Here’s how the Taurus went from Ford’s best seller to a forgotten icon

[@countryboy44555]

My dad, who worked on the Taurus at Ford corroborated that story about the headlights. It was something he was pretty proud of since he worked on the design team.

[@my1vice]

It was a big deal. Laws had to be changed.

[@elicaul6506]

Fantastic episode! A good friend of mine was a Fleet Manager for Ford during the Taurus period and before. He recently said: "The Taurus was an absolute gold mine. People bought it year after year, it was a sure thing. Well, until they made it look like a freaking Catfish, and that was the end of that." :-)

[@rattletrap1]

Yep. Freaking catfish. That's what I called those as well. Thankfully Ford remedied that with the 4th gen.

[@JonFox1945]

That's so funny that you say this. The new mustangs look like a catfish to me. I think the 13-14 were the last good looking mustangs Ford ever made. They must really like cat fishes

[@lorettakelley2146]

I had a 96 Taurus. Named it Nemo because it looked like a fish. Now I have a 2016 Taurus and love it!

[@jamesbizs]

@Repent to Jesus Christ! go away you lunatic

[@maxtew6521]

Hey, I OWN one of those catfish, thank you. Thing's ugly as sin, but it will not die. Hot weather or cold, cared for or neglected, it is robust if nothing else. But it sure ain't pretty.

[@Henry_Jones]

Overnight the Taurus made GMs entire lineup look like antiques. Thats how big a deal it was. Even today it looks modern.

[@RoxanneBarbelo]

That is the truth. I remember when the Taurus came out and it was years beyond in style than nearly anything else on the road at the time. My father bought a 1987 Taurus Wagon and we all loved it in our family. Pretyy much every car manufacture was forced to update their cars styles to compete.

[@kobra6660]

Gm was already struggling in the 80s with reliability always liked the old boxy styling but the engines never lasted before breaking down and the 90s just put them in a crises mode

[@Henry_Jones]

@@kobra6660 yep thats why I want a vid on the chevy citation.

[@Toolaholic7]

BS on that,GM had more reliable engines than Ford in the 1980s.One was the GM 3800s that ran forever which was in Olds 98,Delta 88,Buick LeSabre and Park Avenue.Got good gas mileage out of them too.The Ford 3.8 was junk,ate headgaskets galore.Taurus also had tons of transmission problems too,one problem was lack of lube to the final drive

[@Henry_Jones]

@@Toolaholic7 i agree with you on the engines part. I had a 3800 powered buick regal and the power, mpg, reliability was best of all time. I also commented how rhe ford 3.8 was a reverse engineered buick 3800 with aluminum heads and sucked. BUT the engine is just 1 component. If you looked at the gm 86 87 88 lineup (and chryslers for that matter) they looked like small 70s cars outside and inside while the taurus looked like the future and still looks moden even today! Before the taurus a celebrity was a celebrity, after the taurus it looked like an antique.

[@Blue_Bird_Vision_5]

I absolutely LOVE the 4th gen Taurus. I'll be driving a 2001 model year. Every time I see a Taurus, I say "Taurus!" The Ford Taurus is an amazing car and it should be appreciated more than it is.

[@djdigital3806]

I own a classic 2002 Ford Taurus and under construction 🚧 a NASCAR inspired concept performance car. Best car l ever owned.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

What do you say if it's technically a Mercury. Tho?

[@RYMAN1321]

I have noticed both the 3rd and 4th generations tend to stand out quite a lot. I myself have a ‘99 SE BTW, 10 years now.

[@garysmith8455]

@@RYMAN1321 Agree! I commented elsewhere here. Very proud owner of a 1997 SHO. Coming up on 25 years of ownership, still pretty much in showroom shape. In car shows, it is in the - UNrestored, survivor classification.

[@2010hyundaielantra]

I owned an 06 that i sold about 4 days ago

[@BethanyB86]

My parents had a Ford Taurus from 1992 to 1999 when it finally died. The transmission blew on it. But I have so many good memories of that car, especially road trips to see family. They were great cars to have but sadly they’ve become forgotten.

[@BalkanTimberMan]

Bought new or used? Cause thats a small lifespan for car

[@PatrickDunn13078]

My Dad had an 88 and I loved driving it!

[@dwlewis7361]

I had a brand new Ford Taurus SHO in 1995. That car was like a cannon on wheels and extremely fun to drive!

[@perfectsplit5515]

I remember Automobile Magazine (or some magazine) said that the SHO set the record for the maximum number of valves you could cram into a single cylinder head - 6.

[@hiesenburg669]

I had a red 95 only it was 20 years old when I got it. Still fun to drive

[@phoenixrises1982]

You lucky lucky person!!!

[@JAMESWUERTELE]

I would drive a 1995 Taurus SHO. Those were cool then, I still think they are cool. I have a 1997 F-350 still.

[@donwolf5632]

I just bought a 91 Taurus SHO and I love it!! I get compliments everywhere I go and you wouldn't think people would notice it considering all the cars that are around today!

[@clinthorton306]

The 2nd gen was the best looking of them all. I had a 93 LX with leather interior, moon roof and a JBL sound system. LOVED that car.

[@MrJayrock620]

The Jellybean would make an excellent candidate to shove the latest SHO motor into and create a super sleeper. Especially the wagon

[@rattletrap1]

Especially with a manual trans. If Ford had built the 3rd gen as rwd with a v8 sho, mt, wagon, I would have never bought a Mustang.

[@danielbean868]

As a kid, that rear fold-down seat on my grandparent's 91' Taurus station wagon made road trips and ordinary drives an absolute blast!

[@Redmenace96]

Another example of the modern world surgically removing fun from our lives, in the interest of 'safety'. I don't want to be safe! I want to live!!!! (family of 5, here. rear facing seats led to epic punch the shoulder games. yes, my dad did pull the damn thing over. 3/5 kids bawling, and it was worth it.)

[@donaldclark9462]

I had 91, 93, 95 and 2000 Taurus. Loved everyone and their futuristic looks!

[@johnjones393]

I always preferred the light up grille of the Sable. As years went on I would see more of them driving around with burnt out bulbs.

[@Gruntled2001]

To each his own, I suppose... to me the Mercury extra lights always felt like a 12-year-old's design who had all these lights left over and wanted to put them somewhere ;)

[@perfectsplit5515]

That thing was actually a grille underneath? I thought it was just one big headlight wrapping around the entire front end.

[@perfectsplit5515]

Additionally, the Sable is the car that the car thieves steal in 21 Jump Street S01E03 - "America, What a Town". 2 Auto Mechanics students hatch up a plan to: -steal a car, -strip it for parts, -leave the stripped frame back on the street, -wait for the frame to be auctioned off, -buy the frame, and -reassemble the car. Then they legally own the car on paper. Apparently the Mercury Sable was considered prestigious and valuable enough to make it worth the effort of stealing.

