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In some respects, the SEL felt a lot more solid then the Passat (and more powerful) even though fit and finish were not really up to par with the passat. I have located two '01 Black SEL's with between 32000 and 36000 miles on it. They are both Quality Check Certified (what does that mean anyway?). One they are asking $10,600 and the other is asking $11,900. What is a fair price to offer at both dealers for these vehicles (I am in the philly area)?
I hav heard that the Duratec Engine is basically Rock solid for many people, is that true? Also, does anyone have any opinions on the Mach Sound system?
Finally, this car will be a Third car for us, so for a car like this i'd really rather not spend more then $12k.
Thanks for your help.
AS
For your milage, has it been always like that. If recently started, then check your TB and air filter. I would look into TB first clean it with TB cleaner.
For your rpm issue, you might want to look at IAC module (idle air control) right above TBody. It has tendecy to gunk up by carbon deposits and cause irractic idle.
One Taurus enthusiastic in different forum (I can't name the forum here, Edmund's doesn't like competition) found the solution for this.
I just performed it on my car, very easy and cheap.
You need either WD40 or Silicone grease (the one to lubricate caliper slider pins). Follow the steering column and you see it goes into firewall right above the gas pedal. The connected area is covered by rubber boot. Apply WD40 or silicone grease into rubber boot as much as you can, area is very tight and you might use q-tips or screwdriver to smear the grease. While you do it, turn the engine on and start turning the steering, this way grease goes into deep.
You need to play with the steering like 20 minutes to allow grease reach deeper.
As far as the fuel economy and high idle, I would suspect they're related. It could be an IAC motor, also could be an intake gasket leak. I say gasket leak because that is a problem that will manifest istelf when cold as you mentioned, once the car warms up, the engine parts expand and the gasket seals. But only a mechanic will tell you for sure; you'll need to take it to a dealer or a trusted shop familiar with late-model engine controls. First order of business will be to check for any stored intermittent engine codes, then test drive and see if he can determine the source of your high-idle problem. Whatever you do, don't throw parts at it. Good luck.
Thanks,
AS
Thanks,
AS
I would speak to the manager and negotiate or renegotiate the price of the car with the warranty built in -but discounted. If you really set your sights on this car and the dealer wants to get rid of it then there is room for renegotiation. If you have a copy of the agreement (that's probably what it is and not a binding contract) you may want to go over again.
I've seen adds from dealers selling pre-owned Tauri and giving some extended warranties. I have a warranty from my insurance company which it was offered to me immediately after I purchased my car back in 2000. It has a $250 deductible. How many miles does the car in question have? How much are you willing to pay for the warranty? Would you be happy paying $750, $600$. The dealer may give you a break and knock off only a hundred bucks. You need to be prepared when you go back to the dealership.
If you don't get anywhere with the dealer, call your insurer and find out. That's the best I can tell you. Good luck and let us know.
I will see what I can do. Its not the worst thing in the world because the dealer knocked almost $2k off the price of the car, and threw in the 35k service, a spoiler, and they are taking care of a couple scratches.
Either way, I am thrilled with the deal I got, regardless of whether or not I can negotiate the price down.
I am picking up the car tomorrow afternoon, and the will have to take it back next week to have the spoiler installed.
Thanks for all the help, and I will give you my impressions when I pick the car up.
AS
I would be more concerned that the dealer did the 30K miles transmission fluid change than any warranty you might buy. Make sure they did that, and if they did not, have them do it. A 35K service is likely just one oil change, which is an insignificant expense anyways.
The reason why I am considering the PremiumCare Warranty, is because the deductible is lower.
Thanks,
AS
Even at $500 the cost of the additional warranty is a waste.
The PremiumCare warranty seems kind of high especially when you're already covered. I agree with badgerfan.
So you have only one thing left to take care of: Enjoy the car!
My reasonsing besides just downing the deductible, was also that it covers the SRS module in the car, which I have had go bad before in Volvo's and other such thing, and that would have been a $2k expense had it not been covered under warranty.
