Faults:

Coolant tank replacement - 60,000.

Fuel filter replacement (note: engine knocking problem eliminated after replacement... city gas mileage down to 14 mpg, highway remains at 26 mpg) - 55,000.

Tires at 42,000.

Rear brakes - 45,000.

Front brakes - 68,000.

Rear main seal leakage at 65,000.

Interior rear door coverings - 55,000.

General Comments:

The Sable has served us well as the kiddie carrier for all these years. Granted, it has left us stranded on occasion due to small problems that have been highlighted above. It's comfortable, quiet and economical on trips. Interior has held up well except for the rear door coverings peeling off due to the heat of the Central California Summer Sun.

Problems are what I would consider to be normal for a Ford product. I've been satisfied with the car.

Oh yes, many years of Little League Baseball foul balls off the roof and hood, shows surprising metal tensile strength.

Faults:

- Bought a used 2000 Mercury Sable with 76,000 miles.

- Previous owner didn't take care of the vehicle.

- Had major tune up after I purchased it: what it needed.

Replaced:

- All fluids

- Wipers

- All filters

- Spark plugs

- Brakes

- Belt

- Tires

- Bent rims (2) (got them from junkyard)

Repaired:

- Oil leak

- Window washer fluid tube

...the list goes on and on.

Car overheated 98,000 miles: replaced fans, heater stopped working, heater core not broken: used vice grips, heater works better.

The car accelerates unintentionally for a few seconds every now and then, I can always make it stop by pressing the brakes, brakes never not work (maybe something to do with CC (cruise control)).

CC works fine, makes the car run at its finest when the CC is on, mostly used on highway.

Check engine light is always on, now the TPS is whack.

Brother who is mechanic says the electrical components in my 00' Sable are slowly going, some dashboard lights don't work half the time, and the car freaks out when accelerating without CC on; RPMs go crazy for a few seconds, and return to normal. The car performs fine when all of this goes on, so my bro says it's electrical.

Now the car bucks due to the TPS codes, have yet to get that fixed.

So basically...

General Comments:

This was my first car, and if I didn't have a mechanical inclined bro, I don't think this car would even be running today.

I do not think this purchase was wise, but for what I need this car to do (run back and forth to college down the road), it is holding up fine.

I would not trust this vehicle on long trips. I HAVE driven it over 500 miles (250 each way) every three months to go back and forth to home from college on various breaks (spring, summer, winter), but now that major problems with the tranny have come up, I am scared to do so anymore.

I am currently looking at a 2006-present year Mazda3 to purchase, one of my friends has owned a 2005 Mazda3 for 3 years now, problem free. It has over 90,000 miles on it now, and she is still zooming around, miles racking up as we speak, with no check engine light on. I drove her car some when we went on a 400 mile (one way) road trip and fell in love with it, it was not the most comfortable, but the reliability was outstanding, the car shifted smoothly, hugged the road, was fun to drive, and kept up well in traffic.

My car also keeps up well in traffic, does great after it stops bucking, shaking, and the loud knocking sounds from the engine cease to be heard... which they seldom do. :/