Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Wagons

livy1 · August 2001

Thanks for the input. Don't know when we'll change vehicles, but it's good to hear other's opinions.

danielj6 · September 2001

AMERICA:
Love her or leave her!!!
Good bless the U.S.!!!
I am happy to be living in New York City
and glad to own an American car.

danielj6 · September 2001

My Mercury Sable station wagon is proudly showing an American Flag. People do not forget wherever you are in America to display the Flag!

For those who died, for those who search, for those who fight, we shall overcome the viscious attack that so many of us witnessed Tuesday, Sep 11.

58vw · October 2001

Considering buying Taurus/Sable wagon, noted the concerns about maintenance with interest. Consumers Reports finds the 98 and later to be reliable, including transmissions. Experience?

mrl11777 · October 2001

I had a 92 Taurus wagon for 140k miles, and now own a 98 T sedan (40k) and a 2000 T wagon (29k). All have been trouble free. I use synthetic oil, change it every 6k, replace the trans fluid every 30k, and rotate the tires. These cars have been very reliable, they are comfortable, and they were well built. I would recommend the Taurus.

tjf2000 · October 2001

I have a Sable wagon with 41k miles on it. No problems at all. I change my oil using Mobil 1 (synthetic), rotate my tires every 5k and change trans. fluid every 25k... as I said before no problems at all.

danielj6 · October 2001

I've gotten my station wagon 18 months ago and so
far knock on wood, no problems. When I park it
lurches forward a bit after I shut off the engine.

Other than that I have very good pickup, passing
power, and room inside. Gas mileage is 20 MPG
city/highway.

I forgot to add that the steering wheel vibrates a bit whenever
I come to a stop. Don't know if this is a problem though.

tjf2000 · October 2001

If the shaking is side to side when the brakes are applied it is usually a sign that the front brake rotors have warped a bit. It's not dangerous, just annoying. I had mined machined at 35k, and it solved everything.

mich2001 · November 2001

Hey Guys!I have Taurus'99
When I push my brake pedal on 55-65 miles/per hour,I feel some pulsation on my brake pedal.
My car still have 22k miles.Are my rotors already
not good?I still have some 36K bumper-to-bumper
warranty.Will the dealer replace my rotors under warranty coverage or not?
Does somebody else have same problem?

tjf2000 · November 2001

You can try and have your dealer get them fixed under warranty, but in most cases you will have to pay the tab. Mileage really does not matter with these rotors, one or two hard stops, or slowing quickly for an off ramp can cause them to have problems.

Good Luck

revka · November 2001

You may also want to check with Edmunds' Maintenance Guide to see if there are any TSB's (technical service bulletins) on your 99 Ford Taurus... regarding the brakes. Hope this is helpful. Please keep us posted.

Revka
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torodave · November 2001

Improperly tightened wheel lug nuts can cause warped rotors. Most places just use air guns, which aren't too accurate. To be sure to get proper torque settings, you need to find someone who'll tighten them by hand using a torque wrench. Mfg's are making rotors lighter these days to save unsprung weight, and an unfortunate byproduct of savings for Mfg. is that customers pay down the road.

fuji_hi_ltd · November 2001

HELP HELP HELP!!! I have a nice 1990 Taurus LX, with the optional instaclear heated windshield, however there is one problem, my windshield has a crack in it now, and Ford says been out of production for 7 years, replace it with a regular taurus windshield. I have also been to many many many junkyards in the area, to no avail, only have seen one of these windshields, and it was smashed to bits. I was also told this incorrect information by someone at a salvage yard, that this windshield was recalled due to fire hazard. However I checked with the Ford customer care center at 1800241ford and they say exactly what 2 dealers told me, to have the windshield wires for the instaclear unhooked, and get a regular windshiled installed. My delemma is this, when this thing was working it was great!! I dont want to loose an option I paid good money for. My taurus has been very good, and have only had to replace tranny one time. Just turned over 100k. DOES ANYONE OUT THERE KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND A USED INSTACLEAR WINDSHIELD FOR A TAURUS SEDAN??? HELP HELP HELP!!

revka · November 2001

I'd like to suggest that you also post (copy/paste) your message in this Maintenance & Repair discussion: Taurus' repair and maintenance. Good luck, and please keep us posted on your situation.