I'll decide before I go to the dealer. Thanks for the help.
AS
After I accelerate, I feel and hear a jolt. The first times I felt it, I thought one of the front tires had hit a rock or other object in the road.
It doesn't happen at every intersection. Only at certain locations. The only thing I noticed in common with these locations is that they are on an incline. I haven't noticed the problem on level ground, so I wonder if the dealer will be able to duplicate the problem if I have them check it out.
What causes this? Is it a design flaw in all Tauruses, or a defect in this car that needs to be fixed under warranty?
And @ what RPM your car idles? MIne is around 600-700 and my milage is 21.4 in city. You should be getting 18-19 in city with Duratec.
On the bright side, without the warranty it would cost you much more.
Haven't tested my in-city mileage in a while but I was getting about 18-20 depending on if the A/C was on. This was about 2-3 years ago. Since I drive so little it's not a concern of mine.
Well good luck on your decisions on extended warranties.
Is the original cost of the warranty, plus your $533.50 out of pocket cost much less than you could have got a used transmission installed for without an extended warranty?
Has anyone has this fixed? I read there was a TSB on some sort of vapor valve near the fuel tank, but no details given. Let me know.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this problem? My Taurus has 110,000 miles on it and has generally performed very well. For the 3 years of it's life I mainly kept it on the highway, the last year has been local roads. I have routine maintenance performed as recommended.
If it's going to require a full trans. replacement does anyone know what that costs from an independent shop? I have no idea but I'm guessing $2k? My Taurus is paid for. If it would require a full trans. replacement I wonder if I'm not better off just trading it in now (it runs fine until you get to 50-60, then you notice the lack of overdrive; i.e. the dealership wouldn't notice most likely). Or should I repair the trans. and drive it into the ground?
Thanks,
Rob
Just because a transmission acts up doesn't necessarily mean it is shot, especially now that electronics and electromechanical actuators are controlling your transmission. Rash decisions may mean more expense, and remember, it is almost always less expensive to repair a car than buy new.
Go Baders!
- Rob
Let us know how your transmission issues are resolved.
** First off, I apologize in advance for posting this message accross two forums, but I promise that this will be my first and LAST double-posted message.. I just need as much input as possible! :-) **
I am new to this forum and wanted to post a message to you all for your feedback concerning the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable.
I purchased a fully loaded 2004 Ford Taurus SEL (with TCS, Mach, Home Link, etc.) back in January primarily to use as a work commuter vehicle. I chose the Merlot exterior with the two-tone parchment leather interior. My other vehicle is a 2003 GMC Envoy XL V-8, so the Taurus helps me save on fuel costs as well. I really like the Taurus because it's very roomy, has a nice look and seems to be ranked fairly high in terms of occupant safety. I looked at some other major competitors to the Taurus, but decided on the Ford based on the incentives and rebates that were available.
As with the good things, come the bad things. There are several items on my Taurus that kind of bother me, but not the the point where it deteriorates my ownership experience.
#1: Sound insulation? I honestly think that either my vehicle left the factory without any sound insulation materials at all OR this is just the nature of the beast? I specifically notice a lot of road noise, especially from the back seat area of the vehicle? It's not that quiet at all. I can really tell the difference when I drive my Envoy as compared to the Taurus, because the Ford is considerably noisier. On my first day of ownership, I checked the windows and sunroof several times because I swore that something had to be open for the vehicle to have that much wind noise? Could a lot of the noise stem from the Continental brand tires? If so, I will yank them and put on something else.
#2: Sunroof? I think that my sunroof may need adjusting due to the tremendous amount of wind noise that emanates from it while it's closed? Once on the freeway running approximately 80 mph, a cross-wind struck and it felt as if it were gonna rip off the sunroof? I felt (and heard) a big gush of wind come through it? Even when I go through the touchless car washes, the dryer cycle really gets the best of me. I am usually guaranteed to get WET everytime I go through the dryer cycle. I am guessing that the dryer creates enough force to push water from the seals into the vehicle and make it sound as if it's gonna rip off the sunroof? This alarms me because my predecessors did not do this (2002 Chevy Impala LS, 2002 Grand AM GT1, etc.). I thought about purchasing a sunroof deflector in hopes of cutting down on the wind noise. Would anyone suggest a particular brand/style?
