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Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

3389 messages,  Last post on Jan 21, 2011 at 11:46 AM

You are in the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable, Sedan

Messages Page 217 of 340

#2156 of 3389 Used 2002 Taurus with ESP vs new 2003 Elantra by collegecar

Mar 09, 2003 (10:23 pm)

I plan to buy a car for cash that I can drive for the next 5 years while I go back to school full time.
For $11K I could buy a 2002 Taurus SES former rental with about 28K miles, the standard engine, CD, ABS and power seat.
For $12500 after rebate I could get pretty loaded Elantra with even more equipment (except power seat).
The Taurus will be bigger, quieter, more comfortable and safer, but will only gave 8K miles left on warranty and will be showing the wear of being a former rental. It will also be $1500 cheaper. I'm not sure that savings is worth the future repair costs.
For $2K I could buy the Ford ESP plan with 100K mile Bumper to Bumper coverage and zero deductable. This now makes the Taurus $500 more and it is still a used rental compared to a brand new Elantra. I don't know if the ESP plan will provide coverage on the former rental because I won't have proof the scheduled maintenance was done by the rental company,
Which is the better choice? It looks like a new Elantra makes more sense.

#2157 of 3389 collegecar by upsetter1

Mar 10, 2003 (3:46 pm)

Choosing the car is very subjective. Elantra is a good car, but you will discover pretty soon that it is a cheap car, it is just feeling that you get. Well I would choose used but more upscale car for the same money.
 
Elantra will have better fuel economy. But it is not a family car, it is not as safe as Taurus. Taurus is a family car in contrast and pretty safe and reliable. Okay because it is Taurus forum lets talk anout Taurus. I was in a situation to buy almost new used Sable and the best solution I found was the certified used Ford/Mercury. Ford gives extended warranty and that adds about $800 to the price. The idea is that only best used cars are supposed to be sold under this program. I was looking for Duratec engine and couldn't find Sable with this engine that match color and milage I wanted. Anyway Sable is more unique car than Taurus and more difficult to find, so I bought new Sable in the end.
 
I was shopping in Hertz too and Sables I tested had one or another type of defect, despite they asserted that they picked the best cars, fixed all defects and blah-blah-blah. It simply wasn't true. But anyway they don't have Dutatec. Well I believe that Ford sells worst cars to fleets. But I know also people who bought previous rental Taurus and are happy. Also go to Carfax (sometimes it is free on dealers website). Car's history contains a lot of hints, e.g. why someone buys the car and sells it only after 3 month.
 
I have Ford ESP on my Sable, driving a lot so 36,000 is not enough for me. It cost me ~ $1000 for 5/100,000.

#2158 of 3389 Will get Hertz Taurus by collegecar

Mar 12, 2003 (7:15 pm)

I went to the Hertz car sales place and they had one that did look surprising clean and had a little less miles than typical. I looked at the service history and saw the maintenance and repairs that had already been done on it. It did have warranty repairs done and that made be rethink the purchase, but I decided to go ahead. I would never have known what repairs had been done if I bought from anywhere else, so at least I know what I'm getting. I test drove it for 30 minutes and it drives perfectly.
It was a 2002 SES with the standard engine (would have liked the Duratec for an extra kick for passing, but the standard engine was adequate). The car has 24K miles, power seat, CD player, ABS and alloy wheels. The price was listed as $10,995, but there is a special this weekend for AAA members for an extra $300 off. So I left a deposit and will come back over the weekend and pick up the car for $10695. TTL and the $0 deductible warranty that adds 5 years and 70K miles coverage starting from the day I buy the car (meaning it is covered till it is 6 years old or has 94K miles) made the out the door price $13K. Looks like a good deal.
I'm selling my "old" 2002 Accord EXV6 coupe to CarMax right before I go to pick up the Taurus in a few days. Then the Hertz salesperson will come and pick me up so I can collect the Taurus. CarMax already gave me a written offer, so I'm going back to take them up on it before the 7 days it is valid expires.
I tried going to another dealer that had several similar Taurus SES sedans that were also prior rentals to see if they could match the CarMax trade quote and the Hertz price so I could save the hassle of dealing with two different dealerships, but they wanted $11999 for their car and we didn't even get to the point of talking about the extended warranty.
$13K out the door with 5 years left of B2B warranty (minus maintenance items and a small list of exclusions) and no deductible feels like a really good deal for a good looking, comfortable and safe 1 year old car.

