1998 Ford Taurus SE 24 V V6 from North America

Summary:

Good, safe, reliable car at a good price

Faults:

Rebuilt transmission at 126,000 miles.

Replaced AC condenser.

Pretty much rebuilt front suspension over the years.

Had problems with interior dome light, but a squirt of WD-40 in the door latch repaired.

General Comments:

I drive this car primarily on the highway and put at least 400 miles a week on it. Very comfortable and easy to drive.

Overall, I've been satisfied with the vehicle, although some of its suspension problems came around 50,000 miles and annoyed me at the time.

Purchased for $14,000 and have provided regular maintenance. Planning to keep it at least one more year. I'm in no hurry to part with it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 21st June, 2006

1998 Ford Taurus SE 24v DOHC from North America

Summary:

Overall a great car that will have me coming back to Ford

Faults:

I've had to replace one fuse for lighting.

The passenger side window motor failed.

General Comments:

I bought this car at 58,000 miles and was told to start looking for another car in 10,000 miles or so. Since then, just over 60,000 miles later, other than routine maintenance, I've had to replace a whopping fuse and one window motor.

The 24V DOHC engine responds nicely when I need it. As long as I don't 'heavy foot' the gas, the Taurus gets decent gas mileage for a '98. The body is light. When I do need power, the engine responds quickly and accelerates smoothly, keeping me safely away from other CA drivers.

The ride is relatively quiet. The suspension is good and braking never feels sluggish.

The car is fun to take on Sunday drives with good visibility from all windows and an AC plant that cools the car quickly. As a single guy, the body style on the SE is sufficiently sporty enough to shake off the 'family car' label.

I've heard other Taurus owners either really love their car, like me, or really hate it. I wonder if there are two different plants that produced the 98s and if that might be the source of the mixed reviews.

Overall, I'll be looking at another Taurus when I replace this one, hopefully a long time from now.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st May, 2006

9th Dec 2008, 18:31

I currently have a 1998 Ford Taurus SE also. It was given to me by some family friends with only 44,000 miles on it, so I took it. So far I've had to replace the front disk brakes and tires (no big deal, they were bald, it happens), replace the battery which actually went bad again two months later but was under warranty, buy a whole new transmission after mine exploded, and now my a/c is broken and none of the windows work except the right rear. Did I mention I've only owned it for 4 months? I don't know if I've just had EXTREMELY bad luck with this car, or if it's a piece of **** but I can't seem to keep it in a working condition for more than a month. I wouldn't recommend this car to anyone. Go buy a honda or a toyota, they actually try to make their cars last.

1998 Ford Taurus LX 3.0 from North America

Summary:

Very average

Faults:

Immediately had a problem with loud squeaking brakes and sometimes prematurely wearing brakes in the rear.

Daytime running lamps stayed on, removed fuse.

Car is now immobile because of bad steering. Don't know problem yet.

General Comments:

I have read the various comments on this model car on this website and I feel fortunate that I have not had some of the same experiences. I have replaced the rear brake pads three times. The last time I bought top of the line pads and the brakes are now quiet and stop well. I never investigated the daytime running lamp problem because that is the only thing on that fuse. I have had a few people tell me that my steering problem is either the rack and pinion or the tie rods. I have read on here that those are both normal problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th February, 2006

26th Mar 2006, 17:56

I wrote this review. I have had the car repaired. It was both of the inner tie rods. Car now handles better than ever. I forgot how much I enjoyed driving this car.