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3.0 ENGINE STILL HAS HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS MINE LET GO AT 42K NOW DEALER WANTS $4000.00 TO REPLACE ENGINE FORD AND DEALER NO HELP AND YES I HAVE THE MYSTERY DOOR AJAR INTERIOR LIGHT SYNDROME THAT IS THE LEAST OF MY TROUBLES NOW IF FORD DOESN'T HAVE SOME RECALL OR GOODWILL SETTLEMENT ON A GROCERY GETTER CAR WITH ONLY 42K MILES ON IT I WILL BE ON EVERY WEBSITE I CAN FIND WITH MY STORY

BAD BAD BAD NO HELP FROM DEALER OR FORD YET IM STILL COMPLAINING AVOID BUYING THIS CAR AT ALL COSTS

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TOYOTAS-GET MORE MILES FOR YOUR $

The Taurus is a well rounded vehicle. There's lots of room to carry both passengers and cargo. The interior design is simple and efficient. Things are easy to find. It has plenty of power and has taken me on several road trips without problems. It is fairly easy to maintain and looks very nice. The steering is very easy to handle and brakeing is very good. It is a nice car without being too flashy or too plain. Mine has over 125K miles on it and, other than a few routine things, it's still going strong! It gets pretty good gas mileage and doesn't chug oil.

There are a few rattles here and there, but not enough to be too annoying. In three years of hard driving and a lot of miles, I have had to replace the water pump, the fuel pump and a head gasket. Not too bad if you ask me.

The Taurus is a very good car for the money. Sure, there are plenty of other cars out there, but I would definately get a Taurus again. It keeps well and lives up to the hard driving I put it through. That's more than I can say for some of the other cars I've driven! If you're looking for a good car that looks good and won't cost a fortune and won't have to be replaced in 100,000 miles, then the Taurus is a pretty good bet. It's a good family car. It's also a pretty cool car for a 21 year old too!

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I drove a Camry as a rental car before I got my Taurus. The only differences were the Camry was a little flashier with maybe a little more engine power, and the price! The Taurus is much less expensive and it's still a great value.

Strong 24V Duratec Engine, Corners/Handles Very Well, Storage Space, Convenience Features (Power everything- moonroof, security system, locks, seats, electronic climate control). With a Superchip installed, the car really flies.

Transmission between 1st and 3rd sometimes shifts strangely-****
THIS PROBLEM WAS FIXED WHEN A PLACED A SUPERCHIP IN THE VEHICLE****
WWW.SUPERCHIPS.COM HAS MORE INFORMATION
A door sensor is bad and caused the dome lights to stay on twice for a long time..This is a commom problem in this vehicle.
Brake rotors tend to warp anytime between 20,000 and 40,000 miles- In my first '98 Taurus they were bad at 36,000- I machined the rotors in my current Taurus at 20,000, and it is fine still now at 45,000.

I have really enjoyed this vehicle in the year and a half I have owned it. My previous '98 Taurus was totaled by a 2000 Jeep Cherokee. The Taurus was at a dead stop and the Jeep hit it at 45 MPH in the passenger side of the engine compartment. Myself and 2 passengers were OK, and escaped any injury. The 2 people in the Jeep were hurt. So, I put a lot of faith in this car's structural integrity/safety, which caused me to buy another one. Last August, I installed a Superchip to see if that would help the transmission sluggishness. Not only did it fix this problem, it optimized the fuel flow througout the throttle range, and made the car much more fun to drive. I would recommend this addition to anyone.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this vehicle. It is not perfect, but the extras have more than made up for the occasional deficiency.

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1999 Grand Marquis, 2000 Grand Am- Much "lighter" feeling than the Grand Marquis- Feels like less low-end torque than the Grand Am, but more powerful at high speeds

love the leather bucket seats(lower lumbar support)
decent get up and go for the size of it.
roomy inside & trunk
so far...(knock on wood) reliable

none so far...(knock on wood)
from reading other reviews i think i'm walking on thin ice...

so far...i love this car, it works great for me...decent mileage...reliable(once again knock on wood)
i'd buy it again(but check with me in another year or so)

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88 park ave - definitely better - this bucket had too many problems
87 honda civic - i will always love this civic...if a drunk wouldn't have sent it to honda heaven i would still be driving it... :_(

roomy, comfortable to sit in, good pick up

Head Gaskets, Air Conditioning, entire suspension system, starter motor, pretty much everything!

