Suspension and brakes are the two areas where putting money into a bull really pays dividends.

I have my own reasons for being into Taurii, but since I don't own one anymore I'll let others do the explaining. I think for a lot of people they got the cars cheap or free and realized how great they were. I'd kill for a clean 1G white / black SHO+ right now but I have other financial commitments to meet.

 

I got into Tauruses because it was the only car I had but I have grown to love it.
I think some of the things that make it so appealing to people here are:
1. Sleeper- No one expects a Taurus to be fast
2. Reliablity- A Vulcan or other SLO motor even when modded is still very reliable were as most preformance motors are known to break down frequently.
3. Comfort/Practicality- Let's face it these cars are comfy and when modding a Taurus you can have a fast car that can comfotably carry the family and the groceries. (this should keep the sigificant other happy)
4. Proven Methods for Modification- The only benifit to haveing a small after market is alot of us use the same parts so people here can provide feedback on what works and what does not and the best way to go about installing parts.
5. The Most Important Reason of all: Because We Can

 

I got my Taurus because I needed a good, reliable car with lots of room to carry all my guitar stuff and college stuff. I ended up with the one I have now because the Taurus was by far the most car I could get for the money.

Any of the engines are reliable with proper maintenance. The SHOs have slightly more maintenance (I'm thinking the V6 60k here) and the V8's cams need to be welded (the main reason I decided against getting one, and why I'd probably rate it least reliable of the 6 most common engines.)

The engine you've probably heard the most negative things about is the 3.8, for blowing head gaskets, which is a problem with the original gaskets. You've probably also read a lot of Vulcan bashing for it being slow (from Duratec and SHO owners, but most of it is just us making fun of each other. The Vulcan isn't a racecar, but it will get you where you're going and is pretty much unkillable for the most part. It sounds kinda cool too.

The transmissions are the weak link, but they seem to have gotten them pretty good in the more recent model years. Again, proper maintenance is the key. Add a transmission cooler and flush the fluid and change the filter regularily at least every 30k.


Replacement parts aren't too expensive compared to other cars, and they're very readily available.

One thing we don't have as much as some other cars is an aftermarket following. We have brakes pretty well covered, and there are a few options for suspension. Check out places like SHObros (shobrosgarage.com) to see some of the stuff that's available.

I think sometimes the lack of aftermarket can spawn creativity...like spridget's supercharged G3 Duratec project or even something like the 60mm throttle body for the Vulcan.

I've had two Tauri, a 1993 GL with the 3.8 Essex and my current 2001 SES with the 3.0 Vulcan. Both have been good cars, and both have been reliable. The 2001 has never once left me anywhere, and there are plenty of people with a lot more miles than me who can say the same thing.

Overall, the Taurus is a very competent car, is comfortable, has solid, predictable handling, is comfortable, and is a TON of car for the money...you can pick up just about any combination of options you want for under $10k if you stick to 2003 and older.

 

I got my 2000 because I can stuff a lot of people and their crap inside comfortably. Mine hasn't left me anywhere and I put it through complete hell. I also love the fact that the little ricers think they can take off on me until I put my foot down (like the POS Scion last night.) I get decent mileage, and the car is cheap and easy to work on compared to some other cars.

 

This is EXACTLY the stuff I want to hear!!! Thanks for understanding my purposes here.

OK, as far as ricers... I think I was born with the need for redlight drag racing (as long as it's safe and only a few hunderd feet ;^) Is my motor 1997 Vulcan quick enough to run with a fairly stock 4 banger?

I'm interested in that throttle body mod too! Maybe a cold air intake and after cat exhaust???

 

uber safe

 

Realiable, cheap to operate, cheap to work on (compared to some jap cars), roomy, safe, big, cheap to insure.

 

Well, I got a TAurus for my first car for about $50, and it's comfort, as well as the book TAurus: The Making of teh car that saved Ford by Eric Taub made me a Taurus lover. Now I drive a G3 Sable. It looks good, is comfortible, well equipped, and well, I like it.

 

The only reason I bought the Sable in the first place was because my grandparents had it sitting around. I had previously turned down a $600 RWD car with a carb'd V8 (which I still regret).

Why do I keep it? This is the most comfortable car I've ever driven. I love the low-end grunt that the Essex has, as well as the nice exhaust note that only cost me a few minutes and a sawzall blade . I'm not really in to aesthetic or electronics mods (hence the OE tape deck), so the lack of aftermarket parts really isn't much of an issue. There's a decent supply of performance parts though, since the 232 was used in the T-bird/Cougar and the Mustang. I like the fact that there is the option to convert my car to a stick shift as well as supercharging. With the 232, there is even the possibility of converting to carburetion.

 

I bought my toro because I needed relatively cheap transportation and fast. My corsica had died and I needed something to get to work and such, so i bought the toro. ended up replacing the rad, battery, few small things, never anything major.

i got rid of it because i wasnt happy with the tranny, and i had found my dream car. for awhile i was looking for shos, but they're hard to come by.

the toro wasnt really a car that i wanted to do work to, i knew it wasn't gonna last me forever, it wasn't my first car, or anything special, but it never let me down. now its someone elses first car, and when i see it i get nostalgic, it was the first car i had up at school...

 

Why do I like it? Because it's a big comfy car. It's everything a traditional American car should be, but in a smaller scale. Plus it handles really well for a heavy stock car.

