1996 Ford Taurus Ghia review from Australia and New Zealand

A terribly unreliable car with many, many common problems.

Firstly, the A/C stopped working. Climate worked and blowers OK, but no cold air. Technician said it had gas, and would need to remove the entire dash to repair.

Then would not switch into 4th gear / overdrive. O/D OFF flashed on the dashboard. This is caused by a clip in the gearbox breaking, meaning it would not engage 4th gear - $500 to repair. Now clutch and gearbox slips when car is cold, will just dis-engage power.

CV joint replaced at 155,000 km's.

Alternator stopped working, causing car to die completely at full driving speeds - fortunately, I could pull over. Labour was huge, had to pay over $500 for this in labour alone.

Rear window motor worked intermittently. Again, parts cost very high.

A fantastic car if you have endless sums of cash. Very comfortable, great ride, but handles like a boat.

All the features are great - IF THEY WORK. If you buy one, make sure you have an extensive drive and test of every single thing on the car. If anything is not working, do not buy the car, it will cost you your life savings to put things right, and then the next thing will go wrong.

Ahead of its time, but this is its downfall. Australians - don't buy a Taurus, just get a Falcon!