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Is a 2010 a costly disaster?

5K views 23 replies 16 participants last post by  2010 hot rod 
#1 ·
I have decided this year to upgrade to a newer Taurus, I currently own a 2002 SE which I have owned for the past 6 years or so. I have never shied away from admitting I think it has become quite a sexy beast and have my heart set on buying one.

But here’s the thing, I have a friend, who knows about cars and works on them and has replaced some parts on mine, who says it’s a bad idea and I shouldn’t buy one and has even gone as far to say that I should buy a Dodge and stop buying Fords.

On a side note he owns two Dodges, his Ram has been in the shop twice so far in the last three years for bent rods and a myriad of engine problems and his Jeep has intermittent problems since he bought it two years ago where as my 14 year old Taurus, in the six years I have owned it, I have only had to replace a fuel pump (the original one at that), a starter (original), the alternator and the battery. I know it was original as the original owner, a company who used it as a fleet car, provided all receipts and service records they had on it.

Needless to say I’m sticking with Ford. But I figured I would take it to the source, people who actually own one. I’m not buying a brand new off the lot Taurus, I never buy new cars, I’m going to buy a 2010-2011 model and thought I would ask just how “bad” they are and how “ridiculously expensive” they are to repair.

We all know newer cars come with a price tag as far as repairs are concerned as there are more electronics and gadgets crowding up already limited space where a carburetor once was and .99 cent keys you get cut at Wal-Mart now cost $200+ dollar as they are outfitted with microchips.

But just so I have facts leading my decision rather than bloated opinions from someone who just doesn’t like Ford, what am I in for? Another reliable Taurus which I wouldn’t hesitate driving cross country, or a car that will result in bankruptcy?
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#2 ·
My 2014 was pretty reliable, little stupid stuff occurred but nothing that prevented me from getting to work safely, comfortably, and with some good beats.

The only thing to worry about on these cars is a PTU failure (AWD only), which isn't terribly common; and failure of the water pump between 80-100k. Neither are guaranteed to fail, but both are expensive. The latter requires 12 hours of labor to replace due to its location and surrounding components, and that's assuming any coolant leak has not caused any other engine damage.

Couple of bad data points, but honestly, most have been happy with these vehicles.
 
#3 ·
My adult daughters 13 Limited has been very reliable. She bought it with 22K on the clock and it currently has around 65 K. Had the EVAP purge valve replaced under warranty shortly after she bought it in late 2014. Other than that, zero problems. I did replace front brake pads and front stabilizer bar end links this past summer. Parts cost $50 total.

Buy a new Dodge????? I would rather walk.
 
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#4 ·
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:ApplyBreakingRules/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> Thank you both so much! It pretty much confirmed what I knew to be true.

Repairs are costly regardless of model year and it’s a part of ownership, it’s certainly not an aspect I have a problem with. I guess I’ll just start taking my new Taurus to a mechanic or Ford dealership if I ever need anything repaired rather than him.

Jeff, I completely agree. I’d much rather walk. I understand brand loyalty, but his truck alone has cost him close to $6,000 and there’s still issues he has to get repaired. My Taurus in the last six years has cost me a measly – when compared to $6,000 - $400 in general repairs. The choice is obvious and I don’t know why anyone would push a car brand on someone that has cost them enough that he could have salvaged the truck and bought a decent used car for.

I will admit however the Dodge Stratus at one time caught my eye, but knowing what I do, I’ll pass.
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#5 ·
Stay away from those Dodge's. Unless you like doing repairs.
My son in law is a Dodge guy and the things that went on his bought new pickups under 100k miles are obscene.
But he's a Dodge guy.
 
