I was reading the other day that Ford is proclaiming 2004 to be the "year of the car". They claim that this summer they will be comming out with a bunch of new cars which they hope will allow them to regain some of the marketshare they have lost to the Japanese.
However, I dont think Ford's current lineup needs changing as much as they need to focus on improving their quality.
About 2 years ago, my '99 Ranger had a problem with frozen rear brake cylinders. It was in the shop for about a week and as a loaner vehicle I was given a '98 Taurus SES. Nice car.
Since then, Ive drive a Toyota Camry and a Honda Accord. Also nice cars. To be honest, I dont think the Camry and the Accord were any nicer than the Taurus.
Why then, do the Camry and the Accord outsell the Taurus? I think its because people look at all the recalls and TSBs that Ford has, which are more than double that of what Toyota and Honda has, and they go with the riceburner.
Im probably going to be in the market for a different vehicle in the next year or 2. I was leaning towards a small truck, but for what a nice compact truck costs I can get a Taurus. I also dont haul that often and we really dont get that much snow here in Wisconsin anymore, so its not like I really need a truck.
However, can I trust Ford? Can I buy a Taurus and know that it will last 150,000-200,000 miles without nickle-and-diming me to death?
Or should I just spent the extra $2,000-$3,000 for the Camry or Accord?

 

I think every auto manufacturer should focus on quality. Not that Ford is behind other manufacturers but for what a new vehicle costs these days the general public has the right to demand a high quality product. Unfortunately the Japanese builders got ahead of the game when the US had a fuel crisis in the late 70's and the demand for small, fuel efficient cars was high and Detroit did not have the product. Since then the Japanese have provided fairly high quality and have captured a strong following. It has taken Detroit several years to catch up but I believe currently the quality of US cars is right there with the Japanese and the European vehicles. They all need to continue to focus on improved quality and value. Just MHO!

 

My 95 F150 has 213 K on it and my wifes 95 explorer has 153k. I bought both of these vehicles used last year, so i did not put the miles on them and cannot vouch for how well they were maintained. Now maybe i just got Lucky but I have not had any major problems only minor things that were no big deal to fix. So the moral of the story is Fords are reliable and every maker will have there problem cars or areas. If you like the fords buy the Ford but I think you can have problems with any manufacturer its all in how they handle it.

Chris

 

I'd stay away from the Taurus. I've never seen one that did not need a new transmission at 50K miles or so. Also, brakes seem to be a trouble spot. And, the Honda will have much better resale. If you are going to buy a Ford car, I'd rather step up to the Crown Victoria, I think it's a better car, with rear wheel drive. Or, go for the Explorer. Anybody else have bad luck with a Taurus?

 

Other then the 3.0 Vulcan engine being gutless I've never had any problems. I even ran my 93 Sable with a 3.8 well over 130K and never had problems - and that one supposely comes with a guarentee to blow the head gaskets. Biggest problem I've had with my Grand Marquis is total lack of power, 190hp in a 4000# car doesn't cut it anymore.

 

Just my opinion, but I believe that people have been brainwashed for so long that they just BELIEVE that Japanese cars are better. At one time, I'm sure they were, the Japanese set the standard for current quality, but Ford has caught up, and I believe surpassed them in some areas. Ford doesn't really need to focus more on quality- at least no more than the other car makers- they just need to advertise it better.

 

IMO any massed produced product will always suffer form quality issues; it has gotten considerably better over the years, however it can always improve.

Customer feedback is essential, and seldom used enough

 

1) Why is it, when I drive by a Japanese-brand car dealer, I see this big garage door with the word "SERVICE" over it, and I look inside to find cars with hoods up, engines and transmissions out, and more broken-down cars in the parking lot? I thought these cars never need repairs?

2) The biggest myth about Japanese cars is their resale value. Yes, they bring more on the used-car market, but you had to PAY more for them when they were new! Depreciation is the difference between what you actually paid for the vehicle, and how much you received when you sold it. NADA Guide and the like figure resale from the original MSRP vs. what the vehicle is currently selling for. Accords and Camrys have higher stickers, and lower discounts and rebates (if at all) than the Taurus. The REAL cost of driving these cars is incredibly close.

3) I've found the Taurus to be quite reliable. It's not perfect, but you'll spend less in the long run with one than you will a Camry or Accord. There's more scheduled maintenance on the Japanese (when's the last time anyone replaced a timing belt on a Taurus?), and repairs to a foreign car have always been much more expensive than a domestic. Part of scheduled maintenance on the Camry is replacing tie-rod ends. Can you imagine telling a Taurus owner they have to do that as part of MAINTENANCE? Good luck!

 

yeah im new to this site and reading as much as i can but dont shoot me for this but STAY clear of the taurus my folks had one and they got rid of it quickly they had problem after problem with it the final reason was that the sensors were all glitching so they went with a buick YIKES i drive an 01 focus and traded it in for an 04 ranger edge 4x2 still waiting for the truck and getting rather impatient but as they say perfection takes time right. So the taurus from my experience is not to pleasant but it rode nicely but too many problems.....the focus was nice thx

 

Thats probably why Consumer Reports ranked it so highly for so many years.

l think the 3.0 Vulcan pushrod motor is much better than the duratec OHC. Pushrod motors are much more torquey.