Faults:

* Intake manifold. My car was found on the road dead after it cracked. This is a common problem and a defect where they were made of plastic and eventually cracked. I replaced it with a brand new aftermarket (aluminum/plastic hybrid) one for $200 myself.

* Gas pump. These all eventually fail, and this was an old car, so I'm not really faulting Ford for this.

* Tons of rust under the the doors from the lack of good weather stripping and large panel gaps.

General Comments:

I'm young (23) and I like this styling. It's a good looking car.

Comfortable over bumps, very soft steering, comfortable seats with adjustable arch support. A tall or wide person would have no trouble with this car. The seats go very far back.

It is surprisingly quick and gets good mileage for its size. The engine is quiet and refined, and the acceleration is effortless.

Handling is pretty much nonexistent. There is massive body roll, and most trucks have better cornering abilities than this sedan. Best riding at 50mph in a straight line.

The suspension is very squishy, which results in not feeling some bumps, and other bumps cause the car's rear end to literally hit the floor.

It is very nose heavy and it is RWD. This results in bad handling i.e... very easy due to a lack of rear traction to do a 360 turn in even dry conditions. Also this car is horrible in the snow for this same reason. I always keep sandbags in my trunk, even in the dry summer, to make it handle better. Very little road holding abilities. 60mph is fine, but 70mph is downright scary.

Build quality - the doors close like a vault. Other than that, the panel gaps are huge, the weather stripping is very archaic and leads to rust forming more easily. The arm rest and doors have cheap plastics that creak. Fake wood trim. The turn signal indicator feels a little cheap, though not as much as a 90s Chevrolet (but less than a Buick). Sound deadening is good, but the car doesn't feel taut and I don't feel safe going at 70mph.

Faults:

Had an oil burning smell; most likely from a head gasket leak.

Needed new shocks, front end bushings.

Replaced intake manifold myself... had the OEM plastic coolant crossover.

Transmission shift problems.

Died on the interstate - abrupt stoppage, but restarted.

Replaced radio, which died.

Power windows were slow - common problem on these cars as they age.

General Comments:

A big family sedan, whose design is now outmoded.

Relatively short legroom in the back seat for a big car.

Huge trunk, but its depth makes lifting heavy items difficult.

LONG stepover door sills make exiting difficult.

Long reach to radio & heater controls.

Excellent highway mileage for a big V8 car: 28 MPG.

Great ride, with a little rear end hop over bumpy curves.

Quiet, rattle free body. Little wind or road noise.

Steering is numb on center and tends to wander. Not enough caster in the front end design.

Needs a small console over trans hump for additional storage. Door storage is nearly inaccessible, and cup holders in the ashtray obscure the radio.

The stoppage on the highway destroyed my confidence in this car, so I sold it. I doubt this is endemic in the model year, though.

Faults:

Intake manifold failed; new tires; tune ups and regular service.

General Comments:

Like driving an army tank while sitting on my living room sofa. Awesome to say the least.