Overall, a comfortable and reliable ride
Starting motor went out at 95500 kms.
Coolant lines on firewall rusted out at 105000kms.
Battery replaced at 108000kms.
Total brake replacement (pads, rotors) at 130000kms.
Overall, a comfortable & reliable ride.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 15th March, 2011
The 2002 Taurus is an adequate family sedan, and runs better than most
Springs.
Struts.
Brakes.
Motor mounts.
Door latch.
Coil pack.
Ball joints.
Inner tie rods.
The engine has more than enough power.
Interior is well-appointed, and has comfortable leather seats.
Instrumentation is well positioned.
Steering is precise.
Handling is adequate for a sedan.
Mileage is about 26 mpg on the highway.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 6th December, 2010
A big, slow, boring gas guzzler
- Both front wheel bearings replaced.
- Warps front rotors like crazy replaced four times.
- Left rear window doesn't roll down.
- Rust treated under right rear door.
- A/C compressor seized and replaced.
- Serpentine belt replaced.
This car guzzles gas, averaging about 10.3L/100km doing 90% highway. City, you're looking at over 12L/100 easily. My dads '10 Fusion Sport AWD with 165 more horsepower, which weighs 400lbs more, gets better gas mileage than this boat anchor.
It's very slow. The 3.0L V6 16v only puts out 150hp, which is what most 4 cyl's these days produce. It's about as fast as a Hyundai Accent. If you're really interested in this boat, make sure you get the 24v engine.
It handles like an old Cadillac. Floaty suspension over bumps and turns, with tons of body roll. But it's very comfortable for long trips. The seats are huge and can seat four people very comfortably. This car also has a massive trunk for storage, and tons of leg room.
Interior is hideous, but comfortable. Sound system is complete garbage, like most Fords in this era.
All and all, don't get this car. There are so many better cars on the road. I got mine for free, and I would not buy one for $1000. It's painful to drive. I lasted 8 months with it, and bought a new Fusion with a real 3.0L in it. I just can't take it any more!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 20th September, 2010
*orig poster*
I do agree, the drivetrain is bulletproof. Everything else on the car however is known to fall apart. I've owned a '89 Taurus as well, and had similar problems. Mostly electrical gremlins, but that happens on most older American vehicles with power options.
It's a good cheap A to B car, no doubt, if you like getting 19-24MPG. Most 4cyl sedans get better, have more hp, and drive a lot better.
A fantastic car
- Wind shield replaced at 92,000.
- Fuel pump replaced at 98,000.
- Battery cables replaced at 115,000.
- Driver side headlight assembly replaced at 139,000.
- Driver side fender to be repaired soon.
- All else is routine maintenance. (Oil changes, transmission fluid, etc.)
- Aside from the fuel pump, nothing has ever really gone wrong.
- Excellent gas mileage.
- Surprising acceleration.
- Sporty looks, inside & out: I really like the sports rims/ spoiler, and the two tone interior. The set up is really nice inside, too. It ages quite well, and still looks like new (aside from the driver side fender).
- The sheet metal seems pretty strong: I guess I can't really say that, because I've never actually been in an accident before, but I had a truck back into me in a parking lot and leave a dent about the size of a football behind (and on) my drivers side headlight. I thought the dent was fairly small, considering the damage I expected to see. I'm going to have the fender fixed as soon as I get around to it.
- Plenty of trunk space.
- Not a whole lot of room for taller people in the passenger seat: There's plenty of leg room, but not much head room because the passenger seat isn't a power seat. That's mostly my fault for not buying a brand new one with that option. Oh well.
- Quite interior on the road: The road/ wind noise is minimal in this car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st April, 2010
I completely agree with your review. I wrote the longest 2001 Taurus review. I LOVED that car! Unfortunately, it needed an engine at 138,978.
Anyway, the Taurus does still look current in today's sea of cars. I really wish Ford would bring it back just the way it was. It was powerful (especially because mine had the Duratec with 200 horsepower), it had excellent brakes, and I could ride in it all day long.
I hope that I will own another Taurus someday, especially a 2010 SHO. I was a repeat Taurus buyer; the 2001 was my second Taurus (first was a 1999). I would go back to Ford for their Taurus in a heartbeat. Excellent, durable, comfortable car!
23rd Sep 2010, 00:05
I'd recommend the 3.0 engine to anyone in one of these Taurus or Sable vehicles. One of the most reliable and tried-and-true engines Ford has built, and first came out in the late '80's. The 3.8 likes to blow headgaskets and the transmission is a weak link, not so much with the 3.0 though. I've seen 'em with well over 270k miles and still going strong on that 3.0 with no overhaul on the motor.
If you MUST have performance then I'd suggest avoiding the Taurus altogether and getting a sports car. The Taurus is a family car, not built for speed. And again, that dang Vulcan 3.0 is practically bulletproof!