Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

lcoats

I don't want to sound stupid(which obviously I am), but I just bought a 2005 Sable LS and can not find the 6 disc cd changer. The owners manual says it's in the trunk or in the console, but I don't know where to look, and have never had a changer, so don't really know what I'm looking for. Can anyone tell me where it is???
e-mail response to lcoats@woh.rr.com

jasmith52

I just looked in my 2003 Mercury Sable brocure. For the 2003 model year the CD-changer was an option. It wasn't standard equipment for the 03's.

So it just may be that your car (an 05') does not have the CD changer option.

savetheland

It should be in drivers armrest. Open armrest and you will see black unit, it will have sliding door on top. Slide the door and push "Eject" button.

whitall

(I also posted this on the maintenance and repair board)

Looking seriously at a used 2001 SEL Taurus with 85000 miles. It is in decent shape, no dents, just a few dings and interior scrapes. Seems well maintained, though it clunks over some bumps. The owner says it is the sway bar (or did he say stabilizer) bushings. He says new brakes and tires less than 10,000 miles ago. Oil is clean. He is willing to have the bushings done, but I am afraid how that will interfere with negotiations. Will he think I would then pay full asking price? Couldn't tell how the a/c is, as it is abnormally cold here in the NOrtheast.

Do Tauruses have a reputation for bad a/c units (like dodge/chrysler)? How about Trannys? I can't have an inspection because his wife died, so he didn't renew the plates, and is reluctant to let it on the main roads where we could be stoppped. (I believe his story-he is rather old).

Edmunds price for average is 4400 and clean is 5300. He is asking 6500, which is dealer retail for clean. The kelly blue book ranges from 5400 for fair to 6245 for good to 6785 for excellent. THose numbers seem high. Thinking of offering 5,000 (is that insulting to him?) and settling around 5300. Don't know how the bushings will figure into that. Any advice on the reliabilty and price for this car? It seems high to spend to me for the mileage. This is for a 17 year old.

jaxs1

You need to have it checked out even if you have to tow it or have a mobile tech look at it at his house.

If that can't happen, just buy something else.

injunear

I hope you take heed of the advice offered by others. That car is overpriced. The old man may act need to sell it but if he truly needs to sell, he would price it realistically. Keep looking...the kid wants it NOW but it's your money.

exalteddragon1

I like the front allot, better than in the pictures, but the example I saw has overtly chromed rear lights, even more so than the fusion. Now, on the fusion they look nice, but the job they did on the 2008 is a bit much.

THe rest of the car look really good, BTW, but I hope this design does not turn off the people who would be most interested in this car.

What do you think?

fordenvy

This powertrain competes with the Toyota Avalon. This may be good product for Ford, we'll have to wait and see.
Taurus 263hp, 18city 28highway.
Avalon 268hp, 20city 28highway. You see the same highway mileage.
I definately would consider it, being its $4k less than Avalon.

jaxs1

Too bad the engine isn't as silky and smooth as the Avalon engine. There are bigger differences than just looking at a 5 hp difference and assuming they must be alike because horsepower is close.
It will also resell for more than $4K less, so no savings.

savetheland

How do you know that "isn't as silky and smooth as the Avalon engine"? Did you drive a new Taurus/Sable?

jaxs1

I driven another car with that engine. The Lincoln MKZ.
It had "enough" power, but did not sound super slick and refined like a Japanese Toyota/Lexus V6 or even a Nissan or Honda V6 that all sound smooth and luxurious even when revved hard.
I'm sure the lower priced Taurus will be likely seem even worse due to less sound insulation than a Lincoln.
A nice engine doesn't have to hide behind loads of sound insulation to mask crass engine noises.

fordenvy

Ford just passed Toyota in initial quality ratings, what do you think, Ford on the right track?

fordenvy

that 3.5L V6 made engine of the year.
I still think Toyota has the best cars on the road, but the gap is closing as Toyota quality goes down the American quality goes up. Toyota's quality started to go down because they're growing way too fast.

savetheland

How it compares to Duratec 3.0L soundwise?

savetheland

"I still think Toyota has the best cars on the road"

It depends what do you want from cars. Camry is certainly not the best car e.g. It is rather mediocre. It is not even good highway cruiser. The only thing good about it is sound isolation (and may be quiet engine). I personally do noy care for quiet engine, still prefer hearing engine and feeling the road.