[@MC4D.]

Full light up grille, yep the Sable was ahead of its time. It was like the led drl's we see today only not drl's lol

[@pfwww12]

I had Crown Vic Grand Marquise and a Mercury Sable. Those headlights alwayssss went out. Thus our Police officers experiencing the same. lol

[@KnightRider1983]

I own a '13 Taurus Limited and I love it. It replaced my 2006 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. The '13+ police version of the Taurus was actually called Police Interceptor Sedan, not just Police Interceptor. It had to have Sedan on the end of it to separate it from the Explorer version, the Police Interceptor Utility.

[@thegamingmanatee6803]

I've been working for Chick-fil-A for almost 7 years now and I never knew that about Truett Cathy! Gonna have to ask my owner who personally knew Mr. Cathy if he knew that.

[@joseblack4469]

My first car was a 98 Taurus SE. It was an absolute trooper, It managed 5 years of my young adult shenanigans. She had to be drug out of a 20' deep ditch after I blasted a deer going 60mph. Walked away with a bruise on my left forearm from the airbag. It was a good car.

[@77jaycube69]

I had the same one. That car could take a beating like no other.

[@HAL-dm1eh]

I had a 94 wagon with 240K miles on it with the 3.0L Vulcan. It had been near totaled and repaired 3 times and still drove great. Only real problem with the 86-95 Taurus was that transmission. It had been rebuilt and was going out again on me before I all out gave it to my nephew. He finally totaled it completely.

[@georgehenderson7783]

Sounds like you're lucky to be alive! Glad the airbag worked!

[@petabyte234]

I have a 4th gen Taurus, and it's my first car. Really solid, reliable little car, never had trouble with it and its interior is pretty comfortable. Love the front middle seat and column shifter

[@JustAYouTuber1991]

Just got rid of mine after owning it for 6 years. Car was solid.

[@maxpayz2431]

@@JustAKZbinr1991 my friend bought one with a high mileage and unknown conditions, are parts for it pricy or cheap?

[@JustAYouTuber1991]

@@maxpayz2431 depends what you need they can be cheap.

[@maxpayz2431]

@@JustAKZbinr1991 ah okay, well hopefully its just a bad alternator or a bad stater and not something engine wise or a bad transmission

[@JustAYouTuber1991]

@@maxpayz2431 those are cheap and easy to replace. The Vulcan is a reliable engine. The tranny is touch and go, mine lasted the whole ownership with not so easy driving. Just have him service it every 30k miles.

[@aarynhale]

I have a 2004 Ford Taurus, it's my first car and I love it even in 2022

[@EricFortuneJr.]

I would snatch up a good low mileage 2010+ Taurus. You see them on the road and in driveways, but not very many on the used car market. Just seems like a comfortable efficient and safe vehicle. I must be getting old.

[@billspangler2685]

Most of them died from timing cover/chain/bearing/waterpump issues. There are very few left and the junkyards are even crushing them now because there's so few left to put used parts on.

[@DUNEATV]

Lol

[@kylemacmillan652]

I had a 2013 for 5 years. It was pretty reliable only had the replace tires once and the rear bumper support for rust. But I sold it before the dreaded water pump issue.

[@lukeWiz44]

Just change your coolant and use full synthetic oil. You’ll help extend the life of the water pump.

[@EricFortuneJr.]

@@lukeWiz44 Simple as that and 95% of drivers don’t understand that old coolant will not protect against corrosion and it can actually be corrosive. I’d personally draw the line at 5 years or 100k miles despite the manufacturer's claims, unless they recommend sooner. Using the correct coolant is a must and never mix colors or types.

[@brickman409]

Love the design of the "oval" Taurus. It's kind of ugly but so distinct and iconic. Makes me nostalgic for the late 90s/early 2000s. My mom had the station wagon version when I was a kid. That oval shaped radio unit will always stick in my mind.

[@michaellovely6601]

Plus; it fit right in with the craze for curves on vehicles during the mid to late 1990's.

[@ward9832]

I'd love to see a episode on the Pontiac Bonneville. It seems to always be overshadowed by the Pontiac Grand prix and Grand am

[@acl1903]

Bonneville SSEi....

[@michaelflores2318]

Pottyville Crap Am and Grand Pricks

[@Tuxedoz]

Yes!! I grew up in a 98 Bonneville SSEi and felt so lucky that my parents had such a cool car in my little car enthusiast child opinion. I was so upset when they traded it for a 1999 Isuzu Rodeo many years later.. lol I would very much appreciate a episode on that generation Bonnevile!

[@alexandersteele4212]

Ikr

[@awesomeferret]

I have two 2001 SSEi's. If he does a video, he should mention how the 2000s ones have taillights and retroreflectors that WILL crack on you someday, yet it's the one car that you cannot find any aftermarket taillights or retroreflectors for. People would be willing to rip themselves off. You could sell people 800 dollar taillights to put on their 2500 dollar car. No joke. It's such a confusingly good missed opportunity.

[@TravelFilming]

At the end of the eighties there was exactly one Mercury Taurus Wagon (Gold color) driving around in the Dutch city (Maastricht) where I then lived. It was of an older American couple and the car had even California plates on it. Found it such a beautiful and futuristic looking car compared to the small square shaped European cars of that era. Never understood why Ford did not sell this type overseas.

[@sloburnjo]

all ego.

[@voiceofreason2674]

I have heard that the Ford Taurus was the last Ford car that was a huge success in the UK it was called the Mondeo. I’ve never known Ford to succeed in continental Europe even Netherlands which doesn’t have as much of a national bias as other countries.

[@SaMartok]

I remember that one, it was fantastic. I even later on actually owned a Mercury Sable from the first generation, over here in The Netherlands (Cadier & Keer). It was a 1991 registered, Ice Cristal blue GS. Quite the sight in between the EU car brands, especially with the lightbox front-end (which officially wasn't legal in The Netherlands). Still even remember the license plate DB-DD-31, it's long gone now.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

I was thinking of Clark Grizwold driving one under a truck in Chistmas Vacation. Every year, I marvel at what a great and extremely dangerous stunt that was. Love to see how they did it, b/c those were all real stunts.

[@LiterallyCensoredDaily]

@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 I heard they lowered the car and raised the truck with modified suspension, but only just enough to fit, so it still looked normal on camera. Definitely a cool stunt.

[@RangerMan2002]

Bought a 1989 Mercury Sable LS brand new off the lot. It was and still is my absolute favorite vehicle that I have owned and driven. I owned that car for almost 14 years. I felt that the care was almost an extension of my body. The seats were comfortable and the care just went where you pointed it. It was a comfortable and well mannered daily driver as well as an amazing road trip car. My mom bought a 2000 loaded Taurus. By then the quality had really taken a hit and she even said "it's not your Mercury, but it'll do." The seats in that car felt like you were sitting on leather covered plywood and the driving position was terrible. The Taurus/Sable twins were such an important milestone in American automobiles. It was such a shame that Ford let the platform wither on the vine. Thanks for making this video.

