1993 Ford Taurus GL wagon 3.8 litre V6 from North America

Summary:

If you don't want to waste your money, don't buy a Taurus!

Faults:

Well, Where do I start... We bought this car 2 years ago this august for $3500, it had 203,000kms on it when we bought, and now has about 265,000. The paint is in OK shape, but the car has started to rust. Neither of the back power windows ever worked, the air conditioning doesn't work, the passenger side window switch doesn't work so the windows can only be opened from the driver's side, the back wiper was broken when we got it, transmission doesn't shift quickly enough when accelerating, and clunks when shifting into drive. the windshield has a large crack in it. We've gone through 3 water pumps, 2 hoses, 2 mufflers, 5 tie rod ends, and the wipers freeze when you turn them onto the fastest position.

General Comments:

I am a person who enjoys a car that accelerates quickly, this Taurus, despite its huge 3.8 liter V6, it's slow. I put it right to the floor when I pull out of places and still it doesn't go that quick, although it does sound like it's about to blow up, as the transmission doesn't shift as quickly as it should. This car has been well taken care of by me. I wash it twice a week, and wax it 6 or 7 times a year. Even on the smoothest road this car has loud plastic rattling sounds, the door panels seem to have loose things jiggling around inside them and the plastic molding around the top of the rear hatch where the speakers are sounds like it's about to fall off. If you are driving along the road and put the gas down even just a little bit, the car violently shifts into overdrive making the engine put out a loud roar. I will never buy another ford again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 2nd April, 2003

7th Sep 2007, 23:05

You bought that car with a lot of miles. It is not unusal for a car that age and that many miles to have problems especially if they were mistreated. I had three Ford Taurus and all have over 200,000 miles on them. The only problems I had were the typical replacement things such as alternators, water pumps and so on. None over once needed changing. The only other thing was the ignition module. Now, if I had only one of these cars I would say, well I was lucky. But I have had three. One now is owned by a friend and has over 260,000 miles on it and runs fine.

1993 Ford Taurus GL Wagon 3.8 V6 from North America

Summary:

Rubbish, Pure and Simple

Faults:

Speedometer Broke

Temp Gage (Never worked right)

Tail gate rusted out

Left rear window opening rusted out

Head gaskets blew (Notorious on the 3.8 engine)

Air Conditioning (Twice)

Rear wiper wiring

Transmission

Coil springs sagged

Heater control intermittent

Drivers seat springs sagged.

General Comments:

I bought this car when it was 2 years old - It was a turned in lease.

Needless to say it was a huge mistake from a financial point of view although Ford picked up the rust problems under warranty. The rest I just couldn't keep up with.

A Taurus has no resale value at all, and the reason why is obvious. The car is designed around a 36 month lease and heavily marketed. It's made of crap throughout, right down to the seats and carpeting.

It was a good hauler for the family when it actually ran, but had not an enthusiastic part to design or performance. I traded it owing $2000 on it because it wouldn't even last the payment book.

Don't even inherit one.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th March, 2003

3rd Dec 2010, 21:47

This review seems somewhat familiar. We, too, had a 1993 Ford Taurus GL wagon. It seemed to be a great car at first, with low kilometers and working accessories. It had the 3.8L V6, so it should have had some acceleration.

Sadly, it had no acceleration to speak of. It was quiet for a few months, and then started to rattle like a spray can. That was fine, we bought cheap cars that did that all of the time. But this car wasn't cheap. It was $4000, about 4 or 5 times more expensive than any car we`d had up to that point.

After a year or so, things really started to head south. We took a vacation to British Columbia, and driving up one of the steep passes, the car suddenly lost its fan and overheated. Also, by this time, we were on our second or third set of tires in less than 20,000 km. The electrical system started to act up. Then the engine blew a head gasket and overheated every time it was driven. Then the transmission needed $700 worth of repair. I guess we caught it early. We'd spent $4000 in keeping the car going, after two years, and we wanted out. We sold it through auction, finding out in the process that the seller we'd bought it from had lied, and the car had been in an accident. We were glad to get rid of our Taurus.

These cars don`t accelerate, but they do have good handling, especially for a mid-sized car.

The mouse-fur seats get uncomfortable for mildly long (200 km or so) trips, and aren't very good.

The electrical accessories are all temperamental, and none more so than the radio. Ford radios from around this time have a short life expectancy.

The transmission is expensive to fix, for a vehicle that goes through so many of them. And the engine doesn't fit nicely in the engine bay. It's a pain in the butt and back to work on.

Overall, this isn't a car worth trying unless you're willing to build your own engine rebuild or transmission repair skills.