suposed to run very well, I WOULDN'T KNOW

cost alot of money to work on, example over $300. to install new spark plugs

this car has been a nightmare, i bought it not running right, took it to a shop that couldn't find the problem, then took it to a ford dealership, they said it was a timing problem, took it to another shop they said cam problem, FORD knows about this, can't they just recall this lemon?

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Space in the car Smoothe ride Pick up

head gasket blew at 36,000 mi right rear power window went at 28,000 and another prob with the same window at 33,000 mi

i hardly ever drive this car and take good care of it. it shows because it has not one scratch on it and its a 93 and only has only 45,000 miles on it

Extremely dependable! My 1997 Tauras drove like a new car up to the day I traded it in for my 2002 Tauras. Very little servicing, except regular maintanance. Great for a family w/ all of the safety features (including the built in harness hooks for a safer car seat for babies) or great for college person for it's dependability. Cant ask for better for the price! Also, the V6 engine is great!

It has slightly less room in the back seat than the 1997 body style. For some reason, the dealerships don't order these with leather AND all of the extras. I found that if you want the sunroof and the extras, like CD player & such, they usually only carry them with cloth seats. Maybe it has to do with the hike in the price with all of the features combined with the $2000 leather option. I had to have leather, so I gave up the sunroof, but the one I bought had the CD player. I guess you have to shop around.

Love it so far! It's fun to drive and feels sporty. I love being able to adjust the gas & break pedals rather than pull the seat forward. Also it was nice that they illuminated the cruise control buttons. I had a 1997 Ford Tauras and it got troublesome fumbling in the dark to set the Cruise. The chrome accents on the door handels & panel are nice. Also LOVE the black "running boards" along the underside that prevent road tar from the getting on the paint.

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1997 Ford Tauras Hands down, my favorite body style of the Tauras as far as looks go. It was a wonderful car! Used Tauras's would make a great "new to me" car. Prefect for 1st time drivers because of

Ride, engine, room, trunk

the "cat eye" front end could be calmed down a little. Like the Sable front end better

2002 TAURUS SES DELUXE. Very pleased so far. The car is actually fun to drive. Love the mid-range acceleration with the 24v V-6. Spoiler on the back and leather seats are a nice touch. Great value compared to other cars in it's class.

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The car has a lot of power and is very comfortable.

The camshaft failures.

The car is okay. I bought the car for the power, but the 3.4 V8 will probably comeback to bite me. The engine has a known issue with the Camshafts where the sprocket will spin free and the cam stops turning. Since the V8 is an interference engine, the valves, pistons, and cylinder liners are usually damaged. The cost of the repair ranges from $4,000 to $11,000 depending on what is damaged. The camshaft usually fails between 70,000 and 90,000 miles, but they have failed as early as 15,000 miles, and as late as 130,000 miles. The failure rate is approximately 10% and increasing daily. Ford knows about the issue, and will not recall the engine.

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Nissan Maxima. A much better car, but not as much power.

Power, handling, luxury.

Low end torque, low reliability tranny, faulty camshaft design, lack of support from Ford.

Car has plenty of power for passing or for beating the car next to you at the light. Great car to drive. High maintenance and cost of parts combined with poor service from the dealer and a faulty camshaft design that can render expensive and rare engine useless, make this car a risk to buy. If considering purchasing one, have the camsprockets welded to the camshafts. This will be the last Ford that I ever purchase. I will not recommend another Ford to anybody ever. The experience I've had at the various dealerships was very poor in most cases.

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1987 Dodge Aries 1983 Plymouth Reliant 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix SE Lots of rentals

The novelty factor is what keeps most SHO owners from dumping their vehicles, in my honest opinion. Here in FL, I see an SHO maybe once every 3 months. Also, the sound and feel of the upper band power seduces even the most seasoned of auto critics. With regards to the Taurus in general, a big trunk is great, as is a back seat. =)

faulty cam sprocket design, transmission, low end torque, and minor interior/cosmetic problems (trim adhesion, leather durability, etc.)