Revka
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torodave · December 2001

Looking for advice/opinions/reviews of the Vulcan engine vs. the Duratec. Want to buy an '02 wagon, but don't know whether to spend the extra dough for the Duratec. Had a Vulcan in an '89 sedan and it was a fine motor. Anybody?

mrl11777 · December 2001

I have 2 Tauruii, one with each motor. My 00 wagon has the Vulcan. It is perfectly adequate, fast enough, comfortable, and the motor has enough get up and go to move the metal around with a full load (including canoes on the roof) and the AC on without any problem.

If you want balls, though, get the Duratec. My 98 sedan has it, and the acceleration is great. I burn thru more gas with that one because it is fun to put my foot down.

There you have it.

mrl11777 · December 2001

You also asked about maintanence issues. Both cars have over 30k miles on them. They do not burn any oil (I use Mobil 1 and change it every 6k). The cars were screwed together nice and tight, so nothing squeaks or rattles (that stuff drives me nuts). I had a 92 Vulcan wagon that I retired at 150k, and it ran fine without any major overhauls.

I think the Taurus is a very good car. Since it is a big fleet car, there are many one-year-old ones on the market, and, like me, you can pick one up with under 15k on it for about $6000 or so less than new. It really does not make sense to buy a new one.

torodave · December 2001

THat's the kind of info. I'm looking for. I'm not looking to drag race the wagon (I've got an old Vette for that), but want something to haul 3 kids and all our stuff to the cottage, etc. I do spend a lot of time on the highway, but as long as merging and passing power on a 2-lane is adequate, that's all I need. And up here, the Duratec is a $1,500 option (plus 15% tax). I thought of buying 1 year old (Hewlett Packard dumps a lot of Tauri up here) but the '02 has the 5 year warranty, free power moon roof, and 0% financing now. And I can get about $2,000 off the list price of $28,700 for an SEL. Always been suspicious of fleet/rental cars too.

mrl11777 · December 2001

27 grand for a Taurus wagon!! I purchased my 00 wagon in March 01. SE wagon, loaded, leather, but no moonroof (which I would not want because it cuts out too much headroom -- I am 6'3"). 15k on the odo. Paid $16,000 for it, and did not even negotiate hard. Came with balance of 3 yr/36k warranty, and, after I bought it, Ford started advertising Blue Oval Certified cars, which come with 6 yr/75 k warranties (with a deductible). I asked the dealer about it, and they added my car to the plan.
I cannot see how buying a new one makes any sense (of course, if people did not buy them new and turn 'em in, there would be nothing for me out there!). I always pay cash, and $11k plus tax buys alot of repairs down the road. Or, one could also look at a new one as having a full, no-deductible extended warranty -- for a premium of $11,000.

anydaynow · December 2001

I am considering a used ('98 or newer) Taurus/Sable Wagon to replace my '91 Lumina with 150k. I have to small children (ages 1& 3) who are usually hauled around in my wife's minivan. I am wondering if anyone can tell me if the backdoor with its sloping window/roofline makes it very difficult to get young children out of their car seats. Also, I do not enjoy rattles and squeaks in the car as the years pass. Can anyone tell me how tightly screwed together are these wagons once a few years are under their belts?

mrl11777 · December 2001

Check out my previous posts on this topic. My Taurii have been screwed together tightly, and the access to the back seat of the newer ones is fine.

torodave · December 2001

Don't forget, I'm talking Canadian dollars here! I looked at a used one, '01, 14K on it, and the price was $23,000, and financing was at 8.3%. Used cars are expensive up here! With 3 kids (and a greedy ex-wife), I don't have the cash, so 0% is very attractive, and the new ones now have 5 yr. warranty. So the difference in price is moot with the savings on financing, I get a lot more warranty (enough to last the 5 years I'll probably own it) and I get to pick my colour! Wow! If it weren't for free financing, or if I had the cash, you're right, buying used is the way to go. Hey, if you think that price is shocking, list price on a new loaded Grand Marquis, with taxes is about $50K. They might discount it 2-3 grand, but that's still a lot of dough!

robsmith · December 2001

I'm debating between a mini-van and a Taurus/Sable wagon.