geffen

I noticed some dealerships are selling used 07 Taurus SE's and SEL's, Were these only available as fleet cars? I like the styling of the 4th generation, Just wanted to get some thoughts on the 07's i'm thinking of purchasing one used, the dealership says they are certified used, I've seen pictures of the 08 models and they are the same as the Five Hundred model, to me they have a boxy look to them.

jaxs1

The 2006 and 2007s are so decontented now that you would be better off trying to find a cheaper and better equipped 2005 with 24V engine and extended warranty.

savetheland

I agree. I drove rental Taurus last year - it was decontented and plastic used inside was horrible.

geffen

Actually I can only find the 24V Duratec engines in the 2004's Ford didn't make the 2005's with the Duratec's.

geffen

I did find a loaded 07 Taurus SEL used yesterday, this model had leather interior, sunroof, woodgrain, seems the extras that the SE model doesn't have, they had it priced at $14k with $20,000 miles looks like it was a former rental unfortunately.

jaxs1

Even with leather seats and moonroof, the 2007s are so decontented that they lack basic features such as the tinted band at the top of the windshield.
Doesn't even the SEL have black plastic interior door release handles now? I think they also removed the cabin air filter the previous years had.
You would be better off buying an ex-rental directly from Hertz or Budget if yo must buy one at all. They keep the best ones to sell themselves and the rest get auctioned off and resold at car dealerships.
They also got rid of the optional 24 valve engine even though it had more power and didn't use any more fuel. They should have just made it standard and dropped the Vulcan instead.

geffen

What are the black plastic interior door release handles? Well some of these ex rentals are Ford Certified which I can only get by purchasing from a Ford dealership, I think i would rather take my chances and buy directly from a Ford dealer instead of a Hertz or Budget lot.

jaxs1

The release lever you use to open the doors from the inside used to be shiny chrome and are now cheaper-looking black plastic. I doubt if this change saved $5 per car, but makes it look much cheaper.

Hertz has their own program with money back guarantee, fixed prices and reasonably priced extended warranties that have better coverage than the the "Certified" program coverage you get from Ford. The Hertz fixed price plus extended warranty is still cheaper than the Ford Certified car with the standard Certified program coverage. All of the Hertz cars will have some of the original Ford factory warranty coverage remaining. Almost all have under 30K miles and a few might have under 20K miles.
Budget probably has similar program.
You will pay a price premium for the dealer certified car that the rental company dumped because it didn't meet some minimum standard of cars they wanted to sell on their own.

geffen

Would the Hertz extended warranty be honored at a Ford Dealership if repairs would need to be completed?
I'm debating on buying an ex rental i've heard horror stories about how some rental companies do not complete oil changes on time and other maint.

jaxs1

Yes, the Hertz warranty works at Ford dealerships with no problem. You just call Hertz before you take the car to the dealer and then show the dealer the Hertz warranty paperwork. They bill directly to Hertz. I have used it. The program I had gave you 5 additional years and 75,000 additional miles on top of whatever mileage the car has at on your purchase date. For instance if you buy one with 25,000 miles, you have coverage until 100,000 miles.
Plus, since the car is still under factory warranty, you still have the option to buy a Ford warranty from a Ford dealer if you really feel more comfortable with the Ford extended warranty.
Hertz also had a 30 day return policy on the car.

The cars at the dealer likely came from a rental company anyway since there are no private party new car sales of the 2006-2007 Taurus.
The cars from Hertz and Budget with problems such as missing service, higher mileage or other problems are auctioned off to dealers and they keeps the rest to sell themself.

The additional costs you should factor in is that the car will likely be due for 30K service within months of purchase at $400-500 if you have it done a Ford dealer and you will probably also need to replace the original tires and front brake pads in less than a year at that mileage.
After that, you should be home free for a long time.

geffen

Oh ok, So are all or most of the rental fleet cars purchased from Ford or leased from Ford? Then once they hit a certain mileage they get sent out to auction or sold on Hertz or Budgets lots?

jaxs1

Other rental companies besides Hertz and Budget also buy Tauruses plus some private companies and government agencies. They were sold as "fleet-only" the last few years (like the Chevy Malibu "Classic" and some other cars).
The dealer has to disclose it as "Prior Rental" or "Previous Daily Rental" when they sell if it came from a rent-a-car company. It is usually stamped on their window sticker.

If this is the car you want, I don't see any reason to buy a used Taurus at a used car lot at a Ford dealer rather than from Hertz car sales directly.
You will also save the aggravation of dealing with typical used car salespeople since buying from Hertz is more of a no-hassle CarMax/Saturn sales experience.

geffen

So theres really nothing different from a Fleet only car than a regular car other than being leased out to someone.

