[shorod]

I edited your thread title to something descriptive (per forum guidelines) and so as not to not limit visibility to only experts and owners. There are several folks on these forums that may no longer be owners or experts but still have valuable information on the cars. I consider myself in that category.

As you are obviously aware, how well the transmission and car has been maintained is very important when considering how reliable the car has a chance of being. Since this was a Gov't fleet car rather than a rental fleet car, it probably has seen reasonable driving habits AND decent maintenance. When my dad still had his shop he serviced the A/C, suspension, and alignment areas for the regional GSA. Those cars rarely appeared neglected or abused and seemed to get the appropriate service to keep them reliable.

One thing you should keep in mind when reading about all the issues with a particular model of car is how many of that car was sold as well as the typical owner of that car model. The Taurus has sold well throughout the years. With so many on the road it should be expected that you will hear reliability horror stories. Also, because so many were sold, and because of the target market, you will find several available for very low prices on the used car market. People purchasing inexpensive used cars are not always people looking for a good bargain, some are looking for an inexpensive car because they don't have extra money. Sometimes that type of buyer will not invest the money to maintain the car, or maybe doesn't even realize certain preventive maintenance should be performed, leading further to stories of poor reliability.

-Rod