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Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008
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I buy new but wait till the end of the model year and buy a leftover as the rebates and incentives usually are very good for leftovers, thus I try to keep the cash out of pocket lower than buying at the beginning or middle of the model year.
There is no necessarily right or wrong approach, it just depends on the individual.
By the way, I saw the 2004 Taurus. Very nice indeed. Noticeable new fascia. Best looking car on the road. Distinguished but not flashy.
On the other hand, buying slightly used may mean you miss out on the fact the first owner drove 15K before his first oil change or routinely jack rabbit started, jumped curbs, rode the brakes, slammed the transmission into park before stopping, etc. That's why I like to buy new, though I agree a 1-2 year old low mileage car is very tempting to keep that initial $ outlay much lower.
Maybe the best bet is to buy 1-2 years old but also pay for some extended warranty as well to give yourself some peace of mind.
Regfootball: I agree, I can find no cars in Taurus car size/price range that look as good to me as the current generation Taurus- either with the slight freshening on the 04 or on the 00-03's. I think Ford did a great job of correcting some of the too oval previous generation and came up with a classy but not too sedate style. Certainly better than Camry, Accord, and Altima, and GM's midsizers rub me slightly wrong also. Intrepid is a great looking car, but just a bit over done and its styling makes it look huge, though I think it's length is not much different than Taurus.
The overall structure of Tauri, even though most of it dates back to 96 is still near state of the art in stiffness and integrity, and with the DOHC Duratec, at least Ford can't be accused of sticking exclusively with pushrod engines-not that there really is anything particularly wrong with pushrod engines, in my opinion. All at a price maybe $4-$6K less than the equivalently equipped V-6 Camcordaltimas.
The Vulcan is supposed to be the most reliable engine Ford makes. It's 'old tech' and that's fine--cast iron block, cast iron heads, timing chain. That is one reason it lasts. It may be a bit weaker in power, but it doesn't have any very weak points (unlike the head gasket in the old 3.8 V6, etc.). The Duratech looks good as well, but hasn't had the 15 years of existence yet to prove its longevity. A fair amount of the short block is Vulcan-based, though.
The AX4N transmission is somewhat more reliable than the AX4S from what I hear, but even the AX4S can last a long time if it's taken care of.
If the rest of the car is in good shape, and you've taken care of it, there should be lots of miles left in the car.
Thank you very much for the information provided to me on the Ford Taurus. I was thinking of buying an 02 Lexus ES series but will definitely save my money and purchase a 02 Sable.
Luxury cars are definitely not the way to keep your transportation costs down. Maintenance costs on luxury cars are generally much more expensive as well, as I think the dealers and manufacturer's figure if you can afford the $ for the luxury car, we might as well gouge you for parts and service too.
You will be pleasantly surprised with reduced noise and smoother shifting transmissions in any '00 and newer Taurus/Sable over your '96.
Of course, your least expensive route is to keep your current '96 and drive it until it dies and then replace it with a late model used. But you risk being stranded on occasion.
If interested in 2004 Tauruses, wait until some program cars come to the market to save big $$$.
Thanks
If the noise tranfers to front, then you may have defective tire...
It could also be wind noise--are your doors and windows sealing properly? Is the cowl piece loose? Wind noise can be tough to find...
Could be a wheel bearing (though usually you hear that at any speed, just louder as you go faster).
I'd also suggest that you take the car to the dealer. An '02 with 17K should certainly be under warrantee. The dealer will have what they call 'chassis ears.' They are a device that hooks up to the car and helps pinpoint the sources of noise in the car. Many times the ears can narrow down and even pinpoint the noise source.
No matter what the source, it should be covered under the warrantee, so don't go too nuts on your own trying to find it. Let the dealer techs help.
My mother in law broke the drivers side mirror while backing out of the garage on her 99 Sable. I was wondering, has anyone done the replacement themselves? If so is it easy and can someone give me a brief description of how its done? Much appreaciated.
I do much of the routine maintenance myself. But I am not able to find where the PCV valve is on this vehicle. Can anyone help?
Many thanks
Sable LS prem $23025.
Moonroof 995. (over priced)
Platinum pkg 595.
Mach Audio sys 695. (Not as good as JBL or Bose)
Dest & Delv 670.
