Head Gasket has leak, and needs to be fixed.
Transmission shutters, and is slow shifting from 1st to 2nd.
Steering has a lot of play in it.
Car runs very hot all of the time.
A/C system has large leak in it.
Speakers have been replaced.
Electronic solenoid for the heat/ac only works in the high position.
I refuse to fix anything wrong with this car. It had low miles when I bought it. I did not now that it had the recalls for the transmission, and the head gasket, till it was to late. I would not recommend this car to anyone, especially with the 3.8 liter engine. The car does have a lot of power yet the reliability of the car is not worth the troubles. This car runs at very high temps. If you go buy a thermostat for it, its even a high-temp thermostat. That is not good for the transmission which is one of the hottest components on the car, nor the engine being that hot either. All in all, this car is not worth anyones time or money in my opinion, and I would not recommend it to anyone.
Why the heck did you refuse to fix it? That's one of the things about having a car, you HAVE to check things to make sure everything is in working order. If you think something is wrong or if your car starts acting funny, you'll need to get it looked at right away before bigger problems start to arise. You'll be thankful you did...
Problems should be looked at or fixed right away, or else, you know the rest. But I have a 88 Taurus Wagon with the 3.8 and have had no mechanical problems at all. It runs better than my mom's 97 Saturn SL.
Why are any of you people trying to justify fixing an 88 Ford Taurus? And why compare it to a Saturn? Don't you people buy high quality vehicles anymore or is this a craps shoot for everyone? Taurus' were terrible cars in the showroom, they were God awful looking, they lacked refinement and all in all were lacking in every category. Do yourself a favor and spend the extra few thousand dollars for a Toyota or something. Read the reviews, great on gas, simple to maintain and its not a Ford so you can't lose.. If Ford made anything well then maybe they would actually be known for something other than being slapped together, blue collar junk piles.
OK, seriously...
How in the hell can you say that this car was the crap of all Ford\American cars?
Considering that the Ford Taurus - especially the '88s - were the BEST SELLING cars of the entire country. And still are! I myself own a Ford Taurus '88 wagon. And honestly, the repairs you mentioned... were nothing. The recalls will be done by Ford FOR FREE!!! Ford does that with all of their recalls. Read up a bit.
This car has the best gas mileage of all of the cars of that year TO DATE. Not to mention, it had the most seating, the most storage space, and the best looks of the time. Yes by today's standards - which aren't very high let me clue you - deem this car to be ugly as hell, but honestly, who cares about looks when you get a car that - if taken care of properly - will last you for a very very long time, and can even make its money back.
You are obviously pretty young, and very inexperienced with vehicles and money. To anyone with ANY experience with owning a vehicle, this car can be a gold mine, if you find one that's been taken care of with some common sense.
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