1994 Mercury Sable LS Wagon Review - A Super Retro Family Hauler!

[@Talbottt93]

This was my Sable! It has been fun to read everyone's thoughts on the car and all of the nostalgic stories. Thank you Zach for the great review, and it was a pleasure working with you.

[@FATBOY2222]

How much?

[@ironinquisitor3656]

You car is quite nice. My blue with blue interior 92 Sable LS wagon is not as nice as your wagon in this vid because the paint is very faded and peeled off on various areas except the left/driver's side. Mine also has similar options as yours except it has the 3.0 V6.

[@Talbottt93]

​@@FATBOY2222 open to offers at the moment, are you interested ? Still determining if it goes up for auction or sells locally

[@42luke93]

Sadly not much, sentimentally infinite price@@FATBOY2222

[@killajakez]

@@Talbottt93I am interested. we had a 90 taurus wagon GL that we kept for almost 20 years. Would make a great gift for my mom.

[@laserwizard2]

In a world filled with bloated SUV's, this is a refreshing way to haul people and cargo in a proper size vehicle.

[@ironinquisitor3656]

Based. I agree.

[@ShootingCars]

This car will be for sale soon!

[@jasonpeterson6163]

Yes. I definitely want to get one of these one day.

[@deiveonmartinsen1831]

I dare you to buy it

[@JT8D200C]

Is it going on sale on like bring a trailer or cars and bids

[@celsovera91]

@@JT8D200CTHIIIIIIIS… is a mercury sable wagon

[@James-mw6se]

Cool car look great 👍

[@ryanglass2778]

Love it! I just sold a 1993 Ford Taurus wagon with the same 3.8 litre and only 48k miles. If I didn't already have too many cars in the garage, I would've kept it. I miss cars like this. Cushy, roomy, simple, cleanly styled, and no need for fake body cladding or shame for being a wagon.

[@peachyclean93]

Oh man I wish I would have bought it!

[@davinp]

This and the Ford Taurus were the first non-boxy station wagons. It was a futuristic car

[@GeeEm1313]

No. The Audi 5000 was.

[@Nakkisampyla]

Ford Sierra

[@bwofficial1776]

This car is so clean. The turquoise exterior and green interior are perfect. Green needs to make a comeback, inside and out. It looks so comfortable. These cars were quite a sight when the lightbar was working and you never see these cars any more. Light bars are coming back now thanks to LEDs but it's not the same as a thick bar of warm light across the front. What could be more late 80s/early 90s than a digital dashboard and fuel injection molded into the intake casting? Mercury molded into the bumper cover is 90s too.

[@ocmdog]

I agree with everything you’ve said. It would be so nice to see green return to cars. The late 80s/early 90s aesthetic is also nice to see. So progressive and expressive in a retro-futuristic/nostalgic way. I think Rivian is the closest to the modern LED light bar energy of the Sable.

[@jamesruiz4005]

Mercury had the coolest front ends! And the Oldsmobile too!

[@Jack_Stafford]

Right, Oldsmobile toyed with the light bar motif too and not many people remember that 👍🏻

[@rayschultz387]

Olds had the coolest shifters and interiors

[@silverxstar01]

The exterior color! The interior color! THE LIGHT BAR! This thing is a beaut.

[@thomaskreke4635]

This might be the most beautiful car you have reviewed so far.

[@raymondkay4896]

I miss cars without center consoles. I liked the extra knee/leg room, especially in smaller cars. I am a taller guy so I appreciate the extra space.

[@robertrool8108]

This Sable had really funky looking front lightbar. It really caught attention back in the 90's. That color is really easy on the eyes, more interesting than white or beige.

[@marcusperry9481]

I'm a GM guy, but this is a unique looking machine. They threw everything they had into this one. Definitely a stand out from that era.

[@drewzero1]

The Sable with the front light bar and the LeSabre with the rear light bar always looked like spaceships to me as a kid.

[@jeremiahallyn4603]

Wow, what an awesome throwback! This car has character, and it brings back memories of being a kid in the 90s 👍👏

[@VectraQS]

I daily drive a 1992 Taurus wagon, practically the same car. I love it.

[@AppStateFan2k13]

I’ve been absolutely fascinated with the Mercury Sable since I was a little kid. I love the light bar!

[@drewintampa]

I'm a little late adding my comments as I just saw this video. Love the enthusiasm for the mercury sable wagon! I had a nineteen ninety eight mercury sable wagon. Different body style. She went to three hundred thousand miles before we had to take her to the junkyard. It was a great car. Ford was betting everything on the ford tourist being ahead, and boy, oh, boy, wasn't. It saved ford.

