Faults:

CV Joint failed at 123 000 kilometers, cheaper to replace full drive shaft.

Water pump, cheap fix at time of purchase.

Heater hoses blew out at 140 000 ks, expensive dealer repair.

AC stopped functioning shortly after purchase, too expensive to repair.

Rear struts seized at 145 000 ks, replaced both with mountings.

Heater Core rotted at at 150 000 ks. Difficult to service, removal of dash was necessary.

General Comments:

A comfortable riding, well appointed high maintenance vehicle.

Their popularity and comfortable ride hid the fact that serious design deficiencies leave you spending big bills when you have to make repeated visits to the mechanic.

Acceleration limited by the fact that the transmission was slow to downshift for extra power, especially alarming on an expressway on-ramp.

Body was prone to rust, extensive repair work and maintenance did not make up for poor drainage systems on the vehicle.

Faults:

Transmission totally died at 152000ks.

Heater core died shortly thereafter, and defective heater core was installed to replace it. It was again replaced.

The speedometer is very noisy, I have to guess at my speed (eg am I going 50 or 75? It jumps around like a Chevy on a dirt road).

I hate the hubcaps.

General Comments:

This is a fantastic car. Everything else replaced was normal maintenance (eg tires, brakes, bumpers)

The paint lasted 17 years and still looked great when painted. Very cheap on gas if you hardly press the pedal, and the A/C is very durable. Great car, would recommend it to anyone.

Faults:

At about 200,000 miles the transmission went out.

The car didn't have air conditioning when we got it.

General Comments:

This was a good reliable family station wagon. We used it for almost everything.

Watch the transmission after 150,000 miles.

Faults:

The car first experienced problems at 14575 when the fuel pump went out. Absolutely nothing else happened till 67549 when the A/C compressor died. It never worked right after I had it replaced. Soon, after 95000 miles the car literally began to fall apart. Transmission once, water pump numerous times, and not to mention three alternators. However, I really liked this car and would definitely drive one again.

General Comments:

This car is very comfortable, affordable, and nice looking. In the ten years I owned the vehicle I never once got tired of driving it. I still miss it to this day. My only wish is that it had the 3.0L V6 instead of the four banger. However, it was the eighties and everything had a four cylinder.

Faults:

The Engine:

The 3.0 is a great engine, which is why Ford is still offering it as the base engine in the Taurus today. The only major things that went wrong with mine are the alternator, water pump, and ignition module. All of the above went out at around 100K miles.

The Body:

The doors rusted to heck soon after we bought it. I guess this was before rust prevention was a big deal to Ford, as the fasteners that held the LX style trim on the sides allowed water into the doors, while the trim held it there.

My father was the one who bought the car, and after he was side-swiped by a garbage truck (crinkling up the passenger's side, with no damage to the functioning of the doors) he gave me the car. He had just bought a Focus. I didn't treat it too well. I got it stuck in a ditch twice, got hit by a GELOC crane in the rear driver's side corner, knocking out that window (covered the hole with a piece of shower curtain) and knocked out a fender by hitting the corner of a haywagon while doing backwards donuts in a wet lawn. I replaced the fender myself. It was fun.

The thing that really did the car in was sliding off the road and hitting a tree going backwards at about 30 MPH. That's what I get for driving in a blizzard on Michigan country roads. This accident demolished the tailgate, but since the lights all still worked, I drove the car for another 2,500 miles.

General Comments:

I got laughed at a lot for the horrific body damage. I did the laughing when I drag raced better-looking, but slower cars and won.

You can't kill this car. I still have it around, although since I have a '99 Mystique (I've written a review for it as well) I don't drive the Taurus (a.k.a. The BattleWagon) much.

Since I had the LX trim level, this car had all the goodies. I love the digital dash, and both the driver and the passenger are treated to power seats with lumbar support. Exceedingly comfortable, but so-so performance. It's a station wagon, after all.