Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

Kirstie_H · June 2003

A reporter is aiming to interview someone who recently bought a new Ford for less than $38,000 after either owning used cars or waiting a while to replace a paid-off car.
Please send your response including Ford model and daytime contact info by Monday, June 30 to jfallon@edmunds.com

riswami · June 2003

I have a 97 with the Vulcan. I just reach down and remove the oil filter. It is one of the easiest filters to get to on any car I've owned.I haven't looked at a 2k or newer Taurus with the Vulcan; but my guess is it is just as easy. Not much changed with the 2k redesign!

ehenness · June 2003

There shouldn't be any differences in the car except for some of the calibrations within the powertrain computer. NY and Massachusetts (and now Vermont, I think, as well) require new cars sold or registered there to be California-emissions certified. MA required this starting with new 1995 model cars.

I'd guess the car you're looking at came from one of those states, not California, if you're on the East Coast.

The specs for the last several years (1996-up) are no different for CA vs Federally-certified cars, both for EPA estimates and HP/torque ratings. This is true at least for the Taurus--I can't say for other models.

I have a '98 Taurus that was a Ford-owned car in Michigan (i.e., Federal certification) and it's now registered in MA. The dealer has not had any problems servicing it, nor have I, even though most Tauruses here are CA emissions cars.

If you go to a dealer, they will bring up the car info by VIN in the Ford system, and that will have the emissions/powertrain calibration codes. If for some reason you need to have it re-flashed or otherwise changed, the re-flash process will ask for the current calibration code (or read it out of the computer) and will know what that means.

Shops that use the latest diag equipment and computers should also be able to read this info and know what to do with it.

In short, you should not have a problem. As far as I can tell, the parts are all the same and it's the calibration (i.e., computer programming) that changes. If there is a difference in parts, the fact that MA, NY, and VT use California certification should mean that dealers and parts stores either stock the parts or can get them easily and quickly.

If you like the car, go for it. The emissions certification shouldn't concern you.

ijennings1 · June 2003

I have a 2000 Duratec SES. I am very safety concsious and wear belts when driving. However, sometimes, like reversing to park and reversing out my garage, the bell rings telling me I haven't got my belt on and if I leave the key in while stationery, it too rings. They are driving me mad. I looked for a fuse to see if i could disconnect them to no avail. Can someone please tell me how i can get rid of these blessed things.

Thanks in anticipation

Ian

ehenness · July 2003

That's the "Belt Minder" feature. You should find the method to turn it on or off in your owner's manual.

Basically, it involves turning the key on and inserting and removing the belt a certain number of times within so many seconds. I don't have details, but it's in the manual.

If you don't have one, you can get a free PDF version from Ford's service website at www.qualitycareservice.com (click on 'glove box manuals' under the 'maintenance' heading on the lower left of the page). If you want to buy one, go to www.helminc.com, which is Helm's website. They are the document vendor for Ford.

Note that the usual belt signal will probably still sound when you first start the car (you get the seat belt light and 5-10 seconds of a chime). That happens with every car, going back into the 1970s. The belt minder is the one that chimes at intervals all the time.

ijennings1 · July 2003

Thanks my friend for taking the trouble and time to tell me this. I'll give it a try.

Kind regards

Ian

libertycat · July 2003

I LOVE the Taurus!!! If I got one, it would be an SEL Premium with beige interior and gold exterior sedan. I would get the wagon if it weren't so darn ugly on the rear side and rear end.

bgbolumen · July 2003

Just bought a 2003 LS and can't quite figure out the A/C and/or outside air vents. Driving it home from the dealer whenever you put it anywhere(feet, defrost, etc.) except on the vent to the chest only (don't know what else to call it) it always turns the A/C on. That is, without turning the A/C, as soon as I set the air direction to the feet or as defrost or anywhere except ONLY up to the chest, the A/C kicks on. Is this something wrong or is this the way the Taurus and Mercury A/C works? I should give a call to the Service guy tomorrow but wanted to see if this was only my car or everyone's.
Thanks.