#3: Duratec V-6? While this is a very strong engine for the Taurus, I have a wierd vibration that comes from my engine while on the freeway and accelerating? Does anyone else experience this? I can depress the accelerator 1/4 way down to pass a vehicle and I can feel this vibration either from the engine or tires.. but I am assuming it's the engine due to the fact that the vibration quits once I let off of the accelerator. Maybe this is just the nature of the engine, but I just did not think that it was that smooth? I can cruise along the freeway at 80 mph and the ride is as smooth as ever, once again allowing me to rule out any possibility of the tires. The vibration only occurs when I am accelerating. Additionally, I changed the engine oil over to Synthetic at 1K and the vibration seemed to diminish for a few days, now it's back again.
I have approximately 1500 miles on the odometer to date and have plans on possibly addressing these concerns during my first 5k scheduled maintenance appointment. Otherwise, I think that the Taurus is a wonderful vehicle, just wish that it was a little quieter? Oh.. last but not least, I purchased the Ford remote start for the vehicle and it works like a dream! The vehicle is nice and toasty every morning!
Any feedback that you all could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
IExplore20
Good luck.
Replacing the factory tires with more of the same is a mistake. There are plenty of tires that are noticably quieter, last longer and provide better traction than the stock tires.
I am contemplating replacing tires, even though I see no dry rot on the OEM's and there is a lot of tread left. Also maybe getting hoses and belts inspected and maybe replaced before turning it over to my son.
Anything else all you Edmund's "experts" think needs doing/checking? No "off the wall" recommendations like changing brake fluid or power steering fluid, as I am of the opinion these types of non-manufacturer recommended items are not necessary.
http://www.troublecodes.net/articles/brkfld.shtml
P.S. Why d'ya think EVERY container of glycol brake fluid contains the warning "Keep tightly sealed to prevent moisture contamination", or words to that effect?
My guess is that the moisture absorbed by brake fluid is in most cases not an issue, unless you live in very humid southern states.
Having said that, there's an easy way to settle the argument that should satisfy both sides. Look at the fluid reservoir. If it is not crystal clear like cooking oil, and has some darkening in evidence, change it right away.
As for coolant, it has a life of only a couple of years, that's pretty certain, but again if you want to be prudent but not reckless, take out a sample and judge its purity. Old coolant looks OLD.
And you're right, any "age-related" item like belts hoses and tires need a very close look.
I'd also give it a good long HARD run before turning it over to a young driver.
As far as coolant, Grandma had it changed at least every three years, so should be no problem there. I even talked her out of changing it this year, as she had done it two years and maybe 2000 miles ago.
AC works, at least it did last summer. Anyone know if 1992's still had the old Freon?
OK, I will at least look at the brake fluid. Doubt if I will bleed/flush it. Maybe replace what is in the master cylinder reservoir so it slowly mixes in with the fluid in the lines. This should help dilute any excess moisture. Brakes stop straight, smooth, and true.
Thank goodness it is not a Porsche. I wouldn't want the maintenance or insurance costs. Can't imagine what the car insurance for a Porsche with a 21 year old male driver would be!
Actually Porsches are not high maintenance if you tend to them regularly. They just don't tolerate neglect---otherwise, they are a tough car. American and Japanese cars seem to tolerate neglect more easily.
I see I made an error in my last post also, as my previous Taurus was a 1990, while my current one is a 2000.
We figure on paying Grandma about $2k for the car, based on approximate Edmunds and KBB private sale value.
"Porsches are not high maintenance if you tend to them regularly"? Sounds pretty much like two terms for the same thing. Myabe you are defining "tending to" as planned maintenance while "high maintenance" is breakdowns?
Anyhow, Porsche will never be in our driveway unless I have a rich relative visit that I don't know about!