12th Oct 2010, 02:28
No, I agree, the mileage for my '95 is 20 mpg around town and 22-27 mpg on the highway. I've owned it since '96, and have about 175,000 miles on it. Like the first writer said, the gallons are different in Canada.
Nice to see this website. My vehicle is about ready to give up the ghost, unfortunately. I'm not a mechanic and have had to trust the repair shops over the years. It's chugging, missing and quietly backfiring for the past few weeks after suffering from coolant and oil leaks that can't quite be totally fixed for the past year.
I just spent $200 last week getting plugs, fuel filter, oil change and air filter, but to no avail. The mechanic dumped two cans of who-knows-what in the gas tank today to try to stop the problem, but I think the end is near. My brother says it's just old and won't last forever.
Overall, from a middle-aged lady point of view, the Sable has been safe and comfortable. It's really a solid car; I've been hit and hardly suffered a dent, and the other car was almost totaled.
I never liked the extreme slant of the front windshield; makes the interior heat up like an oven in the sun, but then I've never had a problem with the air conditioning.
I've really enjoyed the multiple adjustments for the driver's seat and the steering wheel -- pretty comfy.
The trunk has always been a big plus -- it's huge. I can honestly say that I have never had a problem being able to cart something home. (Although that time I loaded a twin size mattress on the roof and had to hold one hand on it out the window to keep it from flipping off was scary).
I loved how much power my 3.0 V6 had when it was newer; highways and hills were fun to drive back then. Guess all good things come to an end. Wonder what I'll get next?
30th Dec 2010, 19:46
Did you try replacing the plug wires? When my Sable was missing and lugging, it turned out to be bad plug wires. 40 bucks later, I was back on the road and getting great fuel mileage again.
16th Dec 2014, 07:12
I bought my 3.0 liter V6 1995 Mercury Sable LS with 163,000 miles for $400 in May of 2013. I've had it for over 18 months so far, and have put over 28,000 miles on it. During that time, I only needed to replace the muffler and exhaust pipe, and both rear struts. The car still runs very well, but the subframe has too much rust to reattach it securely to the frame. I'm currently driving a new rental until I can find another 3.0 liter '95 Sable LS with low miles, a super clean interior, and no rust on the undercarriage.
24th Dec 2009, 00:05
I've heard that the weak point with just about any Ford from the 1990s was the automatic transmission, but the only transmission problem we've had was with the first Taurus my parents had (a 1990) and it was slipping around 280,000 kilometers, so once it's 10 years old with that many kilometers on it, I think it's allowed to slip a little. (It got wrecked in 2000).
And to the second poster, I've got 16 months worth of fuel receipts and records that say I do get between 32 and 34 miles per gallon. It's a simple calculation to figure out your fuel mileage. If you're getting 22 miles per gallon, then something is wrong. I normally drive 10 kilometers under the speed limit where it's safe to help save fuel. I make sure my tire pressure is around 35 PSI. Properly inflated tires save fuel. I've also got a set of fairly new plugs in the engine. Keeping them clean and gaped properly helps maximize fuel mileage. Adjusting your driving style also helps improve fuel mileage. Jack rabbit starts are murder for your fuel mileage, as well as unnecessary braking. Also keeping your car free of heavy, useless junk can save you fuel. Probably the biggest killer of fuel mileage is town driving too. If you keep mainly to highways, your fuel mileage will improve.