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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 276 of 340

#2743 of 3389 2001 Taurus SEL by automan227

Feb 20, 2004 (9:11 pm)

Today I picked our new used 2001 Taurus SEL. We had signed the papers on monday, however it needed to have some service done on it and it needed to be detailed, so we picked it up today.
 
The car is spec'ed out as follows:
2001 Taurus SEL
33000 Miles
Black
Tan Leather Interior
Rear Spoiler
Mach Audio
CD Changer
Floor Shifter
Moonroof
Quality Checked plus a Premium Care Warranty.
 
Total OTD was $12k, and that was including the PremiumCare Warranty add on to the Quality Checked Warranty, and the 35k mile service (which they also changed the transmission fluid because we weren't sure if it had been done yet).
 
The car is basically flawless in condition, with a minor scuff on the rear bumper, and a small hairline scratch by the moonroof.
 
The car drives like it was brandnew, and I am very pleased with what I paid, and how I was treated by the dealer. They were extremely accomodating and willing to answer any and all questions that we had.
 
Overall very pleased with what makes our 2nd Ford Vehicle (also have an '02 Excursion Diesel).
 
AS

#2744 of 3389 automan227 by danielj6

Feb 20, 2004 (9:25 pm)

Good luck with your Taurus?
 
Since you're satisfied with the dealer and good dealers are very hard to come by, what's the name
of the dealership and what city is it located?
 
That info is allowed here. No names of salesmen/mgrs. or phone #'s, though.

#2745 of 3389 danielj6 by venus537

Feb 20, 2004 (10:06 pm)

why do you make the assumption those "imported babies" were leased? leasing is way down due to very low new car interest rates and with many automakers pulling back from offering enticing leases due to losing their butt off from past leases.
 
alpha is right, taurus is falling behind in terms of safety features. i have a hunch you have a ford product because you like fords and not because your research indicated your sable is the car to get for safety.
 
exactly what luxury import sedan is not as safe or as strong structurally as a sable? quite to the contrary.

#2746 of 3389 2000 Ford Taurus has Defective Air Bags by penguins3

Feb 21, 2004 (7:15 am)

I found some black ice with my 2000 Ford Taurus wagon and performed an operational test on a Jersey Barrier with the front end of my car at 20-30 mph on 2/10/04. After the collision the air bags failed to deploy - however, the idiot light on the dashboard was kind enough to light up to inform me that the air bag system was not operating correctly.
 
I called Ford who has forwarded my complaint to some black hole. Is this problem an isolated case or has Ford been selling defective air bags?
 
Further online searching shows that the NHTSA has 260 reported failures of the air bag system on the 2000 Ford Taurus. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defects reports that there have been two investigations into the problem. The second investigation is ongoing (NHTSA Action Number EA03010).
 
You can file complaints as follows:
 
 By Phone
Call the DOT Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236) and a NHTSA representative will record your complaint information.
 
By Mail
 
You may also print the web form out and fax it to (202) 366-7882 or mail it to:
 
U.S. Department of Transportation,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
Office of Defects Investigation,
NSA-10.01, 400 7th Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20590.

#2747 of 3389 venus537 by danielj6

Feb 21, 2004 (8:16 am)

I know all of these people since the majority of them are my neighbors. I know their vehicle preferences, marriage status, and jobs they hold. Every 2 to 3 years they drive something new.
 
I've liked Fords and other American makes since childhood. However I bought Sable because (1) is a very structurally safe car, (2) it's roomy (3) is powerful, (4) I got more bang for the buck as compared to Camry/Accords.
 
My comparison of imports' stuctural strength to my Sable was made purely on issues of $$$$$. I believe that my car is just as strong as the luxury imports I happened to see while at the car wash. I follow NHTSA and IIHS and is no denying that luxo imports are well built. I was in no way referring, in my previous post, to Camry or Accords.
 
If you read my post again you'll notice that I also mention the high insurance premiums these people pay for their vehicles. We live in a zip code which is well known for high theft.
 
Sable or Taurus has not been falling behind in safety. I had an unfortunate chance to prove it when after 2 weeks after I had my station wagon I was rear ended. Cosmetic damage to the bumper, no damage to the car's body and no damage to my neck.
My car also came with side air bags, traction control and ABS standard. These was back in 2000. The only safety neglect on the part of Ford was the lack of rear seat head rests, which is a glaring mistake. At this point in time, Accord and Camry as well as Subaru's Legacy are just as safe as Taurus/Sable.

#2748 of 3389 Ford and Taurus/Sable safety features by nedc2

Feb 21, 2004 (10:55 am)

It really seems like Ford is putting the Taurus/Sable in End of Life mode. They made some modest improvements to interior & exterior styling for 2004, but haven't seemed to have made any improvements in functional or safety features in several years. I don't know why, it has a good solid chassis, the Duratec is a very good engine, but four wheel disc brakes are only available on the wagon. Why? Still no side curtain airbag option. Why? Stability control isn't available, it my not be needed on such a car but it sure wouldn't hurt. Still no rear seat head restraints! There is no longer a performance version available even though it shouldn't be that difficult to put a performance tuned version of the Duratec, like those that power the Lincoln LS, and the Jaguar, in it, along with vented discs on all four wheels of course. If Ford really do plan to keep building these at Atlanta for two to four more years, why not bring them up to date functionally, and then market them? It shouldn't be that hard.

#2749 of 3389 nedc2 by venus537

Feb 21, 2004 (12:00 pm)

once the 500 and futura come out the taurus will be regulated exclusively (or almost) to rental fleets. isn't this so. so i don't blame ford for not making heavy investments in the taurus.
 
at least you recognize some of the taurus/sable's
shortcomings.

#2750 of 3389 Re: nedc2 by venus537 by nedc2

Feb 21, 2004 (1:44 pm)

"once the 500 and futura come out the taurus will be regulated exclusively (or almost) to rental fleets. isn't this so. so i don't blame ford for not making heavy investments in the taurus.
 
at least you recognize some of the taurus/sable's
shortcomings."
 
Hey, I'm a Dearbornite and a stockholder, Ford's fortunes are too closely tied to mine for my own comfort sometimes. The trouble is it will take months to ramp up production on the 500/Montego/Freestyle, cars with brand new CVTs standard, and the Futura won't debut 'til a year after that. Atlanta is one of the most productive plants Ford has. It really same a shame to just write the car off so easily and watch people buy all those Camrys, Accord, and Altimas.

#2751 of 3389 nedc2 by danielj6

Feb 21, 2004 (3:33 pm)

What exactly do you need side curtain air bags and stability control on a car for????
 
Ford has obviously given up on the idea of competing with the Japanese by using Taurus and Sable. To that end, Mazda6 will attempt to compete (Mazda partly owned by Ford), and Ford's new models.
 
How about looking at Taurus from the standpoint of standard features and safety and not the functionality imposed by Honda, Toyota and Nissan?

#2752 of 3389 Buying a Taurus by maknarr

Feb 21, 2004 (5:45 pm)

I'm looking for an everyday driver, I'm in the hunt for a 2002 or 2003 Taurus SES...price with 15-25 miles $10-11,000 around here. Although this car is bland compared to my wife's Avalon, I can buy three Taurus for what we paid for the Avalon. I drive about 20,000 mile a year, the car's are reliable and as cheap as transportation as I can find. I'm 6'6" tall, the Taurus also is a roomy car for tall drivers...
Question: should I hold out for a 24 valve engine or is the standard engine OK for this vehicle??

Messages Page 276 of 340

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