1998 Ford Taurus consumer reviews

This car had a lot of things that was wrong with it. I tried to get an inspection, and the mechanic told me it was too far damage.

See above. Car was lackluster. Just needs a bit more style. Pick up was good and vehicle was solid. Just seemed like a retirement vehicle.

My 1998 Taurus SE Comfort V6 was passed on to me while I was in college, and at that point it was already 16 years old. My grandfather had only used it as a grocery cart so it had less than 60,000 miles. I'm now at 100,000 and have to let the car go. Why? The bottom is rusting out so bad (I'm from Minnesota) that it has been deemed a ticking time bomb by two service shops. You can see the floor where my feet are. Nonetheless this car is still toughing it out over the most vicious potholes you can imagine. That said, my parents have helped me out a lot with maintenance, particularly with the battery and brakes. They are very weak, i.e. I have to floor it hard every time to come to a full stop, and they once completely went out on my after coming off an exit and I had to use my emergency brake to pull over safely. There were other fixes with the radiator, and the heating and AC had long since stopped working. But I still enjoyed driving it. Very comfortable, very aesthetically pleasing, easy to park given its length, roomy, great design.

This was my first car, which was purchased for $1200 and had I believe 129k miles. Runs smooth, nothing to special about this car got from A to B. Was okay on gas, for a smaller car compared to the competition it was much faster and the v-6 was nice on it. After about 8/9 months the radiator was replaced, this was due to normal wear and this was the deciding factor for me to sell it and get a new car. At 16, having to pay $400 to replace that was the last straw for me as I thought this would lead to bigger problems. Would recommend for first car or for someone who only drives 6-8 k miles a year.

I had to write this review since there probably aren't too many of these great cars left! Not because it's unreliable...just the disposable nature of our society today. My grandparents were the original owners of this car, and it was passed on to me in 2004 when my grandfather passed away. I've owned it ever since. Besides the usual maintenance, I've had to replace the fuel pump more than once, and this past February it needed a new a/c pump (which, by the way it's set up, is necessary for the engine to run). I almost bought a new car after that, and I keep considering it, but it has been almost 20 years and this car is still going strong. I drive sixty miles on the highway every day, and it's still a comfortable and reliable vehicle. There's just over 154000 miles on it now, and I'll probably drive the Green Hornet until it dies. What a great car!

I purchased this car with 170,000 miles, and it now has 210,000. I only change the oil. I did have to replace the thermostat, but it gets me from A to B with no worries.

We bought our 98 Ford taurus used from another sailor and his family, while stationed on Guam. We drove it there for six months , then brought it state side. We drove it until 2010 when we sold it to its fourth owner, whom we see quite regularly. Since we owned it and now our friend has it, it has cost very little to maintain. Gas and regular oil changes, tires and roitations and we had the brakes done once (just pads). The fourth owner reported to us that she needed to put a new thermostat in and also one of the wheel's bearings had to be replaced. None of these items cost her much in the parts department and a mutual friend did the work for no charge. For seven years, to have under $200 in parts over the cost of gas oil and tires, speaks volumes for the quality of this vehicle and model year. So why did I sell it? We had bought a hybrid because odf distances we needed to travel for medical treatments for my wife's cancer. I also wanted to return to a pick up truck, so I bought a used Ford Ranger. Meanwhile, a fourth owner gets to enjoy the hassle free life of driving this Taurus. If you can find one for sale , you better scoop it up for its dependabilty. Our gas mileage wasn't bad at 22 mpg and if you are doing local only type driving, that's really good enough. Comfort on long trips, lets just say it was like the recliner. Man, once that passenger sit leaned back, I was zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. You should be able to purchase one of these relatively cheap at around 1700-2000 dollars. it is 2011 now and I would say the better ones out there will still be on the road for 5-10 more years. This car was a fine addition to our drive way and provided dependable service to us at every turn of the ignition. Even if you're just maybe thinking about looking at one, let me urge you to stop looking and start counting out cash! You won't be sorry.

Good car, good performance. The next collectable Ford...............................................

I bought the car to use while commuting to and from college for holidays. I had to replace my transmission at 64k mi. Now, at 124k I'm needing to replace it again even though I don't think I've ridden this car roughly especially not after spending around $2k to replace the transmission the first time. I also have a lemon of a caliper on my rear left break. I have to replace it about every 3-5 years before it starts to eat through my routers. That's $700. This problem seems to be exacerbated by using the emergency break. Ridiculous! The break pads need to be replaced often because this is a very solid car, except for the exterior. I was using my hip to close a door that was ajar and my hip put a huge dented in the door! Cheap body. I only weigh 128lbs; it's ridiculous. Had to take the dome light out because the front right door sensor went bad and it kept saying that the door was ajar, which kicked on the automatic dome light - not good trying to drive at night, so I took the light out and saved myself the cost of replacing the sensor. Interior gets dirty quickly. The faux leather interior not all that sturdy and the paint on the platic door handles inside has been peeling off for some time now. BUT, the trunk holds more than you think it will. Nice that if in desperation it could seat 6, which is why I bought it. I have a family of 5 now and we're still using it until we can afford to get another car.

This car was bought new and I have spend so much money on maintenance that I regret the purchase. I drive to/from work 20 miles a day via the highway. This car gets 15.6 miles/gallon and I use it solely to go to/from work. The breaks need changing every 2 months, the idle is constantly too high and must be reset. After 5 years, the transmissions died and needed to be replaced. It happened again 6 years later, when I realized that it would not be worth replacing again, and now the car has trouble accelerating. Aesthetically, the interior is amazing and the exterior gives it a futuristic appeal. Trunk space is plentiful and it can seat 5 people. The cruise control doesn't work anymore and a the dashboard lights up when there is no problem - doors are closed: the light goes on, 500 miles since my last oil change: I'm prompted to change my oil, I inflate my tires and the icon remains on the dashboard. The car ran perfectly for the first 75000 miles - at which point everything begins to deteriorate. Ford cars have changed little over the years, so I discourage anybody from buying a Ford Taurus, or any Ford for that matter