I have 4 kids 16, 5, 2, 5 mos. How comfortable is the 3rd seat for possibly a 2 and 5 yr old?

What are some of the pros and cons of either vehicle?

I'm considering mini-vans from the $24K to $30K.(Honda, GM, Kia)

Thanks.

revka · December 2001

In addition to this discussion, you may also want to check out our Station Wagon vs. Mini-van discussion. Use your copy/paste so you don't have to re-write your message. Good luck with your decision. ;-)

Revka
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robsmith · December 2001

danielj6 · December 2001

Robsmith I didn't see your post at the Station Wagon vs Minivan thread so I'll answer you here.

If I had small children I'd go with the Honda minivan. It's sufficiently roomy for people and cargo, as well as safe according to crash tests performed by the Gov't. It also has top notch quality and reliability.

I own a Merc. Sable Station wagon with the rear facing seat.
It's roomy for three adults in the back and two children can travel in the third seat. I would never put kids there. Car devalues rapidly.

The second seat has no headrests. Car was a top pick in crash tests. It's heavy, powerful and quite comfortable. A good value for a Ford.
I, however, wouldn't get it again.

Should you have any further or more specific questions, let me know.

Good luck

torodave · December 2001

I looked at some mini-vans, and Honda is the best, but it's a bit expensive. With 3 kids, I felt that the wagon was big enough. If I had 4 I'd buy a van. That way you can seat everyone and still carry cargo/luggage. With the wagon, if you're using the 3rd row seat, you don't have any cargo area. And to me, that 3rd row seat is only for occassional use. As noted, there are no headrests, and I'm not sure how comfortable it would be for an extended trip. One of the reasons I bought the wagon was that a comparably equipped van cost a couple grand more, and the wagon was easier to drive for my wife. Also, I spend a lot of time in the vehicle by myself, or with one other person, and it seemed a waste to be driving a van all the time under those circumstances. But as I say, with 4 kids, the van is the way to go IMHO. Good luck!

metamorfdzn · December 2001

Purchased a '00 Sable LS Wagon last year for Christmas.
The wife wanted one of them $40K compact size Volvo Sportwagons. Not!
I wanted something roomier than the '89 Taurus SHO.
We have 3 boys, 11, 7 and 4. The 11 year old is 5-5.

After a year, we couldn't be happier. No mechanical problems. 20mpg.
All 3 boys love the rear facing 3rd seat. Picked up 20 8' 2x4's yesterday at the Depot
Gets rubber anytime you want to. (Stock Contis suck; can't wait to replace'em.)
And we're not bus drivers.
All for $20K.
And we couldn't care about resale; we'll drive it into the ground, like the SHO.

alibid · December 2001

I'm looking to buy a used wagon in the $10-15K range and the 2000+ Taurus has caught my eye. I have a few questions:

1) What's a reasonable price range for such a wagon without all the luxury options (leather, moonroof), but with the 200-hp engine in Southern California?

2) Can I get the 200-hp (DOHC) engine in a wagon or do most wagons come with the less powerful V6 engine?

3) Are there any reliability issues I should know about?

4) Is SE the only trim level available for the wagon? Do all Taurus SW's come with the nice 5-spoke alloy wheels?

Thanks

torodave · December 2001

Geez, it's quiet in here. Everybody xmas shopping, or what? Well, I finally got my new SEL Wagon on Wed. Very happy so far. Nice ride, quiet, comfortable, son loves the 3rd seat, stereo sounds good, and it looks nice in Spruce Green! Metamorfdzn is right about the Conti tires. Little grip when the road is the least bit damp. And other owners have remarked about them being bad in snow, but at least they're fairly quiet and ride well. Maybe some Goodyear's next time? I wonder why Ford uses them? Seems odd to use a Euro tire on an American wagon. Firestones might be better! Put about 200 miles on it so far, mixed city/hi-way, and find the Vulcan engine entirely adequate. We'll see over the long haul.