The Taurus SEL was very nice, The new 08 Taurus will look just like the Ford Five Hundred and I don't care for that boxy style look.

jaxs1

There is likely some minimum number of cars you have buy for fleet-only. Maybe if you wanted to buy 5 or 10 at a time, they would sell them to a private party. I don't know if they have any other requirements.
They are usually dated cars overdue for redesign and with more limited choice of options than the average car.
They sell to fleets rather than stopping production.
You should probably verify that the car you want has ABS if ABS wasn't a standard feature. They tend to skimp on options they think people won't notice right away.

geffen

I still think its to bad they killed off the old design of the Taurus.

I did notice some with ABS and some had the flex fuel engine which can use the E85 Ethanol which would be a savings.

kspencerjr

Good afternoon everyone,
I just wanted to say that although the current topic is the new Tauruses, I bit the bullet and bought a '97 - With the 3 liter V6 (VIN starts as 1FAL - Not sure of the engine is the Vulcan or the Duratech, but it's got some oomph), because of a rear end collision that totaled my car (1991 Caprice, with the 305). I must say, I love this car - Although I miss having a CD Player (I know I can get one from Crutchfield, with an adapter) - Is it better than Ebay, really? I hate having to use my tape adapter with my MP3 player, and it also eats batteries. I don't have any of the old service records, but almost everything looks factory - Meaning some surface rust on the block, etc - But there's one little problem that I've noticed over the last week.....I noticed the trans slipping (Well, slamming like it was in neutral then dropped into drive) whenever I tried to accelerate from a full stop, and when I opened the hood, I apparently had blown out a transmission line, which leads me to my main question - Is this an easy fix, or is it better to let a mechanic fix it? I'm not too worried, I only paid $1000 for the car (Well, the insurance company paid the $900, I covered tax and title) - And would it hurt the trans too much if I added more fluid to it to drive it to the mechanic I bought it from if I need to? I really love this car, and I don't want it to take a worse dive!

It should be noted that this GL has 191k on the odometer, and NO lights are on - But I'm not Ford savvy, so any help would be great!

Lastly, are there any recalls for this year, and would I even qualify if there were?

Sorry for dragging, I tend to ramble.

Thanks for your time!
Kenny

main_e_ax

How do I disable the dinging sound when i open my car door, while the keys are still in?

I am customizing some things on it and I'm sure i will be showing it off, and that noise drives me crazy.

barbbender

The middle belt in the back seat no longer retracts. What do you have to remove to get to it? Can it be fixed or is a new belt the only way to solve this?

barbbender

I bought my Taurus used from a dealership. The sales staff never told me where to find the code for my keyless entry. Does anyone know where in the car the code can be found?

mschmal

Is it Ford Certified?

The if it was a Certified car than the dealer should have hooked up the car up to the console during service and pulled the code.

The code is only stored on the car's computer so if they didn't pull it and are not willing to pull it after the sale for free than you may just be SOL or have to pay.

Mark

rmplayer

I purchased a 94 Taurus and am getting 120km to 30 liters.
The problem may be something like a carburator needle valve but I am new to fuel injection. I have read that the air pressure sensor or gas return valve may be the cause. what would you suggest? I am still unfamiliar with these terms but can do research if I know where to look.
Thanks :confuse:

mustanggt_95

I'm having the same exact issue as you and "greydragon" with the dashboard light on my 2002/2003 Taurus. Did you ever find out what was wrong and how to fix it?

mustanggt_95

I'm having the same exact issue as you with the dashboard light on my 2002/2003 Taurus and at the same time intervals. Did you ever find out what was wrong and how to fix it?

greydragon

No, I am still trying to figure it out. I am thinking about replacing the dash board cluster.

dukiedoug

Hey all I couldn't find a Mystique forum so I hope someone here might know something. I have a 1999 Mercury Mystique LS sedan with 214000 miles on it. Lately when the weather is cold and it sits outside for an extended period of time (like overnight or while im at work) it wont start. I have to crank it like 10 or 12 times before she will fire. It is definitely not the battery, I have had a friend listen to it while I was cranking it and we both agree the battery is fine. I took it to my mechanic but he could find nothing wrong, basically said they couldn't find out what was wrong unless I brought it to them when it would not start. Any ideas?

