Some of us don't have any other choice but to buy the $600 car
. I've had some bad problems with my Taurus, but like you said, most of it is not preventable, and some of it is. Like the transmission in my 93'. It had maintence done to it, but probably not exactly every 30k. It lasted 202,000 miles before it became undriveable. The transmission is certainly shot, can only go about 35mph before the tranny starts doing unusual things, but it drove on a bad tranny for at least 4 months. I would say that's pretty good, usually cars with bad transmission tend to die in a hurry. The suspension is toast, but that's normal. Engine runs great, except for the 3.8L blown head gasket problem. That's always a fun fix. The sad part is Ford didn't do much for the people that bought cars with the 3.8L. All blow head gaskets 50-75k no matter what. Really, it wouldn't be a bad car if they had built the tranny better and spent a little more time on designing a reliable engine. It can be done, and it has been. Like the inline 6 200, I could swear they quit making them, just because nothing EVER goes wrong with them. The insurance on these cars is freggin cheap. Ford definately has there better lines. I really like my modded out 1988 Ranger with the 2.9L V6. It's the best vehical I've ever owned, but I did put a lot of money into the motor.