Faults:

Things that have gone wrong so far:

Water Pump

Radiator

Windshield wiper motor

Multifunction switch

Gas tank rusted through

Exhaust pipe broke off the resonator

Blower motor died

Transmission died at 175,000 miles

Rust around the doors

Needed new brake calipers because the bleeding screw on them rusted inside

Power Steering pump.

General Comments:

Even though I have sunk quite a bit of money into this car, I really love it. It has great handling and a very powerful Vulcan 3.0 V6 engine. I have also put a lot of money into the car in modifications, of which there are plenty of available even for a car this old. The car is perfect to take on long rides and comes loaded with extras including power seats, power windows, power locks, air conditioning, power steering, and power brakes. The trunk is huge! People still can't believe how much I can fit in there. All in all, it does cost some money at times, but it is well worth it.

Faults:

Nothing major, just general maintenance. Brakes, rotors, tires, idle controller, "Low Fuel" light quit working (never fixed). The car's needed motor mounts and new shocks since we bought it and needed a new power steering assembly as well (had a slow leak).

General Comments:

What can I say? It's been a great car. We've all been impressed by the reliability. Wasn't the most exciting car to drive, but it did it's job well. Ours was originally a government fleet car for the Department of Natural Resources, so the car had been well maintained over the years and we had all the records. It was the basic model Taurus for that year, but had everything you'd need. (Air bag, power mirrors, ect). We've had the car a few years now and nobody's been easy on it. It took a lot of punishment and kept going. I'm sure it would have made it over 200,000. This car was involved in a hit-and-run accident. I was rear-ended by a large utility truck and the other driver sped off. The car had been rear-ended a couple previous times and never showed damage, but what car will survive a 50 MPH impact at a standstill from a large truck? The rear end was destroyed and the car was totalled. (Still made it home though) This car was built very well, I walked away unscratched from the whole thing. This car was a bargain for $1,200 (US) and I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

Faults:

Radiator side tank started leaking at 143,000.

Transaxle pan leaks and still leaks even after several fluid and filter changes.

There is a loud clunking noise in the front suspension and I'm unable to find the problem.

The engine uses 1 guart of oil for every 1 thousand miles, but it doesn't smoke.

General Comments:

The car has very quick acceleration from a stand still, will roll smoke from the front tires.

Passing other vehicles is no problem under wide open throttle.

The car will peg the 85mph speedometer, needle hits the over-drive selector and stops moving.

The trans-axle will still downshift from over-drive to third gear, even at 85 mph.

ABS brakes are great and it will stop on a dime.

Faults:

Broke 2 motor mounts

Cracked radiator (plastic part)

Water Pump

Alternator

Cooling fan

Passenger side mirror.

General Comments:

I love this car and it pains me to see that the end may be near. The seats are really comfortable, even on long trips. It takes off like a rocket, despite the nearly 200000 miles on the engine. The engine has NEVER had any work done on it. Motor mounts are a common failure on these Tauruses. The car began to overheat last summer right after I had replaced the radiator. I replaced the cooling fan with one I found in a junk yard ($5) and it hasn't overheated since. The water pump was only about $30 brand new, which was a great relief. The power steering pump whines pretty loudly, but it has been doing that longer than I can remember and it still works fine. Lately, it's the little things that make me want to get rid of it. The front and rear bumpers have been hit so many times they practically drag on the ground. The windshield washer/wiper switch is fouled up and only works properly when the left turn signal is on. I've been blowing hoses very frequently, which could mean a head gasket leak is allowing exhaust into the cooling system. Overall, this car has had a great last 25000 miles. I'm sure it would be hard to sell with its high mileage, so I plan on keeping it running long enough for it to serve as a trade-in on a new vehicle.