Faults:

Difficulty starting or engine stalling when cold.

Dried-out spark plug wires, worn-out contact points, and problems with the ignition coil and distributor.

Excessive heat inside the car and wind noise. Taunus models tend to let heat seep from the engine bay into the dashboard area.

Clutch replacement—if I recall correctly, shortly after 100,000 km.

General Comments:

As I just described in the introduction to the review, it is the best and most reliable car I have ever owned—even more so than my previous Volvo 164 (which is hard to beat in terms of reliability) and superior even to the cars I owned after it.

The Ghia version I owned was the best and most well-equipped of the Taunus models. I remember it had an excellent heating system and even air conditioning—features that were scarce back then. The only thing it lacked was power windows, but that was an unnecessary luxury.

As for handling, even though it lacked power steering or any form of steering assistance, I would say it was easy to drive; the steering wasn't heavy, it parked well, and it maneuvered with ease and agility. It was also very quiet on the open road, offering a silky-smooth ride—provided you didn't exceed 140 or 150 km/h.

Mechanically, it was rock-solid and incredibly reliable. I never had any serious issues—no engine trouble or oil leaks—just spark plug changes and a couple of batteries. The engine was indestructible; it wasn't fast, but it just needed gas (and lots of it)—otherwise, it just kept on running. Wouldn't it be great if today's cars were like that?.

Its design was also quite elegant; I’d go so far as to say I liked it better than its successor, the Sierra, even though it was an older model.

The seats were light-colored, with chrome accents on the dashboard and around the gearshift—I remember it as if it were yesterday; back then, it was the height of luxury.

Great memories, great car!

Faults:

The car was in excellent shape for such an old and cheap (3500kr/about £350 in 2004) vehicle - the only things that went wrong was the wiper blade engine, where a plastic cogwheel was worn out according to my mechanic. It was really hard to get the cog back, but eventually I had to change the engine, which was kind of awkwardly placed.

Excellent interior condition due to ghastly purple plush covers.

Unfortunately the cylinder compression dropped due to an old packing, the cylinderhead needed a fix, and since I know nothing of cars I sold it as a spare-part car to an enthusiast.

General Comments:

My first car. It laid rather low, but felt nice and broad on the road for its size, although a little long in the front when parking. Slightly heavy steering, but actually a very nice ride. Impossible to chat when driving in high speed though, due to a bad soundproofing. The defrosting was really bad, and it handled badly when driving on icy roads.