why buy taurus=

[jamesmetairie]

i,m looking to buy a good used 2006 taurus.. i like taurus except for the old reputation of bad trannys . i get much better mpg,s and alot more quickness with some 3.1 litre g.m. cars. why should i buy taurus? give me some reasons to buy taurus.

[TaurusKing]

GM's have never had any issues??? If GM has been good to you, stick with it...

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

• If you get one with a Duratech engine the tranny will be incredibly good.
  
• If you're into Consumer Reports, their customers have consistently rated the 2004-2006 taurus 4 or 5 stars (out of 5 stars) across the board. I think the only GM cars rated like that was one Caddy and the Vette.
  
• With Yokahoma YK520 tires it will ride like silk and handle like it's on rails.
  
• Our Duratech runs like a raped ape, and we get great MPG.
  
• All things being equal the car is very easy to work on. Very well engineered.

[jamesmetairie]

duratech engines?? which ones had the duratech? is it only taurus,s with duratech. btw , i read in carsurveys.com some very unhappy taurus owners . i am impressed with the safety ratings of taurus for the last few years.

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

No the Sables had the Duratech too. For the Taurus I think only the SES and SEL models got that engine, but I'm 100% about that. I've just never seen a SE with that engine, but once you drive one you will never turn back

[Huney1]

The reason most trannys have problems is because the owner does not adhere to the owners manual maintenance schedule. Or they take it to a yo-yo to get the tranny fluid changed or flushed and they put Mercon III in it instead of Mercon V. A flush is $100. at the Ford dealer and I think a change is like $60. bucks. The general consensus is change or flush it at 60K miles and flush it at 100K miles. I have an 03 SES Vulcan engine regular old pushrod engine 45K mi on it and I changed the fluid at 40K mi and plan to have it flushed at 60K. 'Prolly overkill but I'd rather spend a few bucks keeping the tranny in tip top shape than rebuild the tranny for about $1,500. bucks. DUH? Now, that is a no brainer if I ever heard one, 'cause like the man said, pay me now or pay me (MORE) later.

The 06 tranny takes Mercon V which, unlike the others, is part synthetic, so make *darn sure* they do not put anything but Mercon V in it. Let a word to the wise be sufficent.

In 45K miles I put a new $65. battery in it, PCV valve and gasket $5.00, one oxygen sensor $41., rebuilt the starter $138, and put a set of Kuhmo tires on it for $210. and a new serpentine belt this week end $27. and to my way of thinking those are maintenance items anyway.

Around town 21 mpg and never drove it on a road trip. I like to accelerate fast and do not baby it so I figure for the way I drive 21 is good. Friend has 125K road miles on a 95 and claims other than regular maintenance items never had a minutes problem with it.

We've had three Tauri and I believe if you take good care of them they will take good care of you.

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

Originally Posted by Huney1

The reason most trannys have problems is because the owner does not adhere to the owners manual maintenance schedule.

Yep, people try to cut corners and then they whine and blame the car when something goes wrong. That's why I take what I read at places like carsurveys.com with a grain of salt Most modern well designed cars (like the Taurus, Honda, Milan, ETC.) will treat you well if you treat it well, and in most cases that is just using common sense

[jamesmetairie]

Originally Posted by MyTaurus8AChevy

No the Sables had the Duratech too. For the Taurus I think only the SES and SEL models got that engine, but I'm 100% about that. I've just never seen a SE with that engine, but once you drive one you will never turn back

consumer guide says all SEL models had it and SES models were offered it as option. but no SE models had it. jim.

[jamesmetairie]

Originally Posted by MyTaurus8AChevy

No the Sables had the Duratech too. For the Taurus I think only the SES and SEL models got that engine, but I'm 100% about that. I've just never seen a SE with that engine, but once you drive one you will never turn back

from 2000 on up the base model did not have it. the LS "premium" had it. the plain LS was offered it.

[e_powers]

another way trannies die in tauruses is if you let the wheels spin like burn outs and neutral drops. i had a 96 sable with the original transmission that went 245,000 miles.

[Willyum]

Sway bars, adjustable pedals and the duratech were not offered the last couple of model runs.

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

How hard would it be to change the tranny fluid/ filter yourself in a 2004 Taurus? I'm guessing it's more messy than hard.

[e_powers]

Originally Posted by MyTaurus8AChevy

How hard would it be to change the tranny fluid/ filter yourself in a 2004 Taurus? I'm guessing it's more messy than hard.

drop pan change filter replace pan torque bolts correctly. refill the tranny back to level then get a buddy in the cab get a big container remove hose to tranny cooler and put container under hose start engine up and pour new bottles of atf in the tranny tube till the color of the atf fluid out of hose of tranny cooler matches the color being poured out of the bottle.tell buddy to kill engine. button it back up. then check level and refill as needed and start it back up and check for leaks. drive it around check for leaks. get a beer to celebrate.


but word of warning. never let the tranny runn out of fluid. and dont drink beer till you are done.

[mwt878991]

As the Taurus was relegated to pretty much fleet sales for model year 06 and 07, I don't believe you will find one with a Duratec. I am pretty sure the last year it was offered was 05.

Mike

[Huney1]

Fluid change/flush: Ford dealer here does a complete flush for $100. and I think Mervon V runs about $3.75 a qt and you need 15 quarts, so for the DIY hassel and mess you save about $44.00 and at my age it ain't worth it. Most of the time they have oil & filter change for $15.00 and rotate tires for $10.00 so for my money $25.00 is a good deal.

I asked a tranny shop what they charged and a filter and fluid change is $60.00 and that only replaces about six qts of fluid, so for another $40. I get 15 qts new fluid so I'll go that way. I mean, go figure; Extra 10 qts would be about $37.00 and to me well worth the extra forty smackeroos.

Whoever does it, make darn sure they use nothing but Mercon V.

My compliments on taking care of your Taurus and I hope we all get the long life out of our tranny like e_powers did: "i had a 96 sable with the original transmission that went 245,000 miles."