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#7 ·
I bought a 2010 sel last year with a tad over a hundred thousand miles on it for eighty eight hundred dollars.
So far the only thing ive replaced are the spark plugs which were original and bought two extra keyless remote keys
off ebay for 28 bucks.
so far so good, i love it! :D
 
#8 ·
I'm definitely staying away from Dodge, everyone I know who has owned one has had nothing but problems. My aunt is one of the most recent victims, she was sitting at a stop light when the transmission in her Intrepid decided it had enough.

gixxer; That's great to hear, it puts any worries I had to rest, which let's be honest, I didn't really have any. haha Like I said, the Taurus I have now has been the most reliable car I've ever owned. I've driven back home (6 hour one way drive) countless times and every where in between without any problems and put on a little over 60,000 miles, it now has 145,xxx miles and still going strong. Taurus has always been a solid brand, so to buy anything else just seems dumb.
 
#9 ·
I bought my 2011 SHO last July with 71k miles on it and traded in my 2011 Dodge Avenger Lux to get it. Zeros issues in the past 5k miles other than the ground terminal bolt stripping out (I'm assuming the dealer messed that up when the replaced the battery during the CPO process) which was a quick fix.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 2010 today. I love my SHO!

Don't buy Dodge....please.
 
#11 ·
I had a 2010 SHO with 112k miles - PTU seal was needed and a tiny trans cooler line leak. I have since traded to a 2013 SHO so it's safe to say I like the car and for a 2010 which you can pick up for peanuts you can get a lot of car for the money. I'd get a 2011 upwards (2010 was first model year etc.) I had a few TSB issues crop up but my warranty took care of ALL of them.


As for Dodge - I wouldn't bother. My wife has a 2008 Nitro R/T - It's a piece of crap.....you can't polish a turd!


I say go an treat yourself to a newer Taurus......you'll enjoy it.
 
#12 ·
Not many issues with my 2010. Athough that may be a bit misleading as I have modded nearly every aspect of the car to date, the only exception being the drivetrain (which is still performing flawlessly).

My opinion on this subject matter, is that your 2nd hand owner experiences will be COMPLETELY CONTINGENT on how well the car was maintained from it's birth, to your sitting behind the wheel.

These platforms have proven over and over again, that if simple, routine maintenance has been overlooked, then you're taking a risk.

Find one that has a good service history, and you'll be rewarded accordingly.

Your friend's comments are ill placed, and likely motivated by his own skewed views both against your desired purchase, as well as to what he currently owns.

Don't allow that to convolute your thought process. Good luck in w/e you decide.
 
#14 ·
Chrysler's basic (engines, transmissions) quality control appear to be shoddy. OTOH, I have a 96 Dodge Dakota w/ 250k miles that's just now beginning to need a freshened motor. It leaks oil. Best truck I've ever had--so there are exceptions.

Ford is okay, I don't know much about the post 500 Taurus's and I think your mileage can vary widely. I've always looked at vehicle as "if it suits you keep it, if it doesn't dump it." Screw brand loyalty, I don't owe Ford or Chrysler anything.Nice thing about older vehicles is the availability of used parts--the jy here is full of them. And I live in a place where things don't succumb to the ravages of rust. The thing with newish vehicles is that new parts are available and perhaps you might even have a warranty.

My other car is an 03 Toyota Prius. In 04, Toyota kind of went off the rails on styling, my little car looks like a Corolla. I love it! The quality & attention to detail is shocking, it's so much better than my other vehicles. Better electrical connectors, plated nuts and bolts, incredible engineering. And great mileage. It's little, it's quick enough, and I don't hate styling.

Get your newer Taurus, look at other brands as well if that suits you. Or keep your road proven older Taurus. Up to you, right?
 
#15 ·
I bought my 2010 Limited with 40k on it and it sits at 105k right now. I have had minor cosmetic issues that have started to deter me from Ford, but I must say that it still runs pretty solid. The only times ive been to the shop were for maintenance such as oil changes, and I had a caliper lock up on me once (I was under an extended warranty at the time so it was free). Now that ive hit 100k though all of the wear and tear stuff is going at once :( Pretty sure I still even have the original spark plugs(being changed this summer) and battery. All of the small cosmetic issues tell me that they tend to go whichever route is cheapest when building instead of going for quality, so I am not sure if I would buy another after this car
 
#19 ·
I hear you, I had a 2010 as I mentioned earlier. I had wear and tear stuff happen at the same time too, I treated the car like a baby and NEVER skimped on service work and oil/fluid changes etc. I had a few TSB's occur which luckily my warranty covered. I have since traded it in for a 2013 SHO which is much better and so far so good.
 
