2003 Taurus

Looking for a little feedback. I may be "inhereting" 2003 Taurus sometime this summer. It is currently my Grandfather's car, and he's going into an assisted living home soon, and they want to give the car to me. It has (or so I'm told) only 25,000 miles on it.

So...I'm looking for a little feedback on the car. What's it like, how does it drive, any major problems, any minor problems? Recommendations? I've owned a Ford before ( 91 Escort ) and it was nothing but one big issue and definately "colored" my opinion of Ford. I realize that this is a different and newer Ford, so I'm willing to give things a chance again provided the feedback I get is positive enough.

Any opinions are welcome with my thanks in advance.

My experience has been positive so far, I have two Tauruses and a Sable all yr. '00 and later. Two has the DOHC 24V engine, one the Vulcan. (80k, 43k and 72k miles respectively) I think - based on my experience - the 24V 200hp engine is better; more reliable/trouble-free than the Vulcan.
Check the maintenance records; these ought to be done soon, (or be done by now): Replacing: coolant, transmission fluid, air filter, fuel filter, and cabin filter. I'd put in a full tank of gas a can of Chevron's (with Techron) fuel injector cleaner also. This is the only one I trust to do the job it claims to do - based on from various sources.
Older people tend to be neglectful of their car maintenance. Also, they more often are the victims of paid-for but unperformed repairs/services, so you'll have to be vigilant in spite of records of "services done".

There are a lot of them on the road, and some that seem to have a lot of issues, some that seem relatively trouble-free. As with most automobiles, maintenance seems to be important to keeping a Taurus towards the "relatively trouble-free) end of the spectrum.

The weakest point of most Taurii seems to be the transmission. I'm not sure if the 2002 has a completely new or significantly redesigned tranny from the previous generation (1996-1999).

I've noticed on my 1998 SHO that the road noise is higher than what I'd expect for a family car, but it's not overwhelming. There do seem to be a fair number of rattles, mostly in the front end rather than in the car. It is fairly roomy inside and has a comfortable ride.

Keep in mind though that the only Taurii I've owned are used SHO models. This is the higher performance version and could very well have been beat on prior to me owning them. They may have less sound insulation than regular Taurus models, but I'm not sure on that. Mine experiences have been pleasant, and I've not had any major issues with either of them (a 1993 and a 1998 SHO).

If the price is right and you are good about providing proper maintenance, your experience is likely to be pleasant as well. However, if you currently drive an Accord, Camry, or similar car and expect the fit, finish, reliability, and overall sturdy "feel" of them in the Taurus, you MAY be disappointed.

-Rod

Ironic that you should mention the Camry, as my current car is a 93 Camry. From what I've been able to pull from various information sources, the road noise "issue" seems to have been delt with on the newer model Taurus. And you can bet that the price is right. Free (more or less). I'm basiclly just looking for any feedback and/or problems that seem to be fairly common with the 03 Taurus so I know what I may be getting into. This isn't something that's going to happen very soon, so it gives me plenty of time to do some "looking into".

I look forward to seeing some additional info listed here due to my cuurent interest in an '03 SEL model. Does anyone know where I can find a list of TSB's or recalls associated with this year?

Try this:::

http://www.alldata.com/TSB/031912_en.html

I look forward to seeing some additional info listed here due to my cuurent interest in an '03 SEL model. Does anyone know where I can find a list of TSB's or recalls associated with this year?

As mentioned above, Alldata is a good source of TSB titles related to a specific model.

For recall information, enter the relevant information at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/defectsearch.cfm

-Rod

There aren't that many issues with the gen 4 taurus (2000+). The vulcan engine and duratec engine are both very reliable engines.

Congraculations, we have an 03 SES Vulcan and love it. I know this isn't very timely but I just saw your post. Best advice is follow the maintenance schedule in the owners manual. Ours is auto tranny and I have the fluid FLUSHED, (not changed), every 50K miles. At $130. it's rather expensive but compared to what a rebuild costs it's cheap maintenance. I use 10W-30 oil and change oil and filter every 5K miles.
Every three years I drain, flush and replace the anti freeze with Prestone. Before you go elsewhere for service ask your Ford place what they charge for the service and you might be surprised.

I just left a Ford dealership and decided to buy a car when they buying was good. Based on my experience with working on Fords for years, I decided that the '03 Taurus that just came in on trade was my best option. The older Taurus had numerous transmission problems, thne the brown coolant, and just got a bad rap, even though the majority were good cars. The newest generation Taurus, though is a wonderful car! The transmission problems are pretty much cured, and they run great, ride nice, and most importantly, the market is flooded with them so everyone had parts! Parts hasn't been an issue, though as I am yet to do anything other than general maintenance. One concern that is common is warping the brake rotors, but this is not really a major issue and is a cheap and easy repair. Anyhow, hope you enjoy your car as much as I have (by enjoy, I mean drive, not fix...I'd really rather enjoy a SVT Cobra or something of that sort, but hey, we take what we can get!)

Drive what you can buy at a decent price and gets decent gas mileage. I wanted an 06 Civic Si with the 197 HP engine around $24 grand but opted for this mint Taurus SES with 38K miles for $11,500 and the senior citizen guy had every maintenance record since new. Yup, lots of Taurii around because they're fleet cars and depreciate fast but not a factor for those of us who keep a car and drive it 'til the wheels fall off. The wife has an 05 Marquis GS and you couldn't pry her out of a Marquis with a crow bar.

Gott'a go to work now so have a great week end and enjoy your Taurus.