As for alibid, can't help you with prices, but the wagon comes in 3 trim levels up here, L, SE, and SEL at the top. L has steel wheels and plastic hubcaps. From my shopping experience, the 200 hp engine is quite common. The wagon is a bit heavier and less aerodynamic than the sedan, so some reccommend it in the wagon for the extra power. As I said, I don't think it's necessary, but I'm sure it's nice to have.

Happy holidays everybody!

brynorli · January 2002

I just bought a 2000 Taurus SE wagnon. Running great so far. Has about 40,000 km or 24,000 mi. I can get a 150,000 km full (like new) warranty for $2200 Cdn. ($1500 US). This would give me 4 1/4 more years of new car warranty. How is this Ford for major problems--tranny, head gaskets, etc.? Any thoughts?

bronsonb · January 2002

In response to anydaynow's question about car seats, we have a 13 month old and a Taurus wagon (mine) and a Passat sedan (wife's). It's easy to get our son in and out of the car seat in the wagon, but we do have the seat in the outside passenger side position.

Regarding car seats in general in ANY car, get a device called a "Mighty Tite" sold at most Babies-R-Us stores. It's a ratchet device that tightens seat belts on car seats. It's great, and we have one in each car. The car seats don't budge at all. Previously, I'd spend 30 - 40 minutes huffing and puffing in the back seat trying to get the car seat tight.

In other Taurus news, mine is a 2000 SE wagon with the Vulcan V6 Flex Fuel. I bought it used from Hertz in February of last year for $14000. It has ABS, third row seat, power driver's seat, and I added a CD player. It's been reliable overall with only minor squeaks and rattles, which Ford found and fixed. I did have a knocking and pinging problem that seems to be common with the FFV Vulcan engines (but not the regular Vulcan engines). After three trips to the dealer, they were finally able to replicate the problem AND fix it.

I am also experiencing steering wheel vibration while braking. The folks at NTB told me it was the front rotors, but I didn't have them machine them. The problem only occurs when braking from high speeds and doesn't always occur. After reading previous posts about this problem, I will probably get the rotors machined.

The car now gets around 20 MPG in the city, and I have gotten 27 MPG on the highway. Before getting the knocking and pinging fixed, I was getting 16 MPG in the city.

Overall, I am happy with this car. It wasn't exactly what I wanted (I wanted a NEW Sable LS Premium, but I couldn't make the numbers work), but it does the job. I've used it to haul Christmas trees, cabinets from Home Depot, lumber, Costco goodies, and more. We use it at least once a month for the three hour trip to my wife's parent's house. Even though the backseat doesn't have headrests (a glaring oversight, as others have pointed out), my wife hasn't complained about lack of comfort when she rides back there with our son, but she does bring a pillow with her.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

danielj6 · January 2002

Today I picked up my car from dealer svce. dept. after they aligned and oiled de liftgate. I noticed it was kind of hard to close and open. The rattling sound I was hearing may've come from the liftgate.

I also had them check the lurching problem I had whenever I park and turn off the engine. The svce. advisor told me to engage the emergency brake before I turn off the engine. They said there there is nothing they can do about it. Well, I'm not sure.
I will live with it for a while longer until I get a second opinion.

They rotated and balanced the tires but didn't find warped rotors. I've been feeling a slight (and sometimes not so slight) vibration coming from the steering wheel whenever I gently depress the brake brake from high speeds.

I also had lube, filter and 25-point check done. Surprisingly not expensive.

torodave · January 2002

Personally, I haven't seen anything to make me worry about the 2000 and newer Taurus (which is one reason I just bought a 2002). Never been a big fan of extended warranty's. For what you pay, I imagine you rarely get your money's worth, unless you buy a lemon. But if you've done your homework and bought a good car, perform proper maintenance, and don't drive the crap out of it, I'd say save your money. $2200 buys a lot of repairs. I think the head gaskets were only problems on the old 3.8 litre engines, and tranny's have been better since 2000. From what I've read, a lot of the tranny problems could be solved by good maintenance habits, and making sure they get all the fluid out (including the converter) when they do a change. My brother has a '99 with 90K on it, and parents have a '00 with 10K (hey, they're old) and neither have had any problems to date. Good luck!

rob999 · January 2002

Looked at a 2002 'Premium' Wagon today and was favorably impressed, all in all.