pod

I was reluctant to buy a mercury in 2000 but decided to go with the sable LS premium sedan. I have owned it for seven plus years now and can report that I am very pleased with the quality of the car and its reliability. There have been no major issues at all. It feels like it still has about 80-85% of the pep it had when new and there are no noises or squeaks (except the driver window seal whistle). I average about 23 mpg mostly city. For $20K it had all the features (keyless entry, automatic headlamps, etc) and they have all held up. Most remarkably I have not had to replace the exhaust pipes yet which pleases me. They must make them out of good quality stainless steel. My fords used to need tailpipes (everything below the catalytic converter) every four years or so. So I write to say I am pleased and have respect for the mercury engineers. Good job.

rogerb34

Purchased used from Lincoln dealer 22k miles $11.5k out the door. Its a retro 1967 Galaxie we sold when it was 21 years old. Similar color - Windveil Blue. We owned an 87 Sable GS until March 08. Gave it to my daughter in excellent condition. I can make a Ford run and that's why the 05 Sable for my wife. My ride is an 05 Accord EXL V6 coupe. The 05 Sable is about 75 percent engineering to the Honda. That's why Ford is in trouble.

cardude_2009

I have a 1999 Ford Taurus Wagon. To avoid a wreck I put the car into reverse from drive and accelerated hard. The tires squeaked and all of the sudden the car made a grinding noise. When I put it up it into any other gear it made the same noise. I can only put it in park or neutral. When I jacked it up onto stands and put it in drive it makes the grinding noise only when my foot is on the brake. When I release the brake the wheels spin. I was thinking the problem could be a broken halfshaft either on the left or right side, but I am not sure. If you are experienced and have any knowledge on this please post back.

maynardm

94 sable w/3.8 engine and 72000 original miles. transmission last serviced at 69000 miles with no problems. system flushed and new filter. the transmission seems to slip or is sluggish after getting up to temp and in overdrive. Problem not present when not using OD.

goldbond1

have a problem with a 1993 mercury sable 3.8 v6 rev up to 2000 rpm and car shts down even while driving otherwise runs great help please

spammers2hell

I noticed that whenever the temperature dips below freezing the overdrive
won't engage for the first 10-15 minutes of driving. I asked my dealer if I was having
the stuck solenoid problem mentioned on the maintenance & repair
discussion. They explained that the torque converter needs to be at a
certain temperature. This seems odd that the overdrive is actually the
locking of the torque converter. My old Regal had a separate overdrive
gear ratio from the lock up feature. This is rather annoying since I have
a short highway commute and it impacts my winter mileage.

2001 SEL Duratec 24V

patja

I heard a lound clunk only to find outthat the spring or strut in theleft front end had broken and that the left front tire was loose. There may be a problem with the ball joint and now, I guess I'm looking at a costly repair. Any comments on a loose stut or ball joint collapse?

pod

Almost ten years and 138,000+ miles and I must compliment the engineers at Mercury (Ford). No major problems and what is most remarkable is what I have not had to do:
1) no unexpected major repairs except fuel pump replacement in subzero weather with a low tank (I have since learned not to let it go low since the gas cools (or in this case warms) the pump. Probably my bad.
2) one brake job.
3) one serpentine belt
4) no bulbs replaced or electrical problems
5) original headlights and lamps
6) good power and pickup (about 85% of new performance).
7) still the original fuel filter (I am going to change it since I recently learned that change is recommended every 15K miles--gads am I lucky to get 140K?)
8) the original spark plugs.
9) I changed the transmission fluid and brake fluid once at about 100K.
10) The leatherette drivers seat and back window panel are creased, broken and falling off but that's easily covered or fixed.
11) one battery replacement.
12) new front stabilizer links and lower ball joints at 130K.
13) original exhaust system with no issues (remarkable).
14) original air conditioner charge and ice cold air delivery.
15) good fuel economy approx 20 city and 30 highway with cruise control at 65-70mph.
16) no complaints ergonomically or otherwise.

If you get the idea I strongly endorse the product and the engineering at Ford. I am very pleasantly surprised. I used to own a BMW and expensive repairs and replacements were the rule not the exception, even the drive shaft needed to be replaced, brakes every 25K, horrendously expensive.

savetheland

I have 127K miles on 2002 Mercury Sable and did not have any problems at all.

Fuel filter has to be changed every 30K miles. I did not change serpantine belt, brakes though. Changed battery once and tires also once (better change because stock tires suck).

Spark plugs must be changed at 100K and it is expensive. Do not forget to replace also wires.

weathergirl2

Did you ever find an answer to this? It's happening to me also and the tranny has been replaced.