[newbiestyle]

have you spent more then $4,000 on parts alone in one year? Thats what I spent in one year on my 1992 Grand Prix. Honestly though, all that stuff you've listed except for the transmission stuff is to be expected of a car with 90k on it. As for the brakes being done twice, that shouldn't be happening unless subpar (read china crap) parts are used. I've never understood why people use the "cheap" line of parts on their car. You're not saving any money in the long run.

I've seen one customer at work go thru 4 sets of rotors and pads in a year because he refused to replace his defective calipers on his car. He just keep reusing the same POS calipers over and over and it would just eat thru a set of cheap pads/rotors in 3 months.

I've always said theres 3 ways of solving a problem,

1) the cheap way (which doesn't stay cheap for long)
2) the expensive way (starts out as the cheap way)
3) the right way. (what I prefer to choose)

 

[2000sable]

I've always driven fords. I do my own maintenance. I have very few problems with my cars. Do these Taurus and Sables have a lot of issues? Only if you are paying someone else to work on them. If you do the work yourself you won't have as many issues. For do it yourself service, for 2010, I think the maintenance costs are pretty high compared to other cars. Costs more. Not more problems.

 

[mwt]

Not as good as Caddys or Toyotas

Mike
B)

 

[REDTRUCKCHASER]

I'm on my third Bull so am a bit biased ! You've only had it a year? Sounds like the previous owner(s) didn't do squat to it. These are normal wear and tear items that you'll find in any car. Either get a reliable mechanic or learn to do it yourself. My last bull went 171K miles, 11 years, and until the bitter end, only required maintenance kind of work. No big recalls, no chronic problems, great mileage, and dependability. First Bull was totaled by a big pickup truck and I walked away from it relatively unharmed. That sold me on safety.

 

[Vee]

I have to agree with the previous guy. Sounds like you bought a car from someone who didn't do anything to keep the car working properly. You got hosed. The seller knew there were a bunch of problems and unloaded it on you.

I have owned my 2000 Taurus SE-S from Day One with 162,000 miles. It was my company car and I kept it once the program was retired. I don't follow any maintenance program EXCEPT changing the oil every 3k. I change the tranny and brake fluid every 60k.

The car has been rock solid. Sure, I've replaced just about every coil pack in there. A CV boot gets replaced every now and then. I have the original tranny (A4XN, thank you), alternator, starter, etc. No AC recharges, hell I can't even remember when I changed my radiator fluid. (Maybe at the same time I do the tranny and brake fluid changes)

The car has been unbelievably solid and reliable. I often tell others if they're in the market for a cheap well made car that's easy to maintain, the Taurus is a bargain, at least the models they were making since the Gen4s came out. The resale value sucks, but if you're gonna drive it till the wheels fall off, this is the car for you.

Can Honda and Toyota do better, maybe, but not for the money. I couldn't believe what a used Honda goes for. This car is way under the radar.

 

[spridget]

135k in my '99. I've never encountered a failure I didn't cause. I burned up the first power steering pump after a couple track sessions. More track sessions and "racing in Mexico" lead to a blown steering rack and my second PS pump. I replaced the stock coil around 100k miles with an Accel coil. It didn't last a year, so I put the stock coil back in; still works great. I had the front left fender replaced when I purposefully rammed a hatchback that ran a yield sign. I had the front bumper cover replaced after sliding down an icy mountain road along with 4 of my buddies in the car and tagging the cliff face. Fun times! :lol2:

Any 13yr old car that has seen 13 salty winters is lucky to even be on the road.

 

[mh488]

QUOTE (Skrilla @ Feb 2 2010, 12:47 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=783296

I just want to know in eveyone's expeirence with Ford Taurus's, if their a good car to own or is there always something wrong with them that you have to fix?? I had my Taurus for only 1 year now and it has 90,000 miles on it. I already to replce the rear brake drums, both lower ball joints, torque converter, pump shaft, new tires, i had to replace the both front and rear brakes twice and replace the spring kit on the rear drum brakes many times becuase they kept coming apart, I replaced the flex pipe in the exhaust, and replaced the actual muffler.