I'll pose a rhetorical question for the folks at Ford - why not offer the same bucket seats and console up front as in the sedan? C'mon, if someone's going to lay out the bucks for leather and a sunroof give them something besides a bench. The young 'uns aren't supposed to sit up front in the middle with the airbags anyway (like in the good old Country Squire days). It would be nice to have the bucket option, like what's available with any other wagon on the market (Passat, Subaru, Saturn, Volvo).

tjf2000 · January 2002

You can get the Premium wagon with buckets seats. I know when I looking for my 2000 LS wagon I could only find a couple with the buckets, but they are out there. Personally I like the buckets vs bench, and you get a nice console too.

rob999 · January 2002

Salesman told me that a 60/40 bench was the only option for 2002. Guess I'll check again, perhaps at another dealership. Also, the listing of seating options on the Edmunds site was not clear to me.

tjf2000 · January 2002

Option package 186 is for the bucket seats and floor console, it is a no charge option. It is a little confusing because the option reads "5 passenger seating," but that is for the forward facing seats... it still has the flip up rear facing seat, so in a pinch it will fit 7, I know I have done it. Option 184 is for the 60/40 front bench agian a no charge option on the LS premium. Good luck, I would find a different dealer for sure.

rob999 · February 2002

Further clarification:

I did some more research on the Ford web site in their 'Build' section.

Looks like I could get what I want in the 'SEL Deluxe' version with the Duratec package. Glad to find out what I prefer is actually there. Guess I'll find a dealer that knows up from down.

Gentle Readers: Please disregard previous rant.

gjbwj · February 2002

To your experience, in what case, why my steering power did not work properly. should I have to fix it. Thanks

nelsoncm · February 2002

Have a 2000 sable ls wagon. Got a recall notice last year to have brake lamp switch replaced. If it goes bad, you can't get car out of park, and brake lights go bye-bye. I've had to have 3 switches installed in the car! Keeps going out every 3-4 months. Anyone else had a recurring problem with this? It's a major safety thing and if it goes out again, I think the car will be jettisoned! Otherwise, I like it fine (except for the horribly ill-thought out back seat).

P.S. I've gotten at least 4 recall notices on this car for different problems. Is this typical of Ford?

jaydoh · March 2002

Hey, at least they admit their quality problems now. Before they just looked at you like you smoked crack and denied everything. I have never had a reliable Ford. I own a 2000 Sable Wagon because my wife liked the pop-up rear seat and the safety rating. I have not had the brake lamp problem (although I did get mine replaced at the recall).

Mine just gets really bad gas mileage. Did fine the first 6 months, has been 10mpg lower than sticker ever since. No real reason and the dealer swears their computer says the car is getting 19/27mpg cty/hwy. I get 12/19mpg. My wife is hardly a lead foot. Other than that, it is OK. But it is GONE after we pay it off. No more Fords, I learned my lesson (well, except maybe a Volvo - also a Ford now).

danielj6 · March 2002

jaydoh: My Merc Sable S.W. also used to give me lousy gas mileage. Its first service was at my mechanic's who owns a private shop. He cleaned the fuel lines which were very clogged and voilá!!
mpg improved markedly.

I refused to take my car to the dealer for service
appts. unless warranty work also needs to be done.

jessd · April 2002

I'm wondering how wide the rear seat is--the seat itself, not door-to-door, etc. Obviously I'm hoping someone can save me a trip to a dealership.

What I really want to know is if you can strap 3 carseats into the back seat. Has anyone ever tried?

greg32 · April 2002

I have a 2000 Sable LS Premium have been able to put one forward facing child seat in the center and two rear facing infant car seats in the outboard positions. I have not tried to put the three forward facing seats we now have since our twins are 20 months now. (They ride in the minivan all the time.) My guess is that it would work since most car seats are about the same width.

jessd · April 2002

for the info. Sounds like you were in out situation-one child with twins on the way, and our current car won't hold all those seats. I have my eye on something else (Honda Pilot), but I am considering a Taurus/Sable due to finances. These seem to be the only wagons wide enough.

pearsonrj · April 2002

In September of 1999 I bought a used 1997 Taurus GL Station Wagon. It has the 24v Duratec 3.0 engine, 15" alloys, four wheel disk brakes, leather, front bucket seats and rear-facing third row seats, Mach premium sound system and trunk-mounted CD changer. At the time I bought it, it has about 37,000 miles and I paid about $16,500, in CA (it appears used prices have come down a little since then).