[@tmmurphy]

4:16 I am surprised to see the small square climate control buttons still mostly intact (Max A/C, Vent etc). Most of these got brittle, cracked and disintegrated. You can see the crack starting above the 3 buttons on the left. This car lived a charmed life. Ours had these issues in the late 90's.

[@jessekuchinski1172]

I cant believe im beginning to love these wagons. I really want one. Conversion vans too. Maybe even mini vans. Ok maybe not mini vans yet lol

[@InternetDude]

We had a 1992 Sable sedan before KZbin ever existed. It was an overall fantastic car, had hardly any repairs, it looked good, had good power and was smooth riding. Miss the old days sometimes...

[@Titanic19127]

They’re so cool looking. I’ve always loved the front light bars on them, and definitely would daily one of these.

[@ryannatividad3137]

That is a throwback. These were super popular. My parent's had a base model 1992 Taurus L sedan (manual locks and windows, etc.), and my grandmother had a beige-on-beige Sable sedan. The exterior design has aged pretty well, but it's amazing to see generally how much better affordable, practical cars have gotten over the years. Still such a nostalgic trip for anyone who lived through the 90s. I spent a lot of time in the middle front bench seat and rear seat in both of the aforementioned cars. My parent's had two Ford Taurus options on the lot that were on sale that they were deciding between when they bought theirs...a purple/red on maroon and a gray/blue with gray interior...they went with the latter, lol

[@Michka1001]

Absolutely love lightbars, especially when they actually function 😍

[@collectivelight]

I had a 95 Sable sedan as my first car. I liked it. It certainly wasn't a cool car, but it was comfortable, easy to drive, and pretty quick!

[@wyattbennett4737]

I’ve always loved mercury, especially the mercury sable wagon

[@danielaccavitti9868]

I’ve seen this exact wagon driving around before and thought wow it’s clean, I didn’t realize just how pristine it was

[@Talbottt93]

Wave next time you see me!

[@ironinquisitor3656]

I recently got a 1992 Sable LS wagon from a family member has pretty much every option except leather seats, sunroof, and the front passenger power seat. It's light blue with blue interior and still has it's factory AXOD on it with over 200,000 miles. I've been trying to find a 1986 Ford Taurus LX wagon in medium canyon red but have had no luck with that. Gen 1 models are so hard to find now. I'll enjoy the Sable in the meantime as I try searching. There is a wagon identical to this one in my neighborhood though it has a tan interior.

[@BoopdaBeep]

Love this review! I have a 95 Taurus SE - one year only trim, final year before the bubble Taurus, 3.8L sedan. It's Emerald green metallic on tan leather with the bucket seats (adjustable side bolsters like the SHO!) and a center console (not the front bench). Mine has to be one of the very last ones with the original head gaskets, although, like this one, mine has just under 60k miles like this wagon. One thing I wish you'd have mentioned is the sound the doors make when they open and close. It's such a wonderfully satisfying mechanical sound and feeling that you simply can't find anymore in virtually any recently built car!

[@JoshuaRevling]

Thank you so much for spending so much time showing us the dash, which really is the star of the show 😊

[@matthewc3120]

I had a 95 Sable GL sedan that was white with green interior. Loved that car. If I recall correctly, the 3.0 was standard in the GL with 3.8 being optional and the 3.8 was standard in the LS. I miss the times when Ford had actual color interiors.

[@1524mike]

In high school in the 90’s all my buddies moms had these. They were everywhere.

[@chriswright2250]

Bought the 2nd generation brand new. 97 with the 3.0 v6 in Pacific green with tan interior. My boys would call the 3rd seat in the cargo the Puke seat. It faced the opposite direction. The engine was a dog but a good family hauler.

[@ironinquisitor3656]

97 is a 3rd Gen Taurus.

[@tristankelsey1746]

I prefer the look of older wagons but I really like this Sable's interior. Great mix of old fashioned comfort and modern design

[@michaelhoskins832]

That turquoise paint is so pretty.

[@howebrad4601]

Color keyed interiors were so far superior to the boring dull drab grey and black which is all we can get today It can't be overstated how radical the Taurus and Sable looked when they debuted in 86.

[@chrisjamesr77]

That is one car that just SCREAMS "late-80s/early-90s" to me. Makes me want to get my mom to drive me to the mall to pick up the latest Nirvana CD then go back home and watch the latest episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

[@Redline1986]

The perfect example, I know when we talked you said it was clean, but my goodness, I was not expecting a museum piece!

