1996 Ford Taurus GL 3.0

Summary:

It's a money pit with no end in sight!

Faults:

The engine blew a couple months after owning this beautiful pile... and it cost $1700 to get a newer engine put in.. and lets see it just doesn't take off well, seems to sag in the back.. which is UGLY; I hate the roundness of it, but it was a huge step up from a 89 Buick Regal with power nothing...

General Comments:

It's actually an OK car; I would never buy one again because I love foreign cars, but yeah it's OK.. ugly style though!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th August, 2007

12th Aug 2007, 16:54

There was no information given, just a bunch of complaints on the car's styling. If you didn't like the styling, you shouldn't have bought it.

9th May 2015, 19:25

It's all in how the previous owner took care of the vehicle. My 1996 Taurus GL is over 210,000 miles with original everything except the starter. And it towed a utility trailer for 4 years. Sometimes don't blame the car, blame the previous owner.

1996 Ford Taurus GL 3.0 Duratec V6

Summary:

The best wagon out there!

Faults:

I have had no problems with this vehicle.

General Comments:

My 1996 Ford Taurus Wagon has been a very good vehicle. It has adequate performance and has been nothing but reliable. It handles great in the cold Michigan winters and has been driven all over the state with not problems so far. The exterior of the vehicle looks great with no rust at all and I plan on keeping it that way. As long as the oil is changed every 5,000 miles the vehicle will run for a very long time. Also, my wagon gets a commendable 30 mpg highway and 23 mpg in the city, which is not bad for a car of its size.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th July, 2007

1996 Ford Taurus GL 3.0

Summary:

Unreliable, uncomfortable catfish looking car

Faults:

Had the brown sludge purged out of the cooling system (or tried to). It actually ruined the mechanics pump system. I was told this is common in these heaps.

Car will run hot...cool...hot...cool...hot... need I go on.

After driving for a while it wants to stall because the idle control decides not to work right. This is also NEW...

Replaced the warped rotors and pads when I bought it. Another common issue I found out.

The interior lights like to stay on at times, like a door is stuck open, so I get out and slam all the doors shut in a fit of rage, this usually works.

Transmission likes to slip every once in a while when the AC compressor kicks on or off. This is annoying.

General Comments:

AC in this car is amazing!!! The coldest car AC ever.

Possibly the slowest car with absolutely no "you know whats" (rhymes with halls) I have ever owned.

Ford never got it right with these wonderful transmissions.

These cars look like a catfish! Seriously, look at one. You must admit, they are pretty ugly.

What idiot designed the radio in this car?

Quite possibly the most uncomfortable seats ever made. My friends Subaru has rock hard seats, but these are worse.

I will be getting rid of this thing in the next couple of weeks, 1500 miles is long enough.

It still looks good in and out, and the last owner took care of it, but I think it hates me, so it's gotta go.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th July, 2007

1996 Ford Taurus GL Vulcan 3.0L V6 octane

Summary:

"Old faithful" and fun for teenagers

Faults:

Previous owner (my older sister) had to replace the transmission at about 300 000km.

Engine died shortly after and was replaced.

Minor suspension issues due to rust, old age, and rough teenage drivers; sway bars snapped off.

Clips in the door panels keep breaking due to cheap plastic clips.

Minor electrical problems such as the rear window defroster grid.

Overheating of the engine because of the fans not being able to switch to top speed (fixed by re-routing the circuits to a button we put on the dash, had to do the same for the windshield washer jets on the hood).

General Comments:

This is my first car which I got from my older sister, which she got from our grandpa whom was a mechanic and a ford enthusiast. He personally picked this car from his used car lot for his granddaughters to have because it is safe and reliable. As a teenager I am extremely pleased with this car.

Even through the harsh winters of northern Canada where it can touch -45 degrees Celsius, the Taurus has never failed to get me to school and work every morning. I feel very safe driving in the winter, even when the roads are buried in almost a foot of snow and only big trucks and the toughest of cars can still get around. I've had a couple mild accidents including being rammed by an F-250 truck, but this thing is built like a tank!

The interior is roomy and I adore the front bucket seat setup which allows it to carry seven friends. The trunk has more than enough room for my 17" sub-woofers, camping gear, and a couple flats of beer. A great car for bush parties :D.

Along with its good looks, it's relatively quick too with regular maintenance and decent fuel quality (I've won many red-light drag races against other cars in its class and a couple coupes too!).

Even though it's approaching 350,000km it still runs like a real trooper and I expect my little brother, when I pass it down to him, will have as much fun with it as I did for many years to come. As for myself, I may move on to a ford Taurus station wagon with a sunroof. Well done, Ford!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th April, 2007