10th Dec 2005, 12:02
This didn't sound like such a bad car, but it wasn't taken care of too well. All of the problems and expenses you mention really emanate from the lack of maintenance of the cooling system. Either the previous owner should have flushed out the system and changed the fluid, or you should have done it as soon as you bought the car as part of preventive maintenance to avoid these problems. So you put 25,000 miles on an old car that you didn't really take care of. Why complain?
4th Aug 2007, 11:08
I'm going into my third year of ownership from a reputable dealer. Car had ~77K miles with a squeaky clean VIN and been running fine. I've put in around $200 total maintenance during the first two years (tire sealing--alum rims are a problem on this model, I'm told--and an overdue engine tune-up (not counting preventable wiring insulation repairs after a squirrel nest the first winter. No bull.) My guy told me last month after some braking problems that the linings needed to be replaced and (possibly) the rotors if he cannot remove the rust buildup. These expenses could have been anticipated if I'd known to ask. Lesson learned: avoid nasty surprises by anticipating what can go wrong before it does. (My guy pretty good, but if you don't ask him to check, he won't look.) Started my prevention list with cooling system tip. Thanks!
11th Aug 2007, 14:42
I have a 1999 ford taurus. I bought it from my grandpa who is a mechanic, so he maintained it regularly. It's now almost to 300,000 miles!! It just won't die. So I think it's the owners and not the cars! keep the maintence up and it will do great.
15th Jan 2009, 20:11
The Ford Taurus and the Mercury Sable are the same car. They are both Ford products. I would not recommend either of these vehicles because they are trash. FORD stands for Fix Or Repair Daily, and it also stands for Found On Road Dead.
If you can remember the make of all the cars that you have seen on the side of the road with mechanical problems, I bet you that the majority of them were FORD/MERCURY products, and especially the FORD Taurus/Sable; it's notoriously famous for bad heater cores and bad transmissions, so avoid them at all cost.
The only good thing I have to say about a Taurus or a Sable is that they are big, roomy and comfortable.
I never understood how FORD got such a big vehicle to run on 4 cylinders. I had the 4 cylinder version; that's probably why the transmission burned out trying to lug all that weight on it's chassis or shall I say unibody... :-)
16th Jan 2009, 20:12
In contrast to the last comment, my parents bought a 1997 Mercury Sable station wagon with 50,000 miles in 2001. It now has 190,000 miles and has had no repairs, only routine fluid changes and a tune-up. It has been such a reliable vehicle that it induced me to buy my first Ford, which now has over 100,000 miles with zero problems.
I once also believed that Fords (particularly Tauruses) were junk, but was forced to change my opinion in light of personal experience. Whatever problems they may have had, they seem to have fixed them. Why not give one a try rather than living in the past?
18th Jun 2009, 20:00
My '99 Taurus at 100k gets about 20 miles per gallon. I will stress the fact that correct tire pressure, clean air filter, and your routine tune up will increase your mileage. 14MPG doesn't seem right.
19th Jun 2009, 09:52
Re: 15th Jan 2009, 20:11
This commenter makes no sense:
"If you can remember the make of all the cars that you have seen on the side of the road with mechanical problems, I bet you that the majority of them were FORD/MERCURY products, and especially the FORD Taurus/Sable; "
I have never seen a DeLorean, ISO Rivolta, or Dodge Viper on the side of the road. If I apply your logic than these are the most reliable cars ever. However, I have seen AMC, Buick, Chevy, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Isuzu, no Jaguar, Lexus, Mazda, Mercury, Nissan, Oldsmobile, Opel, Renault, Toyota and VW with trouble on the road. Maybe it matters how many of them are out there?
"I never understood how FORD got such a big vehicle to run on 4 cylinders. I had the 4 cylinder version;"
There was never a 4 cylinder version of the Taurus/Sable.
4th Jul 2009, 13:33
I bought my '99 Ford Taurus used for $3600 in March of '08. It had almost 100,000 miles on it, and the only thing I've ever had to replace were the front tires after the winter. The only problem I've had is sometimes it pulls to the right. But for a ten year old car I'm not complaining. I put 30,000 miles on it in the first year of owning it driving to and from my college, and still haven't had any problems. Maybe I got lucky.
9th Dec 2005, 18:07
I wish I could get 114,00 miles out of just one battery...