[@zakarylakota]

Never in my life would have I guessed you would do one of these. My parents had a burgundy one for years! The oldest memory I have is watching our sable get unloaded off a truck after moving from Texas too Michigan. When I was a kid it was the coolest car ever. I cried when we got rid of it. Someone spun out in the snow in front of my dad and he t boned him.

[@MrJayrock620]

When I worked at at local Ford dealership, one of the sales managers told me he once messed up an order for 30 of these Taurus wagons. Instead of ordering the popular green with tan interior, he accidentally mixed up the interior exterior boxes and ordered 30 tan with green interiors. Luckily he was able to sell most of them to a rental car agency, but there were a couple that ended up getting repainted to a green exterior so they could sell them on the lot.

[@Trance88]

What an amazing survivor example! I never really appreciated these vehicles since I've never really been able to get a good look at one. I'm actually in love!

[@ThaDirtyBubble]

I’m in love with that color. I’d knock that yellowing off of the light bar with a headlight resto kit and then switch to LED up front.

[@wr1ght939]

So awesome. I love retro-modern style cars like these. They feel like they’re straight out of cyberpunk.

[@Bmovie5000]

Great review. So nostalgic for me. When growing up the scout leader of the boy scout group I belonged to was a parts manager at a local ford dealership. He always leased mercury models and in particular wagons. I remember being hauled off with other kids to scouting events in his metallic beige sable wagon many times.

[@damson_jmonay42069]

Love this! My first car was a '99 Sable wagon, dark green exterior and tan leather interior. It's fun seeing all of the differences and similarities between the two generations. The dome light and steering wheel are the same, but I think that tan and gray were the only two interior color options by '99. I hope I'm wrong. The trunk floor and latch, and the spare tire side hump, are also similar if not the same. I do find the brake light/rear washer nifty, since the '96+ wagons had a top swing wiper that did not make the best use of the spray that also came from the top.

[@davidkaufman7979]

Station Wagons give me all the nostalgic feels. Grew up riding in the rear facing third row.

[@lordpudge2046]

That color combo is awesome!

[@mikeprankstdgmcarreviewsan5602]

Reminds of the one that was used in the tv show the middle

[@Jack-5718]

the exact one

[@mikeprankstdgmcarreviewsan5602]

@@Jack-5718 yep the exact same one

[@AnItalianGuyOnYT]

i remember seeing a sedan with a lightbar acros the front on mythbusters and always wondered what car it was. i think i got my qnswer

[@lp6wo]

I remember being stuck in the back seat in the summer. Those big windows created a greenhouse effect and the ac never reached back there from the front seat. I was so excited when the head gasket blew and Ford offered my dad full value for a trade on a Windstar.

[@T-41]

Ford hit a home run with the first generation Taurus and Sable , and they were as well received in the market as free guns at a prison break. Sometimes it is hard to catch lightening in a bottle twice. Sure enough, the successor generation rated somewhere between weird and just ok. Unlike the Japanese, Ford didn’t jump right in and fix the problem. They chose to stand pat, ride them into the ground as fleet cars.

[@ironinquisitor3656]

That was because SUVs became huge and US automakers always chase after the next big thing and let their previous success die for the sake of he next big thing. Huge mistake.

[@tpolerex7282]

Look at how those cloth seats held up nearly perfectly over 30 years!

[@gupman62]

I owned one. It was a nice wagon all around and the 3.8 litre was full of pep. Unfortunately he is correct about the head gasket problem which is costly to replace. My wagon went through two when I owned it...

[@ocmdog]

Always had a strong curiosity for the ultimate American family mobile (the wagon) and the Taurus in its heyday (loved the second gen styling) so this is nice to see. Thanks for continuing to review interesting older cars!

[@jgalexander510]

Learned how to drive in one of those :). Had the rear facing row. So fun. Pretty sure the note on the cup holder was due to the front bench seat/potential for a center passenger. I sat there as a teen and practiced my steering :).

[@Vex-zz7br]

My mother drove the Taurus wagon of this year and it was in a light blue, we were t-boned by a red light runner and we all made it out.

[@bazilwreckerloughead]

What a great car, my father-in-law used to have a blue one just like this, with all the options, but he did have the rear fold down seat!

[@peachyclean93]

This is so cool used to see these everywhere even though I'm a big Chrysler person I still love them❤

[@davidp2888]

My father had a 1992 Taurus wagon as a company car. Once he was done with it he sold it to my brother, who kept it for another 15 or so years, drove it into the ground.

[@2H2521]

My beloved great grandparents had the Taurus version they owned for many years, it was one of the most hideous POS vehicles that I’ve ever seen but it somehow went forever. 😂 The Mercury versions of the Ford vehicles like this definitely look much better, really cool front ends.

