92 Taurus makeover

To start off I know as little about cars as is humanly possible. I love my Taurus though, as beat up as it is. It only just ticked past 100,000 miles but I don't trust it. Two years ago I went through engine mounts like they were candy and I had the transmission tightened. The transmission still leaks a little, however, and I haven't put pedal to the metal in that beast since I had trouble with the engine mounts. I was thinking about buying a new used car but I've been wondering if it wouldn't be worth improving my beloved Taurus instead. I wouldn't want to just replace my parts with the same stuff though. I've developed a minor need for speed and would want parts that deliver more performance than I've currently got.

My questions: How/where can I get a new engine for my 92 Taurus that will deliver more performance and give me the kick I've been craving? How do I know what engine will work in my car? How much will a new, better transmission run me?

Ultimately my goal is to refurbish my car as much as possible without spending more than $10,000.

Why not take that $10k and put it into a nice Taurus SHO? That would give you the boost in performance you crave, retain the body style, and give you some new features at the same time. Then with the $7k you have left over, you could flush the brake system and replace the loose steering and suspension parts. If you go with a '93 or newer SHO, you could even get one with the automatic transmission.

I think it would be rather impractical to invest as much as $10k in a typical '92 Taurus. At least with a nice SHO you'd have a chance of getting some return on your investment.

-Rod

A great idea. I've already done some research on that and it seems awesome. 0-60 in 7 seconds in a Taurus? I'm sold. Cheap as hell too but isn't it a little dangerous buying a car so old and high in mileage, 130,000?

So spend $100 with the local garage that you trust and have them check out the car to determine what it will need to be safe on the road. Then, put the remaining $7k or more in the bank so that when things like the transmission, brake lines, ball joints, etc. fail you have plenty of money to repair them, and still be ahead of where you would have been after dumping $10k in your current Taurus. Not to mention that you will make a little money off of selling your current car.

-Rod