any one on this site ownes a taurus (not SHO) ranging from 92-95?? i am interested in gettin one in a wagon. how are they as far as reliablility, mpg, maintainance etc.
92-95 Ford Taurus
- Thread starter glloyd
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93 3L GL sedan, zero problems up to around 70k miles. I was amazed, getting 29 mpg on summer trips with 6 in the car, loaded trunk, air (I'd turn it off on hills if the temp climbed), and doing 70 mph. Since then we've needed lots of parts; starter, two fuel pumps, radiator, the air is out as it will cost $1k to get it fixed, headlight switch, turn sgnal switch, water pump, etc., but it's got over 197k miles on it and the engine and transmission still haven't been opened up. Most would got rid of it at about 170k miles as it went thru a bout of high oil consumption with cascading failures of other parts.
The transmission seems to be the typical weak link so have it checked it out, and as long as compression is good and it's not gulping oil it might be worth it. We have two (one is a 99) as it was one of the very few affordable cars with a bench front seat.
The transmission seems to be the typical weak link so have it checked it out, and as long as compression is good and it's not gulping oil it might be worth it. We have two (one is a 99) as it was one of the very few affordable cars with a bench front seat.
Still have one left,a '92 with 200K miles. The base 3.0 is solid. The transmissions, if all of the retrofits have been done(lube modification, updated apply piston)will last 100K+ miles. Check inner/outer CV joints and power steering lines on your potential purchase. 1sttruck pretty much summed up the rest. Yes, they will get ~30mpg on the highway.
Avoid the 3.8 at all costs. Besides being a problem child, labor is pricey due to the cramped nature of the engine bay. I got to the point of doing so many headgaskets on them I just went on autopilot as soon as the hood went up.
Avoid the 3.8 at all costs. Besides being a problem child, labor is pricey due to the cramped nature of the engine bay. I got to the point of doing so many headgaskets on them I just went on autopilot as soon as the hood went up.
They sell for nearly nothing at state auctions here in MA, there are still some floating around in the DPH and DEP, seriously, $25 cars even in top condition...I just don't know when the next auction is!
I paid $500 for a 94 GL with the 3.0L Vulcan. Car was a used company car with 123K miles. Exterior and interior were very nice. AC was out as the only known problem.
I added the following after buying.....
New front and rear swaybar links
Radiator started leaking a month after purchase
New AC compressor, dryer and accumulator, belt tensioner,
Rear brake lines were replaced as they were almost rusted through.
I replaced the starter and Tstat for the helluva it while I had the time.
Car has the bulletproof AX4N trans and not the cheaper problem prone AXODE I think.
I added the following after buying.....
New front and rear swaybar links
Radiator started leaking a month after purchase
New AC compressor, dryer and accumulator, belt tensioner,
Rear brake lines were replaced as they were almost rusted through.
I replaced the starter and Tstat for the helluva it while I had the time.
Car has the bulletproof AX4N trans and not the cheaper problem prone AXODE I think.
Kestas
Staff member
This back when Ford built cars better than they do now.
The a/c problems are generally from corrosion of the spring lock couplings. This is a rather straightforward fix.
The a/c problems are generally from corrosion of the spring lock couplings. This is a rather straightforward fix.
In my 99 Taurus, the base 3.0 Engine ate 2 sets of Head Gaskets within 110k miles.
When it ran it was ok. I've run better motors.
Rest of the car did ok. Window motor was the other expensive repair.
There is a reason why these cars sold for $20+k new and 4 years later worth $4k....
You do get alot of outfit for the $4k, but will be putting more $$ into it if you drive it.
Take care, Bill
When it ran it was ok. I've run better motors.
Rest of the car did ok. Window motor was the other expensive repair.
There is a reason why these cars sold for $20+k new and 4 years later worth $4k....
You do get alot of outfit for the $4k, but will be putting more $$ into it if you drive it.
Take care, Bill
Perform 'OCD' maintenance and you shouldn't have too many problems. Some cars tolerate abuse/neglect. The Tauri that I've worked on don't.
I've also never heard of a Ford FWD transmission that was bulletproof. Thats an oxymoron.
All the normal wear/tear issues on old or high mileage cars need to be addressed. Since there are a gazillion of these cars on the road, certain problems tend to be over exaggerated.
I've also never heard of a Ford FWD transmission that was bulletproof. Thats an oxymoron.
All the normal wear/tear issues on old or high mileage cars need to be addressed. Since there are a gazillion of these cars on the road, certain problems tend to be over exaggerated.
"In my 99 Taurus, the base 3.0 Engine ate 2 sets of Head Gaskets within 110k miles."
We bought a 99 Taurus 'program car' with 20k miles on it, and also picked up a 75k warranty with it. We got our money's worth out of the warranty as it needed a radio, turn signal switch, wiper motor, etc., and although the motor is very clean with almost 100k on it the transmission is sloppier than the one on the 93 with almost 200k on it. We did go thru three oil pan gaskets once but I attribute that to the dealer.
