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Are recent Ford Tauruses decent? Alternatives?

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If you get a Taurus, take a look at a SHO, though that my be out of your price range since it was just introduced this model year. my daughter has a '92 and it's fun to drive.
 
Stay away from the GM sedans from 2003 thru 2007 or so. They all had a piss poor steering column designs and you'll be paying for a fix probably not once, but twice or more on the darn things. Ask me how I know.

I'm a business traveller. I've spent a great deal of time in all sorts of rental cars. You get a pretty good idea of what models/makes hold up well, especially since the rental agencies are keeping the cars even longer now.

While I've had some pretty beat Taurus rentals, the vast majority of the Taurus rental cars and the Fords in general have been solid, well behaved cars...

Before we bought our 2005 Malibu, we were looking at a left over 2004 Taurus demo that I really wanted my wife to like over the new Malibu... She chose the Malibu.

Nissans were also pretty decent. Surprisingly the Toyota rentals while nice when new, were always the most screwed up by time they hit 30 to 40k... That speaks volumes to me.
 
Three years ago when my friend was visiting me, he rented Corolla but we returned it next day to get a Taurus. As the Corolla was too small and driving wise lagged a bit. The then new style Taurus looked and felt much bigger car and some of the models had AWD tag too. Driving wise it was powerful enough, steering wise was ok like a family sedan. I think these models had bigger or wider chassis then the older Taurus. The older ford taurus (and all other models that shared same engine) had problems with gasket. Before buying one I would suggest that you check maintenance forums to see what kind of recurring issues these have.

If looking for Chevy Malibu then consider only 2007 and newer models. I think american (ford/chevy) cars have gotten better. Chevy's had the Steering Column problems. Check if its resolved. Sometimes the steering just makes a clunk noise when turning but in general it operates fine. And if you go to the dealer they just replace it or repair it but the issue usually comes back. I don't know if this issue is still there in recent year models.

If still shopping around online then check my signature (extension there), and find much easier way to research the used cars.
 
WackyDan said:
Stay away from the GM sedans from 2003 thru 2007 or so. They all had a piss poor steering column designs and you'll be paying for a fix probably not once, but twice or more on the darn things. Ask me how I know.
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Forgot about that, fixed that too. Man I hated that car.
 
The 2006+ Sonata is definitely on the short list. Hopefully by the time we need it, it will have depreciated just a little more because for now they're still going for $9k or so. Of course we'll be saving money in the meantime so maybe we can get a down payment put together and not have to take a much larger loan.

Subarus are not bad but I'm afraid of head gasket problems. I think they fixed them in 2005, but Subarus seem to hold their values about as well as Hondas and Toyotas.
 
atreader said:
The older ford taurus (and all other models that shared same engine) had problems with gasket. Before buying one I would suggest that you check maintenance forums to see what kind of recurring issues these have.
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Head gasket failure was notorious with Ford's 3.8L V6 in the mid 90's, that engine was mostly in Gen II Taurus (1992-1995), and Windstars (I heard it was even worse with Windstar since the engine had to work a little harder to lug that bulk around). I had a blown one myself in a '92 Sable, woot.

Shouldn't be an issue with the Gen 4 (2000-2007) that OP is most likely looking at. I've driven a 2001 Taurus for the last 6 years. The 3.0L Vulcan is fairly bulletproof--and boring. Can't speak for the 3.0L Duratec DOHC engine.

But definitely do some google searching to find the particular quirks with the model and year you're looking at.
 
SludgeFactory said:
Head gasket failure was notorious with Ford's 3.8L V6 in the mid 90's, that engine was mostly in Gen II Taurus (1992-1995), and Windstars (I heard it was even worse with Windstar since the engine had to work a little harder to lug that bulk around). I had a blown one myself in a '92 Sable, woot. .
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One of my first cars was a '92 Taurus with a 3.8L V6...had a head gasket blow as well.
 
PricklyPete said:
One of my first cars was a '92 Taurus with a 3.8L V6...had a head gasket blow as well.
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Mine let go going up an exit ramp in Atlanta GA, I made it another quarter mile to my motel with all the kids in the parking lot staring and pointing at the increasingly massive cloud of white smoke pouring out of the tailpipe. I laugh about that scene now, but it was not funny at the time.

