I need opinions on the 2002 SE Ford Taurus. I have an opportunity to buy one in great condition for $7100 with 60,000 miles. According to carfax the car had one previous owner and the car was purchased in california. I have heard that the Ford Taurus loses value significantly in comparison to the Nissan Altima (I have a 2000 GXE in Providence, RI) but need to buy a car in California for around $7000. I've also heard they have transmission problems after 60,000 miles. Consumer reports seems to rate them pretty highly. If some experts could give me advice I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you.

I have an '02 SES and have never had one problem with it. A good used Taurus is the undiscovered American auto bargain. It all depends upon condition and what kind of care its had. If it was a Blue Oval Certified it has warranty remaining to 75,000 miles. You can run it through Ford's certified inspection program for a reasonable cost to shore up your confidence.

The "death at 60k miles" transmissions were installed in the pre-96 vahicles. It's amazing how hard it is to get rid of bad stygma. While they are not perfect transmissions, they got a lot better after 95, and you should not have an early demise if the tranny was treated well.

The enemy of transmissions is heat. It never hurts to install a larger or additional transmission cooler on any vehicle you own that sees summer use. Remember this if you do buy that Taurus.