[@zythr9999]

Business, plus Camry and Accord weren't taking a hit in sales.

[@flintor2k8]

This was my first car in 2000. An '88 White LX Sedan w/ the V6, paid $1 for the car from my grandmother in Florida. Great memories and overall a good car. Had her for 1yr while saving up for my first Jeep. After wrecking said Jeep in 2003, I bought a cream colored '95 wagon for $1300. Used it to get through university and it was the default DD vehicle for an unnamed fraternity in the mid-west for another 10 years. Great cars....

[@FlashTimberwolf]

The one movie clip I was hoping to see was the Ford Taurus station wagon from "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". Obviously the station wagon models of the Taurus and Sable didn't come with wood paneling. In my own head cannon, that vehicle was probably a mid-size version of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster. Great video by the way.

[@mgl455]

That Was A GM Station Wagon

[@NDC1115]

@@mgl455 Christmas vacation was a Taurus Wagon. The wagon queen was based off of a Ford LTD Country Squire

[@RJARRRPCGP]

@@NDC1115 Liked how he went under that big truck then shot out and did a jump into the Christmas tree land, LOL. 😂

[@wcurtin1962]

"You think you hate it now, wait till you drive it!"

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

@@RJARRRPCGP Those are real cars, too. Impressive stunts.

[@demcomp]

An old friend of mine was in a Taurus Wagon, think it was a 97 or 98 wagon.. Was coming home late from work and dozed off behind the wheel. The car didn't survive the crash, he walked away with a couple of bruises. My neighbour in my first house had a Taurus. To be honest, I believe he still has it. It was already 10 years old when I sold that house in 2016! It's damn near ancient now...

[@michaelsimko7694]

My mom had a silver 1991 Taurus wagon. We took numerous family trips with it. I loved the comfort and convenience of the interior. I was so disappointed with the fully redesigned third gen Taurus. It was way to curvy and bubbly. The first and second gen had the perfect combination of aerodynamics and smoothness. Seeing you mentioned the Chrysler LH platform, the first gen had a more smooth, elegant European design with the perfect touch of American muscle and luxury vs the third gen Taurus. The second gen LH cars was very similar to Ford's bad move on the third gen Taurus. A truck I'm still waiting for you to do a video on is the Chevy Avalanche.

[@yeungkawo]

Good old memories ! Drove a rental Taurus from upstate NY to Disney Florida non-stop round trip , the driving experience was impressive !

[@chrism3784]

Thanks for taking our advice, you were spot on.

[@sierre00]

The RoboCop Taurus was cool, I would love to have one

[@norwegianblue2017]

My buddy had an SHO Taurus. Amazing engine for the time. 220hp was off the charts on horsepower for a normally aspirated 3 liter V6. To give you an idea, the Mustang GT that came out in 1988 had a 5.0 V8 that only made 225hp. The V8 in Magnum PI's Ferrari 308gts only made 237hp. Too bad the shifter on the SHO felt like something off of a farm tractor.

[@NewsLynne]

My ‘92 Taurus was a dream. I had it up to 250k miles when the transmission finally started to go. Comfortable, easy to work on and safe. The ‘01 Sable I owned was a nightmare. I had power steering issues, the IAC never worked right and the engine had issues. I dumped it when the windshield started leaking.

[@RyanAlcantara]

I want to say it was '88 or '89 when we went to the Ford dealership for a new car to take on a family road trip and the sales guy let my grandma drive a brand new white Taurus wagon. Being 9 and 10yrs old my sister and I thought it was amazing. Even had the third seat in the back! Sadly it was out of my family's price range so they got a serviceable Ford Escort wagon. It was the first time I learned that test driving a car didn't automatically mean you were getting that car.

[@michaelflores2318]

Should have gotten a K car wagon They cost less and offer more features Powerful Magnum 2.2 or 2.5 engines were faster than Taurus and Sable

[@Kryynism]

@@michaelflores2318 lol bro it was 33 years ago, suggesting a car to someone's grandma in the past is kinda silly don't ya think?

[@fonziebulldog5786]

@@Kryynism Grandma later bought a Transam.😄👍

[@Kryynism]

@@fonziebulldog5786 my granny was an outlaw biker. I miss her. Awesome grandmas are awesome. Lol

[@fonziebulldog5786]

@@Kryynism Hayabusa biker here, kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5zPgqxrpp53bLc say hello to your Grandma in your thoughts. 👍

[@BoredOuttaMySkullBoi]

My dad had a '96 Taurus GL. Great car, the wind resistance was pretty good and it was fast enough with its underpowered 3.0 V6

[@willbelasco]

I grew up in the 90s, and my parents had a 2nd gen Mercury sable wagon (champagne color?). I thought it was so uncool and boring. I remember even liking the Taurus more. And then we inherited my grandmother’s brown AMC eagle as a second car. Yes not every family is fortunate to have a car or to have had one growing up, and I will always be grateful, but golly as a car lover even as a kid, it was frustrating! Great vid!

[@kermitefrog64]

I drive a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis and love the quality of the car.

[@BobZed]

I had the first year Taurus with the 4 cylinder engine. The 4 had a reputation as a bad engine with a bad transmission, so the resale value values was low in 1990. I was thrilled when I got rear-ended by a delivery truck because I got way more than the actual resale value from the insurance company when it was totaled out. The insurance company also provided a car buying service to negotiate the best price for the next car I got. I bought a new Accord.

[@JTA1961]

Smart. Mine got hit from the rear & pushed into someone... I called it the accordion. ( it was good but ugly after that)

[@Donaldopato]

I had many as company cars in the 80’s and 90’s. Reliable and comfortable. The oval models were kind of ugly, but still a great car. Drove a 4 cyl. Now, that was an underpowered mess. The Ford dealer in my town at the time told test drivers to go right out of the lot instead of left up a hill so that the 4 would not seem so weak!

[@andrewkessinger5966]

The rename of the Five Hundred and Freestyle also had a little bit to do with the notorious CVT issues that plagued both models. The switched to a conventional 6 speed auto when the names changed.

[@joshua.harazin]

They also changed the engine (from a 3.0 to 3.5) and increased suspension travel for a softer ride.

[@JustAYouTuber1991]

The CVT was only available in the AWD model.

[@michaelflores2318]

Chrysler never had any issues They were the best in quality reliability dependability also in sales They outlast and outsold Ford

[@joshua.harazin]

@@michaelflores2318? Who mentioned Chrysler?