That engine felt quite a bit stronger than the Vulcan of that era, much torquier.
 
SludgeFactory said:
Mine let go going up an exit ramp in Atlanta GA, I made it another quarter mile to my motel with all the kids in the parking lot staring and pointing at the increasingly massive cloud of white smoke pouring out of the tailpipe. I laugh about that scene now, but it was not funny at the time.

That engine felt quite a bit stronger than the Vulcan of that era, much torquier.
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It did have some decent torque and never felt underpowered...but I absolutely LOATHED the automatic transmission it was attached to.

OP, I really think you're best option is a late model Ford Fusion or Hyundai Sonata (in that order). I remember seeing some earlier Ford Fusions with ~70K miles for $7500...should be in your range by the time you need the car. I think these were as new as 2007. The I4 Fusion is very reliable by most accounts and should drive reasonably well for the segment.
 
Pulsar said:
The new body style Taurus's are excellent cars. The new 'Taurus' wasn't even really that new - all of it's underpinnings were based on the Ford 500, but they killed the name and made the updates to bring back the Taurus name. That means the standard "don't buy the first model year" doesn't really apply here.

You'll get a double benefit too - you're going to get reliability because it's a Ford, but you're going to get more value than you would out of most Japanese cars because so many people are still buying into the 5 year old paradigm that they're better: the Japanese cars still have substantially higher purchase prices than a comparable domestic.

You can take a look at the Wards or Edmunds data - the new style Taurus scores very well in almost every category, and IS the safest sedan in that class on the road.
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Its not a 5 year old paradigm, they ARE better. A domestic car driven by your average joe starts falling by the wayside at 125k - 150k TOPS. I know any car can last 200k if properly driven and maintained, im talking about the average joe, the dude that does oil changes when he remembers, and just wants the car to go. 200k+ under the same circumstances for yotas and hondas is the norm. I knew a guy with a 1989 Camry, he never flushed the tranny, never flushed the coolant, never did anything but oil changes, and it got 230,000 miles before he SOLD it, STILL RUNNING to someone else. THAT speaks VOLUMES to ME. Myself, i have a 1999 Camry with 205,000 miles and counting, im looking at about $750 in stuff that it needs (rear brakes, front struts and sway bar links), I like to think i do a little better maintenance then the average joe and the car is still extremely solid and i plan on having it WELL past 250,000 - 275,000 miles before it goes. My hope is 300,000, and it's not that much of a long shot. On a domestic (again save the few that HAVE been maintained meticulously), its not even a possibility.

Trust me, its not a common belief because of smoke and mirrors. The cars just last for fucking ever. Buy a 99 or 2000 camry with low miles... say LESS than 125k and you'll have it for the better part of a decade relatively trouble free.

*waits for snooty domestic fanboy reply pointing out a couple anomalies to try and prove domestics can hold a candle to jap vehicle longevity*
 
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cheesehead said:
Having recently been in your shoes, I would look at the following:

1. Subaru Legacy/Outback/Forrester. Actual Subaru sedans are quite rare, but their various mid-size wagons are all fantastically reliable and very possibly the best cars for ice and snow money can buy. $7k will get you a fairly recent ('04-ish) wagon with no frills and reasonable miles, and considering the frequency with which these cars break 250,000 miles, that shouldn't be an issue.

A caveat: Prices on these vary by state a great deal - around here, they're prohibitively high.

2. Hyundai Sonata - though only the last generation model (approximately 2005-2009.) These cars are fantastically cheap, and if you don't mind the fact that it's not the highest quality car in the world, they're very good value. They're also reasonably reliable - the V6 version in particular scored quite well in Consumer Reports.





Agreed. My family has been purchasing used vehicles based on CR owner data for years - it's generally pretty good stuff.
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I second the Sonata I have an 07 SE and I love it. 28mpg on the hwy and 234+ hp V6 it scoots for a family sedan I paid $9k for mine. I'm sure you can get a 4cyl GLS for your budget. No problems with it so far and the fit and finish is a huge jump from the Ol' Xterra I had for 6 yrs. Brakes are pretty cheap I got a pair of raybestos ceramics off of amazon for like $18 a while back.
 
