BoogiesAdda

I had a 89 when I was 16 and beat the living crap out of it even drove it with no tranny fluid for about 40 miles filled her up and sold her at 144,000 the guy drove it until the wheels fell off at 189,000 never had a problem with the tranny I just got rid of my 95 3.0L had 199,456 went over a set of RR tracks and busted the springs didn't want to put anymore money in it. Sold it to a guy for 250.00 and his daughter is still driving it a year later so it has to have close to 210,000 on it. BEST CAR I EVER OWNED! Went through hell and back with her and she never complained wish I could say the same about my wife

CrapaTaurusWrecks

I have had the luck of owning many Taurus models and there was never a fatal flaw no matter what the mileage. I never bought one new so I imagine there were even more reliable before I got them as they had less miles.
I've had two with over 200k.
Had a 98 SE with a duratec that had 216K and ran really strong when I sold it. No tranny problems. A/C didn't work when I bought it.
Had a 2001 SE with the Vulcan that had 201K. Bought it from a traveling sales man that did a lot of driving. He had a lot of receipts that showed a lot of work performed but a lot of it was what I'd call "mechanics specials" unnecessary work. Only problem I experienced was a noisy waterpump. Cheap and easy to replace.
I still drive a Taurus and recommend them to everyone. Because of their (un)popularity you can buy them for a song. The wagon is as versitle as a minivan or SUV. They are easy to work on and the drivetrain changed very little over from 96 to 2007 making parts readily available when you need them.

TaurusGLenn

GPFred

First off, a special thanks to all my fellow vets, and especially to those currently in uniform, Salute to you.

I have 1998 Taurus SE vulcan engine with 129k and still going strong. Other than normal maintenance, I've not had a problem. Still gets 20-22mpg around town and 29-33 highway. I've beat on it and run it hard, and it has been a great car. It will probably continue to run well, but the exhaust and body will rot out first. I will probably buy another used one in the next year and give this one to my son.

Colt Hero

My '97 Wagon GL (Vulcan 3.0) was bought new and currently has 163k on it. Even though I've put very little money into it (speed sensor, camshaft sensor/synchro, plastic coolant tank, ball joint/stabilizer bar - my fault) - all totaling about $300, I couldn't give the car a grade higher than a C+ because the tranny is soft, the engine is enemic, the cooling system is all corroded inside, and these problems are apparently present across the entire model year of this car which indicates quality control problems at Ford. My father bought a '97 on my recommendation and his car suffered nearly the exact same problems - the cooling system eventually corroding out a freeze plug that required his tranny to be removed costing him $700 to fix a $5 part. To me, this was more the fault of his idiot mechanic for not flushing the system enough, but nonetheless the car came from Ford with these chronic problems and that shouldn't have been the case.

Yes, my Taurus is a decent value (mostly because I only paid $16k for it new). And I agree that it's as versatile as an SUV with more cargo space in back and roofrack up top. But it just hasn't been a car that I've felt really good about owning over the last 10 years. It just isn't a solid vehicle like my '89 Doge Colt was for 13 years. I feel like I'm always "limping along" with my Taurus, nursing the tranny, flushing the cooling system, tracking down front-end problems, listening to the engine ping as I accelerate during warmer days. I won't drive it out of town - and to me that's very telling about how you feel about your car.

I'm hoping I can reach 200k with my Taurus without any major problems. If I can, maybe I'll raise the car's grade to a B-, but that's as high as it'll go.

MrPbody

We've worn out two of them. Both '88s. Both 3.0 engines. Both had no electric gizmos. Both went well over 250K miles.

When we got the first one, it had about 30K miles on it. A lease return. Nice car. At just over 100K, a friend bought a new '95 Intrepid. Except for straight-line accelleration, that Taurus was a FAR better car. The 3.5 Dodge DID have more power. But the Ford would stomp it in the corners and got 8-9 more MPG. And, at over 100K, it was still "tighter" (when you close the door, for example) than the NEW Dodge.

The second one we bought as a beater, and did just that with it. Trans went South at 264K. Too bad American cars don't "last"... (:-

Jim