11th Dec 2005, 19:09

Its amazing to see how upset ford folks get when other people say the truth about japanese vehicles. I mean its so insane to not only get upset as if you yourself had made these vehicles, but to stand behind a product with almost no resale value and horrible quality is absurd. I always drove american, not anymore!

14th Jan 2006, 21:39

YO buddy, Japanese cars suck, Ford is way better than any Japanese car out there, I had a 1995 Ford Mustang and the only thing I had replaced was the battery and brakes, and I am having a great time blowing by all those Japanese cars.

1st May 2006, 16:27

I have an Acura the starter didn't go bad on until it had about 190K miles on it. obviously all of you on here telling this person to stop complaining have Blue Oval blood flowing through your veins. I also have a Chevy that I abuse I had a starter problem at about 130K miles.

I'm pretty sure this person is complaining about the part going out with out warning. Every instance I or someone I know has had a starter problem it lets you know, you get some kinda warning.

30th Aug 2007, 18:41

I am the original poster, after more than 2 years of owning it, and driving for 50K or so, here is my review again:

- I think I will buy a ford again, but only used.

- I had to replace with in 14K miles on new discs (36K is the les schwab's warranty, so they replaced it for free.. way to go les schwab), will have to see how long these go

- The steering vibration I complained was from worn out tires - my bad - sorry ford

- Driver side auto-lock doesn't lock with button or with remote. Have to manually lock. Unlocks OK.

- There is some noise at the wheel, could not be diagnosed, doesn't seem big issue, since it's there for a while.

A trip from Seattle to Yellowstone national park in 3 days, amounting to 1900 miles went great. Haven't got tired driving at all, I am 6'2 and thought will get back pains. Great lumbar support.

I think if you buy a 5 year old ford, you get it for half the price of Japanese cars. Use some of the savings on little headaches, you got a great deal..

Anyhow, I think its not too bad...

11th Sep 2007, 10:32

I second the comment about the Taurus. I'd never buy one of these new as they're pretty much disposable junk good for maybe 100k or so. But you can get a 2-3 year old LOADED Taurus for around 5k or less. The equivalent Japanese car would be at least double that amount. I had a friend who did that exact same thing. He bought a 92' Taurus with 45k on it for $1900. It lasted for around 5 years until he made it to about 90k. Then the head gasket blew. No big deal. Just buy another and drive for another 5 years until it blows.

1st Jun 2009, 18:54

I am the original poster of this thread, and here is my take after 4 years of driving 2001 Taurus and at 118,000 miles:

- Great value for an used car. Will definitely buy Ford, of course, an used one!

- Coolant tank started leaking had to replace

- Power lock on driver side window does not work

- Had to replace idler pulley due to grinding noise

- Seems it has timing chain, instead of belt, so no need to replace! sweet!

- Mileage is 21 MPG city/highway mixed.

So far so good. Good job Ford!

2nd Jun 2009, 17:47

I really like this review because it is honest and has credibility. He starts out not liking the car, but after a few years of good service, has come around to accepting that it is pretty good!

It actually mirrors my own experience with Ford. I didn't think much of Fords of the '70s and '80s. For most of my life, my dad had a 1929 Model A Ford (which was cool), but in about 2001 he sold it and bought a used 1997 Mercury Sable station wagon. I was horrified, wondering how he could buy a "glorified Ford Taurus" that "everybody knows is junk." Well, a few years went by, and it had 150,000 miles on it with no problems. I was so impressed that when I needed to replace my old Dodge, I thought it was time to try a Ford for myself (a decision I have been very pleased with). Last week on a vacation at home, I borrowed the Sable, which now has 175,000 miles on it with no breakdowns. I took it on a 550 mile trip, during which time I got 29.1 and 29.4 mpg. I found myself really impressed with the car, and would not hesitate to buy a Ford.

13th May 2010, 14:14

Ditto the string of comments about resale value.

I was looking at wagons. People were asking as much as $4000 for early '90s Honda and Toyota wagons with nearly 200,000 miles on them. I exaggerate a little, but not a lot.

Japanese or not, no way a 200k mile car won't need some serious work.

I'd rather a Taurus -- looked at, to make sure there weren't major issues already there -- and save some budget for repair, than sink every last dollar I have on the hopes that the Japanese car doesn't break down ever in the next couple years!

I must say; I'm getting out of a Volvo from the same year (2001), that has cost $5000 in fairly recent repair costs with another $3000 estimated by the mechanic to go. People complaining about a mere $500 for engine work here, or a cheap starter there, don't know the bullets they've dodged! Mercedes is even worse, I overheard my mechanic discussing a $300 tail light with a customer ($250 of which was the parts cost from the original manufacturer).

I ended up with a 1990 Ford/Mercury Grand Marquis wagon; the mechanic was impressed by the condition and recommended maybe $500 in additional work to make it perfect. Not bad.

But I was very close to getting a late '90s Taurus instead.