cobrarick Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Farewell to the Lincoln LS This is among the best sports sedans America has ever produced - and yet, this will be its last year. Enthusiasts who can cut through the periphery have (and will) find an inherently superlative car. Perhaps the history books will offer the LS its due requital, for it does not deserve its impending requiem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 It's amazing that an article that seems to have been researched fairly well could erroneously state that the Mustang is based on DEW98. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 By 2010, LS's will be forgotten and unloaded at auctions by dealers when they are traded in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 It's really a shame they never promoted this car correctly. It's a sharp looking car with a nice amount of bells, whistle and power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 It's really a shame they never promoted this car correctly. It's a sharp looking car with a nice amount of bells, whistle and power. It should have been given to the Ford division to sell as a sports sedan because Lincoln-Mercury dealers had no idea how to sell them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford4v429 Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 when the LS came out, I really thought about getting one...guy at work had one and its really a nice car. I agree with above- Ford should have offered a comparable model that was more affordable. Glad I waited for the mustang I really think a LOT of the difficulty being seen in the auto industry is the mfg's chasing only high profit cars- analysts saying its better to make big profits from low volume instead of a little profit from a lot of sales...I disagree ...the more sales, the more workers, the more buyers available. I dont care how great the stupid car might be, when the last american auto worker disappears who exactly is going to buy it...the economy HAS to be full circle or we all lose. I hear the fusion is a great car. sorry but its an import in my eyes, and I aint buying it- even if profits come home...I just cannot see rewarding companies for outsourcing across borders. my mustangs got a lot of foriegn parts in it I know, but the lions share was pieced together with american hands, supplied by american companies. Had the mustang came out of hermisillo: mine would be in someone elses driveway. A great leader would figure out ways to compete...if ford would just rethink their basic purpose, perhaps stock price shouldnt be their only concern right now. times are tough, and turning around the industry needs 2 things: people working/making money to spend, and products people both want and can afford. Mustang hit the nail on the head...ford started out building something that filled a need for the masses- and Henry figured out how to do that. current cut and outsource will not increase longterm survival. they need more cars like mustangs that look/perform, and are priced affordably to the fewer and fewer of us still working. Look at all the buzz lately- 'retro' (I hate that tag) is what people want...ponycar wars are getting fired up again. Why? because the friggin cars LOOK AMERICAN, not like a obvious alternate to a honda or toyota. If GM builds and sells camaro V8 at around 25K theyre in for a windfall. If they price it at 35, they'll be offering rebates to move them in a year or two. The mustang has some cheapiness to it, hard plastic everywhere, etc...but not everyone insists on fine precious leather everywhere to rest their precious bottoms on. Ford can still offer high end models for those that want the finest, but they need to start out going for the volume of the average middle class guy that just wants or needs a car. Mass produce the affordable(to keep some supplier jobs out there), sell reasonably, and option the thing to +75% of baseprice for those that want more. Volume made ford profitable- I still think its not too late- as long as suppliers/assemblers have jobs to make money for spending in our local markets. Wonder how much money was made by the mustang the last 2 years? build more of it here, and make it look and perform, it will sell even if 'substandard' trim levels by european standards. We dont need handrubbed burled walnut dashes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludakris04 Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 the only plus to this, is they are fairly cheap to find used. I agree they are a sharp car that should have competed with higher class cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Caddy CTS and STS are 'the best American Sport Sedans". LS is now virually as memorable as the Granada based Versailles or 'Fox' based Continental. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinb120 Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Everyone knows how much of an import hater/ Ford trumpet I am, but I never was impressed with the LS. Interior was dated on release, materials use, some fit and finish issues and detail quality(simple lousy wheels, lame headlight buckets, sub par trim detail, lots of missing class-level options, etc) was not anywhere near as great as it should of been for the price. The lowest heaviest incentive prices was about where MRSP should of been. They need to use the S197 with the wider engine bay and do up something with a 4.6/5.4 for thier sports sedan, along with a D3 platform awd larger car. The MKS looks like it will 'belong' in its price class much more then the LS ever did. Caddy CTS and STS are 'the best American Sport Sedans". LS is now virually as memorable as the Granada based Versailles or 'Fox' based Continental. CTS-V definately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 The real problem with the LS? I'll get flamed for posting this, but... ...it wasn't good enough. It's not enough to show up for the game with average skills relative to those involved. The LS was the new kid, made the cover of the car mags, and was a mid-pack car in that territory. Why should that deserve fanfare? I agree wholeheartedly that the car had the potential to get better, and that it was probably among the best values in its segment...but it had issues (just like any Nasser-era car) and wasted its tiny moment in the spotlight by not being anything but an average car for its class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quik LS Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 (edited) what is your basis for stating that? Here is a great article on the LS -> it was a great attempt of making a truely leading car for the $$$ http://www.atomicfrog.com/mirrors/www.blue...powertrains.htm Edited February 15, 2006 by Quik LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old_fairmont_wagon Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 My quick take on the Lincoln LS. It shouldn't have been a Lincoln. It also shouldn't have been a Ford. It should have been a Mercury. They could have reduced the complexity of the thing a bit to make it cheaper to produce and sold it as a Mercury only. The LS was always very complex and expensive to build for where it was able to be priced in. It didn't fit the mold at Lincoln. It wasn't a soft, luxury cruiser like every other lincoln had been for the last two decades (and yes, the LSC and Mark VIII were soft luxo cruisers when compared to the BMW 3 and 5 series). Mercury had more of a sporty heritage to play to. Mercury could see a higher volume. Mercury would have matched the interior quality levels. As for the market it was in, the base engine was always adequate. The optional engine never delivered as much as most people seemed to want from it. It didn't have the torque that it really needed. This was, in my mind, a direct result of the detuning that it received so as not to step on Jaguar's toes. They could have artificially limited the maximum horsepower figures while doing their best to maximize the torque that the engine delivered. That would have better fit the US market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBN LEISHA Posted March 27, 2006 Share Posted March 27, 2006 I have a 2000 LS and a 2002 T Bird and a 2004 T Bird. Love all three. They taked about a Supercharged McLaron LS and SVT T-Bird. Too bad these didn't happen. Would have been a good thing for both cars, I guess they are still scared off by Corvette. The LS and T Birds were never to be Vette killers!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llog215 Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 My quick take on the Lincoln LS. It shouldn't have been a Lincoln. It also shouldn't have been a Ford. It should have been a Mercury. They could have reduced the complexity of the thing a bit to make it cheaper to produce and sold it as a Mercury only. The LS was always very complex and expensive to build for where it was able to be priced in. It didn't fit the mold at Lincoln. It wasn't a soft, luxury cruiser like every other lincoln had been for the last two decades (and yes, the LSC and Mark VIII were soft luxo cruisers when compared to the BMW 3 and 5 series). Mercury had more of a sporty heritage to play to. Mercury could see a higher volume. Mercury would have matched the interior quality levels. As for the market it was in, the base engine was always adequate. The optional engine never delivered as much as most people seemed to want from it. It didn't have the torque that it really needed. This was, in my mind, a direct result of the detuning that it received so as not to step on Jaguar's toes. They could have artificially limited the maximum horsepower figures while doing their best to maximize the torque that the engine delivered. That would have better fit the US market. The LS was a success at launch. Everything was great on the car. All they needed to do was make continual upgrades and keep it fresh and it would have been more successful. I agree with your position in terms of not fitting the Lincoln mold. The sales guys didn't know how to sell a luxury sports sedan. I don't think it would of faired better as a Mercury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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