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Originally Posted by chcknugget
I thought all of these replacements were normal! Hahaha I have a 96 GMC Jimmy w/98k and everything seems to have gone on it now except for the fuel pump.
The car is from a dealer. He said he'd give us a 1 year warranty on everything because his shop checked everything out. He also has a really professional and honest shop. Since we go to school in Michigan I think we may wave the warranty and get a lower price.
I think the Taurus may have good trim, it was green and really looked nice. The thing that amazed me most was that there was NO cracked trim or carpets or seats. Everything was mint and intact. There were buttons on the steering wheel, but there is no factory cd player  |
The Vulcan is now rated at about 155 hp. It may be slightly lower for the year you're looking at. This engine is in my '02 and it is absolutely ample, but don't plan on beating many other cars if that's your thing.
The Duratec is rated for 200 hp now. I've driven one and the power/torque difference is *very* significant. You don't necessarily need this engine, but it does make the car slightly more valuable, maybe by a few hundred dollars at best. This engine will give you slightly worse gas mileage, and it's generally much harder to work on because it's pretty much shoehorned into the engine bay.
Ford also puts two kinds of transmissions into these cars: The AX4S, which is almost always found with the Vulcan, and the AX4N, which is always found where there is a Duratec. The AX4N is very similar to the AX4S but essentially uses better parts and is usually believed to last longer under the same stresses. I've heard of some people paying extra for the Duratec just because the transmissions are better. Occasionally you'll find a Vulcan with the AX4N, which is a lucky find, but not common.
The parts replacements are pretty normal. But over time. You're looking at doing them all at just about the same time. I just wanted you to realize that you should include that in the cost of getting the car.
How much is waiving the warranty going to save you? If it's only a couple hundred bucks I would definitely stick with it on that car if you plan on keeping it very long. Make sure you have in writing what it covers before you do the deal, and make sure it will cover powertrain problems for the full year. You may be stuck if something like the fuel pump goes, but that's not even close to what it will cost you if you end up needing the transmission rebuilt.
Trim level doesn't refer to the condition of the car's trim. Is it a G, GL, LX, or SHO?
You should have a mechanic look at it.