Faults:

Power steering hose.

Starter at 256k.

Motor mounts.

Brake booster.

Tie rods.

Radiator.

Water pump.

Rear wheel bearing.

Rear wheel shaft bearing.

General Comments:

Got the car free with 107k from family 4/2005.

The car now has 320k 10/2014.

Does 30MPG on the highway.

The 3.0 V6 is one of Ford's best; it could go 400k.

Has never let me down, but it's not working at this point. Think it's the crank sensor.

Original trans, engine, timing chain, alternator, and paint.

Best American car I've ever owned.

But too many small things went - but for a USA car I cannot complain. One of Ford's best cars made, but remember it is a USA car.

Newer Taurus are not as good.

Overall a good car, but I think Japanese cars are better; I have an Accord as well.

Must maintain it, not sure how much longer I will own as it's almost 22 years old.

Faults:

Replaced radiator three times years ago. Current radiator is problem free.

Replaced starter motor twice.

Replaced water pump once.

Experienced brake failure while turning onto a residential street, and had the brake lines replaced.

Alternator replaced in 2013 as it was failing.

Cruise control replaced once.

Replaced muffler twice over the years.

Have had no problems with blown engine gaskets or with transmission failure. I will have to replace the car within a year, because it is becoming badly rusted in the body. This is to be expected for a 19 year old car that is driven year round, and a lot of salt is used on the roads here.

General Comments:

I like my 1993 Taurus very much, and am reluctant to get a new car. It is running well, and I hope to reach 400,000 km before giving it up on or before June 2014. I don't think that it would pass the environmental emissions test at that time, as the exhaust recirculation pipe and manifold rusted out, and no replacement could be found. The garage then sealed that pipe off, causing the 'check engine light' to come on now after about 20 km.

The trunk is very roomy, which is nice for storing suitcases for long trips. The seats are comfortable for me, although I keep an opus form in the driver's seat because of occasional back pain.

The car has been quite reliable, except for when the starting motor had to be replaced twice and the car wouldn't start.

Faults:

4 transmissions.

4 torque converters.

Frame connectors.

Brakes.

Fuel lines.

Power steering pump.

Master cylinder.

Radiator.

Heater core.

2 power windows motors.

Climate control module.

General Comments:

If you have a chance to buy this car, or buy a 10 speed, I would go with the 10 speed.

The car died at 81K miles, not that it died, but it needed yet another transmission, yep, that would have been number 5.

The heat only worked in the rain, the AC didn't work after about 30K miles, the power window motors died after 2 years of owning it, the radiator developed a leak and needed to be replaced.

The fuel lines started to leak, the power steering pump squealed. It was a complete mess... When it was new on the lot, it was very nice, comfy, quiet, and after driving an 85hp Toyota, it seemed like a rocket.

Unfortunately the 85hp Toyota from 1985 out lived this by well over 200K miles. (334K miles on the Toyota, sold it for 2 grand, and it is still on the road with over 500K miles).

I would never buy another automatic Ford car again.