I bought this car about 8 months ago, and have already spent more repairing it than I paid for the actual car! The engine has had many leaky hoses that needed to be replaced, plus a month after I got it the head gaskets blew and took the radiator with it. I also have had to replace the muffler and exaust system, the starter motor, and all four struts. It seems like every time I get something fixed something else breaks! I have everything fixed now and am trying to sell it as fast as possible. This car is cursed!

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I had an 1986 Mazda 626 before this with virtually no problems until the body just wore out. I thought by getting a 93 I was getting a much more reliable car. Boy, was I wrong!!!!!

The 3.8 litre engine had lots of get-up and go. Great on the highway, and from a dead stop. Interior was comfortable (leather bucket power seats w/lumbar & side bolsters). Roomy backseat, leather was cold in the winter but comfortable. Stereo needeed work. Gauges were easy to read. Floor mounted gear shift. Good looks, came w/rear spoiler, aluminum rims (15in. tires).

The engine had terrible head gasket trouble. They went twice, first at 78,000 km's, and again at 168,000 km's. From From Dec.1999-Sept.2000, I had trouble with the engine mounts. They broke at least every two or three weeks, honestly. I just am glad they were underwarranty for the first bunch, then I had a frien put the new ones on. The thermostat went a few times. Alternator, stater, exhaust system ( the flex pipe broke). The driver side power seat only worked when it wanted to, same with the lumbar. Passengar seat was fine.

The only reason I did not give a five star rating was becauce of the amount of $$$ I spent repairing it. Overall the car was good, but not great. It had good looks, nice comfortable interior, and a peppy motor as well. However the repair list seemed unending in the last two years. I would buy a taurus again, I was looking at a '94 SHO I would like to move-up in power. I am a big fan of Fords's, and I didn't like the design from 1996-2000, however the 2001's arn't that bad. Overall not a bad car for the money. Be careful of the notorious 3.8L engine. It's a great car for surprising Acura Integra's and Honda Accord V6's despite what anyone else may say, I guess you have to own a Taurus to appreciate one.

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1993 and 1997 Buick Regal Taurus had more power than the '93, and nearly the same as the 97 (3800series). 1993 Lincoln Town Car, Taurus dosen't compare. 1997 Chevy Lumina, Taurus would leave it behind. 2001 Honda Civic not a competition, I wouldn't waste my time. 1989 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi the Taurus wasn't quite as comfortable (Bonneville's suspension), power the Taurus was alot faster.

Nice interior-black!! Powerful 3.8L engine. Plenty of room. Huge trunk--I could fit in it with my kids--of course I wouldn't!

Transmission, brakes, cracked heads, starter, a/c, thermostat, engine is hard to work on, cup holders. Did I mention transmission and brakes????

I bought the car used. It was a piece of junk. I've had 2 transmissions replaced, two cracked heads, motor mounts replaced, replaced a/c and thermostat. Replaced brakes twice-eats up tires. I was in 2 identical accidents within 2 months of each other (2) is my unlucky number. The brakes locked up on me in the rain and I was going no faster than 20-25mph and was within 6 car links of the cars in front of me but still managed to slide right into them. Luckily witnesses saved me in court. My mechanic hated to see me coming. The Ford dealership always kept my car for 3-4 weeks for each repair. They said the engine was hard to work around so each time they had to take the entire front end out of my car. My check engine light keeps coming on. My signal lights work when they feel like it and my radio comes on if I turn the ignition just so. BE AWARE!! Just because the mechanics run it on their computer to test for problems, it does not mean it is problem free. Prior to each major catastrophy I just had an instinct that something was wrong, so I would take it to be checked. The mechanic always thought I was hearing things and was paranoid. Well I don't think $5,000 worth of repairs to an $8,000 automobile is paranoid. By the way, the power windows may decide to stay down in the rain on occasion. It is not used as often now, only when needed. It has 108,000 miles and is paid for so I'm keeping it till I get rich and can afford another piece of used garage bait. I am now driving a "97 Blazer. It is a beautiful vehicle and doesn't give any problems but it is a little scary because they can roll easily.