libertycat · July 2003

I'm pretty sure something is wrong. Does your LS have leather, wood trim, 6-disc in-dash cd changer, etc.?

ezaircon4jc · July 2003

That's the way it's supposed to work. In any mode except vent, the a/c will engage. It's in the owners manual. All my Ford products (1986, 1988, 1991, 1996 Sable and 2000 & 2001 Lincoln LS) have done/do it.

libertycat · July 2003

I don't own a Taurus/Sable, have only had numerous rentals (and loved them!).

badgerfan · July 2003

Try one with the Duratec engine. You will like them even more. Likely your rentals were base engine Vulcans, which are adequate, but the Duratec just gives you a lot of extra jump with virtually identical mileage numbers.

Probably not a lot of posters here as this generation Taurus has been out since 2000 thus the buzz of a new model has long since subsided. Also, the level of posting is highly dependent on most boards by having a small group of persistent posters. For example, the Olds Intrigue board gets a lot of posts, even though the car is no longer in production.

As far as what selector positions AC on goes, I do believe mine comes on automatically when the selector is in Defrost,the Defrost/Lower Vent mix, and in the AC and Max AC positions. These positions make sense in that you want to dehumidify any air that hits the windshield, then use the temperature control to reheat it so that you are using dry warm air on the windshield, to remove moisture on the inside as rapidly as possible. These comments are for the base system, not the automatic climate control system which I cannot comment on.

fdthird · July 2003

The last poster makes a very good point...what kind of climate controls do you have?? If you have the auto controls like in my wife's 2001 SEL then I believe there is no way to get the AC not to come on.

libertycat · July 2003

fdthird. I'm waiting in mounting suspense.

libertycat · July 2003

To tell you the truth, I am one of the few people on the universe who could care less about horsepower, handling, acceleration, etc. I just want a nice-looking car inside and out, functional interior, and don't get me started with what I want on a minivan.

bgbolumen1 · July 2003

""That's the way it's supposed to work. In any mode except vent, the a/c will engage. It's in the owners manual. All my Ford products (1986, 1988, 1991, 1996 Sable and 2000 & 2001 Lincoln LS) have done/do it"

I was afraid of that since most days at 70F, there is no need for A/C but it would be nice to have Venting to the feet and up or anywhere for that matter as most other cars do. I had never own a Ford/Mercury until now and find this annoying but I am sure I will get used to it. Other than this I love the car.

badgerfan · July 2003

I assumed since you listed the SEL Premium you like loaded cars, and the SEL Premium I believe comes with the standard Duratec engine. If you really want a bargain Taurus, drop down to the LX or SE model. New, these can be bought for under $14K these days with all the rebates. An outstanding bargain in my opinion. I will bet it is hard to pay much over $20K these days for a fully loaded SEL Premium.

upsetter1 · July 2003

If your climate control is automatic you cannot do much except to set the temperature and computer will turn on or off AC or heater as necessary. But there is one mode that turns off AC regardless - it is "to the chest" mode only.

If you have manual climate control then you have to turn on/off AC manually.

libertycat · July 2003

I want an SEL Premium because I have to have leather and LOVE the wood trim and steering wheel. Like I said I want a car with a luxurious interior and the SEL Premium does it for me (I don't MIND having a powerful engine!).

iusecad · July 2003

He hit a deer about 2 weeks ago and the body shop was finally able to take his car yesterday. They gave him about a '94 Taurus w/the 3.0 (and 130k miles) as a loaner. I got to drive it tonight and I've got to say I like the Taurus a 100x more than his Impala. The struts are shot on the Ford, and yet its less floaty than the Chevy. And the motor is smoother, even though they're both OHV. Shifts were smooth, the air was cold and it even has satellite radio controls on the dash. Overall, not bad for a ten year old car.

