1988 Ford Taurus LX Wagon from North America - Comments

God where to start? We got the car when I was 6, since that day it's had:

Countless water leaks.

The sunroof leaked.

The brakes squealed from the moment my parents drove it off the lot.

Brake system required rebuilding, the calipers were redone and the brakes are a constant tri-yearly ordeal.

Most all lights in the digital dashboard burnt out.

Oil leaks.

Power steering.

Fluid cap broke.

Paint horribly faded (I hear it was the 1st year Ford used Clearcoat).

Paneling fell off the door.

Gas gauge broke.

Tranny probs.

Countless recalls.

Light in the dash burnt out repeatedly.

RUST!!!

Computer is shady.

Stalls.

Great as a first car for a 17-year-old to abuse, how much more could I possibly do to it?

Great back hatch to wallpaper with bumper stickers (covers rust).

Costs an arm & a leg to maintain, can't do it for much longer. I loved it, but it's waaay too old and didn't age gracefully. Totally unreliable on long trips.

You have had the car since you were six? The car has how many miles? 103,000! Come on dude! Get real! It must have been good for something if ya all kept it that long.

Two years ago I bought a 1990 Taurus LX Wagon (I never thought I'd be driving a wagon, at least there's no "wood" on the side!) with more options than I thought were possible. The car had 80,000 miles on it when I bought it (I also did not realize at the time that it had badly abused by prior owners). It now has 135,000 miles (trouble free).

Paul

If you think a Taurus is expensive to maintain, try pricing similar parts for a Mitsubishi or Toyota or Audi etc...

Fords are by far the least expensive cars to acquire parts for, which makes up for all the bugs if you enjoy tinkering :)

I do not agree with the guy who made the first comment. Unfortunately not everybody who has a vehicle that is troublesome can afford to upgrade or indeed get the nescessary credit to replace a troublesome vehicle. To my mind this is probably the reason why this car has been in the same family for so many years. I have first hand experience of this situation. We own a Saturn SL2 which is pure trouble. Yet we have now spent so many thousands repairing it that we need to keep it for a while to get our value back. If people were less judgemental these comments would be far better received.

I bought my used 88 Luxary Wagon from a 2nd owner in 2001. I new up front that a used car would need repairs. I poured through the maintenance/repair receipts and noticed that either some things hadn't been done in a while or not at all. So, I took it upon myself to go through the entire car and replace parts that I seen as future repairs - mostly moving or supportive parts. I didn't want to get stranded somewhere. I put in about 5K in repairs, and now I am left with a car that will be reliable for years to come even though it now has 221500 miles on it.

I read through other comments about the same car and it seems to me that not many people do preventive maintenance on their vehicles.

I am 35 and have a family of 4 and am expecting another soon, which leaves me buying a second car - a van only because the number of people in my family is increasing.

I am keeping this Ford because I don't have to fix or repair it daily.

I look at it this way... A car is an investment. Protect your investment. If one does not perform preventative maintenance, I do not feel sorry for that person.

My 1988 Ford Taurus LX Wagon (which still runs, but barely) is leaving our family. It has over 175,000 HARD miles on it. For the last five years it helped me deliver mail on over 30,000 miles to a mid western rural route with over 300 stops on half gravel / half poorly paved roads (HARD miles). Yes the transmission is slipping horribly and yes I've had to replace countless items. However, it has been my TIMEX of cars (you know, takes a licking...). I bought it barely used when my 1989 Taurus and I hit a bridge. The Taurus saved my life, although it end up with a three foot dent in the hood. I don't like the newer Taurus' and purchased a new Chevy, but the Taurus has served me well.