1995 Ford Taurus GL review from North America

Replaced transmission.

Fan motor.

Rear window motor.

All hoses within the first year.

Replaced all four tires.

All four brakes (shoes and rotors).

Cruise control.

Serpentine belt always loses the two outside grooves within a month.

Wire to the brake pedal (controls the lights and shifting out of park) continually severs, finally had Pep Boys remove the switch housing and connect the wires directly.

Mind you, I still haven't reached 100,000 miles yet...

Great when it works, but not the most reliable car overall.

It's more comfortable, handles better, and even gets better fuel economy than my previous cars (including a 2-door Skyhawk with a manual transmission and 2.0 L engine), but the number of major components that needed replacement nearly made me sell the thing in the first year. Some were not covered by warranty, and even those that were still stuck me with the deductibles, which add up... $50 is still money I could have used elsewhere.

Also, their service is shifty. One time I got my car back with the rear-view mirror on the front seat! They wouldn't even fix it on the spot - I had to go to SafeLite down the street, who gladly dropped everything and took two minutes to glue it back on, for free.

I haven't had anything major go wrong lately, but I'm nervous now that the warranty has expired... DO NOT PURCHASE A FORD WITHOUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, PERIOD - I guarantee it will pay for itself and then some.

As for newer models: my father has a brand-new Explorer that has already been to the shop to address the "check engine" light...