Paper get your head out of your . . . Who is the one pulling out the anecdotes first?
I had a 94 Corsica, hardly meticulously maintained that had 250k miles on it last time I saw it and still rolling. It had WAY less money put into it than my brothers 93 Integra

You're still living in 99 if you don't know all car brands today compete well with each other save some older Chev and Dodge models on the way out
"waits for snooty domestic fanboy "
Sorry not a fanboi just a realist. . . I've owned Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Chev, Dodge, and Ford, the Toyota worst by far BTW however that wouldn't stop me from considering another
 
Crown vic maybe worth looking at if you want a BIG car... built like lanks and generally under 5K and well maintained.
 
BurnItDwn said:
Crown vic maybe worth looking at if you want a BIG car... built like lanks and generally under 5K and well maintained.
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One of the first I suggested. She adamantly refuses to drive one. Says she's not an old man or a drug dealer.

There have been a lot of possibilities I've suggested where she doesn't seem particularly excited about it, but that one was an unequivocal no.

The mistake was test driving a GS300 a couple weeks ago. She loves that car... well, she loves how it looks. Which is apparently the only important thing in her mind.
 
AstroManLuca said:
LOL, I know. The best I can do is say "get any car you want" and let her bump up against the price problem on her own. So she doesn't blame me for X or Y car costing more than we can afford.
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Yup. For the next car my wife purchases, its hands off from my perspective. I'll give her some ideas, but I'm not going to push her in any direction. She will actually want to spend less than me, so I don't have that issue...but our taste in cars will differ wildly. I'll only maintain a veto option if the car is a horrible choice (read: Suzuki Verona or something like that).
 
desy said:
Paper get your head out of your . . . Who is the one pulling out the anecdotes first?
I had a 94 Corsica, hardly meticulously maintained that had 250k miles on it last time I saw it and still rolling. It had WAY less money put into it than my brothers 93 Integra

You're still living in 99 if you don't know all car brands today compete well with each other save some older Chev and Dodge models on the way out
"waits for snooty domestic fanboy "
Sorry not a fanboi just a realist. . . I've owned Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Chev, Dodge, and Ford, the Toyota worst by far BTW however that wouldn't stop me from considering another
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Heads not anywhere but in the here and now, ive owned 3 cars, one domestic and it fell apart, also its not just based on those three cars, i wouldnt ever base such a strong opinion on just my personal small slice of the pie, my entire FAMILY has owned many domestics and toyotas/hondas, every SINGLE domestic we bought, GMC, Chevy, Ford, didnt matter, all of them were money pits. My father drives Tacomas exclusively now, never has a bit of trouble with them, my mother drives Honda religiously (im not a huge fan but she also has very little issues with her cars), my brother, being the redneck he is drives a GMC pickup, every friggin month i gotta listen to another sob story about how hes gotta take it to the dealer for this or that. and thats a 2008 (tells me its not just older cars that were bad/good/whatever). I'm just going off of real life experience here. I will never buy domestic.

Of course, you are going to get a million people with different life experiences that will turn them away from one brand or another, i'm just saying what i know to be fact. Late 90's early 2000's model camry with approx 100,000 miles will do him good for near a decade and should only run him around $5k. You can't beat that.
 
Paperlantern said:
Heads not anywhere but in the here and now, ive owned 3 cars, one domestic and it fell apart, also its not just based on those three cars, i wouldnt ever base such a strong opinion on just my personal small slice of the pie, my entire FAMILY has owned many domestics and toyotas/hondas, every SINGLE domestic we bought, GMC, Chevy, Ford, didnt matter, all of them were money pits. My father drives Tacomas exclusively now, never has a bit of trouble with them, my mother drives Honda religiously (im not a huge fan but she also has very little issues with her cars), my brother, being the redneck he is drives a GMC pickup, every friggin month i gotta listen to another sob story about how hes gotta take it to the dealer for this or that. and thats a 2008 (tells me its not just older cars that were bad/good/whatever). I'm just going off of real life experience here. I will never buy domestic.

