2012 Test Drive, opinions?

[65comet]

Ok, so, I took one for a test drive. For some reason the spare tire wasn't screwed down. Each little bump sounded like a sub-woofer was beating out a full bass riff. The salesman said he couldn't hear it. I stopped and looked the car over and found it. But the damage had been done. My ear hurt and though the bumps after didn't have that full sound, I could feel a pressure wave in each bump in my inner ear. Like the car was sealed tighter than a high-speed jet airplane. I actually had dizzy spells for the next 12 hours.
My wife has back problems and keeps the seat back very verticle. The headrest tilts in so far forward that it was pushing her chin down into her chest. I thought the seats were ok. The headrest was just brushing the back of my head.
Being older, taught to place hands and 10 and 2, and on long trips keeping just the left at the 10, my elbow has to be up on the sill and not the arm rest. The stupid govt with side impact has raised it so high that it was hurting my shoulder. I'll probably find that in any new car.
I guess with age and a little bit more money, I find I'm getting picky and demand to be comfortable in the 16 hours of commuting I do each week.
I have driven my top 6 picks in the last week, and now I don't know what to do.
I might just find another 65 Comet and put $15,000 into modern drive train, brakes and sound system to be a daily commuter. (I'd missing air-bags though)
So, does anyone have some must have, great points for the new Taurus? Or any bad, stay away points?

[shorod]

I have owned my 2011 Taurus SHO for 2 years now (bought new in June 2010) and have been quite pleased with it. But, I also got the performance package which does away with the spare tire and also stiffens up the ride a bit, so you and I are probably looking for a different ride. Not much (if anything) changed between 2010 and 2012. Ford did make quite a few changes for 2013 though.

I have taken it on 4 9+ hour road trips and found it to be pretty comfortable. I did find myself taking advantage of the multi-contour seats (massaging seats) later in the trip. My wife even agreed the massaging seats are kind of nice.

The trunk is huge in this car, but visibility isn't that great. The backup camera in my mind is a must. I have not had any complaints from co-workers riding in the back seat either, but granted those are mostly trips to lunch and an occasional 30 minute drive to the airport. Fuel economy is pretty impressive considering the size of the car.

As for keeping your hands at 10 and 2, with airbags that's a habit that should be broken. The preferred position now is 9 and 3. At 10 and 2, the airbag could cause you to punch yourself silly, maybe even knock some of your teeth out. At 9 and 3 hopefully the airbag will just push your hands and arms to the side.

-Rod