Wonder why I'm having so much trouble locating an '03 Taurus to buy with the Duratec 4V 200 h.p. engine? Weren't many of these made? I seem to be only able to locate Taurii with the 155 h.p. Vulcan 2V engine and I wonder why.....any ideas? 
2003 With Duratec V6
1 - 18 of 18 Posts
Joined
·
1,162 Posts
Go to a dealership and say specifically you are looking for a used 2003 with the Duratec. They can get one for you at an auction and many have a list of used cars in the area that they can call for you. A lot of sales men who are on commission will work hard for it.
S
SableSal
·Guest
Joined
·
0 Posts
Because they dont make them in those years.... JUST KIDDING! LOL
The motor is an option, so you might not find too many on display. Ask the dealer specifically "I WANT A DURATEC!!!" and he should be able to get a hold of one.
SABLESAL
Joined
·
393 Posts
As working for a Ford dealership, I have noticed that trend as well, there are lots of Vulcans out but not alot of Dura's I would guess at lesat a good 10-15:1 ratio, or more
Joined
·
3 Posts
I just bought my 02...and the reason the dealerships are really full of Vulcan engines is they are coming in of lease returns from being company cars...and rentals...most companys and rentals just get the base engine...now that their milage is getting up there...I believe the 03 were aprox 15k...when I was looking...they are being turned in...if you can go older say an 02 I am sure you will have better luck...thats my theory at least...
Joined
·
193 Posts
One thing I have noticed is there were alot more Duratecs in Michigan than there are in other parts of the country. When I lived in MI it seemed like 8 out of 10 Tauruses on the road had the 24V sticker or dual exhaust (depending on the year). When I moved out to the east coast, I see mostly single exhaust and/or no sticker. Heck, the other 99' I had was the plainest 99' LX you could get and it still had the Duratec (it was a free option at the time). Since it was free, it seemed like everyone was getting them, until I moved out here.
Try Ebay, or do a search for cars in MI if you are having a hard time finding them where you are.
Try Ebay, or do a search for cars in MI if you are having a hard time finding them where you are.
J
jason8225
·Guest
Joined
·
0 Posts
When looking for parts on the Autozone website it tells you what percentage of the vehicles made had what engines and i think the Taurus was like 70% vulcans, so that might explain it. Also, about the Michigan comment - it seems like people are more into performance in cars in Michigan (Motor City probably has something to do with it!) because I always see the rare performance cars there and always tons that are modified.
Moving this to Taurus/Sable Discussions since it's not really performance related...
Moving this to Taurus/Sable Discussions since it's not really performance related...
Joined
·
15,578 Posts
I guess about half the cars around here are Duratecs and half are Vulcans, however, with regards to the Gen III 'tecs with ABS and dual exhaust, there are very few...I'd say about one in seven or eight 'tecs has the dual exhaust and ABS option. Kind of sets my car out a little bit...
JR
JR
Because they dont make them in those years.... JUST KIDDING! LOL
The motor is an option, so you might not find too many on display. Ask the dealer specifically "I WANT A DURATEC!!!" and he should be able to get a hold of one.
SABLESAL [/b][/quote]
yeah, "the salesmen".....well, some don't know a whole lot.....Like yesterday, I went to this "good rep. independent lot" to look at a couple of nice, clean, relatively low-mileage '03s (both prob. lease returns obtained at auction), and I asked the salesmen if they had the Duratec V6 rather than the Vulcan. He says, "what's a Duratec??" Had no clue. So, I open the hood, and one had a much bigger and aggressive looking intake manifold (the "new, plasticized kind") than the other, but it didn't "specifiy" in print anywhere that it was a Duratec. The other's intake manifold was much smaller and less "aggressive looking," so I wonder whether one was the Duratec and the other a Vulcan???
Thanks for all the replies and your help! You're a great bunch of posters! Enjoying being a member....
Joined
·
36 Posts
Test drive them both and you'll figure it out
I have a 96 with a Vulcan and the tires barely chirp when i floor it, in my dads 02 Duratec, give it 1/2 throttle and the thing breaks loose
I have a 96 with a Vulcan and the tires barely chirp when i floor it, in my dads 02 Duratec, give it 1/2 throttle and the thing breaks loose
I had a terrible time finding a duratec as well. I was looking for an 01 or 02 Taurus with the Duratec when I found my 00 Sable last year. I really didn't want to go down to a 00, but it had everything I wanted plus the Duratec. It was also babied all of its life (I know who the owner was).
But, as I was saying, I looked long and hard and found mine by accident. It was the ONLY duratec Sable/Taurus out of probably 25 used ones on the lot.
But, as I was saying, I looked long and hard and found mine by accident. It was the ONLY duratec Sable/Taurus out of probably 25 used ones on the lot.
yeah, "the salesmen".....well, some don't know a whole lot.....Like yesterday, I went to this "good rep. independent lot" to look at a couple of nice, clean, relatively low-mileage '03s (both prob. lease returns obtained at auction), and I asked the salesmen if they had the Duratec V6 rather than the Vulcan. He says, "what's a Duratec??" Had no clue. So, I open the hood, and one had a much bigger and aggressive looking intake manifold (the "new, plasticized kind") than the other, but it didn't "specifiy" in print anywhere that it was a Duratec. The other's intake manifold was much smaller and less "aggressive looking," so I wonder whether one was the Duratec and the other a Vulcan???
Thanks for all the replies and your help! You're a great bunch of posters! Enjoying being a member.... [/b][/quote]
Check the VIN. The Duratec was an S and I believe the Vulcan was a U. The 2 is for the flex fuel. This is the 8th position in the VIN and it should be visiable from the windshield. 56S were SEL's and 55S were SES with the Duratec engine.
It's probably easier to get an '02 than an '03 because the leases are probably for two or three years and those would be coming up now.
Joined
·
104 Posts
I got lucky finding my 01 Duratec... I was actually looking for a Gran Prix GT, but as a long-time Taurus owner was drawn to the Taurus on the lot at CarMax. They had it listed as an SE with the Vulcan, but I noticed the badge and the looked up the VIN to find it was actually an SES with a Duratec! I scooped it up.
Joined
·
33 Posts
I got my '01 SEL with Duratec back in february. It did take a little bit of searching, but it seems like it was the perfect time to purchase because a ton of '01s were coming off of lease.
I got lucky in that my car was a company executive car, that they special ordered for the higher ups, while their company reps had the taruii with the vulcan.
They're out there...plenty of them. Just keep looking and find one you like.
AS
I got lucky in that my car was a company executive car, that they special ordered for the higher ups, while their company reps had the taruii with the vulcan.
They're out there...plenty of them. Just keep looking and find one you like.
AS
Joined
·
1 Posts
Newer member here. I recently bought a "lease return" 2002 Taurus SE with the Duratec V6 and am very happy with it so far. It also has the console shift auto with a myriad of storage bins. Nice subtle white pinstriping on the sides too. These last two items (console auto/pinstriping) seem to be out of the ordinary too. Did I luck into something?
Thanks for the read...Dave.
Thanks for the read...Dave.
I'd like to welcome all of you guys here to the :tcca:. Try autotrader.com, or if you prefer to go through the dealerships, have one of them search their network database and auctions for you. Be patient, you will definetly be able to find a nice low-mileage car with the options you want.
Tom
Tom
1 - 18 of 18 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!