General topic on a ford taurus 96 model

XTC 190 · 24-05-2008, 08:42 AM

Looking at a a better 2nd car more reliable than the sigma, as we ran out of petrol the other day and the gauge said we still had half a tank, anyway she is past the due by date so time to update.

We have been looking round and found that the Taurus is liked and actually has quite a lot of good gear in it, cd, p/s,a/c,electric windows mirrors etc etc etc.

I dont want to know what people think of the shape i know they are an odd car.

I would like to ask kindly what experience or facts people have on the ford taurus mechanically.

Are they reliable etc etc

In australia the shape never took off but in the states the kinda became a cult car so they must be ok.

Anyway thoughts appreciated

partzkid · 24-05-2008, 09:19 AM

stay away, stay very far away. they are a brilliant car, until something goes wrong with them. then you can't seem to fix it. i know of a car that someone lost its keys. needed a whole new steering collum just for the lock assy. then the car didn't recognise the other keys and wouldn't start. lets just say it ended up at a wreckers.

partzkid

jaydee · 24-05-2008, 11:52 AM

They were extremely popular in the US because of all the extras that came with the car. It was a real high seller by all accounts. Supposed to be very reliable too.
Can't comment on parts, probably a lot available on Ebay thru the US.
Butt ugly though.

sgt_doofey · 24-05-2008, 12:06 PM

The wife an I owned one in the US back in 2003 for three months. It was a reliable car, especially considering some of the other cars that the guys we worked with bought. We did over 5000 miles in the 3 months and never had a problem with it. A couple of other guys we worked with used it after we left as their van caught on fire, and drove down the Californian coast in it and then back to San Francisco. I never heard that they had any troubles either.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...a/IMG_1570.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...a/IMG_1571.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...a/IMG_1572.jpg

It had things like power steering, electric windows (and mirrors from memory), alloy wheels, 7 seats and air conditioning (which didn't work)
I think we paid US$1800 for it and it was sold for US$1200 after we left, so not too bad a cost for 3 months of driving.

XR Martin · 24-05-2008, 12:15 PM

Mechanics hate them here because they dont know how to fix them.
All you need to do is read up on the US Taurus forums and every problem would have been encountered and solved before, so if you are handy with the spanners you should be able to fix anything that comes up.
Trannies are like $7k here, you can get reco ones delivered from the US for between $1k-2k depending on your shipping method.

If you can handle wait in delivery, id only be buying parts from the US.

hy_boi · 24-05-2008, 12:42 PM

we just traded on for $100, 180k on it...they are worth nothing to anyone...how whole salers won't even take them for free. You'd prob get a decent camry, heck a vectra would be a better buy.

Zed7fiddy · 25-05-2008, 04:20 PM

omg, they are fully sick

Check out this "custom" one in Bris Vegas

XTC 190 · 25-05-2008, 04:29 PM

good one mick

Decided against it to many cons to the pro's, looking at another from the ford stable tonight see how we go

**TUF_302** · 25-05-2008, 06:04 PM

Omg!, that one with the kit is 100times worse looking than normal!

vanman_75 · 25-05-2008, 07:48 PM

why and why ,that is so damn bad !

Wally · 26-05-2008, 09:01 AM

I bought the Ghia new for my wife. It was very well appointed, even a pollution filter in the a/c, nice ride, quiet, etc. The engine was the Yamaha 3.0 "Duratec" rated at 170kW, but it felt gutless compared to my 5.0 168kW VS.

The problems we had were a persistent engine stall on hills and we gave the game away when it rolled down the driveway where my kids had been playing, down the hill and into a tree. After some nasties with the president hiding behind his secretary, Ford looked after us, but the PR in charge didn't doing anything to garner confidence in them accepting culpability and repair costs.

There were nonsense accusations that we had not put it in park and hand brake, which is impossible, because the key can't be taken from the barrel until in park. It took me a day but I finally found a recall notice on the NHTSA pages citing a crushed parking pall pin causing them to roll away in carparks, etc, regardless of hand brake.... game, set, match. News spread in the dealerships that I was the first known win against Ford headquarters and the phone didn't stop for three days as guys from all around Oz asked where I got the info... it seemed the Explorer was also problematic. All I wanted was the car fixed, I never wanted to be a protagonist; fortunately we both avoided legals.

csv8 · 26-05-2008, 10:31 AM

Ford Taurus - What the Auto Press Says
The 2008 Ford Taurus ranks 4 out of 10 Affordable Large Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 32 published reviews and test drives of the Ford Taurus, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

The 2008 Taurus provides class-leading safety, a spacious cabin and good fuel mileage at a comparatively low cost. However, it doesn't even try to match the driving performance or visual appeal of some of its competitors.

Banking on a well-known and popular badge from the past, Ford has renamed its flagship Five Hundred sedan the Taurus, updated its exterior styling and boosted its engine power for 2008. The result is "a car that looks better, performs better and rides quieter than before," according to the Detroit News. But while reviewers agree that the performance on the Taurus has improved, most say it is still not up to competing with the top sedans in its class.

What the Taurus does offer in abundance is safety. An Insurance Institute for Highway Safety "Top Safety Pick," the Taurus is built on the same platform as Volvo's flagship S80. It sits at the top of our safety ratings for this class of car. It also manages an mpg rating near the top of the class, and a comfortable, well-liked passenger cabin. Even with those attributes, the Taurus lands in the middle of the pack in our rankings. It's hard to find unqualified praise of the car, and it's hard to find a review that doesn't label it a reasonably good value.

For 2008, the Taurus comes to market with moderate restyling inside and out. Improved performance comes courtesy of a more powerful, 263-horsepower V6 engine. The Taurus can be bought in two trim levels: a basic SEL and a more well-appointed Limited. If you are looking for a large sedan with solid crash-test scores, you should also consider the 2008 Toyota Avalon or the 2008 Hyundai Azera.

**TUF_302** · 26-05-2008, 05:39 PM

The 08 taurus looks great!, to bad its predicesors were disgusting!