Robert Gibbs was the only one with his foot in his mouth today. Frickin' geniuses these folks are . . | ||
| Froggy |
Actually I haven't seen any interviews, I get my info from the internet, I don't got time to waste listing to the drivel coming from "reporters" and "authority figures" mouths. As for the Explorer purchase, it doesn't surprise me. |