The car now has 71,000 miles on it. The good news is that it has been a remarkably reliable car in the time I have owned it. My wife and I have hauled are two children (soon to be three) all over the place with it, and use the car regularly as a commuter also. The only real expense was the 60,000 mile service, where it needed new rotors and brake pads all around, and a new gasket in the engine (not sure which one). The brake job was due to the fact that its previous home had been in the North East where the water and salt had corroded and warped the rotors.The service came to $1,600...ouch! All other services have not uncovered any other problems.

Things I like:

The Mach stereo - it has some serious volume and bass. Not quite in the class of a Bose or Infinity system with a subwoofer, but
good nonetheless.
The engine - its a bit loud and doesn't sound particularly smooth, but it has good pickup when you but your foot down and once you get over 3,500 rpm it surges ahead in the first three
gears. Not bad for a station wagon. It actually feels more powerful than my old Audi A4 2.8 quattro.
Load capacity - the trunk has an amzaing amount of space. I'm guessing that it has one of the biggest rear cargo areas of any station wagon. Only downside is that it is long and shallow, so it can be difficult to reach things against the back of the rear seat.

Things I dislike:

Overall quality - there's alot of plastic in the interior. The car has alot of rattles, its not particularly tightly screwed together. Still, its our second car (we have an Odyssey minivan also) and I use it for hauling Home Depot stuff etc. without worrying about it anymore. The interior is scuffed and scarred from our kids of course.
Rearward visibility - the rear pillars are quite wide and restrict the drivers rear view. I'm guessing that the newer non-oval design Tauri do not suffer from this so much.
Value for money - although the car was relatively cheap to buy (which is why we bought it), it has depreciated tremendously since then. Its only worth $6-7K now. At the time we bought the Taurus we also looked at the (then) new Passat station wagon, which would have cost us around $22K. In retrospect the total cost of ownership would have been less for the Passat, as today they fetch $15K+ used.

As I said at the beginning, the think that has impressed/surprised me the most about this car has been the reliability. Pretty important then you're driving a young family about.

One last thing - here in CA the third row seat seems to be pretty much useless. You are supposed to keep your kids in booster seats until they are 6 years old (and you're not supposed to use a car seat in the third row), but there is a limit of something like 110 lbs for the entire rear-facing bench? By the time they're 6 years old they will weigh at least 45 lbs, probably more if they're a boy?

ehenness · April 2002

When the 2000 Tauruses came out, Edmunds had a review of them. According to that, the wagons got only the front clip updated. To save money, Ford used the same greenhouse from the front doors back on the wagon. The back end of the wagons is the same from '96 through 2002. Only the emblems changed on the '00 wagons, as far as I can see.

So the rear view obstruction you talk of in your '97 is still there on the new cars.

golfnut83 · April 2002

Hi all, I'm new to this board but I've had my 2000 Taurus wagon since 3/2001. Post 134 from danielj6 caught my eye because I've noticed the lurch as well.

Sometimes it happens when I put in Park and turn off the key and let off of the brake. Other times I notice it when I get in and turn the key. The car will still be in Park, but as soon as I turn the engine over, the whole car rocks forward.

Is this a known problem? I'm going to sched an appt at my dealer and I'd like to know as much as possible so they don't try to tell me that 'there's nothing wrong'.

danielj6 · April 2002

I already took my Merc station wagon to the dealer and the service advisor told me: "There is nothing we can do about it". "When you park and before you shut off the engine apply the emergency brake".

To me, this can not be a normal condition but another dealer service BS or manufacturer quality (or lack of) during assembly.

I also had the lift gate re aligned (and lubricated) because it was not closing properly.

golfnut83: Please report back.

Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Wagons

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