[@miltonhayek2494]

The CVT was available in all of them for the Freestyle. I had a FWD 3.0 model. One of the best cars I've ever owned. My wife cried when we sold it. Never did anything but change the breaks and oil. Our CVT was rock solid.

[@roostersideburns3440]

we had one of these when i was a kid.. still remember it being a nice quiet ride.

[@mbryson2899]

I almost bought a Taurus in '87 but they were still commanding ADP (Additional Dealer Profit) markup in Chicagoland. I was never a Ford fan, too many family members had had Fords, but the Taurus actually had good performance, features, and a feel of build quality. I first saw lot of little features we now take for granted in the Taurus. My friend bought a gently used one in '89, drove that thing until '09, 310k miles.

[@zackc.8015]

What the hell is "Chicagoland" , dinner boomer term?

[@mbryson2899]

@@zackc.8015 It's a car sales term for the region, and it was still in use as of 2020 at least. What the hell do you slackers call it?

[@Sir_Austin_T_Gee]

Chicagoland pretty much means “Upper Midwest”. Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Minneapolis

[@richardowens9609]

I currently have 7 of these cars. An 88 Taurus LX with the 3.0 and Digital Cluster, an 88 MT-5, a 90 Sable GS, a 91 Sable LS Wagon with the 3.8, a 93 Sable LS Sedan with the 3.8, a 95 SHO 3.2, a 97 SHO 3.4 V8, and a 2000 SE 3.0. Absolutely love them! The 86-91 models are my favorite, with the 92-95 being my second favorite. I plan on dropping the 97 SHO Engine into a 2003 Taurus Centennial Edition, thus making it a "4th Generation" SHO.

[@richardowens9609]

@@rafciu123 The 88 LX has 50k miles, the MT-5 has just over 200k miles. The 90 Sable GS has 41k miles. The 91 Sable LS Wagon has 120k miles. My lowest mileage one, the 93 Sable LS has 22k miles! the 95 SHO has 63k miles. The 97 SHO has 52k miles. I no longer have the 2000 SE, as I traded it for a 2003 Centennial with 49k miles. The only one that has a "little" rust is the 88 LX, which I bought from Columbus, OH. All the rest are southern cars and have no rust. Also, between now and the time I posted the original comment, I've acquired a 1986 Taurus LX Wagon with 57k miles!

[@scharfvehiclemedia]

Any other Taurus fans out there? I have always loved the 4th gen Taurus (2000-2007), and wanted to have one since I was a kid. My late grandfather owned a beige '02 Taurus wagon... what a comfortable ride that was. Great video man, big thumbs up!

[@KB-bh9hp]

Not a massive fan, but I think it's okay. Love the last gen Tarus that was discontinued a few years ago. Reminded me of the Chrysler 300 a little bit with it's design.

[@morgfarm1]

We started with a 1987 Wagon LX. It was a reconstruct from a rollover crash -- it even had the scars to prove it. No AC an no radio, but it was a nice car. that was replaced with a 1995 Taurus Wagon SE. in White. That car had a fuel system failure which resulted in a fuel fire in the engine compartment at the local high school. That car was replaced in May 2006 with a 1995 Ford Taurus Sedan SE, in desert tan. When My parents replaced that with a 2005 SE, I got the 95. To this day, still my favorite body style. Although the LX dash package from the 87 was my favorite cabin design. I took a girl I was seeing in a 1993 Taurus Wagon SE on a test drive in a car I considered buying. We were both amazed at just how well this 25 year old car drove. Nothin' wrong with it but the dirt and the cracked leather interior. But I went on to add a 2017 Focus Sedan (Because 2007 was the last year of Wagon) to my 2004 Focus Wagon I already had. Much like Taurus, the Focus ended production just a couple years ago.

[@brentwalton8854]

I had a 2002 Ford Taurus SES in Grey with black leather. It was my first car and was handed down to me from my parents when I was in high school. Had a lot of memories in that car but it had a lot of weird issues/ issues over the years of our ownership. However we did buy it about 2 years used with like 24k miles on it. Sold it in 2016 with 140k on it so there was that. I imagine it’s been crushed by now, it was pretty much rusted away when we sold it.

[@nathanrosenthal9879]

I owned two Taurus cars both bought used. First one was a 1994 I bought in 1997. No real problems with thjis car. I then traded it for a 2006 which waas a year old. Kept this car for 14 years and sold it to a neighbor when I bought a 2017 Fusion. The 2006 Achilles Heel was the starter. I have owned a number of cars and never had any starter problems but my Taurus went through 4 starters. No other serious problems, however. At the time I bought the 2006 there were quite a few Taurus cars on the road. Overall a good car - not that good on gas mileage, but comfortable and reasonable handling.

[@jamesengland7461]

My 2005 Taurus has 348,000 miles, and I add a thousand miles a week delivering food. It has a couple problems, but doesn't leak or burn oil and will hit 100mph at will.

[@Henry_Jones]

Thanks for giving the Aerostar a mention. It was fords gamble that to beat chrysler the key was to split the difference between the chrysler minivans and the chevy astro. It didnt work out as planned but it didnt fail either.

[@michaelflores2318]

Astro/Safari also Lumina Silhoutte Transport and others could not mess with Chrysler neither Chrysler is the only U S auto maker still making mini vans and they have improved

[@chrisexperience7]

Thank you for bringing back so many memories. The Taurus is a phenomenal car that is unbelievably underrated. I have a 2010 Taurus SEL I will never get rid of. It is about as reliable as they come.

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

In my early 20s I worked for Universal Studios driving Mobile for Security. Our usual fleet consisted of mostly Dodge Omni''s, which I loved and also a few very cramped 4 door K Cars. I'll never forget when we got a bunch of Rental Cars in from Galpin Ford for some undercover assignments some of us had due to the Backlot Arson Fires at the time. We had Mustangs, Thurnderbirds, Escorts, one LTD Wagon and a brand new fully loaded Ford Taurus.. Man I loved that Taurus!! I couldn't believe how ahead of it's time it seemed. The interior was very European and argonomic and it looked terrific in Ruby Red with the Upscale wheels! I wasn't super into American cars but Ford was starting to give me second thoughts!

[@raylopez99]

Cool story bro...but did you catch the arsonist? ;)

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

@@raylopez99 No, it is believed that the groups of arson fires they had over the years were different people. However, they did catch one a few years after I left and... It was a Security Guard!! Makes you wonder who's REALLY watchin the Hen House!!

[@raylopez99]

@@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary Good one. I do recall over the years running into some really sketchy security guards, with zero training in firearms or law enforcement, just guys that walk around and fill out paperwork. And arsonists are hard to catch sometimes...from an article I read, even if you follow them around for weeks.

