1998 Ford Taurus SE review from North America

Rear break rotors fried at 31k.Center console door broke at about 9k. (I know this because I knew previous owner of car)

This is my first front wheel drive "modern" car. and although it has been reliable so far, it still is low mileage so we will see what future holds. I think this car rides like a tank. I can't understand why every one says it is a comfortable car. I feel every nook and cranny in the road. It tosses and tuns me every which way, and my body is in constant motion due to the jostling around. It does handle good, but rides very, very stiff. Can someone help me here understand where the comfort is that they are getting from the Taurus?? The ride feels as though the shocks are very worn and don't have any "give" to them when even a small bump comes along. If I drive over a recessed man hole cover, it is much more violent than my 88 full size 4x4 pick up I had. I thought cars are supposed to ride better than a 4x4??? Not this car.

Add to this seats that have hardly any real lumbar support and all of 2" of cheap foam beneath you bottom BEFORE you sit in it. When I am in seat, (I weigh 170 lbs), the foam in seat is compressed almost flat and this translates into no shock absorbtion.

This car is rubbish!!! I had a 1957 Olds "88" that was 1000 times the car this is in all aspects possible except safety, and gas mileage. The Olds got a solid 18 mpg highway, that is with almost 300hp and 400 ft lbs of torque. It laughed at anything in the road and was a true 6 passenger car. It was a true pleasure to drive. The Taurus is not. After an hour drive, I can;t wait to get out.

Now I know that this is a personal opinion on car and maybe I am picky about comfort, but the way this car rides is inexcusable. Ford engineers should be ashamed of this. Do they test drive these cars before they release them??? Maybe they are aggogant and let things go out even though they are not as good as they can be. Mr. Henry Ford would be ashamed of this car. Oh by the way, I have also owned a 1963 Ford Falcon Futura, which is a very small car. This car too puts this 98 Taurus to shame!!!

Could the shocks be gone at a mere 36K, or is it just this car. I would love to hear from other owners how they feel about ride. I would pay someone $500 if they could honestly say that my car rides smoothly and is comfortable.