End of the line

One of my favorite beefs with GM is when they finally get a design right, the quit producing the product... I believe that the Astro Van is the latest example..

JT

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote:

I think just about every manufacturer went through the door attached seat belts that were semi automatic. I avoided that crop of cars like the plague..

JT

Jeff Rice wrote:

Guys, Know who got the last Taurus?? He also is the owner of an Avanti & the "original" Detweiller Daytona 4 dr with 25,000 miles from Pa..!! (among other collectables)

FWIW, I had a first-year Vega for 75k miles. Thermostat and axle seal were all that went bad during that period. (I guess the person who had it for the 25k miles before I got it fixed it properly!)

Karl

I really miss my Vega... I had too many cars so something had to go.

: (

Toward the end of the Vega production, GM put a 50,000 mile warranty on the engine. I guess they were trying to salvage what little reputation the Vega had. My cousin had a Vega that had the engine crap out on her at 49K+ miles. I remember that she made it to the dealer with just a couple of miles before 50K. She got her new engine. I also remember that if she was the only passenger, it got about 30 mpg. With a passenger, it was closer to 20. There were a lot of aftermarket companies rebuilding the Vega engine with new sleeves. I think that after that, it was a decent engine, at least in its day.

Here is a review of my Taurus, that I wrote the other day, on another forum

My wife's Taurus (2000 24V 3.0 SEL) was a great car; not a hint of problems in 78000 mi so we got another identical one in 2004; so far so good - not a thing wrong. Roomy and comfortable, other than decontenting the cars in their later years, the Taurus was a fine American car. I saw that article too and was puzzled; I thought they stopped the Taurus after the 2005 model year. "Green Acres is the place to be" wrote in message news:6049e$45480bae$a228a3fa$ snipped-for-privacy@ALLTEL.NET...

Transmission shops are going to be sad to see the Taurus/Sable at it's end. Other then the transmission problems and head gasket problems on the 3.8L engines that were never addressed since 1986, along with the DPFE problems with the 1996+ models the Taurus/Sable were great cars.

Unresolved transmission/head gasket/ DPFE problems aren't enough to bump it off of 'great car status'?

I've got the 2003 Merc Sable and its a nice ride. Not a caddy, but very comfortable on long trips.

Lg

That's redundant. :-p

It was

I agree. It was their version of the Chrysler "K" platform. It was a bit more stylish than the boxy "K" cars, but a good bit less mechanically sound at first. The big difference is that Chrysler moved on past the "K" starting in 1993, but Ford soldiered on with the Taurus much longer, probably a bit too long without at least a styling upgrade.

Having said that, I've had a rental Taurus and a rental Fusion both within the past 6 months. Of the two, I'll take the Taurus *ANY* day. The Fusion was a nice little transportation device, but it wasn't at all inspiring. Not that a Taurus is very inspirational, but at least it doesn't just ooze "generic people-mover" from every seam.

It's just too bad that the transmissions tend to fail around 100-140K. If they failed under warranty, i'm sure that Ford would have taken care of the problem within the last 20 years of so.

LOL. The transmission does have an aftermarket work around (but most people don't fix what isn't broken yet) and to avoid the head gasket problem you can stick with the 3L engine. The DPFE is a problem on almost all 96+ Fords and some Mazdas. Ford does have a updated part to deal with this issue and if repaired under warranty it will save you about $150-$200.

Is not the Five Hundred the replacement vehicle model name?

--Shiva--

What I like most about my Sable Wagon is the heated windshield. It's in semi-retirement at the former Clinton County Air Force Base serving as my airport car. Nothing nicer than being stranded in Hooterville during the winter knowing you can start up, hit the de-ice button and be frost free in minutes.

Did I mention I bouth it new and it has 265,000 miles on an engine that has never been opened and one AXOD overhaul at 137,000.

Regards

Kevin

What I like about Ford pickups is the heated tailgate. When they break down in winter, you don't freeze your hands pushin' 'em!

Gord Richmond (stirring pot)

Dang it, I've been saving up for a new Vega and *now* they go and pull the plug on it!

Yes, that was intended to be a thick sounding response, sorry.

Toyota MDT in MO