19th Mar 2010, 15:46

I have 1987 Taurus 5 speed stickshift manual transmission I received for free, and I'm working on it replacing flex lines and brake lines due to age plus rear brakes. I have started it up in winter no problem.

5th Nov 2010, 00:16

I purchased it because it was the only thing I could afford, and was available thru my financial advisers (credit union). Bought it used with 20,000 miles. Used it till I had to get rid of it. People were offering $600 for it; I gave it away to a friend.

I replaced the radiator, alternator, starter, rack and pinion, power steering pump (twice in 20 years).

Was advised by fire investigators that it was a ticking time bomb. It could catch on fire and burn to the ground in any moment after 83,000 miles. I drove it to 250,000 miles and then gave it away. My friends nicknamed it Methuselah (You know, the one who lived to 969 years old?)

Alternator problems? Not if it's lifetime warranty. Water pump? Lifetime warranty.

A/C compressor? Don't worry about it. I drove it 20 miles each way in the mornings after 7 a.m. Never needed it. Never worked either.

Heater coil inside cab broke at 200,000 miles. Who needs a heater anyway when you love this piece of (junk) art so much.

Electric windows, radio, heater, AC, all electricals inside including speedometer, odometer and alternator light and automatic cooler/fan failed at 225,000 miles. My kids wanted to cut the roof off and drive it into the sand dunes to see how far it would make it before it got stuck. I warned them that this piece of junk might make it all the way thru and out the other side, 20 miles away without getting stuck. They desisted from their idea.

My kids drove K-12 grade in it, and three years after that still used it for work. Then they got their own headache and I kept on driving it until they moved away from home at age 22+. So I had it from 1987 till 2004 or so. It was in perfect running order except the electricals.

It had a new water pump installed the night before it went with someone else.

Did I say that I came off from San Diego to Imperial Valley with no oil in the tranny and it coasted all the way to the bottom of the hill, at the military checkpoint in Mexico, dragged it to Mexicali for repairs, changed the oil filter, oil pan (it had a hole) and put 3 brand names of tranny oil. It ran like a champ again. Paint was awful ugly at 84,000 miles. Never repainted it. Ugly it was, ugly it stayed, ugly it would be.

If you see it, it may be in Tijuana. Lic. Plates: CA 2FFL850

I called it "Blue Thunder", because of the noise it made when I got home or work, everyone knew I had arrived without having to look out the window.

Since, I have bought two other non-Fords. I got rid of them and bought me another used Taurus, 2001. Yep, everyone is convinced I am a Ford Taurus person. I wonder why?

It is not blue :( but I guess I can paint this one. The other one I had it decorated by kids for VBS with all kinds of paintings on the outside. Border inspectors laughed at it and congratulated me for "having the guts to decorate it like so". One of them yelled at me to "paint it" and laughed about it. I laughed with him and said, "If I paint it, it might get stolen. So I didn't.