[@realkilju]

looks a lot better than pretty much any wagon that was sold in europe in 1994

[@realkilju]

thats a really nice looking car, idk why but I really like the looks of that car

[@Andyface79]

My parents had a 91, previous generation. It was a navy sedan and it was plenty roomy. We only had it for a little while, my dad get t-boned when he tried to cross and didn't see a car coming on a busy street.

[@robertdiehl9003]

Wow, never knew they had digital dashboard... Excellent learning channel.

[@ironinquisitor3656]

Yeah it was available only on the Sable LS for the Gen 2 92-95 models and the flex fuel Taurus GL. Gen 1 Taurus and Sable models of almost all trims depending on the year could get it.

[@rustyshackleford1687]

My mother had one of these in midnight blue. I think it was either a 92' or 93' purchased brand new, also a wagon with the rear facing seat. It was a beautiful car and very comfortable but reliability was not its strong suit. I felt like we spent more time in loaner Tempos as something was always wrong with it. My mother ended up trading it in after just a few years. Such a shame, I wish it had been more dependable.

[@kc5077]

Great video Zack but you're nostalgic for a period in retrospec and not memory. I grew up in the 80s and let me tell you this was not a spaceship. Even back then it was a grandma car, because my best friend's grandma had 2 Mercury Sable Wagons in a row. Even though it had green digital gauges and power everything, the Sable was long, wide, and soft. Minivans were spaceships to me and they were all so different in the 80s and 90s. The Caravan and Voyager were dominant but the Aerostar, Astro, Lumina APV, MPV, and Previa were all such different takes on minivans. It was peak minivan. In the 80s station wagons were already old, by the 90s station wagons practically went extinct.

[@kebabaluba]

That front end would look good on my SHO, love the center light bar.

[@drewzero1]

Can you imagine a SHO Sable wagon? Shut up and take my money! 😍

[@bwofficial1776]

@@drewzero1Car & Driver built a SHO wagon. It hauled.

[@kebabaluba]

@@drewzero1Should be an easy swap as Sable is downright a Taurus. But yea, SHO wagon would be siiick :)

[@drewzero1]

@@kebabaluba I would expect so. I had a Grand Marquis for a while and knew all the parts that *didn't* interchange with the Crown Vic... It was a short list. With a few odd exceptions, most parts from 1992-2011 could be swapped between them, and even more after 1998. Unfortunately between young kids and work I hardly have the time or energy to change my own oil anymore, but I'm hoping as they get older and more independent I'll be able to get out to the garage more and work on my weird projects, and maybe even have them help a little when it's safe.

[@kebabaluba]

@@drewzero1Well that time you can spend in the garage is worth waiting for imo :)

[@tmmurphy]

My mother had a 93 white 3.8 LS Wagon with the digital dash and grey interior. It had a ton of torque (enough to smoke the tires) but no top end breathing with a tractor like red line and it understeered like turns were against the law. Great mileage for the time (27.8 or so overall). It's head gasket let go at 78k ruining the engine and we traded it in for a Pontiac GP GTP. That bean counter decision to save a few cents on an inferior head gasket ran my family away from Fords for life. The Vulcan 3.0 V6 had the same 140 bhp but no torque.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you for the review. I liked the digital gauges and the fact it is loaded with features. You can appreciate this vehicle. A loaded Mercury Sable LS is a nice thing to have. That wagon is in great shape cosmetically. I am sure it has some shortfalls, but you just appreciate the Sable for it stood for in the market.

[@laserwizard2]

Interesting aspect of the Taurus / Sable of that era was the unique wagon-only rear suspension that maximizes cargo space.

[@sirot5561]

always loved that light bar!

[@skip123davis]

i had a 95 taurus wagon. best car i ever owned until my 08 lexus, which i'm driving now. that was my salesguy car. i drove it into the ground. when one thing broke on that it all broke. the car seemingly went to shit in one day. it still looked immaculate though.

[@alpaljl]

I did not watch this video on mute, but I LOVED looking at it!

[@timsimmons5190]

My grandma loved her Taurus wagon. She was mad when they stopped making them. Now she's upset the Taurus gone . Only car she bought since Taurus came out. She got a 2018 now

[@aenoymotors]

That green interior is amazing

[@LaytonKnightt]

My dad had a green ‘95/‘96 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition that had a green interior this same shade.

[@James3478-r4n]

At least the head gasket was done. Add a transmission cooler and keep the trans fluid changed and it will last. We had a 93 Taurus wagon aka purple slurp. Miss these cars so much.