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#17 ·
I think its funny that Dodge gets so much hate, but I guess I can attest that Dodge is Pretty shady. My gf owns a jeep compass, sad excuse for a SUV. The only thing I think her SUV has over my car is that her heated seats warm up faster, that's probably only because she has cloth seats and mine are leather. I do have to say though if I ever were to own a truck I would probably go with a Ram. One thing I learned recently about the brand is that their lug nuts tend to swell up and need to be replaced pretty soon. Hers is a 2012 and I went to do her brakes but couldn't even get the tire iron on the lug nuts to even get them off, had to take it to a tire shop where even they had a hard time getting them off
 
#18 ·
I think its funny that Dodge gets so much hate, but I guess I can attest that Dodge is Pretty shady. My gf owns a jeep compass, sad excuse for a SUV. The only thing I think her SUV has over my car is that her heated seats warm up faster, that's probably only because she has cloth seats and mine are leather. I do have to say though if I ever were to own a truck I would probably go with a Ram. One thing I learned recently about the brand is that their lug nuts tend to swell up and need to be replaced pretty soon. Hers is a 2012 and I went to do her brakes but couldn't even get the tire iron on the lug nuts to even get them off, had to take it to a tire shop where even they had a hard time getting them off
I'm at the tire shop waiting for my tires to be put on. Big window so I can watch. Tec comes out and gets another customer and takes him back to his Dodge van but telling him before they go out they cannot get the lugs off or retighten them on the front. I watched and they showed him the nuts go round and round, studs turning in the flange, just 2 of them. The nuts in deep pockets on alloy wheels. I heard the two counter guys, one says, must be a Chrysler product. They had to use a cutting torch to blow the nuts off inside the alloy wheel.

And for what it is worth, I never what exposed lugs again. I keep mine working but have bought new ones as they rust inside the SS caps, swell up and cannot get a wrench on them without hammering it on.

-chart-
 
#20 ·
The problem with dissing Chryslers is which car company do you mean? Since the 1990's, Chrysler has been bought and sold at least three times (Cerberus, Mercedes Benz, and now Fiat.) And it's been bankrupt and bailed out. Hard to keep any sort of QC when the vehicles are nickel and dimed to death by disinterested competitor/owners..

I have a 96 Dakota with just short of 250,000 miles on it. Original motor, trans, transfer case, and axles. Probably runs almost as good as new. I have no complaints, tho I will be pulling the engine, trans, & transfer case to reseal them (like lots of old things it leaks stuff.) It's been to the Seattle area (from Tucson) three times since '12, to Reno 4 times. I'd trust it to get me anywhere and back, even with such high mileage on the clock
 
#22 ·
Anti - seize is your friend on any exterior fastener for sure.
I had a Dodge van, bought new in '79. Trusty 318 motor, ran it to 180k miles when I sold it. Rear main was leaking like a sieve. Other than having to have spare ballast resistors onboard it was pretty dependable. Other than putting a 4V carb. on it the motor was never apart.
Rear end was a issue, weak spider gears didn't like the trans. kit and 50 series tires. Hehe
For sure after Chrysler was first sold that was the end of them, before that they were tough and fast cars. I even had a Cordoba with the "rich Corinthian leather" back in the '70's.
My father had a '56 2 door New Yorker , hemi, with a 3 tone paint job back in the day. Wish I had that car now.
 
#23 ·
^^^^ Agreed. Chrysler, when it was actually Chrysler and not owned by various holding companies, bought and sold every few years, etc, made good, dependable, fast, and desirable cars and trucks. Owned a 73 Plymouth Fury III with a 383 back in the late 70s. Great car, fast, reliable. These days, Chrysler is the red headed stepchild of the global automotive industry. I am actually surprised they are still around at all.
 
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