2000 Lincoln LS review from North America

3 window regulators have failed, about one every two years.

Sunroof started leaking at 50,000 miles, and rain water pools into the doors.

Sunroof doesn't open more than a crack anymore.

Engine misfires badly at about 40mph when going up hills.

Gas and trunk buttons broke and fell off after 3 years.

Dimmer "fluid" in rear view mirror started leaking out at 50,000 miles and is now completely gone.

Starter began to act up around the 4th year and often requires multiple starts to get the engine cranked up.

My father bought this car when it first came out in 1999, since he'd owned a 1991 Lincoln Town Car and was an ardent fan. Personally, after seeing all the little problems with the Town Car, I couldn't understand why he liked Lincoln, particularly with a new and unproven model. About the only good thing I can say about it is that it offers a solid and stately ride for an American made car. Otherwise, it is seriously underpowered for a V8, only 215HP.

After about 3 years, my father decided that he was tired of the under performance of the LS and got himself a Mercedes-Benz S500. The LS then became my weekend car as my 1998 Honda Civic EX was my daily commuter and old reliable. I didn't put a whole lot of miles on it, probably only about 6000 miles a year. But, problems (listed above) just kept coming up. Since I didn't have to pay for the car, I just put up with all the expensive repairs.

Eventually, I traded in my Civic for a new MB E500 and the LS became the beater. It does do quite well on ski trips and for my property management trips, except for the engine misfire issue. Now, I mostly use the LS to get me around LA's vicious roads.

And, despite all of its faults, it does do one thing well -- take a beating. Safety was one of the top reasons my father liked about big Lincolns. Unfortunately, in the last 18 months in LA, I've already gotten into 3 fender-benders where others ran into me. Surprisingly, I've had only minor scratches and dings on my bumper even when other cars, including a late model BMW 530i got some serious body damage. Just for that, it's been worth its price.

But, I don't see myself getting another Lincoln. My E500 has higher structural rigidity and is just a much smoother ride. I'd probably consider an Audi or a Porsche sedan in the future as both Lexus and Infiniti have a rather flimsy feel that reminds me of my old college Civic. Even though it was super reliable, I won't be going back to that.