[@michaelflores2318]

Stay with Chrysler they are the best and the best never rest

[@DodgeMan360]

"Becoming increasingly rare" - Ever since the cash for clunkers campaign of the late 2000's, we lost a lot of old cars like these.

[@thomasflynn6421]

Great episode! I remember when I was a kid in the 80’s the first gen Taurus was everywhere. My parents even bought one. I haven’t seen one in years although a few years back I did stumble on an MT-5 in the junkyard randomly.

[@XMguy]

I wish the ‘95 my mother had was designed this way. The digital dash was so cool. I saw a digital dash car around 2003 or so. It was an 80s-early 90s car. But it was bad ass.

[@KB-bh9hp]

Someone has a light blue one in my neighborhood, thing still looks brand new lol.

[@davidkane4300]

The only MT-5 I've ever knowingly seen in person was also in a junkyard, and it was a wagon.

[@scottbrown7415]

The MT5 was always uncommon! Ford put an end to it's availability in early 1988 model year. I had one. It had a 2.5 HSC 4 cylinder (basically a Tempo 2.3 HSC with a taller deck block) and used the same MTX3 transmission as the Tempo.

[@usmc29er44]

@@davidkane4300 88hp wagon...nice

[@BB-oj9uy]

I owned 7 of them! Loved every single one of them too!!!! The fundamental problem was the automatic transmissions. The shift link chain was the culprit every single time. I sadly haven't owned one in about 20 years. But they were an elegant vehicle to own and easy to drive too.....

[@jamescox1806]

I had an 89 SHO and a 94 SHO and loved them both! The 89 was my favorite because it was a 5 speed! Also had a 86 and an 87 merkur XR4TI and a 1990 Merkur Scorpio! Fun times!

[@AVC-Works]

Sounds like the perfect life to me

[@Grayskull77]

I've always liked the 3rd generation Taurus. I almost bought two of them at different times, but I'm more of a Mopar guy and ended up buying a 97 Chrysler Concorde then later bought a 96 Chrysler Concorde. I still have my 96 Concorde, still running strong. You should do a video on the 90's Chrysler LH sedans .

[@brentwalton8854]

My parents loved their LH cars. We had 3 LHSs, a ‘96, a ‘97, and a ‘95. Then they got a ‘98 Concorde. Talked my grandparents into getting one, they had a ‘94 LHS.

[@johnnymason2460]

The Dodge Intrepid already has a video.

[@Father_of_Death]

We owned a Taurus wagon at one point. That was a great vehicle and we didn't even mind the jellybean shape in the front and it was a smooth ride, we even took it down to Branson for vacation.

[@Q__tube]

I’ve had a good amount of time behind the wheel of the 2015 AWD model. It’s a good car with decent power. But where it really shines is handling. The car takes turns really well for a 4100 pound car, it feels glued to the road. Hardly any body roll. And the trunk space is absolutely ridiculous you could probably fit Delaware in it

[@ducklord3921]

I miss the Taurus. My dad still owns a 2009 Taurus, it’s a pretty good car.

[@robgoffroad]

I wanted an SHO (S-H-O, NOT "Show") so bad. When I was tired of my '87 Integra, I went looking... it was going to be either the SHO or a Probe GT. I ended up with the Probe GT (89 model). Loved it too, but man I sure would have liked to have found an SHO.

[@justas525]

I would love to own 1st gen Taurus. They look so cool to me so futuristic

[@rubengariby6539]

My uncle bought one in 86 and it was just perfect for the times.

[@fixinggrace]

If you live in the salt belt, all of these cars have dissolved into clouds of rust

[@CommodoreFan64]

One of my friends in high school in 98 had an 88 Taurus that was originally dark blue, but had lots of paint peel, so he did a basic sanding on it including the doors, and seals, and gave it a robocop wagner power painter matte black spray paint job in his dad's garage. it ended up fooling more than a few people into thinking he was an undercover cop, because they slowed down real quick when he pulled up behind them. 😂

[@brockbaby]

Appreciate the design risk for the 3rd gen Taurus. Sadly when it came out it was immediately obvious it missed the mark. I always thought it looked like a catfish in the front. Not flattering. Again, I would rather see more car companies taking design risks than not. Thank you Ford design team.

[@Bahraini_Carguy]

I used to see those 90s Taurus here and there when i was a kid, almost all of the Taurus's prior to 2010 ended up in the junkyard by now. It's kinda sad to see Ford and other brands killing off the Sedans and other car based models. I understand why but still. On a side note, i wonder if you will ever cover cars like the Cadillac Seville, Buick Reatta or the Toyota Cressida?

[@XMguy]

Down where I live you still see 90s Taurus’ all the time.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

The Cressida/Chaser/Mark II definitely deserves some attention. It's a sleeper Supra for your grandpa.

[@JackRusselMan]

My neighbor has a 2000 Taurus with over 200k miles on it and it still starts and drives. He drives in everyday.

[@TheSeanUhTron]

I second the Cadillac Seville. I had a '92 Seville as my first car. That was right before they went with the notorious Northstar engine, still had the beefy 4.9 V8.

[@americanbadass88]

the weakness of the 90s Taurus was the transmission thats why most are rotting in junkyards

[@42luke93]

I liked these. They were mid sized sedans that drove like clouds and had the front bench seating + column shifter setup. Have been in a 3rd gen, really like it.

[@cityofabscissae]

When I was in high school in the late '90s I would design knock-off versions of vehicles on the computer. My versions of the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable were known as the Tortoise and Stable, respectively. I had designed other car and truck models as well.

[@daylineli]

can we see them?

[@WorldwideWyatt]

And now Elon Musk ripped off your stRanger and called it CyberTruck.

[@m42037]

Easy to do, just take a chicken egg and put wheels on it lol

[@michaelflores2318]

Ford always made Crappy cars and trucks Chrysler was the top of the line Ford should be #3 not #2 Ford should not be allowed to be in production I would love to see Ford shut its doors forever then it would Just GM and Chrysler would be the Big 2 no longer Big 3

[@michaelflores2318]

K cars had the 2.2 Hemi and will beat the Taurus with the powerful engines

[@CDMA2010]

Much love for the Taurus here. My '86 made it to 283,000 and my '07 Vulcan is at 275k with the original tranny and engine.

[@timhanna4700]

Had a 89 Taurus wagon. Great vehicle to watch drive-in movies. Had the rear facing third seat. Transmission went out in 98 and opted not to replace it.

[@jimkear6749]

Thanks for the MT-5 mention. I had a 1986 MT-5 and loved it. It made the 4cyl tolerable by allowing longer shifts and being lighter, it was nicely dressed up, and quite reliable (for a Ford). But poor quality caught up with mine around 150K miles. Bad rust, three water pumps and the steering column catching fire. Oh, and it was cursed with "unintended acceleration" which was lucky it had a clutch and only 90hp, to keep it out of fatal accidents.

