Faults:

Previous owner: Defective fuel level sensor. Expensive to repair, but refilling every 180 miles on the trip odometer ensures you are never stranded. Every now and then the check engine light disappears and the fuel level is believable.

87,000 miles: Windshield washer fluid hose deteriorated a couple of days after purchase and squirted fluid all over the engine.

87,000 miles: Engine refused to start for about half an hour. It repaired itself and hasn't refused to start ever since.

87,000 miles: Power door lock on driver's door.

91,000 miles: Transmission broke!

General Comments:

I only owned the car for 6 months and it has proven to be a poorly designed Ford product.

The little things:

- Power door lock replacement was very tedious. I spent the extra money to buy a genuine replacement part to avoid getting a Chinese knock-off. The genuine replacement part is made in China... This being said, the part is doing very well.

- Odometer numbers are very crooked most of the time. The top of the instrument cluster needs to be tapped a few times for the numbers to re-align themselves.

- Poor steering wheel ergonomics. The 9 - 3 o'clock hand position is very uncomfortable (the steering wheel was changed on Tauruses 2004+ if I'm not mistaken).

- Flimsy headrests (marginal safety rating according to IIHS in 2004-2006 models).

- Poor interior plastics and terrible factory painting of the plastics (doesn't match from one material to another, and factory overspray is apparent).

- Poor interior panel assembly (interior window rubber trim never wanting to stay in window frame for more than a car ride, rear pillar plastic trim sticking out, lower side plastic panel overlap of rubber trim).

- Poor molding of some panels. Most notably steering column and steering wheel (bubbles from low quality molding process, and some plastic sticking out where the parting line for the two molds would have been).

- Radio sound quality is mediocre. Acceptable, but mediocre. I do not have the Mach speakers in the door. Perhaps the Mach upgrade makes a difference.

- Button placement on the radio-climate control unit is not intuitive. Taking your eyes off the road is often a necessity. Takes a lot of getting used to.

- Rubber hoses inside engine compartment are of poor quality.

- No rear headrests.

- Only Automatic transmissions on Tauruses 1996-2006.

The bigger things:

- The ABS is over-sensitive and makes me question the car's ability to stop in rain, snow and ice. This problem is worsened by the fact that Ford replaced the rear disc brakes with drums for this generation of Taurus sedan to reduce the purchase price. The wagons still had disc brakes all around thankfully.

- The transmission BROKE in traffic. The car hasn't yet done 91,000 miles and yet the transmission broke without warning (perfect one moment, defective the next). This is a 1500 - 2500$ job. I remember hearing horror stories of transmissions breaking at the 80,000 to 100,000 mile mark on practically all Fords from the 80s to early 90s (especially Taurus and Windstar), but I didn't know this still happened on 21st century Fords. I am very disappointed. The Taurus began life in the 80s, and by the early 2000s the transmission issues clearly hadn't been totally resolved. I was naïve in thinking they would be taken care of for the 2002 model year.

The Positive:

- Love the dual bench seats and 6 passenger capacity.

- Very nice handling.

- Great styling. This car gets a bad rep for being boring because of the awkward-looking 1996-1999 generation that preceded it. If the badge had been changed from "Taurus" to anything else, I think people would think better of the Ford Taurus exterior styling. It is very aerodynamic and very nice to look at.

- "Good" safety rating from the IIHS in offset crash tests.

- Economical for a car with a V6 engine. 20 MPG+ combined in the summer.

- Flex fuel compatibility is a plus.

- MASSIVE trunk. I read somewhere that it was the biggest trunk of any full size sedan in 2002.

- Automatic trunk release is a great feature.

Final comments:

In a world where the transmission didn't fail so miserably, I'd say this car is fantastic. It is stylish, safe, economical and handles well. Before the transmission broke, I was recommending the Ford Taurus to my friends.

In this world where the transmission broke however, I'm saying: Run for the hills! Spending extra money on a premium car brand for the quality is worth it. It is truly a shame how such a great car is ultimately ruined due to a weak automatic transmission. It isn't like the car was owned by lead-footed maniacs either. The previous owner was a soft-spoken history teacher, and I personally go all out to ensure my car is always in tip-top shape. This was my first Ford, and probably my last. I am left with mixed emotions.

Faults:

The only problem that I have had with my Taurus since purchasing it used in 2010, was that I had a slight vibration in the front at speeds near 55-75 mph. It just turned out to be something loose in the right front; very cheap fix.

General Comments:

I absolutely love my Ford Taurus. It is very quick; the 3.0 DOHC engine Ford put in this car is brilliant. It has lots of pep from a light, and offers great passing ability.

The car is so smooth. While driving around town, I can hardly hear a single thing outside, and when driving over bumps, you hardly can tell you did.

The car gets good gas mileage too; probably would be better if my right foot wasn't so heavy.

All in all, I love this car. It has a lot of features for the money, and at 141,000 well maintained miles, I foresee this car lasting me many, many more. HIGHLY recommended!