[@Skyhawk1987Turbo]

Omg I remember these in a sedan form when I worked at hertz rent a car and that green interior 😮

[@SPTunnelMotor]

US: I can't believe it's a WAGON!!!! All of Europe: Wagons literally everywhere. Because they're the best and most versatile body style of car to ever exist! ❤ (And still keeping a low body line, which helps with looks, feel and economy.)

[@rightlanehog3151]

Zack, I am green with envy.

[@robertdiehl9003]

Iconic station wagon.

[@TotallyRadCars]

This was a great video! Big wagons need to come back... and no, 4 door hatchbacks do not count as wagons!

[@nathanjoseph4284]

Zach, when you become the next Doug DeMuro one day, please don't EVER stop doing cars like this! :)

[@ShootingCars]

Never ever! Got some more spotless 90s cars coming soon!

[@lordmaul3]

The weak point on the 92'-95' Ford Taurus's and Mercury Sable's was the automatic transmission. I owned a 94' Ford Taurus sedan. Around 80k miles the transmission started slipping and eventually went out. Other people who owned these vehicles told me the same thing about their transmission going bad around the 70k-80k mile mark.

[@RangerMan2002]

You had to change the fluid in them every 30-40k miles. Mine was going fine when I sold it with 147k miles on it.

[@lordmaul3]

@@RangerMan2002 The 94' Taurus I owned was used. It was about 2 years old when I bought it from a local dealership in Duluth, GA. Two months after I got it the transmission started doing what I stated in my comment above. Luckily it was still under warranty from the dealer I bought it from. Since the car was just a couple of years old they had to order a new transmission from the Taurus/ Sable assembly plant located in Hapeville, GA.

[@ironinquisitor3656]

@@RangerMan2002 Yeah my uncle did that to my aunt's 1992 Sable LS wagon and it still has its factory transmission with over 200,000 miles on it.

[@steveschmidt5574]

So cool, especially in this color!

[@Iamthestig42069]

My parents had one. Went through 2 engines and 3 transmissions in 10 years. Completely turned me away from anything ford related for life

[@christophersmith1155]

if Taurus were made again & in the wagon form, I would buy one again. Im still driving my 1999. LS wagon with no center console. I put my CB there.

[@bwofficial1776]

When I was in college, I drove a 2001 Sable wagon with every option but the center console and sunroof. It was slow and unreliable but very comfortable and incredibly roomy. It was a turd but I miss it and I'd get another if I needed a cheap beater. I also had a CB in it and a big antenna on the roof.

[@richardkafka5625]

Had one of these without the digital dash. It was a great car. Sorry I sold it. Great road car!

[@Dankcatvacs]

pretty sure my aunt had a green 94 3.0 sedan was super nice leather interior , the digital gauges was so cool i was just ga ga over those . i have always been obsessed with fuel economy so i felt like that car was built for me , minus the automatic. my aunts car even had a carphone. unfortunatly the headgasket blew and it still blew after it was fixed . sad . it was a vulcan so probably just a botched job . i always had a bad taste of 3.0 vulcan and taurus sables. but it is cast iron so after a new updated gasket set both 3.8 should be good . in fact i know of some one had a 90s thunderbird withthe 3.8 untill able it was passed around like carpet cleaner with over 250k miles.

[@gm12551]

I wouldn’t mind seeing the tach on the dash. Surprised you didn’t show us.

[@westmister]

The 90s was the best decade IMHO.

[@PaulMyers-q1m]

3 row rumble seat good old days look at a 2002 Taurus wagon had 3rd roow 😊

[@sketchywolf9387]

I have a 93 Sable that I have updated the light bar with LEDs and animated LEDs

[@dave11686]

Love this and the color

[@jeswalshh]

That steering wheel did infact slip into the 2000s and is still a great design

[@stevemichael9318]

I had a 1993 sable. But the sedan. It was actually a POS. Had like 75k miles on it. Yeah it was the 3.8 liter and the head gasket was going. Something broke in the suspension driving on the highway . Spun out and smashed into a guard rail. I ended up junking it. Only had the car for 3 months. That was in 2016. Car was a very comfortable ride and luxurious but had too many problems

[@bass_fish_gleb]

Awesome car! Make review on 1998 Mercury Tracer, and 2008 Mercury Sable, Mariner pleace!

[@Aaron.Crow512]

We had a blue sedan it was so comfy .

[@northernminnesotarailroads4318]

my pontiac grand prix has a factory light bar up front that looks exactly like that mercury sable lightbar

[@UESide]

Still looks good!

[@keithdosik]

Now this is a gorgeous vehicle. Should I sell my Volvo V70 wagon for this? Maybe