[@brianstough5286]

Wow! A little bit of honesty!?! video seems to have skimmed over how many quality issues there were...

[@KaijuTurtle]

Could we possibly get a video on the old Ford Ranger? I’ve owned three and while it was always a popular rig in my area, having been ten years since it’s discontinuation, they’re disappearing off the roads and parts are becoming scarce for those of us who never say die

[@wcurtin1962]

Still driving my 94, will never sell it.

[@perfectsplit5515]

The Tamiya Blackfoot! The "original" RC racing monster truck.

[@schmoab]

Just sold my 2003. They’re still very popular here in the mountain west.

[@garytorresani8846]

Still have my 2000 Ranger extended cab with the 3.0 v6. Not getting rid of it yet. Runs great, well maintained. While I like the idea of the Maverick, unless Ford or another manufacturer comes out with a hybrid extended cab compact with a 6 foot bed, I’ll keep this Ranger until gas prices make it obsolete. Here on the west coast, there are still plenty of old Rangers on the roads. The current Ranger is too big for my needs. The Maverick bed is too small for my needs as is the Passport. So, Ford or somebody put out a real compact truck soon with at least 40 mpg or more and It will have me as a customer.

[@markstubbs6234]

Thank you for the excellent research and effort you put into these videos, as someone from the UK who isn’t familiar with all US cars, it’s been fascinating going through your videos and seeing the rich and varied histories of these old cars. The Ford Taurus is probably the first non-European Ford I ever saw after seeing it in Robocop at too young an age(!), I also thought it looked so cool in that matte black paint! Thank you again for your great work and keep the excellent videos coming! 👍

[@perfectsplit5515]

I remember an old commercial where Ford "bragged" about selling Tauruses to the Japanese. Japanese import workers are unloading Tauruses off shipping containers. One of the few American products that the Japanese would actually buy. (DJT would have been very happy!)

[@jlcii]

Omg, my mom had a 1991 Taurus when I was a freshman in high school and then a 1998 Mercury Sable when I was a senior in high school. The 91 had a bunch of electrical issues, and the 98 had transmission failure twice. But damn those cars were roomy 😁.

[@Kryynism]

Yeah the 98 generation was notorious for transmission issues. Mine lasted 400k miles, replaced the transmission once at 140k, and it was going bad by the end of it's life. The engine was immortal though.

[@Chef_Alpo]

Yes, those were plagued with transmission issues. I had a 97 Sable, transmission failure around 130k miles, I bought it at 110k. Didn't make sense for me to replace the part, bought a 98 Chevy Lumina with (130k miles)for around what it would have cost. The Sable left a bad taste in my mouth, and left me carless for most of a summer. My mother had a 98(?) Taurus wagon and its tranny went early. The Sable broke swaybar links every other month, I am not joking, nor am I a fancy driver, this was a design flaw. I don't understand all of the praise for these mid-late 90s models. You're right on about the interior though!

[@johndornoff]

My parents had a brown 1988 model which they had great luck with, my wife and I had a 2000 station wagon which was a wonderful car especially on long road trips. We currently have a 2005 Taurus in our fleet at work but it is only a matter of time before it is replaced by a new Explorer. Still would love to see a video on the Chevy El Camino which I had a 1980 version which was a lemon.

[@fhwolthuis]

Great video! I'm totally not a Ford fan, but I have to admit the first gen Taurus was a huge achievement and also good looking, even now.

[@m42037]

Seek psychiatric help

[@GeeEm1313]

My mom had an 88 and a 95 Taurus. Both GL models. The 88 had a lot of cool features: oscillating headrests, a storage bin on the rear package tray, a stopwatch built into the clock. It was kind of a lemon. Both had pathetic stereos with no bass and required mid grade gas. But they were good for what they were. Family cars.

[@RJARRRPCGP]

The stereo, sounds like what I would expect in a Geo/Chevy Spectrum, (Isuzu) LOL. 😂

[@CommodoreFloopjack78]

Always loved the second-gen SHO, what a great car.

[@siTTinLo]

My most favorite car that I’ve owned was a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO. I loved that car and would love to find another one some day.

[@hollyberg6928]

I've been looking for one for a while now and haven't been able to find one :( I have the '91 Taurus L now and I love it, but my dad wants a 1st gen SHO and now I've grown to want one too lol

[@siTTinLo]

@@hollyberg6928the first gen SHO can be hard to come by these days but if you ever do find one and it’s in good condition, I would not hesitate. They are so much fun to drive and they handle very well too.

[@hollyberg6928]

@@siTTinLo I recently found one and we purchased it :) Amazing car

[@itsnotme07]

Great video! I had a former Hertz rental 93 Taurus GL, bought in 1994. Over the next 4 years, this car was awesome! Wicked comfy, I added a sunroof and carphone (yes, we didn't always have them with us). After 4 years and over 70k miles, plus a relocation to Dallas from Boston, it was time for something new. Normally "plain vanilla" is boring...but this Taurus, while "plain white vanilla", wasn't boring for me.

[@EXCELSIOR_INC]

I bought a new Taurus in 1986, thought in was great for the first week It was in the shop so much, I drove the Tempo loaner more than the Taurus it started rusting the first year, traded it in on a Honda Accord that just came out with pop up head lights in 1986 What a great car, still drive accords to this day Taurus was designed in Sweden, and was marketed as such Saying it was as good in a accident as a Volvo Wanted Accord , but bought Taurus as I wanted to buy USA, to keep money here Huge mistake that cost me a fortune

[@brianstough5286]

So many people praising this piece of junk. By 1993 the taurus was more famous for transmission failures than the dodge caravan... By 95 or so, you could get a taurus transmission to last 60,000 or 70,000 miles - but you could count on the original (first generation)_ to LET YOU DOWN!!!

[@KB-bh9hp]

It seems like icons are always made by their design, and fade away once brands place less of an emphasis on design. Let this be a lesson for automakers, prioritize design over all else. Mechanically, cars are very similar, and will only become more alike from an engineering standpoint as we progress towards evs and having shared suppliers between companies. Design is what distinguishes your product and makes it desirable to most people. Never forget that.

[@punchy207]

so make a good lookin car that drives like crap got it

[@KB-bh9hp]

@@punchy207 Did you not read my comment? I'm saying from an objective engineering person, modern cars are very similar. Within a given segment, the direct competitors are all going to offer a very similar level of fuel economy, warranty, quality/reliability, performance, safety, tech, seating arrangements etc. It's all very similar, A Ford, Toyota, Kia, Honda and Chevy are all going to be very similar, with only mild engineering changes. The days of massive differences in things like performance and reliability between competing brands are gone. You can't rely solely on these areas to market and differentiate your products anymore. You know a proven way that you can differentiate your products? Design. Design is the master of all, it's what makes or breaks a brand these days, regardless of what some people may believe.