The car ran fine, no slippage in the gears when sifting, then suddenly my tranny died and had to replace some expensive parts to get it back up an running.

Do this happen all the time with Taurus, is it just an endless cycle of getting things fixed???[/b]

I have a 96 Taurus GL with 60K miles now. It needs a few things replaced due to age not abuse. I agree with the others, most things you listed are maintenance items. The tranny issues happen due to age and also how it is maintained, and whether it was abused or not. Ford Taurus trannies aren't bulletproof, but take care of them and they will last. Change the fluid and filter every 20-30K and don't beat it and it'll last.

The other thing is... buy the best parts you can afford when replacing things!! High quality brakes in the rear should last you 80-100k miles!! We have a Jeep that we just redid the all original rear brakes at 150K!!!

Mufflers and exhaust systems fall prey to short trips which fail to burn off the condensation in the exhaust system. Again in a car that old with that mileage it is a maintenance item.

All cars and there parts have usable life and time expectancy. Abuse the parts, fail to replace as needed and things start piling up. Soon everything needs to be fixed at once. Sadly people often drive cars into the ground then trade them in for new again, leaving all the maintenance items for the next owner.

Just be patient, check back and read up on good maintenance ideas on this site and you will be fine!! It isn't the car that's bad it is how it was treated and maintained.

Good Luck with your Bull!! Welcome to the TCCA!! We will help you get the most from your car!!!!
:tcca_small:

 

[st5]

QUOTE (GerryB @ Feb 2 2010, 01:57 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=783312

It doesn't matter what car you own.You WILL always have repairs to make.I have had no major problems what so ever with mine.So far it has been the BEST car I have ever owned.[/b]

Absolutely true! But, these older cars are repairable and quite cheap at that. More and more of new cars are designed to prevent owners from doing anything, gassing up excepted...

 

[jt3]

QUOTE (2000Sable @ Feb 2 2010, 09:08 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=783420

I've always driven fords. I do my own maintenance. I have very few problems with my cars. Do these Taurus and Sables have a lot of issues? Only if you are paying someone else to work on them. If you do the work yourself you won't have as many issues. For do it yourself service, for 2010, I think the maintenance costs are pretty high compared to other cars. Costs more. Not more problems.[/b]

I 100% agree with the above statements. I have now owned 3 Bulls , a '93 GL, '01 SES and curently
a '06 SE. I bought the 2 Gen. 4's as "off-lease" cars at 1 year old for about 1/3 the new list price! Both
gen. 4 looked and ran like new.... I could never have found better cars for the money. Ford did cut out
some of the quality on the '06 but not in mechanical things. I have always done my own maintenance
and find the Taurus (vulcans) as easy to work on as any car I have ever owned. I take good care of
them and drive them hard and have far less problems then any other brand I have owned in the past.
I do see a lack of ethecs in some auto mechanics today and they often cause more problems then they repair! So find a good tech..not one who can't even get a brake job right, and then blame the car!
As a foot note.
I am very glad to be a Ford owner and if you research it you will find Ford is doing everything right,
especially when they put Mr. Allan Mulally at the helm. Mr. Mulally helped keep Boeing aircraft at the
top of the global market with the very best aircraft in the world and just watch what he is doing at Ford!!
Hey, TCC members and Taurus fans...you gotta love this guy!!! ...please watch the clips below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYlNOtqI8tc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoRJ9cYyrkI

 

[mediarocker]

IMO, My Taurus was my most reliable car out of all of the cars I've owned. Sure.. I found alot wrong with it.. but it was because I did it.