#2159 of 3389 Thanks Upsetter1 by atcers

Mar 12, 2003 (10:10 pm)

I for one appreciate the info you provided on "fleet sales". I like supporting information not "someones word on it".

#2160 of 3389 collegecar by badgerfan

Mar 13, 2003 (6:57 am)

I am just curious, but why are you getting rid of a 2002 Accord EXV6 coupe that less than 2 years old to replace with a Taurus that is also the same model year? I would think the Accord would last you the 5 years you are looking for also. Are you trying to get out from under a big car loan? Selling the Accord will no doubt also hit you with some large depreciation, as all but maybe a few collector cars depreciate highly in the first year or two of ownership. Hondas are not immune from depreciation either.

#2161 of 3389 Accord by collegecar

Mar 13, 2003 (8:43 am)

I am getting rid of it to get rid of the loan and the higher insurance. The Accord will also be a theft target in the areas where I am planning to move and park for college. I currently work in a low crime area and the car is garaged at home. When I go back to school, the car will probably be parked on the street or in some apartment complex parking lot in a so-so neighborhood.
Even though it is a 2002 Accord, I purchased it in Oct 2001 and the real world trade in value is only a few hundred less than the loan payoff at this point. If I had the time to sell it myself, I would get more than the payoff, so the depreciaton is not that bad compared to most other cars. I like this Taurus, but I am really glad I did not buy it new. I checked the prices for a new 2003 SES and even if I could buy one at invoice cost minus the current $3000 rebate, that is still $17,404 plus taxes based on the before-rebate price of $20404 (not even including an extended warranty) for a car that would only be worth about $9K trade in after a year. If I had bought a Taurus new with no money down, it would probably take nearly four years of payments on a 5 year loan before I would no longer be upside down in the loan.
I also want to replace the coupe for a 4 door since I'm planning to be carrying passengers and carpooling more often soon.

#2162 of 3389 colllegecar by badgerfan

Mar 13, 2003 (2:09 pm)

I understand your situation now.
 
While I bought my Taurus new, I also keep them a long time, so depreciation is mostly gone by the time I buy again no matter what I would buy. Because I keep cars a long time, I like to buy new so I control all the maintenance. But, I must admit from a cost of ownership standpoint, buying a 1-3 year old model and getting an extended warranty with the deal is a very good approach.
 
Enjoy your Taurus. I happen to think it is a very good car for the price, new or used and does not deserve the "rental car" stigma so many people use to deride it.

#2163 of 3389 atcers by venus537

Mar 13, 2003 (3:32 pm)

well good for you. i'm too lazy to look up percentages of fleets sales from the last decade so i guess i have no leg to stand on. but 4 out of 10 accords to fleet sales just doesn't equate.

#2164 of 3389 fleet sales by upsetter1

Mar 13, 2003 (4:22 pm)

Whatever %% of fleet sales are, Accord depreciation is least compared to Camry and esp. Taurus. With Taurus problem is more in overproduction and aging platform than in fleet sales. Taurus still plays catch up with Accord and Toyota since 80s and I do not see the way how Ford (or GM or any American or European company) is able to make better engineered and higher quality product than Honda and Toyota for the same money. To outsell Honda and Toyota it has to be as good product, but bigger and with better style (actually it was motto of second generation Taurus team). When I saw first time new Accord I just couldn't believe that basic car can be so good built and engineered and has such a high quality interior. I mean they can threaten even Germans in the end, they already moving incrementally in this direction. It is interesting to see how Ford is going to deal with this threat taking into account that traditionally they are more busy with internal infighting on management level than improving quality. UAW too. Japanese don't have UAW.

#2165 of 3389 How can you by riswami

Mar 15, 2003 (4:51 am)

say over production is the reason for Taurus depreciation. Accord, Camry and Taurus all sell around 400,000 units a year.
 
The market is set by the price people are willing to pay. Camry and Accord are deemed superior by a segment of the population, thus they fetch a higher price in the used car market.
 
Don't get your point about the Germans. Besides the Passat, what cars do the Germans offer in the Accord, Taurus and Camry price point?

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