I don't hate the Impala, but I haven't found a car yet that I would take the Impala over it.

crusin14108 · July 2003

I own a 2002 taurus ses and the only thing i don't like about it is you have to run the fan on high to heat or cool the inside. I don't like the design of the heating and a/c system at all. Dealer checked and all is working the way it was designed to to work. I believe the cabin air filter is limiting the amount of air that that can flow through the system, blower motor maybe to small? Anyone else unhappy with there heating and a/c system on their Taurus.

danielj6 · July 2003

Yes I am very happy with the heating and a/c in my Sable. In the coldest mornings running on high and for a very few minutes it quickly warms the whole car, and during the hottest afternoons it cools rapidly without engaging the max a/c. And I mean fast.

Really terrific.

ezaircon4jc · July 2003

"I believe the cabin air filter is limiting the amount of air that that can flow through the system"

Or maybe the cabin filter needs to be changed?

upsetter1 · July 2003

Had no problem with climate control and blower. Design is different from other cars where you don't have to turn on blower when car is moving, but on the other hand it gives you more controlled flow of air regardless of speed of the car. AC and heater are effective and designed for USA and no bad smell coming out.

Cabin filter has to be changed every 15,000 miles, of course if you care about your health.

golden11 · July 2003

You are not alone, crusin14108. I agree that the heating and a/c is less than acceptable. My 2001 Sable takes a good 10 minutes to warm up in the winter, or cool down in the summer. Even my husband, who drives an '83 Mercury Topaz, notices the difference whenever he's in my car.

badgerfan · July 2003

I have found my 2000 Taurus (duratec engine) heats up very fast in the winter-this in a cold climate, and have not noticed any deficiency in the AC system either in summer. I suggest you take it back to your dealer for diagnosis. Unless you are beyond the mileage warranty, your 2001 should still be under warranty.

hansienna · July 2003

We went on a round trip of approximately 340 miles where we rode in the back seat. It was quite uncomfortable with a seat too low and too little leg room. I will NEVER again go much over 10 miles riding in the back seat of a Taurus.
The Impalas have a MUCH more comfortable rear seat with more leg room than do the Taurus. I have not driven either so I can not speak for the front seat or driving comfort.

badgerfan · July 2003

Leg room measurements do not bear you out.
Per Edmunds New Car Specs:
Taurus Front Leg Room 42.2, rear 38.9
Impala Front Leg Room 42.2, rear 38.4
Taurus Front Head Room 40, rear 38.1
Impala Front Head Room 39.2, rear 42.2

While I haven't sat in the rear of an Impala, if they are like most GM sedans, the rear seat is very low in the car, giving you a lot of head room, but making you feel like you are sitting on the floor. Taurus rear seat is quite comfortable, in my opinion and doesn't make you feel like you are sitting in a washtub.

badgerfan · July 2003

Checked another site(redirect from the chevy official web site to a site that allows comaparisons, and the Impala rear head room was listed at 36.8, not 42.2, so from what I can tell, Taurus has equal or more head and leg room front and rear than Impala.

hansienna · July 2003

SInce we have not gone on a long trip in the current design Impala, it too may be uncomfortable as is the Taurus. It just FELT less uncomfortable when sitting in each. With the Taurus, we KNOW it is uncomfortable for smaller than average adults.
By comparison, the 2nd row or even 3rd row of the Honda Odyssey EX or Dodge Grand Caravan Sport or the 2nd row seating of the Ford Explorer is MUCH more comfortable for us than was the back seat of the Ford Taurus.
Not hard for me to see why people are buying minivans and SUV's since back seats in most sedans are too low which makes the sitting position un-natural.

badgerfan · July 2003

Our other car is a '96 Caravan (short wheel base) and even with the short wheel base version, it is true very few if any sedans will match it as far as long distance travel comfort goes. However, you are sacrificing a bit of handling and fuel efficiency by going the minivan route, and even more fuel efficiency going the SUV route. The only other choices are the new so-called crossovers which is an attempt the split the difference between cars and SUV/minivans.