 

[2005silverse]

QUOTE (Jh8909 @ Feb 2 2010, 07:14 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=783412

QUOTE (2005silverse @ Feb 2 2010, 06:55 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=783408

I BOUGHT MY BABY ABOUT 2 YRS AGO ,HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANS , REAR MAIN SEAL
FUEL PUMP,REAR VALVE COVER GASKET ,LOWER BALL JOINTS AND SWAY BAR LINKS , AND OFCORSE
OR NORMAL STUFF LIKE TIRES AND BRAKES AND ROTORS ,AND PLUGS ECT ALL THE BUG STUFF WAS COVERED UNDER MY ESP WARR BEST 800.00 BUCKS I SPENT ....I WILL ADMIT I GOT MY TAURUS BECAUSE I WS LOW ON CASH AND NEEDED A CAR QUICK ...I REALLY DIDNT LIKE IT AT FIRST ,THE ONLY REASON I GOT IT WAS BECAUSE IT WAS SILVER AND HAD A WING ,LOOKING BACK I MADE A GREAT DECISION I LOVE THIS CAR ,I TREAT IT LIKE ONE OF MY CHILDREN SHE EVEN HAS HER OWN ROOM IN THE HOUSE(THE GARAGE) TO KEEP HER WARM LOL[/b]

no need to yell lol
[/b][/quote]
eh didn't realize the caps where on :huh:

 

[StevenRosenow]

I think I can soundly say that the Taurus - even for its quirks, was a good car.

With three hundred thousand miles and climbing, I know mine sure has been a good one!

 

[danhasenauer]

I am on my 4th Taurus. First 2 were G2's ( a sedan & a wagon), then a G3 Vulcan, and now a G3 Duratec. They have all been solid performers needing only regular maintenance. There are tons of them out there, so you can usually find a decent one cheap. Parts are among the lowest cost for any car, and they are relatively easy to work on yourself, especially the Vulcan motor. You can have a new car payment or a used car maint. budget, but either way, you're gonna pay one or the other. I'll take a good used Taurus any day.

 

[00tec-satx]

QUOTE (mwt @ Feb 2 2010, 06:19 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=783424

Not as good as Caddys or Toyotas

Mike
B)[/b]

:lol2:
One won't go, the other goes too much

 

[REDTRUCKCHASER]

QUOTE (Vee @ Feb 2 2010, 08:59 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=783429

I have to agree with the previous guy.[/b]

Pssst Vee - if I'm the previous "guy" you referred to, I'm not a guy :lol2: Girls drive Taurus' too !

 

[jedhead]

I have spent a lot of money on my 1991 SHO most of it in mods. If left alone, I would have rated the car as fairly reliable. My 2003 Honda Accord has 120K and the only failure was the idle air bypass. All the other money has been on replacing normal wear items and maintenance. My 2006 STS-V had a wheel hub failure at 30k and was fixed under warranty. I expect the STS-V to be about a reliable as the SHO, but not as reliable as the Honda. 469hp stresses the car more than 160hp.

Bob

 

[austex04]

QUOTE (spridget @ Feb 3 2010, 01:01 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=783456

I had the front left fender replaced when I purposefully rammed a hatchback that ran a yield sign.[/b]

TWANDA! Texans don't know what "right of way" means :angryfire:

94k on a Vulcan engine, a/c evaporator drain line repair, and 1 brake master cylinder, normal maint (oil and trans fluid changes), that's it! Oh, 4 new tires too. I still have the orig factory brakes front and rear, with plenty of life left! This car has the longest lasting brakes of any car I owned. This is my 2'nd Taurus, the first one was very reliable during the 200+k I put on it, which is why I bought another one, after owning mostly GM vehicles. However, the most reliable car I ever had was a '97 Escort (also a Ford) that had 324k on it without ever needing a major repair except a new clutch, and survived five years after giving it to my sister (she kills cars), and 3 accidents didn't stop it. She sold it last year for $400, still going. That was the first/only car that never left her stranded, and everything worked on the car. She'll probably get this car when I buy a new one in a few years or so, if her Impala lasts that long.

 

[hhu168]

All I can say is my 2000 Taurus SEL has been much more reliable than the '97 Camry we had and sold in 2004. The Camry was nothing but trouble after 3 years.

 

[rudedog]

wow, all this debate, and only one post from the OP, and that was the op.

 

[gohim]

So, let me get this straight...

You bought a used car, and it has close to 100K miles on it, and you're upset that parts are wearing out?

Parts wear out, that's part of owning a car. Speaking of car, how many have you owned, and how long have you been driving?

I'm guessing you haven't made it to 20YO yet, and if you've owned more than 1 car, they all been older, and beat up.