Ford Taurus - 2003 Review

When I test drove the Ford Taurus I was surprised on how comfortable it was.  It seemed to fit like a glove.  It also handled nice and being shorter I was able to adjust the seat to fit my leg length.  The dash board didn't seem too big which is a common dislike for me in cars.  I really think it is more of a personal thing.  Fords have never been a good buy in my family but the car checked out and passed all the tests.  I liked the color, blue and it was just the price I needed, after some haggling.  So I bought it.

It is now three years later and it still fits me well.  My dog has a lot of space in the back seat for long road trips and the trunk space fits my lifestyle well with room for my camping supplies or luggage if I am on a business trip.  It still handles well when it is moving and my gas mileage isn't bad.

Here is where I have a problem.  My blower motor for the heater and the air conditioner stopped working.  Dead of winter I had to de-ice my windshield while I drove and tried not to let it freeze while stopped at lights.  There was heat it just wouldn't blow so if I drove fast enough it would force the warm air a little.  I wasn't able to get it fixed during the winter because I didn't have enough money.  It was going to cost almost $400 to get it fixed.  I did research both on the web and with people who owned the same make and year car and found out that 80% of the people I spoke to has had the same problem currently or already dealt with it.  I was finally able to get this problem fixed and moved on to the next problem.

I was driving down the road early in the morning 4:30am in the fog and the dark and far from home.  I was headed to a marathon and to meet up with some friends.  When all of the sudden I realized that the one car behind me was catching up fast.  I thought maybe I had tapped the break and disrupted cruise control.  I hit the accelerator and the RPMs went up but nothing happened.  My car was running, it just wasn't moving.  My car only has 63,000 miles on it.  By the grace of God I ended up on the side of the road.  With no clue as to where I was.  I knew I was north of home by an hour and a half worth of driving.  I will be more aware of where I am and also be sure to have my GPS with me.  State Patrol finally found me and I was able to get a tow truck ordered.  I have never had to be towed before.  Found out I didn't have it on my insurance, I do now.  $601 dollars in tow fees alone, my car finally got home and the first thought is that the transmission is bad.  The tests came back and the transmission is ok.   $30 in testing cost and now I get to have the transmission rebuilt because Ford won't recall it.  Because they don't have to because they fixed the faulty transmission and created a new one in the Ford Taurus SHO. I am just glad this happen on my way to or from Utah.  It happened two weeks before my trip.  I travel a lot for personal and business.  I am a little nervous about it all but I still will go.

So if you go under the car, look at the pan...if the transmission number has an X in it RUN.  Run far and run fast.  That is the bad one and is almost promised it will die shortly at or right after 60,000 miles.

It is an ok car but with all the traveling around the state and country I do I do not believe I will ever buy a Ford Taurus again.  If you travel around town and don't go far it might not be a bad choice.  At least if you get stuck some where you won't be far from home.  I will be glad when I have paid the car off enough that I can afford to get rid of it and get a Nissan.  Which I have had before and had little to no problems with.

If you chose to buy one I would check to make sure the blower motor has already been fixed if you are buying a used one.  I don't know if it is a current problem with the new cars on the lot.  I would not suggest buying a Ford Taurus if you don't know how to fix cars.   I can only imagine that once I go to trade in or sell this car it won't be a worth a whole lot since it is a Ford Taurus'

Just think twice and if you have another option I would suggest seriously looking at it.  I have had nothing but problems and other car review sites have people saying the same thing over and over again.  Same problems and there are some problems I haven't had they have talked about.  Crossing my fingers I don't have them too.