 

My step-father bought an '05 taurus, so I bought his '97 off of him. During the time he owned the '97 I grew to love the car. Before buying the taurus, I was driving a '92 tempo. It was a great car, but the A/C quit working the last two years I owned it, it had 224 000km on it, plus the fact that I'm 6'3", it was pretty tight to get in and out of I found without tilt steering. The taurus only had 134 000km when I bought it, bigger engine, A/C that worked, more room, better handling, and the list can go on. The tauris are great cars, I think you'll find that out soon enough.

 

Realiable, cheap to operate, cheap to work on (compared to some jap cars), roomy, safe, big, cheap to insure.
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:withstupid:

Cheap to insure... YES! The only car on the road cheaper to insure is the Crown Vic / Grand Marquis.

 

I just like the look of gen 1&2, and the gen 4 wagon. I did not care for the vulcan at first because, I sort of walked my friend's 93. Then my other buddy get's a 91 Sable Wagon GS 3.8. Boy that thing had a lot of power. I'm not afread to say that a 91 wagon (with a slow shifting tranny) was faster than my 01 2.4 grand am. (off the line i had him but he got me around 70mph)

 

Well, I got my sable because myself and my parents were tired of my 98 S10(v6 sp) being broken every other week. I was at college 4hrs from home, and I needed a reliable car. The sable has been just that, but since then, I have sold the s10 and fell in love with the potential my sable is showing stock. Some times I have posted have been quicker than a few SHO's, and the duratec is a little less money to maintain. Much cheaper insurance rates too.

Andrew

 

Well I got my Gen 3 SW in New Zealand after my brother inlaw got me a Gen 2 SW in the States , this was the 3.8 V6 and it got us around the Westen States without a problem (althoguh I have been told that it may have a blown head gasket now ) so will get that sorted when I come back for a visit , the only Taurus available here is the Gen 3 with the Sable front and only the Duratec , there are a few SHOs but the Taurus still stands out from the crowd even now , people ask what type of car it is and comment on the lovely shape and size of it ...... so after all these years it still looks modern and sleek :notworthy:

 

Lots of car for the money.

 

That's another big thing, it's a buyer's car. Sucks when you want to sell though.

It also has a TON of history behind them - this car dragged Ford out of the fiscal black hole and was a world beater.

 

I got rid of my lemon '86 Tempo and leased an '87 MT-5. I loved that car, 2.5L 4cyl with a 5-spd. It was sporty and reliable, great mpg and a little more power than the automatic version. I had it for 4 years, brought both of my kids home from the hospital in it, turned it back in. I'll never lease again. I'll never lease again. I'll never... Went through a new '90 Super Coupe and a '94 MkVIII. Picked up the '90 Sable wagon for my wife. Replaced a few starters, an alt., and other bolt-ons. But it was a solid car. Made many trips to FL. Got rid of it just two years ago with 175K. Now an '02 24V Sable and an '04 Vulcan Taurus. They are the perfect size, good economy and the 24V will keep up with most cars on the road. Plus, you've got this great group of folks that will help you!

 

My 1st gen GL was given to me for my 16th birthday with a little under 30,000 on the odo. It was free. It gets good mileage. And mine is one of the few Gen 1s that still has paint that DOESN'T make it look 18 years old.

It turns heads! There aren't many cars left from that era that look nearly as good.

It get's out of it's own way, too. :horns:

 

The car was bought for me with money out of my college fund, because in my living situation I could not get a job without transportation. When I first heard that it was a ford, (having known a friend with a lemon F-150 that needed a new engine at 30k) i nearly shat myself. But for the 30k i've owned it (2002, 87k total miles), it has been nothing but an awesome car, and has healed itself on several occasions.


My first impression when I got the car: decent sound system. I don't trust vehicles that come with ****** audio setups, makes the whole car feel cheap. In fact, the whole car felt plush.

When I was in high school I drove an old family lexus (1990 LS 400, high mileage but in great condition. Also plush. Now that I've put some mileage on my Taurus (and the LS 400 has died from abuse by my siblings. a damn shame of an ending for an awesome car), the Taurus (vulcan) feels exactly like the LS 400 (4.0 32valve V8, ~4200lbs) in throttle response, brake response and torque curve. They also ride similarly, but in this case I actually prefer the Taurus over the Lexus, if only for the fact that I can (and will) replace the suspension much more easily (McPherson vs. Dual-Wishbone).

It's just insane value for the money, it feels like the Lexus I used to drive. With an aftermarket suspension, UDP and rockers I can't see any reason I'd prefer another vehicle. I actually enjoy having an engine with a low-RPM powerband, especially as many stop signs as I see. And the stock stereo is loud.

 

And still going.

 

I LOVE the replies! I've actually been losing sleep about the things I want to do to my 97 Sable now. It's factory black and I want to continue that theme with black wheels, no chrome etc. Kinda like a Mercury KnightRider!

 

I hate MY car, Its out to get me. <_< Don't get me wrong I like the bulls, but this one is just a mechanical pos, Nice condition but mechanically retarted. I'm looking for a newer car, maybe its time for a change. My tranny is AGAIN on the frits and with 30K miles on the newer rebuilt tranny I cannot afford to put any more money into this car. I knew once I replaced all the bad **** the tranny would give out on me but In order for me to get my inspection sticker I needed to do the maintanance. so now I'm SOL G35 anyone? :noes:

 

Oh, and while changing my oil a few weeks ago I noticed I had an AX4N, I had just assumed it was an S as I have a vulcan.

awesome.