2001 Ford Taurus SE from North America - Comments

Starter died at 51,000 miles

Steering vibrates above 60 mph

City MPG is terrible

Steering is very hard, squeaks on turns

High road noise.

My wife drives 1997 Toyota Camry with 89K and we have not spent a penny on repairs. My Taurus got just 51K and starter died (I just couldn't start after stopping) stranding me 30 miles away from home. Cost 120 dollars on parts and 80 dollars labor for mobile mechanic.

How can I trust this car to take me on long trips?

All of my friends advised me not to go for Ford vehicle unless it is a truck. Well, I learned my lesson now..

Why can't they just make as reliable as Japanese cars?

You just got a lemon, I have a 2001 Taurus SES and not a thing has went wrong with it and I have had it since it was new.

Starter died at 51,000 miles- That'll happen sometimes. Not a major expense to fix.

Steering vibrates above 60 mph- You probably have a cupped tire or multiple cupped tires.

City MPG is terrible- when was the last time the care was completely serviced?

Steering is very hard, squeaks on turns- that's the power steering pump telling you one of two things. 1- I'm thirsty and need some fluid... 2- I'm starting to fail and when I do... You'll get charged 200 bucks.

High road noise.- What does that mean?

Why are you blowing your top over a $200 fix? That's honestly not a big deal. These things happen, and often before you hit 100k. Your wife just has a good car. I have buddies with 2001 and newer Civics that have had many problems and spent much more than you. Don't think cars are better just cause they came to our country on a boat.

Its amazing to see how upset ford folks get when other people say the truth about japanese vehicles. I mean its so insane to not only get upset as if you yourself had made these vehicles, but to stand behind a product with almost no resale value and horrible quality is absurd. I always drove american, not anymore!

YO buddy, Japanenese cars suck, Ford is way better than any Japanese car out there, I had a 1995 ford mustang and the only thing I had replaced was the battery and brakes, and I am having a great time blowing by all those rice-burning japanese cars.

I have an Acura the starter didn't go bad on until it had about 190K miles on it. obviously all of you on here telling this person to stop complaining have Blue Oval blood flowing through your veins. I also have a Chevy that I abuse I had a starter problem at about 130K miles.

I'm pretty sure this person is complaining about the part going out with out warning. Every instance I or someone I know has had a starter problem it lets you know, you get some kinda warning.

I am the original poster, after more than 2 years of owning it, and driving for 50K or so, here is my review again:

- I think I will buy a ford again, but only used.

- I had to replace with in 14K miles on new discs (36K is the les schwab's warranty, so they replaced it for free.. way to go les schwab), will have to see how long these go

- The steering vibration I complained was from worn out tires - my bad - sorry ford

- Driver side auto-lock doesn't lock with button or with remote. Have to manually lock. Unlocks OK.

- There is some noise at the wheel, could not be diagnosed, doesn't seem big issue, since it's there for a while.

A trip from Seattle to Yellowstone national park in 3 days, amounting to 1900 miles went great. Haven't got tired driving at all, I am 6'2 and thought will get back pains. Great lumbar support.

I think if you buy a 5 year old ford, you get it for half the price of Japanese cars. Use some of the savings on little headaches, you got a great deal..

Anyhow, I think its not too bad...

After test driving literally dozens of cars, we settled on a new Mustang. We nearly opted for the top-rated Fusion, and I could have saved a ton of money on a Taurus.

When it comes to pure value for the dollar NOTHING comes close to a used Taurus. I looked at a fully loaded 2006 Taurus SEL with leather and a moon roof and only 14,000 miles. It was priced at $12,000. It makes great sense to buy a used car that everyone hates.

Some years ago I opted to buy a low mileage used Pontiac Grand Am because all the car magazines and consumer agencies had done me a huge favor and ranted about how slow, ugly, unreliable, and poorly built it was. As a result the resale was dirt cheap. I paid half the new car price for a mint 2-year old 2001 model in bright red. It has been the best car we've ever owned. It is very fast (I traded a 5.0 Mustang for it and didn't miss the power much at all), it is very smooth, very fuel efficient (30mpg) and in 60,000 miles I have never had a single problem.

I highly recommend the Taurus to anyone wanting a similar boring, but solid value in a used car.

If I buy a high resale value car (such as Mustang) I buy it new. In my area 2-year old Mustangs are selling for $500 to $1000 less than new ones, so buying a used one would make little sense.

In looking for a great second car I always look in the car magazines to see which ones the reviewers hate and which ones Consumer Reports lists as "used cars to avoid", then pick the worst of the worst and buy it for small change. I've never gotten a lemon... EVER... by doing this. Even if I did, the 10 grand I save would pay for an awful lot of repairs.

In addition to my new Mustang I still have my old Grand AM. I plan to drive it another 100,000 miles as a second car. I got my money's worth out of it long ago.

I second the comment about the Taurus. I'd never buy one of these new as they're pretty much disposable junk good for maybe 100k or so. But you can get a 2-3 year old LOADED Taurus for around 5k or less. The equivalent Japanese car would be at least double that amount. I had a friend who did that exact same thing. He bought a 92' Taurus with 45k on it for $1900. It lasted for around 5 years until he made it to about 90k. Then the head gasket blew. No big deal. Just buy another and drive for another 5 years until it blows.