[otsegony]

To All:

I have a 2002 Taurus SEL wagon with all of the toys. It currently has 160k miles on it and has led a harsh life in upstate NY. It has shuttled kids back and forth to school, took us on camping trips throughout the Northeast and has hauled tons of stuff related to building projects and even a couple of cords of wood (in a few trips) from the woods. It has been a troublefree vehicle that I have really grown quite fond of. It was replaced as our daily driver last year and is currently used for hauling big loads including trash, bee equipment and our two dogs on jaunts to the country.
It's NYS inspection expired last month and when I went to my independent mechanic he laughed and said it wasn't worth fixing. He listed the following problems:

1. Tires are shot (but I have some snows on steelies in the garage that could get me through the next year)
2. Two major rust holes in the floorboards, one under the accelerator pedal on the driver's side and one in the floorpan under the right rear passenger seat (in my day I did do some quick sheet metal work with pop rivets and roofing cement).
3. Three out of four exteriorfour door handles need to be fussed with to work.
4. Power windows totally dead. GEM Module, wiring, fuse? (Where is the power window fuse anyway? I've looked everywhere for the thing).
5. Rear tailgate latch no longer keeps the hatch shut.
6. Check engine light on, (NAPA parts guy ran the scanner on it and said that it was probably one or both of the oxygen sensors)
7. ABS light on. (it has been on for at least two years...still seems to stop)
8. Front springs broken on the struts. (does that have anything to do with the bits of vinyl covered steel that I've been finding in my driveway?)
9. Emergency brake cable frozen, rear brakes will need to be redone.

I think that is it except for the body, although fairly solid (except for the aforementioned rust hoes), is kind of rough around the edges... almost ten years of NY road salt, 3 deer strikes and several dings from careless drivers in parking lots have left their mark.
I wouldn't think twice about crushing it except it has been very reliable and I've grown quite fond of the wagon through the years. Plus, did I mention you cannot get an actual wagon these days?
What are your thoughts? Crush it or spend a month of Saturdays piecing it back together so that it can make inspection?

 

[egiroux]

Just get another Taurus wagon in better shape. They made them until 2005 IIRC.

 

[wjc]

Yeah, you can't fight rust. I guarantee parts of the front subframe are rusted out too. If the motor and transmission are good you can get $500 easy for it, take that and what you would spend on repairs and put it towards a newer rust-free wagon.

 

[JW657]

[*]Tires are shot (but I have some snows on steelies in the garage that could get me through the next year)

Tires are expensive, but you can get used.

[*]Two major rust holes in the floorboards, one under the accelerator pedal on the driver's side and one in the floorpan under the right rear passenger seat (in my day I did do some quick sheet metal work with pop rivets and roofing cement).

Been there, done it, check my older threads on how bad mine was. I wouldn't suggest bothering at this point, it will fall out within a year if you don't remove all the rust and treat it, mine is barely holding up and I spent a week removing the rust from the area, but it passed a safety.

[*]Three out of four exteriorfour door handles need to be fussed with to work.

Sticking or broken? The difference between a $3 bottle of oil and a new set of handles from the wreckers is quite large, if you need door handles, I would say no.

[*]Power windows totally dead. GEM Module, wiring, fuse? (Where is the power window fuse anyway? I've looked everywhere for the thing).

Likely a wiring issue, that more time than money to repair.

[*]Rear tailgate latch no longer keeps the hatch shut.

Alright, I'm starting to think you need to get rid of it.

[*]Check engine light on, (NAPA parts guy ran the scanner on it and said that it was probably one or both of the oxygen sensors)

They're not cheap if you need to replace them, will you be able to get past an inspection without them?

[*]ABS light on. (it has been on for at least two years...still seems to stop)

Not required for a safety where I am (almost positive), might be different where you are.

[*]Front springs broken on the struts. (does that have anything to do with the bits of vinyl covered steel that I've been finding in my driveway?)

If the springs are busted, you likely have bad tie rods, ball joints, end links and bushings, unless they were replaced recently, that's a ton of work right there.

[*]Emergency brake cable frozen, rear brakes will need to be redone.

Didn't you use it weekly to keep it functional?

[/LIST]I think that is it except for the body, although fairly solid (except for the aforementioned rust hoes), is kind of rough around the edges... almost ten years of NY road salt, 3 deer strikes and several dings from careless drivers in parking lots have left their mark.
I wouldn't think twice about crushing it except it has been very reliable and I've grown quite fond of the wagon through the years. Plus, did I mention you cannot get an actual wagon these days?
What are your thoughts? Crush it or spend a month of Saturdays piecing it back together so that it can make inspection?

I say sell it for $500 as is for parts, might get a little extra cash that way.

 

[Hornswaggle]

I think it's served its useful life and deserves a rest

 

[easywind]

6 weeks ago I bought a 03 with 48,000 miles on it for $2,600 that is perfect, well you get the idea. Sunroof, air, new tires, battery and alternator.
You could probably pull lots of parts, battery, alternator, switches etc and still get $250 in scrap.

 

[joe24]

Honestly, do a little at a time. Like other Taurus's go, they will serve you a LONG time. I have an '03 with 199,950 on the dash. I had to put $1400 into it, but she's served me well. Find a friend who can work on cars, or someone that will do it cheap. Hey, the O2 (oxygen) sensors you can do it yourself or about 40, insted of 90 for what the dealer wants you to pay. Honestly, dont scrap it. Its a good car that you need to save. Its worth your time and money. And you really can't get a wagon these days.

 

[T_swensen]

If you are that sentimental, take one good part from this car and put it into the new one that you get to replace it. (Hopefully another Taurus wagon) Then you can let the sentimental attachment spread from there...