TOTAL 25980.
Dealership dis $3985.
Ford Rebate 3000.
Ford Loan Dis 1000. (matched APR from Credit Un)
Collage Dis 400. (wife in school)
Lin Cont Trd 2000. (many problems)
With more than $8K discount on car with only 8 miles on it.. This is the best value on the market.. Mace Linc Merc in Indiana beat everyone on the net and local market.. Hope the car provides trouble free miles.. Will keep you posted..
Had many problems with the Conti with 122000 miles.. Ball joints bad, Ride Control going out (pump runs all the time), ABS sensor bad (ABS on everytime I put on brakes). Inside trim comming off, Rearview mirror replaced twice and bad again, transmission starting to shift funny.. However, Very good sound system, nice seats, GREAT 4.6 engine.
BTW, our other vehicle is a 03 Dodge Ram 2500, 5.7 SLT. LOVE IT!! Bought the Sable so my wife will let me drive the truck...LOL
Is it a Duratec?
The grille and front bumper is changed and kind of looks like an "old style" Infiniti I30.
As a side comment the IIHS confirms what I've been saying for a long time: SUVS' ruggedness and strength are at best questionable and their safety doubtful. For quite a bit less money I have just as much cargo space in my S.W.
I wish the rest of my car were built as solidly mechanically as the bumper. I wouldn't be considering more reliable brands but would be thinking what color to get my next Sable.
I agree with the previous two post, this engine is more than adequate for daily driving. I plan on giving mine to my daughter sometime next year. It'll be her first car. The car is safe and solid so it'll be a good set of wheels for a new driver.
Happy holidays to all. Any thoughts on a rear defroster that just quit Tuesday ?. I replaced the relay but no luck. Dealer says it may be a module ?. Any help would br appreciated.
Thanks,
SHANK6
I would offer them maybe $1K less than that, see if they bite. If not, maybe you can get them to throw an extended warranty into the deal. I believe Ford and some individual dealers have some sort of "certified used car" program for lower mileage and newer cars where they throw in an extended drive train warranty-you may want to check that out.
I think you will be happy with the car. In my opinion Taurus/Sables are one of the more underrated cars available, making them a good bargain.
The market may be different in your part of the country.
I just plugged into Edmunds used car appraiser and for my zip code (Milwaukee, WI area) and with every available option checked and checking the best condition and 15000 miles, the trade in price was $12455, the private party sale price was $13623, and the dealer price was $15569. So I think trying to get the dealer down to $14,000 is a reasonable start, assuming this SEL is actually loaded up with every option and is in excellent condition, as it should be with only 15K miles, unless the previous owner was a real pig and the dealer was actually willing to stock a car in bad condition. Usually new car dealers auction off the real loser used cars, so you won't find one that looks to doggish on their lots.
If buying from a used car only dealer or private party, you may want to get a second opinion, especially if the car's past history is questionable, such as a rental car, lease or repossession, where the last driver could have abused it.
You could probably sell your old car outright yourself for much better than $400, if you want to put up with the hassle.
If you plan on keeping this car a long time, consider an extended warranty.
I would also offer that if you don't buy cars often, take a look at maybe buying new. It is more money right now, but you will gain back the best mileage the car has to offer, when new.
The Taurus is a depreciator, but still its a good enough deal when new that you don't blow a lot of money vs. used.
Don't forget to check air pressure monthly. They have tendecy to leak down to 25-26 psi. I always set them to 31. 32 gives very harsh ride.
Tread wear is excellent. I still have %80 of it.
Overall, they are very good tires.
Lately, I discovered Kumhos, my wife is riding on them (Neon) for almost a month. They are cheaper ($37 piece)then Yoko and more resist to wet wheather. Of course, they are from Tire rack.
I am FED UP with having to UNLOCK my freakin doors when I get out of the car and try to open another one of the doors. I am TIRED of having to use the FOB just to get into the back seat or passenger door, or have to unlock the doors when I leave the car.
WHAT A PITA!
HELP! what do I do!
I like the feature, as I never remember to lock the doors when driving, and I guess it adds some margin of safety to have them locked. I guess its like oatmeal -- locked doors is just the right thing to do