1999 Ford Taurus SE review from North America

Freeze plug failure around 83,000 miles.

Water pump (replaced just for GP)

Rack & pinion replacement at 90,000 miles; both outer seals failed.

Strange heating problem; only blows hot for 30 seconds... (more than likely bleeder door stuck)

Motor mount (did not fail, was worn)

Both lower ball joints (did not fail, was worn)

Front sway bar (did not fail, but was extremely worn)

Unusual coolant leak from either the coolant reservoir or one of the lines connecting it... (after a Google search, see the reservoirs on these tend to crack and leak) does make car run hot. It just weeps coolant at normal operating temperatures; annoying.

High maintenance car! But reliable if maintained properly.

Vehicle is surprisingly still drivable in the event of a mechanical failure.

Can handle triple digit speeds for extended periods of time.. seriously.

The 3.0 L "Vulcan" engine is extremely strong, durable, and well built iron block and iron heads make this one heavy a__ engine that's hard to blow-up.

Weak points of this car:

Definitely its transmission. MUST BE ROUTINELY MAINTAINED!!!

Its extremely over engineered cooling system that use so many Ford developed high pressure lines (which fail with age ALL the time) instead of regular hoses. Makes repairing a coolant leak somewhat difficult to find the proper part.

Secondary system (AC, power steering, alternator) will require routine maintenance and up keep.

If the manual recommends replacement every 30,000 miles, trust the part won't last much beyond that!

Easy to predict when the car will need maintenance if you pay attention.

Gas mileage on highway excellent; I squeeze 38MPG average.