1988 Ford Taurus Sedan 1.8

Summary:

This car is the worst car I've ever owned

Faults:

First, the key broke off in the ignition. $100 to fix.

Second, the A/C compressor broke (that means no more air conditioning). Too expensive to fix, $500-$600.

Third, an electrical problem that had to do with idling. Cost $110 for a small piece of plastic to fix it.

Fourth, the power steering hose leaked. Cost $300 to fix.

Fifth, the radiator plug broke. Tried to replace it on my own, but the seat that the plug went into actually came off. $75 to repair.

General Comments:

This car stinks. Things break all the time. It's comfortable, but that's all. We have put so much money into this car thinking, "this will be it, now it will run for awhile". Then something happens - something breaks. We are still waiting for the transmission to go out... it will be soon...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th October, 2001

16th Oct 2004, 15:17

Headaches ford Taurus sedan gave us

1) Power steering hose leakage -$350

2) Air conditioning gone-$300

3) Brakes of both, front and rear had to be changed- completely (including rotors and calibers) -$650.

4) Radiator plug was gone, (hope radiator was fine).

I got rid of the car.

10th Jun 2005, 23:42

When you buy a car with that much mileage, you have to be prepared to fix that kind of stuff. I hate it when people complain about how crappy their car is, when in reality they haven't really taken care of it if at all. Remember, it's your fault the car is unreliable, not the car's fault.

16th Apr 2008, 17:33

First, keys don't just "break off" in the ignition unless somebody torques on them and snaps them off. Sometimes if the steering wheel is at the wrong angle, it prevents the anti-theft ignition lock tumblers from turning. Cure No. 1 is to jiggle the steering wheel while turning the key. Cure No. 2 is to spray a spritz of WD-40 into the slot to lubricate the lock. Savings: $100.

Second, you can buy a replacement power steering hose for $15 at Advance Auto et al., and install it in 20 minutes yourself. Savings: $335.

Third, brakes wear out. That's why they are a routine maintenance item. A set of front and rear brakes costs $70 for decent quality, and takes an afternoon of leisurely activity to change. Savings: $580.

Fourth, fixing the AC on a 15-20 year old car is like putting gas in the tank of a car you've already wrecked. That's why there are windows. However, a can of refrigerant costs $7 to recharge the AC, and you can bet that for only $300, this is all the work that your mechanic did. Savings: $293.

You're looking at it all wrong. This wasn't a money pit, it was an opportunity to save hundreds of dollars.

1988 Ford Taurus L 2.5L (156C.I.) 4 cylinder

Summary:

Nice car once you've rebuilt it 3 times

Faults:

Things that went bad:

Radiator.

Heater core.

Power-steering hoses.

Rack & pinion.

Head liner.

Engine.

Transmission (twice).

Alternator, air-conditioning.

Windshield (twice).

And these were the major things, not mentioning the small ones.

General Comments:

Geez, if someone ever tries to sell you a 4 cylinder Taurus, run and run fast. he probably won't be able to catch you in his car.

Talk about a dog, it's slow, unreliable, and thirsty. I'm guessing the 1/4 mile in it would be about 25 seconds. One time 110 miles from home the power-steering hoses broke. Ford thought it was a good idea to route them right behind the exhaust manifold, even though they don't need to be there. The exhaust manifold burnt them to a crisp.

The gas mileage on the car was about 17 miles to the gallon because you had to stomp on it to get it to go anywhere.

Tauruses are known for their leaks. Every seal in the Taurus leaked. Radiator fluid, transmission fluid, oil, powersteering. The only things that didn't leak were the brakes and the fuel.

Transmission went out on me twice. 1st time it was super slow and needed a new torque converter and the second time was to replace the torque converter seal. The only good thing about it was that it handled good, the rack and pinion steering handled well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th June, 2001

19th Sep 2005, 04:02

Your review brought back some not-so-fond memories of a 1988 Taurus that my then-teenage brother once drove. It also had the dreadful 2.5 4-cylinder/ automatic combo. With only 88h.p. on tap, the acceleration of this mid-size car was laughably slow; your guess of a 25 sec. quarter mile is probably only a mild exaggeration. The engine was amazingly loud and unrefined, with an idle that reminded me of nothing so much as a seriously angry weedeater, vibrating the rearview mirror to near uselessness. On the highway, the lack of an overdrive made interstate cruising an equally noisy and irritating experience.

The car was also easily the most unreliable car I've ever been acquainted with, requiring constant repairs, both major and minor. Head gaskets were replaced on that car the way most people change air filters on their own, which allowed me to appreciate firsthand the beauty of Ford's "High Swirl Combustion" head design. The car also had never-ending issues with the motor mounts, AC, exhaust, and various ignition parts (all common to these cars). Somehow, this piece of automotive detritus managed to stay in our family for five nerve-wracking years, until it finally sold (!) to a unsuspecting buyer.

A while back, I surfed the website of Tom and Ray Magliozzi, of "Click and Clack" fame, where I was not surprised to see the 4-cylinder Taurus included in their list of the worst cars ever made. Caveat Emptor!