I bought the car used in the fall of 2000 and was very pleased with it. I was glad to make the move from a riceburner to a Ford, or so I thought at the time. Within 4 months of having the car, problems arose with the engine racing in Park and Neutral. This required an entirely new PCM and 3 days in the shop. That was at just under 25,000 miles. Three days later, I had to return to the same dealership (not the one from which I bought the car) to have a stuttering idle fixed. This turned out to be from additional fuel system problems. I am currently at 45,000 miles and have had few problems since the PCM issue, but I am currently tolerating a busted upper strut bearing that makes a very loud squeak upon turning to the right. The estimate to fix this problem is just under $300, and in light of the largest of issues with this car (the Ford transmission issue notwithstanding), I feel it wise to put up with the squeak and save my money in the likely case that my cam sprockets begin to slip.

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Last car was a Mitsu. Mirage, which I still have and did not trade in, thank God.

Great car, good handling, GREAT performance, good price used (around $30k new, a little steep for me...) other than engine issue, see WEAKNESSES....

the SHO V8 (3.4L) has a known issue with cam sprockets spinning, resulting in $2-13,000.00 repair bills!!! (NOT a typo!!!) Has occurred on cars with only 30-40k miles!!! So far, despite MANY and repeated attempts by the v8sho.com e-mail list community, Ford has NOT been willing to help owners who are out of factory warranty.....I will NOT buy any more Ford products, in view of this.........

My '97 Taurus SHO v8 now has 98k on it, I had a problem with it not starting at about 40k miles or so, required 3 trips to dealer, under ext. warranty, they finally fixed it, has not recurred. At 97k miles, the fuel pump started blowing fuses, I eventually found that wires INSIDE the fuel tank had rubbed on metal parts, and were BARE in spots, this caused short, and blew the fuses.....insulated the wires, after removing fuel tank to get to the fuel pump, this has fixed that problem. Other than that, this car has been GREAT!!! Be aware though, if considering a '96-99 V8 SHO, that the SHO V8 (3.4L) has a known issue with cam sprockets spinning, resulting in $2-13,000.00 repair bills!!! (NOT a typo!!!) Has occurred on cars with only 30-40k miles!!! So far, despite MANY and repeated attempts by the v8sho.com e-mail list community, Ford has NOT been willing to help owners who are out of factory warranty.....I will NOT buy any more Ford products, in view of this......... Jim Jonssen '97 Taurus SHO V8 '96 Explorer V8 '66 Ford Falcon V8 formerly owned: '89 Mustang GT convertible '72 Mustang Mach 1 (351C V8) '71 Muatang Mach 1 (351C V8) '64 Fairlane Sports Coupe 260 V8

Car has loads of power, handles great, looks sleak, and the exhaust sings a great tune! I could not get enough of the 7k RPM redline. The car lives for the upper revs. It also gets killer gas mileage.

Ford has discontinued 25% of the parts for this car. The aftermarket on the car has not picked up and parts are scarce. The transmission is also very weak. I am on my third trans in over 2 years. After the trans blew the car started to fall apart before my eyes. Starters, alternators, motor mounts, timing tensioner, and other parts started to fail on me. If only the car was not made by Ford. It would be very reliable. I also recommend buying a 5spd car instead of the automatic.

It is a white SHO with black half cloth/half leather interior. Well it was fun at first, but then I started to have problems.

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Smooth and very quiet ride Awesome handling FFV looks great (love the torreador red color and the standard aluminum wheels) Great Bargain

If Ford can make a family car that can handle this good, it should hould have the brakes and power to match its handling Not enough people realize that FFV versions run better on e-85 It is harder than normal to tell where the corners of the car are. While waiting at intersections, the huge windshield pillars require that you move your head from side to side to look for traffic

After a year and 16,000 miles, I would have to say it is a great car. The ride is smooth and the handling is great for a family car. The ride is much smoother than an Accord and will outhandle it hands down. Within the first week, I was on the interstate and came upon an Accord that was on the verge of sliding out (on dry pavement) I passed him. This has happened a number of times. The last time, 2 Taurus passed me while I was passing the sliding Accord. Big bumps get soaked up and it does not make that annoying Accord undamped KAWUMP! I am amazed how quiet it is. At 75 the loudest noise is the sleeping toddler in the back seat. At 85 it is so well mannered that it is on the verge of boring. The engine power is adequate, but e-85 fuel gives it noticeably more power and it even runs smoother. The only problem so far was a front wheel out of balance, but this was quickly fixed.