[millermagic]

Well folks, gotta say I'm pretty sad about this :icon_frown:

There's a lot of sentimental value in this car for me. It was my grandmother's first new car, and her last car. She's now passed. This car was also my first car. I spent a lot of time in the back on road trips with the family. It was great to have a first car that wasn't an entire piece in high school.

I also took it to college. Lots of good memories of trips in the Taurus. There was the time I was blasting through snowbanks when there was a honda civic stuck in 1 inch of snow.

However, the car has been failing lately. Horribly. The rust is what killed it. It's unsafe to drive and I don't want to spend the money to get it fixed.

There's small things and big things.. Rotten PS lines, rotten trans lines, rotten cooling lines that leak like crazy, plugged/leaky heater core, needs front balljoints, needs front brakes, frame rot (frame has one more winter), needs tires, broken rear springs that are rusted to the rear knuckle, needs rear brakes. There's just too much going wrong with this car.

A few months ago, after a big fight with the parents, I finally convinced them that I would NOT finance new and the Taurus was a deathtrap and I wouldn't be driving it until I could afford new. I started looking at vehicles that I knew could go 200,000 miles and it couldn't be rusty.

Requirements
Solid rear axle - Front to back Engine - REAL transmission
Optional
Solid Front axle - Leaf Springs - Real 4x4 - BOF

Ended up getting:

When I test drove it, I fell in love. The 242 has this thing thing called low-end torque and the AW4 transmission shifted quick and firm. No "is it going to shift?" like with the AX4S. There was a bit of shaking, but I got new tires to take care of that. There wasn't any death wobble - trust me, we took it on a pretty good run down a bumpy road and the brakes ... well i mashed them to the floor. It didn't shake and it stopped quick and straight!

I paid less than that and got new tires thrown in. It's still more than what I wanted to pay and what one's worth, but it was over $1000 cheaper than other 2000 XJs with more than 100000 miles. Incidentally it has NO RUST*

*meaning only surface rust. Nothing serious that is going to render it a rust bucket soon.

Had a good run in the Taurus but guess I have to end that chapter.

 

[danhasenauer]

Well, RIP to another NY Taurus. Good choice on the replacement.

 

[egiroux]

Had an '88 2 door sport back in the nineties. That thing was great. I liked it enough that when I wanted to upgrade I bought a '98 Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited. It still only has about 43K on it. Make sure you check the level of the transfer case fluid. The rear bushing wears and the fluid level goes low. Easy fix if needed. Good luck with it.

 

[Cliff]

My dad had one of many company trucks he's givin. It hauls!!!

 

[millermagic]

Well, RIP to another NY Taurus. Good choice on the replacement.

It's a shame something that is mechanically sound just rusting to the point it is junk

Had an '88 2 door sport back in the nineties. That thing was great. I liked it enough that when I wanted to upgrade I bought a '98 Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited. It still only has about 43K on it. Make sure you check the level of the transfer case fluid. The rear bushing wears and the fluid level goes low. Easy fix if needed. Good luck with it.

I plan on replacing the Xfer case fluid

My dad had one of many company trucks he's givin. It hauls!!!

I punched it on an on ramp going about 40. This may sound a bit strange, but the thing took off and, while it didn't plant me in the seat, it did give me a bit of a jolt!

 

[austex04]

Those older Jeeps with the 4.0 inline 6 have great pulling power, esp if you take one into the mountains off road, they actually have a strong 4wd setup, with a good low range (unlike most other suv's). There's tons of aftermarket mods that you can do with it (check out the Jeep forums). Those 4.0 Jeeps are well known to go beyond 300k when maintained. For folks up in the rust belt seeking cheap used cars that are not rust buckets can find them down here. Vehicles registered in the larger metro areas have to pass smog and safety inspections every year in this state, a good indication if they're running right.

 

[millermagic]

This one is relatively clean underneath. There is a lot of rust behind the rear axle but not serious next. I'm thinking either next summer or the year after I'm going to try to get down south and pick up another one. Depending on just how far south, I may end up flat towing it back behind this one!

My 4x4 system is two solid axles and a real transfer case. A lot better than anything out there today (bar what you would find in a 3/4 ton truck).

It does do well in the hills. My commute to work is all hills. The Taurus wouldn't be hunting, but I'd pretty much have to leave it in direct to even think about keeping up with traffic ... and even at that it was hard sometimes. This jeep has no problem pulling all of the hills in overdrive.

 

[austex04]

If it's true that Jeep only has 93k, it has a long way to go! Maybe you could find one down here that the body is in great shape, but needs an engine. You could swap the low mile engine/transmission into a rust free Jeep, that was saved from scrap metal. Theres tons of great looking vehicles in junk yards here, that usually have blown engines/trans, or were abandoned impounds.

 

[emb2580]

Requirements
Solid rear axle - Front to back Engine - REAL transmission
Optional
Solid Front axle - Leaf Springs - Real 4x4 - BOF

I know what you mean, That's why I love my Ranger that I got back in June! Although, with a 3.0L it isn't going to be winning any races! lol