I know, this is a crazy idea, but have you considered CONSULTING A MECHANIC about either problem?

The high beams that won't turn off could be a simple broken switch, so when you flip the stalk back and forth, nothing happens. If you mean that the lights stay on when you turn the car off, there should be a dial on the dashboard that controls how long they stay on; it can be set so that they do not stay on (on my '94 SHO it resembles a mouse wheel).

If you don't have an owner's manual, you can download one (as of November 2006) and print it yourself. The "autolamp" control is on page 17. Google for "Taurus owners manual".

The faltering, sounds like it's going to stall could have several problems including air filter full of junk (ever checked it?), fuel filter full of junk (same question), timing might need to be adjusted, etc. A mechanic would know much more about this than I would.

The point is, you have written off the car as a POS without any sign of ever putting it in the shop. If the car was brand new, you would have a valid complaint about these problems, but on an older vehicle, they are par for the course. If they are too much to bear, I would suggest that you lease in the future. With eight years of unknown service history, you should be braced for anything. A friend of mine once bought a six year old 80000 mile Honda Accord that died of engine failure after a year; apparently the only time the oil was ever changed before he got it, was when the used car dealer bought it.

Welcome to the REAL world. I get so tired of people putting down Ford (and GM and Chrysler) because they are made by loyal, hardworking Americans. Since my first car (a 1949 Ford) I've driven literally dozens of cars from all of the Big Three. I have NEVER had a problem with a Ford. My family drove a 1975 Granada 320,000 miles with only routine maintenance. I don't even know anyone who ever got over 100,000 miles on a Toyota, Nissan or Honda without at least one major repair.