Guys, I am going to buy a used Taurus in the 1990 - 96 year range. What should I look for as far as engine size, years with the best reliability,etc. How about SHO's, there are a few of them for sale around here- really snazzy looking for a Taurus. Thanks!

 

The 3.8 V6 has a headgasket problem and the auto tranny, regardless of engine size, is only good to about 85K then it's at risk to break & need a rebuild. If I were you, having had a '92 myself and I drove a '97 that I had as a rental, I would look for a '97-'99. The '97 was much nicer to drive than my '92 and '96 was the first year of that bodystyle---most people recommend you stay away from the first year or so of a redesign.

As for SHOs, the '93-95 are great, it's a HO 4L with a 5spd, but if you can find a '96+, they had a SMALL, like 3.4 or something, V8 which was really cool.

 

i got a nice '93 a few years back, had only 24,000 on the clock, paid 2,500 for it. belonged to the grandmother of my sister'd husband. has the std 3.0 vulcan. gets 22 around town, 29 on the open highway. id stay away from the 3.8 liter, though its tempting for the added power, they have had some head gasket problems. the s.h.o. would be neat (expecially becuse its the only was to get a stick-shift in a taurus) but i havent seen to many of them around. we have around 60,000 on the car now and the only issues ive had with it were the ignition switch and a emmisions sensor (that caused a check - engine light to come on) other than that, just a oil change every 3,000 miles (and the FL-1A filter will fit) font brakes, and a set of new tires. rides & handles wonderfull got a good sized trunk. i consider it to be a front-drive l.t.d. i dont like the newer ones, same drivtrain i beleive, but looks like a cigar that has been flattend at both ends.

 

I have a 96 Taurus and I love it, If you can, find one with the duratec (200 hp) engine and they came with an upgraded auto. After 97 Ford started deleting minor things like disc brakes on the rear as standard, etc. Also, the dual overhead cam sho's had a problem with the gears comming off the cams and causing severe engine damage. the fix is welding (Tacking) the gears on to the tune of $600-800. Check out tauruscarclub.com and you can find out all you ever wanted to know about them. Kinda like this site for trucks.

 

I would stay clear from the SHO they are junk. Most SHOs you see have alot of problems with them. Even consumer reports said they are crap too. I would get a 3.0 tauraus. The 80s and early 90s ones had a little bit of problems with the tranny.

 

Do not buy the 3.8, nothing but problems. I bought one for my son. To replace the water pump you had to raise the engine. No room to do anything. Head gasket problems, nothing but a money pit.

 

I do have a 93 Taurus SHO, 3.0 with 5 speed. I love the car. It has 150000 miles on it now. I just put in a new clutch, and other than a feul pump I've had no problems with until now, the multi-purpose relay has gone out. The car is a bit of a high maiatenance, but alot of fun.

 

My son had a 93 he bought used and its still going.

 

Just turned over 83k on my 99 wagon (24V DOHC Duratec - 205hp) - It's quite possibly the best Ford (or any car) I've ever owned - so far...

PLENTY of power and great fuel economy as long as you drive it sanely...I've gotten 30+mpg when driving leisurely - drops to 20-23mpg when crusing at 70-75mph.

 

I'd trust my 220 HP 3.0L (DOHC) SHO over my old '93 3.8L Sable (Taurus) any day of the week, and I'm not just talking about the quarter mile. While the Sable was good to me, I always had that lingering fear in the back of my mind, wondering when (not if) the HG was gonna blow. That's why I in fact sold it and bought my current '97 GL with the 3.0L "vulcan" engine (the SHO is my fun car).

However, even the 3.0L vulcan engine can be prone to fairly serious problems in the '96-99 Taurus/Sables because of problems with the cooling system, leading to something called "brown coolant syndrome" whereby the coolant actually eats away core plugs, water pump propellers, radiator and heater cores, and even causes headgaskets to fail, among other things. There was an "Owner Notification" program concerning the brown coolant issue, although many people have complained that they never got notified. In any case, if you elect to purchase a Generation III Taurus or Sable, make sure it has been serviced according to the applicable TSB's and ONPs. I was able to confirm that my '97 Taurus had been taken care of by having an OASIS report done on it.

More info on the brown coolant subject can be found here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...90&postcount=4

IMO, if you can find a '95 in good shape with relatively low miles and a 3.0L vulcan engine, grab it.