1989 Ford Taurus L review from North America
"Good first car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Water Pump went at 151,000 miles.
Lower radiator hose went at 151,000 miles.
Transmission was rebuilt at 91,236 miles, before I owned the car.
Transmission shifts hard up and down in first and second gear when gas pedal is floored. First happened at 150,000 miles. It has to cool down before it stops.
Tried to recharge air conditioner and found a leaky hose at 145,000 miles.
It also eats gas after it hits a half tank. You are lucky if you get 20 miles out of it before it hits empty. However you can get a good 115 miles out of a half tank. So total you can get about 135 miles a tank.
Since it is a Ford it also has a few quirks:
-Turn signals stopped working one night for no reason and then worked fine the next day.
-Can get a little hot, but it stays normal since I replaced the water pump.
General comments?
Luckily, my friend is a mechanic and all I needed to fix the car was him and the parts.
Comfortable car with a HUGE backseat.
There is a lot of trunk space.
I would not buy another Taurus, only because they have a lot of transmission problems, and because under the hood is a giant cluster, repair costs are high.
25 MPG Highway.
21 MPG City.
This was my first car, but unfortunately I cannot live with it anymore because I need something more reliable (not to say this was horrible, but it is old and I need something I know will last me a while).
Recommended reviews
| A stupid fast grocery getter |
| Worst car ever built |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0 V6 Gasoline Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 144000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 152000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 19th July, 2004 |