Faults:

Two starters have been replaced. Both rear window electric motors do not work. Windshield wipers don't seat completely after use. Intermittent wiper delay does not work properly. Heater fan motor is noisy. Fuel door release cable rusted.

General Comments:

This is a very reliable car. It is my third in the Taurus / Sable family. My other two lasted over 150,000 miles with severe use (100 MPH daily commute).

The Sable with the 3.8 was fabulous to drive and also very reliable.

Faults:

Transmission died twice in the one year I had it.

General Comments:

So we figured this would be a good fix-em-up opportunity, because when we first bought it, it had multiple problems, for example the motor mounts, the brakes, exhaust, and of course, the transmission among other things.

We finally got it drivable, everything seemed fine, except the transmission made a rattling noise when coming out of a stop. It was about that time when I found this was going to be a birthday present for me. I got it about a week and a half early, and told not to let the transmission bother me, as it "should" last a good six months to a year. Sure enough, it didn't even last until my birthday, coming out of a stop was much worse; instead of making a rattling sound, the whole car would just shake, then it would just grind and not get into gear.

Anyway, we had the transmission fixed, and it was running just fine, however about a few months later, the air conditioner gave away in the most obscure way: I was driving down a highway doing about 70 miles per hour, when the windshield got a bit fogged up. I turned on the defrost to get rid of it, but all I got was a face full of smoke. So, I had to drive that fast blindly until I could get my window down and drive like Ace Ventura, but this could have caused a serious accident.

Back to the transmission, it just gave out again last week, and left me stranded out in the middle of Bums ville, Texas. Needless to say I got no warning; no lights, no gages, nothing. Now the people who originally fixed it want to charge another arm and leg for it, so I'm stuck without a car right now.

Faults:

The air conditioner compressor coil went bad at around 87,000 miles. The cost to have it repaired at a dealership was $300.00.

Every once in a while, the headrest shake back and forth causing an annoying noise within the cabin. It usually happens over jagged roadways.

General Comments:

The car is fairly quick with the 3.2 liter V6. Passing on the freeway or merging into traffic is never a problem. The ride is somewhat soft, therefore, the handling is only mediocre. The brakes, being four wheel disc, are adequate for a car that is somewhat on the heavy side.

The interior is very roomy and the seats are very comfortable. The trunk is large enough to hold 3 large suitcases.

Faults:

The car has used 2 drive belts since I have had it.

Driver's seat is wearing out (possibly because I drive it a lot).

The transmission slips and shudders. 2 tranmission shops have told me that it needs rebuilt soon.

Some rust has appeared on the bottoms of the front doors.

Driver's door makes a horrible vibrating sound if I turn my music up (I have after-market speakers).

Wiper switch is bad: when I turn the wipers off they go straight up instead of down.

General Comments:

The 3.8 Liter V6 provides lots of power. I can even use it to pull a small trailer with no problem.

Except for the shaky transmission, the car runs very well.

The handling is pretty good for a family sedan that wasn't built for great handling.

The interior is very basic. All controls are easy to use. The cup holders that pull out from under the stereo are useless. There is not enough room to fit a cup in them. Besides, the cups sit right in front of the stereo, which is not good for the stereo in case of bump in the road.