hansienna · July 2003

I have no complaint against Ford as my 1993 Ford F-150 Super Cab LWB 4 WD pickup with 6 cylinder engine is an excellent road vehicle. Sort of difficult to maneuver in the city but serves its purpose as a hunting and fishing vehicle.
The 2001 Blazer LT 4 WD with 4.3L V6 gets much better gas mileage and is quieter and smoother on the highway but has much less space. The 1994 Corolla Wagon was comfortable until age caught up with my wife and I. The seats are just too low for comfort on trips. That is why I would not buy a Ford Taurus: Poor seating position as in all current sedans. I will admit that the Taurus is probably more quiet and more stable at highway speeds than any vehicle I now own.

crusin14108 · July 2003

I did have the system checked by the dealer and they said that's as good as it gets. The cabin air filter was checked and is clean. On a hot or cold day you should not have to run the fan on high to heat or cool the car. I also had it checked by an independent garage and they to said everything is ok. They also believe that ford needs to put in a more powerful fan in these cars with the cabin filters, with the filter out there is plenty of air flow.

eng6ine · July 2003

My A/C works very well, I also have a silver SEL with auto climate control. The color of the car has a little to do with cooling, the darker the car the more heat it attracks and that would take a little longer to cool.
I love the auto climate control, it will be hard to ever own another car without it.
A friend of mine who is a mechanic just told me the other day that Ford's have some of the coldest A/C units on the market..

davethewave1 · July 2003

There's a used 2003 Taurua SES with 21k for 14k. It was a lease buy back. Looks great. Any suggestions?

tomcat630 · July 2003

Well, you save the first year depreciation costs with a 1 year old car. Make sure it has all the options you want and then get good financing, since it's a 2003.

davethewave1 · July 2003

Got the CARFAX on this car today. It was a government lease and was put in service 2/28/03. That's a lot of miles in just a few months...

driverbern · July 2003

I have a 2002 Taurus SEL with 86,000 miles on it. The passenger side rear floor is SOAKED with water. It also extends to the front passenger side (but not as bad) and even between the passenger seat and console (I know becasue I have a Rand McNally Atlas jammed in there and it is wet). I don't think it's from driving in the rain. I put on lots of miles and my thinking is that it could be from the A/C? Could a drain hose or condensation somewhere cause this? Any ideas?

davethewave1 · July 2003

This happened to a Volkswagon I once owned. The drain needed to be blown out with an air compressor. The condensation built up to the point that it spilled over when you took a turn. That should be an easy fix if that is the problem...

pat · July 2003

If you have a moon or sunroof, this can also be a sign of clogged roof drains - if that's the case, you need to get it fixed or else one day an entire wall of water will cascade down your back.

Guess how I know?

wijoco · July 2003

Check the seal around the doors ,to. Give it a visual inspection, then close it and test the door edges with a garden hose. With a door leak, it only takes one hard rain to fill up a floorboard

upsetter1 · July 2003

Photos are here:

http://www.tauruscarclub.com/modules.php?set_albumName=2004&o- p=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_album.- php

upsetter1 · July 2003

New exterior colors: Merlot and True Blue
Egg crate grille and front fascia
New tail lamps and rear fascia
Updated multi-function switch for wipers, turn signals and flash-to-pass
Updated steering wheel
New updated instrument cluster
2-line message center
Internal engine modifications to improve efficiency
Improved transmission for better shift quality and fuel economy
New air induction system for improved filtration and serviceability
Duratec engine is now LEV II compliant
Passenger seat weight sensor and BeltMinder added to Personal Safety System

danielj6 · July 2003

I thought that Ford was stopping production of Taurus and Sable at the end of '03, and was going to introduce their replacements in 2004. I even remember reading about it.

What happened? Someone bring me up to speed.

s852 · July 2003

Might not be until 2005. Anyway, they will still sell them to commercial fleets for a few more years like they did with the Escort after the Focus came out.

ehaase · August 2003

Taurus will remain in production through 2009, primarily for fleet and budget minded buyers. Ford Five Hundred debuts for 2005 model year, and Futura debuts for 2006 model year, but Taurus will still be around for a long time.

badgerfan · August 2003

I was on vacation so didn't post for a while, but thought I would bring up a few things.