[@punchy207]

@@KB-bh9hp dear god im not readin all that

[@KB-bh9hp]

@@punchy207 I mean, just to show you how similar things have gotten from an engineering perspective, our explorer has a 3.5 duratec v6. Great motor, extremely durable, relatively fuel efficient, and somewhat punchy. Well it has about 290 hp. Look around any tell me how many midsized three row vans and crossovers have a N/A v6 with around 3.5 litres of displacement and an output hovering between 280-300 hp. I'll tell you right now, that's very common. You can't differentiate the engineering aspects of your products anymore, all the brands are buying components from the same suppliers, the cars are engineered by people with virtually identical educations who went through the same engineering programs. The cars are build in factories with similar layouts, assembled largely by machines which in turn are built by the same companies.

[@KB-bh9hp]

@@punchy207 Tl;dr the engineering aspects of cars like reliability, performance, safety and tech are all virtually identical across competing brands. So smart brands are utilizing design to differentiate their products.

[@F3Y3F3]

I've owned four Taurii... all from the first two generations. A 3.9L GL that I bought simply to have something to drive around when my Mustang was stolen. An '89 SHO 5MT that I bought after I sold my 1st one and realized I actually liked that car and would like it again with more power and a manual, a 1994 3.0L GL I bought when I suddenly needed a car with a back seat, and a 1995 3.8L LX I bought when the '94 GL was totaled in a horrible car accident, but we all survived with minimal injuries.

[@michaelhoard9548]

I have a 2016 and love it! As a hobby I like to help friends find their next car and everytime we went looking I always sat in the Taurus. There's just something about it. Just the right, comfortable, and quiet. So when covid hit hard and dealerships were having a hard time getting rid of vehicles I decided to look for one. I found a great used 2016 SEL with the upgraded sho rims with only 34,000 miles on it for $14k.

[@KB-bh9hp]

Great car, uses the same chassis as my families explorer. Can't go wrong with the engines, the 3.5 duratec is bulletproof, and the 3.5 Ecoboost is a rocketship for what it is.

[@lorettakelley2146]

I have a 2016, too. I absolutely love it! I've only had it a couple months and am glad I decided to buy it. I was also looking at a 2015 Chevy Malibu but the Taurus just seemed to be a more solid car. I think, for me, I made the right choice.

[@flipflopthong2]

In the 1990s, Ford Australia tried to impose the hideous Taurus mkIII on the Australian public as a potential replacement for the popular RWD Falcon which was also the favourite car for police, taxis and other fleets. Needless to say, it failed parlously. Their next mistake was to graft the oval look onto AU Falcon (c1999). That was promptly facelifted with the much more palatable BA Falcon (c2003).

[@2KONIC123]

Loved my 1991 Taurus wagon-plenty of cargo space-Didn't love when the front axel blew-out, or the transmission, or the front rotors, but all in all a great car

[@2006gtobob]

The 1987 Mercury Sable was the first brand new car my parents bought in my lifetime, I was 15. The car was light blue and had the 3.0 Vulcan V6. My dad loved how it drove and loved telling me all about the 4 speed automatic with overdrive and locking torque converter. It was a basic model that didn't have any real options, but it drove well. And then the engine blew a head gasket after just a few months of ownership. Rather than dealing with my dad, Mercury was super nice and replaced the entire car. My dad stepped up to the 1988 3.8 liter version, this time with most of the options. It had a noticeable bump up in torque, and the engine was smoother. They kept that car for nearly 10 years, until it was in need of a 3rd transaxle. My dad replaced it with a Suburban and they've never really went back to owning a car, becoming a SUV owners ever since, except for the 2011 Camaro my mom bought for fun in late 2010.

[@sixerjosh]

I was 10 when this car came out. It was the “jellybean” shape that Ford embraced. They carried the body generations too long. My favorite thing about this car was a scene in the movie “Days of Thunder” Rowdy Burns and Cole Trickle smash one up. It was terrific. Great scene! Another great episode of My Old Car. Domestic 80’s-90’s cars were just awful. What were we thinking?!Lol!

[@andregonsalvez9244]

Great video review ! I really liked the LTD and Marquis over the Taurus and Sable because of their reliability and simplicity .

[@EnthusiastCarHangar]

Great video!! I love the Taurus and think it should have a comeback. Let’s not forget the first new Crown Victoria had the same type of grille back in 1992. A year later they changed it.

[@rustbeltrobclassic2512]

First off this is a great video.. Brings back memories.. I wish i could get a new 93 taurus wagon, that was a nice car. But.. I would want one with build quality. My family had one, my dad was convinced the transaxle design was made out of glass, 86k miles and 6 transmissions later my pops traded it in.. The secondary family car by comparison made nearly 500k miles and was junked some 24 years after purchase. That was a camry. I think what killed taurus was anyone who bought one didn't buy another because they were junk. By the time ford fixed the quality issues, it was too late.

[@chrisv966]

Another great video. The Taurus was in a class of its own in that time. I just don't like how the execs at these car companies just toss out things when it's working for them. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it; but they had some reason to fudge with it.

[@jg6579]

Wow...memories. I bought a 1986 Taurus MT-5 for some crazy reason. As much as I liked the Taurus, my 4cyl 5spd was a gutless wonder. I think I only had it 8 months.

[@jekylltraveler]

I own a 2013 MKS. I love it. Rides like a cloud. But has a sport mode when needed.

[@KenVic02]

I worked as an engineer at Ford packaging body electronics on the redesigned 1996 "coke bottle" Taurus (coded DN101). I thought it was hideous, as did others on the team. The buying public clearly agreed as this video points out. Loved the '86-95, though (coded DN5). It was the right car at the right time.

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

I loved my grandmother's first-gen Taurus station wagon. Not only because of its styling but because back in '99 someone smashed into us after they ran a red light. If it wasn't for the car's safety features we would have been killed. RIP to that lovely car.

[@emmcee476]

Even tho I was too young to drive, I can still vividly remember all the buzz and popularity around the Ford Taurus in the late 80s and early 90s. It was much later when I realized how iconic it really was

[@Thomas63r2]

The best Taurus was the ‘98 to ‘02 Lincoln Continental - which is essentially a Taurus with a 4.6 4V DOHC just for fun!

[@scottbrown7415]

Fun. Until the rear air suspension went away. Then it cost a thousand bucks to replace the rear shocks. Even more if you didn't pull the fuse on the air compressor and then that burned up feeding dead air struts.