We bought a 99 Taurus 'program car' with 20k miles on it, and also picked up a 75k warranty with it. We got our money's worth out of the warranty as it needed a radio, turn signal switch, wiper motor, etc., and although the motor is very clean with almost 100k on it the transmission is sloppier than the one on the 93 with almost 200k on it. We did go thru three oil pan gaskets once but I attribute that to the dealer.
so i take it these are fairly reliable cars. with low maintainance costs. thanks for the info guys
Get under the car and look at the transmission pan. If it says "AXODE" run away from that car as fast as you can!
I have a '94 Merc Sable, about 122K miles. On it's 2nd transmission & radiator. Still having periodic transmission problems.
Actually, other than periodic transmission problems, the car drives nice, when it works.
I have a '94 Merc Sable, about 122K miles. On it's 2nd transmission & radiator. Still having periodic transmission problems.
Actually, other than periodic transmission problems, the car drives nice, when it works.
All of the transmissions put into the Taurii of that generation sucked.
Our 97 was the biggest *** the first year of ownership. Practically every part besides the engine was replaced under warranty. Since then, and 90,000 miles later, it still runs like the car it should have been when new.
Yes, the transmission failed in my 3rd month of ownership back in 97. However, the rebuilt and upgraded parts in it are holding up quite well and I do a drain and fill w/ Mobil 1 every year to play it safe.
Yes, the transmission failed in my 3rd month of ownership back in 97. However, the rebuilt and upgraded parts in it are holding up quite well and I do a drain and fill w/ Mobil 1 every year to play it safe.
My dad has a 98 Taurus with the Vulcan motor. He gets about 27-28 US mpg on the highway. It could probably use a full tuneup. For the longest time, he was having a number of problems with the motor, the clloing fans ran all the time, the check engine light was on all the time, AC wouldn't work. It was very hard to start on a cold morning, it ran rough for the first 10 minutes and burned a lot of gas. He replaced the fuel pump, spark plugs, fuel pressure regulator and one other thing to no avail, and it cost him about 200 bucks. Turns out that all those problems were caused by a faulty colant temperature sensor. 40 bucks and 30 minutes of work and it was repaired and all those problems went right away. I find that the 96-98's had less room in the front seats than the previous generation thanks to that massive curved dash. Seriously, it's just too big and takes away some interior space.
My dad's 01 Taurus SES had a transmission range sensor ran out at 25k. From what I heard on the net the 4th gen they did beef it up and now "should" last 120k with regular maintanence (ATF and filter change every 30k). Most people who own them and do overkill maintanence (after market ATF cooler, synthetic ATF, flushing every 15k, etc) have seen life beyond 150k.
Well, now that you think of it, at least it last longer than a V6 Honda automatic.
Well, now that you think of it, at least it last longer than a V6 Honda automatic.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
Good point. They cost about half as much (used) as a used honda to boot!
Joel
While I've never owned a Taurus I've always liked them because they are cheap to buy used and if (big if) you get a good one they can be pretty decent. My wifes sister bought a used 1990 with 30K in 1992 and got a great deal on it. A few years later she discovered (on Carfax) that the speedo had been doctored and that it really had 70K when she bought it. She still had it till 130K (which was really 170K) with very few problems and a minimum of maintenance. (I changed the ATF once for her and oil changes were twice a year at most.) This was in spite of being mostly short trip city mileage. I guess she was lucky and got a good one. I have also heard to avoid the 3.8 motor.
My Mom used to own a '94 wagon. A/C and transmission line leak was the ony problem it had up until 195k miles, when the transmission went out. It probably had the AX4N transmission since it lasted that long.
As for my dads newer '99, nothing but problems. He replaced the motor at 110k or so, and the transmission about 17k before that.(Dealer paid for the transmission) It hasn't been running to great, but he believes it needs a new EGR. I however believe that these kind of major problems are not the norm if the vehicle had been taken care of properly.
My overall opinion is that a good Taurus can be found, just do research on it before buying, and test drive it. An important technique is to be going about 25mph and floor it to make sure it doesn't slip when downshifting into first, this is what my moms did before it went out, might try it at about 45mph too to make sure it isn't slipping while going into second.
If you decide to buy one, drop the pan on the transmission and fill it back up with some mobil 1 transmission fluid and do that every 30k(Or have a transmission shop drain it once(no flush!!) and install a drain valve on the pan so you can change it easily yourself afterword. You could have a shop put a transmission cooler on too. And like they said look for one with the AX4N, I really think the wagaons will be fitted with those most of the time since they are larger and heavier.
As for my dads newer '99, nothing but problems. He replaced the motor at 110k or so, and the transmission about 17k before that.(Dealer paid for the transmission) It hasn't been running to great, but he believes it needs a new EGR. I however believe that these kind of major problems are not the norm if the vehicle had been taken care of properly.
My overall opinion is that a good Taurus can be found, just do research on it before buying, and test drive it. An important technique is to be going about 25mph and floor it to make sure it doesn't slip when downshifting into first, this is what my moms did before it went out, might try it at about 45mph too to make sure it isn't slipping while going into second.
If you decide to buy one, drop the pan on the transmission and fill it back up with some mobil 1 transmission fluid and do that every 30k(Or have a transmission shop drain it once(no flush!!) and install a drain valve on the pan so you can change it easily yourself afterword. You could have a shop put a transmission cooler on too. And like they said look for one with the AX4N, I really think the wagaons will be fitted with those most of the time since they are larger and heavier.
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