Of course, you are going to get a million people with different life experiences that will turn them away from one brand or another, i'm just saying what i know to be fact. Late 90's early 2000's model camry with approx 100,000 miles will do him good for near a decade and should only run him around $5k. You can't beat that.
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Thank you for your anecdotal evidence. The statistics, however, prove you very very wrong. I'll take statistics from Edmunds, Wards, and even Motortrend before listening to someone talk about their own experiences on an intarweb message board.

Funnily enough, the used car market (auctioneers at wholesale auctions where used cars are sold) agree regarding the Taurus being better.

“The 2009 Taurus was selling at a significant discount compared with the 2009 Toyota Avalon,” Peng said. “Now the 2010 Ford Taurus is commanding a $2,500 premium over the 2010 Toyota Avalon.”
And Taurus ranks highest in its segment for initial quality, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Initial Quality Study (IQS).

In the first half of 2010, Taurus retail sales were up 154 percent over the first half of 2009 while incentives were reduced by more than $1,600 per unit, noting that third-party sources have recognized the vehicle’s best-in-class levels of customer satisfaction and quality.

In the latest survey, Ford Motor Company is #1 in quality over any other full-brand-line up manufacturer.
 
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vi edit said:
Do you live in any place with steep hills/mountains? If so then avoid the Taurus. I swear it has two gears...high and low. That transmission couldn't find the right gear to save it's live trying to climb mountains between Phoenix and Flagstaff.

I'd go for something with the GM 38000....Impala LS or Pontiac Grand Prix GT. You can also find some 2006 or so Malibus in that range. Comfortable cars that deliver great milage with the 3.5L V6. Good people space too. Other than some quirks with the steering the Malibus are pretty reliable.
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never had good luck with GM and Ford auto transmissions either.
 
Pulsar said:
Thank you for your anecdotal evidence. The statistics, however, prove you very very wrong. I'll take statistics from Edmunds, Wards, and even Motortrend before listening to someone talk about their own experiences on an intarweb message board.

Funnily enough, the used car market (auctioneers at wholesale auctions where used cars are sold) agree regarding the Taurus being better.

“The 2009 Taurus was selling at a significant discount compared with the 2009 Toyota Avalon,” Peng said. “Now the 2010 Ford Taurus is commanding a $2,500 premium over the 2010 Toyota Avalon.”
And Taurus ranks highest in its segment for initial quality, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Initial Quality Study (IQS).

In the first half of 2010, Taurus retail sales were up 154 percent over the first half of 2009 while incentives were reduced by more than $1,600 per unit, noting that third-party sources have recognized the vehicle’s best-in-class levels of customer satisfaction and quality.

In the latest survey, Ford Motor Company is #1 in quality over any other full-brand-line up manufacturer.
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cool. I'm still buying Toyota or Honda.
 
I think Toyota, Honda and Nissan capitalized on the quality of their cars in models ranging from 80s to early 90s. From 2000 there reliability ratings has gone down and doesn't justify their high price. When you factor in the price part with reliability the american and Japanese models seems close.

When buying check what are the main maintenance issues (are they recurring) and how much it costs to fix them. If the car is cheap and the price to maintenance issue is cheap then go for it.
 
AttnWetFloor said:
Just get your wife a car with a lot of buttons all over the place. It'll feel like a luxury brand...at least on the inside.
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OMG.

We were both reading this and burst out laughing because every single car we look at, she wants to see the front end ("is it ugly?"), the seats ("does it have leather?"), and the steering wheel and dashboard ("does it have lots of buttons!?").

Seriously, it's like you read her mind.

My list is really long. Let's see...

Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego
Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan
Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable
Honda Accord
Hyundai Sonata/Kia Optima (2006+)
Mazda 6
Nissan Altima V6
Nissan Maxima (2003)
Saturn Aura (maybe a bit too new yet)
Subaru Legacy (2005+)
Toyota Camry
 
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