Last Ford Taurus rolls off assembly line

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uberman

Golden Member
Sep 15, 2006
1,942
1
81
Good riddance. Ex bought one, funky front brakes, shook and had to be replaced often. Front wheel drive, eech! I replaced it with a Ford Crown Victoria, much better choice.
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,953
576
126
I owned a 1994 SHO 5-speed for a couple years. Very fun (but very buggy) car. The 1996 ~ 1999 redesign was a couple steps backwards, but the 2000-onward design changes were not at all bad.

I'll never figure out Ford's thinking on the Taurus. It was their NASCAR platform for crying out loud, but Ford seemed content to offer it only in commuter, rental, and senior citizen styling. Way too conservative and plain. The 2000 and later Taurus SE actually had a lot of potential if Ford had put together an upscale package with more aggressive exterior styling accents, a new 5-speed manual gearbox, and a decent handling package. Even the SHO was outwardly just an SE with better wheel treatment, unlike the early 90s SHO.

Many lost opportunities to capitalize from and re-invent the once-respected nameplate.
 

funboy6942

Lifer
Nov 13, 2001
15,368
418
126
I owned Taurus's before. All SHO models though. This was my last, and if done right can be fast,plus, look and sound (straight pipe from cat back) bad ass.

Unfortunatly for me though it was not a pratical car for me to keep.

Because thier trans was junk

And anything that breaks on a SHO model (got forbid a engine part) cost 10x as much as it would if it wasnt stamped, SHO.

SHO is the only way to go with a Taurus IMO but you need deep pockets with that car. The engine is made by Ford and Yamaha Racing and no matter what year you buy today, if the engine goes, to replcace it will cost 3x or more then what the car is really worth. Then ontop of that, the special trans just for that car (older ones are manual which is good but if you get the auto put that money aside too with engine money), then suspension, brakes, blah, blah, blah, hence why I bought it dirt cheap and fixed it up a bit and resold it right away to turn a profit and buy what I have now.

My 88 Pontiac Firebird. Which I am selling now not because I need the money, but, because of my health I cant drive anymore. Figure sell it and get me some toys for the house to keep me busy with something to to do for a bit. $2500 and anyone can have it :D
And no that is not rust behind the wheels, its just dirt. This car is rust free underneith as well as the body and has new paint too.
 

moshquerade

No Lifer
Nov 1, 2001
61,504
12
56
don't be hating on the Taurus. it had it's time and it's place and with a black bra stashed on the front of it it looked like an alright vehicle. :)
 

Sphexi

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2005
7,280
0
0
"It'll be OK," said John Rape, 35, of Zebulon, who worked for Ford's chassis department and motor line since January 1995.


That just struck me as weird, both his last name and the planet, I mean town, that he's from ;)