[@Thomas63r2]

@@scottbrown7415 I've never had air suspension failure. I checked and found rear air bags for $120/pair and the air compressor as low as $125. If mine ever go out (I own a '98 and an '02) I'll gladly replace them - I like the smoothness of the air suspension. My '98 gets driven once or twice weekly and it takes maybe 20 seconds to pump up after sitting for a week or so. Maybe shops charge a lot of money, but I do all my own work.

[@oldschoollee]

@@scottbrown7415 Owned a 1998 Lincoln Continental since 2007. Only major issue I had with the vehicle is the AX4N pump in valve body. Replaced that and the torque converter by myself. My air springs develop leaks from dry rot rubber. It took me less than 10 minutes to remove and replace them. My driver outside and inside rear view auto dimming mirror went bad. Replaced those in a few minutes. Even the power steering pump was cheap and easy to replace. Nothing costs thousands unless you go to stealership. I'm a do it yourselfer.

[@optumusboss6508]

I have a 03 wagon and I absolutely love it. I’m 22 years old. I obtained this wagon from my old job because they were using it as a transport vehicle and they stopped using it five years prior to me asking about it and then they said it wasn’t for sale. I kept nagging about it. They ended up giving it to me for free as a gift. I change the battery the starter and the fuel pump first crank turns on I’ve been told by a family members to sell it, but I’m not gonna ever sell this car. I love it too much and everywhere I go. It’s just people saying how they grow up in one.

[@kippaseo8027]

Another awesome video! I always had a fondness in my heart for the Ford Taurus because I remember how popular and cool they seemed back in the mid-1980s. My mom had a brand-new 87 Taurus LX wagon. My mom worked nights at a hospital and had to drive like an hour each way from Fort Lauderdale to Boca. My mother being the neurotic mess that she is was petrified of breaking down and getting stranded. Needless to say we didn't keep the Taurus very long because it seems like there was always something wrong with either the electronics including the digital dash, the headlights, the wipers, windows and locks, and whatever was wrong to make it just died for no reason when it rained. Fun fact that when Ford unveiled the new 96 Taurus at the Tokyo Auto Show there were Ford dealers that gasped and burst into tears when they solid roll onto the stage. In the industry we refer to that generation as the roach Taurus and the wagon as the cosmic Roach. Toyota's biggest competitor was the Taurus so those little Devils were slick and kept a close eye on what Ford was doing. 96 was the first year of the roach but 97 was the first year Camry that was very conspicuously looked very similar to The gen 2 Taurus where the previous generation Camry was much closer and Bloated looking like the original Taurus was. Just like the second generation Taurus was the best and the 4th generation Taurus 00+ was equally as good and by far the best of the other American sedans it is a real shame that Ford could never build a decent and reliable 3 or 4 speed automatic transmission. Wild GM and mostly Chrysler have built some pretty awful and unreliable engines the leading cause of death in almost every Ford is the automatic transmissions. It was cool to know that Ford was concerned about the resale values of their cars so they stopped selling to rental car companies. Geez I work in auto finance and although I noticed that with only a few exceptions I hadn't come across very many modern Ford's on the used car market that were retired rental cars. There are two types of cars that I will avoid like the plague when I come across them at the auctions. Number one would be flood cars and number two would be retired rental cars.

[@davidr.wilson8194]

I bet it was because down through the years Taurus buyers experienced many costly problems including,3.8 litre blown head gaskets,failure prone AX4S transmissions,corroded broken coil springs,poor qualty failing ball joints and control arms,generally short-lived suspension components and Ford did not have their backs.Too many people got burned after purchasing Taurus vehicles..Wisely these people said " I'm done." I have a 2003 Toyota Corolla that just hit 185,00 miles.I have only ever had to replace the radiator and starter,which I did myself for a total cost of about $250.My 18 year old Corolla still runs and shifts like new.My front end is all original and still tight.I can turn the steering wheel about a quarter inch and the steering responds,with the original ball joints and tie rods.

[@my240sx2]

My parents had to replace our 1987 transmission at 55k…even I as a preschooler knew that that shouldn’t have happened.

[@DUNEATV]

Graduated HS in 1992 and these cars were EVERYWHERE!

[@blacksongoku312]

Always had a soft spot for the 2nd gen Taurus. I have a 94 civic hatch & a 92 accord. Would DEFINITELY love to see a vid on them even though they aren’t necessarily rare to see lol

[@richardprice5978]

my dad had one i 🤔 it was a 98 SHO and i hated it in 2000 but as im getting older i can see the appeal to it aka love hate relationship with the design the interior won't grow on me its a little strange for my tastes same way with the 1980's Chevy trucks ( to boxie for me, the outside is good though mins the paint vs tail lamps and the tailgate and back bumper aka some minor tweaking and 👌 ) one of which i drive

[@johnfoltz8183]

Everyone in the 1980s-1990s had a beige color Ford Taurus wagon.

[@davinp]

When Ford redesigned the Taurus for the 1996 model year, nobody liked its weird oval styling. As a result, it lost to the Toyota Camry as the #1 selling car.

[@CommodoreFan64]

This was around the time my dad was looking at a family car for my step mother to daily, and I remember us test driving a 96 Taurus, but he could not stand the look, and I also remember him commenting the whole round radio cluster looked like a kids toy, and it's why they ended up spending a bit more on the much better looking, and honestly better riding/handling Mercury Cougar. Also I personally think the bubble Taurus was the long slow downfall for Ford when it came to car sales to much better Japanese models like the Toyota Camry, and Corolla, which are still great sellers to this very day.

[@stanmarcusgtv]

the Accord was the #1 seller to consumers - Camry sales included fleet sales Honda eschewed

[@rushnerd]

Yeah my first car was a 1994 Contour and it looked EXACTLY like that Taurus redesign. There was no separating the two and i'm not even sure what the difference really was. Never was a fan of the look, but it was surprisingly powerful with a DOHC V6. But being a Ford it's tranny snapped less than 10K into owning it.

[@richardprice5978]

not true my dad had one new ish ( and omost got a 2 one but ended up with a 2004-up 300 to replace it ) and my ants had one and my grandpa kinda like the look but in his old age he bought caddilacs aka coupe devles aka top luxury barges with v8's and auto's front wheel drive as for me the the late 90's sho is the most iconic year's to me but i don't drive front wheel drive cars as i have bad habits from driving a k1500 and charger ect.

[@richardprice5978]

The design was ok at taking a hit and not having any real problems or cosmetic damage and passenger safety was ok a i know of 4 times one was involved with. ie Camry vs ford and 1998 ford was ok the Toyota was totalled ( same engineering era or close enough and both cars were over 5-year old or more at the time of inpacked ) at under 20mph and was at fault

[@tonystidham4564]

In '08, I bought an '07 Taurus SEL, one of the last 4th gen models, only sold new to fleets in the U.S. Drove it almost 6 years, then gave it to my Mom, and she's still driving it today, with over 180,000 miles!!