Faults:

Needed a new wheel bearing at 160,000 miles.

General Comments:

We purchased our 1996 Ford Taurus used with approximately 130,000 miles. We then proceeded to drive it hard and put it away wet nearly every day for another 100,000 miles with only $500 worth of repairs. She died with dignity at the age of 222,000 miles looking great inside and out. My only regret is that I will probably never own a car that reliable and tough again in my life. Rest in peace Charolais.

Faults:

Suspension, the amount of fuel it sucks, and that it never tells you when you are running out, besides the fact that the speedometer is broken.

General Comments:

Good in a straight line, no surprise with an American car.

TOUGH and durable, though it is a good car in its ways, but looks like a fish.

I call it brutish, because it is a brute under the bonnet, but drinks as much as a fish.

Faults:

Well, the most talked about thing in these Taurus' is the transmission. There have never been anything good said about them. Although.. mine has been fairly good. It obviously has problems, but none that affect its performance enough to make it an inconvenience.

The car was mainly a highway computer, so the body is in spectacular shape inside and out for the year, and the miles on it.

The exhaust has never been a problem, the only thing that's WONKY is the heater blower motor. It only works on high, but in these cold Canadian winter months, high heat is needed.

Other than that, the car is exceptional.

General Comments:

The real reason I wanted to comment on these cars is because of that happened a few days ago. It is around -20/-30 Celsius, and it has just made a run around the city. The car performed normally and was operating at a proper temperature, and the radiator was doing its job.

The next day, I went to start 'er and nothing happened. It was cold, and yes, the car was plugged in. The obvious things were taken care of like frozen gas lines, fuel, and such. But one thing I somehow missed, was the coolant level. My dad went outside to see what was the deal with my car. The first thing he checked was the coolant level. It was really low, but was still functioning properly. The coolant was filled back up, LOL and the car fired right up.

So to all those fellow teenage 1996 Taurus owners, if it's winter time and cold out, and the obvious things are taken care of, check the coolant level!!