Two days before vacation-two weeks ago, my 2000 SES wipers stopped working. Took it in to dealer after work the same day it happened and dealer diagnosed bad wiper motor. They didn't have part in stock, but got it in the next day and replaced it that day when I brought it in after work-car is still under warranty so cost me nothing. Only a little over one month left on the 3 year 36K warranty, so soon I will be on my own.

Dealer has great service hours every weekday evenings and on Saturday and I have been able to get it in right away for both warranty issues so far. First warranty issue I had was for bad sway bar links about a month ago. Hope these two problems near the end of the warranty will be all for a while.

We did not take the car on vacation, we flew to SF and rented a car there. Ended up with a Chrysler 300M with 12K on the odometer. Gave it a good workout-over to Yosemite in 106 degree heat across the Central valley, then through the twisties in and out of Yosemite twice, then over to Monterey for a few days. Nice car, but I really didn't notice that it was all that much of a better car than my Taurus Duratec. The Autostick did come in handy in the mountain roads however, using engine braking in third and sometimes second gear rather than riding the brakes. It seemed to be not quite as quiet as my Taurus, which was a bit of a surprise, and was also missing dual sun visors, a minor oversight.

The 300M had a lot more bells and whistles but I wouldn't be able to justify more than maybe $2K over my Taurus. I am sure I wouldn't touch a new 300M for anywhere near $20K.

The 300M had black leather seats and a dark colored exterior and is not what I would want if the car sits in the sun for any amount of time. We took to putting beach towels on the seats so you could sit in it without frying.

On another note, I just saw a local dealer ad for what appeared to be a completely loaded top of the line new Mercury Sable for about $18,400(including all the rebates). Sounds like a heck of a bargain. They are really dealing these days.

venus537 · August 2003

heck of a bargain? maybe.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-08-15-carcosts_x.htm

reinforces the research on intellichoice.

wijoco · August 2003

That's typical USA Today journalism: take someone else's work (in this case Edmund's), hack it to pieces, rearrange it, and present a truncated, incomplete, and largely misrepresentative article. For example:

"The Honda Accord, for example, sells for almost $5,000 more than the comparable Ford Taurus. And the Taurus has a $3,000 rebate on it. Still, over five years, the Accord on average will be $1,000 cheaper to own than the Taurus.

 Taurus drops $14,471 of its value over three years, and will typically cost the owner $5,753 in maintenance. The Accord loses $11,691 in value and will cost an average of $3,682 to maintain."

Wow, $1,000 cheaper. But wait-they are figuring depreciation as an expense??? That's not really accurate when calculating "cost of ownership." I wish I could deduct my depreciation on my income tax! It certainly is a factor for folks who buy a brand-new car and trade it in every 3 to 5 years, but those folks are in the minority nowadays and aren't really very cost conscious anyway, right? I was actually surprised to see the three-year depreciation difference between Taurus and Accord to be only $2,500. And WHAT is up with the maintenance costs they quote? $5,700 and $3,700?!?! In the first three years? HUH? Yeah, maybe if you buy a new Yugo with a 90-warranty from Moscow Greedy Capitalist Pigs Auto Sales you would spend that much in maintenance. That must have been a figure representing a longer period of repairs. (They did the same thing with the Windstar/Odyssey example).
I would agree with the basic premise of the article that buyers need to be reminded of the higher costs of ownership of American cars over time when they are seduced by incentives(plus the incalulable inconvenience and frustration of dealing with more frequent repairs), but the supporting arguments really need to be examined here.

s852 · August 2003

They must be considering everthing including fuel over 3 years.
Depreciation is an expense even if you keep the car over 5 years. A 7 year old Accord with 90,000 miles is still worth quite a bit more than a similar Taurus.
If you buy a 2 year old Taurus, then you can greatly reduce your depreciation expense. You might be able to pick up a nicely equipped 2001 Taurus today for $8K vs at least $17K for a new 2003/2004 SES even after rebates are deducted.

Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

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