I would not recommend this car to anyone. I am not the only one with these problems. There are numerous stories on the internet. This car scares me and my parents will not ride with me anywhere in it. They would rather be crushed in their Tracker! Also, if you do not like walking in the snow or rain to get help when a cell phone signal will not pick up, while carring 2 kids- you definitely want to go Chevy or foreign. I hope other Taurus owners have much better experiences than I. I would not wish this on my worst enemy.

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93Grand Am-Best car ever! BMW-totalled in wreck, my son & I only had a few scratches, it kept us safe. Ford F150-it's a truck I'm 5'0" a car is better

Overall, this has been a reliable car. Have driven it mostly to commute to work, and on occasional road trips. It is reasonably well-sized for a 6' 6" tall driver and can seat 4 people comfortably. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants an economically priced, fairly attractive (at least, the 2001 models) car to get them from points A to B with minimal hassle.

For starters, the junk that passes for a transmission (see below)...

Aside from that...nothing big, but after several years of what I would consider careful driving and maintenance, the car is not exactly revealing itself to be a machine built to last. The interior plastic is...well, plastic, part of the door panel is coming off (the GLUE holding it on seems to have dried with age),the dash vinyl is cracking from the sun (and I'm in Virginia, not exactly tropical -- but this could me my fault b/c I wasn't too consistent with the Armor All in earlier years), the carpets are wearing through to the floor, the radio is stuck in the "on" position, and at least one of the rear quarter panels is beginning to rust through.
None of these, of course, is a monumental problem, but when I hear the slogan "built Ford tough" I wonder what their marketing people smoke in their free time...

First and foremost, allow me to warn any unsuspecting buyer about Ford's truly stellar (note sarcasm) transmission engineering, which as I write this is costing me $2K. The tranny guy informed me that "Taurus and Sable have had transaxle problems." Obviously, few people reading this are going to consider buying a 1991 car...but I have to wonder if Ford has significantly improved their quality control in the past 9 years. I also have to wonder what's wrong when what's arguably the second most important part of the car has a well-earned reputation for breaking.

I also just now (a few months ago) received a recall notice for defective engine mounts. It is 2001. Said defective engine mounts rolled off the assembly line, oh, a decade ago. And they've just now discovered this problem...which, according to the letter I received, "could cause the car to become unstable..???"

In fairness to the car, I've had minimal problems in the 118K miles I've logged on it, even counting the rebuilt tranny. However, if anyone is in the market for a basic, nothing-special kind of sedan, I'd suggest saving some more $$$ and going for a new Volkswagen, or Accord.

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Compared to the Jeep I intend to buy, it's a paperweight.

Nice trunk

Everything else

Way too slow, way too much gas consump.
way to much American made low quality all around, compared with Honda, Mazda, Nissan, BMW, can't come close.

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Honda Accord
Mazda Mill.

Well Okay, It's Kinda Quick, with the manual that is.

There's nothing special about this car, wow a 4 cylinder Honda Civic seems quick too, theres nothing to brag about this car.It's so ugly, and it loves to overheat, even in -10 degree weather.

Those of you who think this piece of crap for a "performance" car is fast, well so is a 4 cylinder Accord, and a 95 Chrysler LHS. I mean, the newer V8 SHO's I like, or even love actually, but this is pathetic. Good thing it has a Manual transmission. I don't know what you people with the automatic transmission are bragging about. It's so wierd this car, it falls into the category with those forgotten Peugeots that were sold in America, compared to this, those were quick too. I don't know why people think this thing is quick. Automatic Transmission, Please, I feel disgusted picturing my self "racing" with an auto matic transmission SHO; not the V8 though.

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94 Eagle Vision TSi-much faster, much more comfortable and looks way better. Accords.