There seem to be a lot of ~10 year old Taurus' for sale. I have a hard time trusting a Ford car engine and/or tranny that old, but that may be a "preconceived notion" that was never accurate in the first place. When I play the word association game and think "Taurus" or "Windstar", I think, "PO$."

Anything Chrysler is absolutely off the table, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Having had the experience of my wife's life very possibly saved by airbags less than a year ago, I consider them a must, preferably 2nd generation at least.

I'd love to put her in a Honda, but as everyone knows they still want half the cost of a new one at 200K miles. I know there are good reasons for that, but I don't see how the economics can add up for a first car.

I've had Ford trucks with well over 250k miles and they ran like new,(still on the road). I saw a Dodge Stratus at a junk yard wrecked with 475k was running fine when it hit the tree. I'm driving a Chevy truck with 232k now, sold one 6 yrs ago with 295k guy has it up to 450k now. Many Tauruses will last 10 yrs, they are cheap because there were so many sold, look for a good one.

I had a college friend just sell his 98 Taurus with 350k on it. It was falling apart though. No windshield wipers etc. Also, CNY might have more info, but the steering racks seem to be a common item to blow up on those cars.

Good mileage though. 28/30 on the highway!

The primary issue with the Taurus/Sable was the trannies would go around 100,000 miles. But it was of the generation where many of the trannies only lasted that long. Because of the sheer numbers of them, it is often easy to get a good buy on one. The Buick Century is another car that is 'uncool', but can usually be a good deal. I am also seeing the Ford Contour as a very popular car right now around campus. I might also suggest looking into a Ford Ranger. Low price, solid build, and decent fuel mileage.

Granted that the Sable I had was an '89, but it was such a huge P.O.S. that I swore to never darken a Ford/Mercury dealer's door ever again. You can get a decent Honda that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Not sure what you're looking to spend.

I'm very big on Ford trucks, but have a dim view of their mid-size and compacts in the last 15 years or so. Still, if they had a model that has proven to defy my image of them, I'd certainly consider it.

If it was one of my boys a small pickup would be a top choice, but for my daughter a pickup would be the equivalent of a VW "Thing." Even I wouldn't do that to her .

For this car I'd like to keep it to around $3K. For a first car, the only reason I'm willing to go that high is for a few safety features.

The car we gave my kids was a 2000 Sable with 114K. We had bought it with 20K on it. Car was very reliable. I kept up the routine maint on it knowing the kids would inherit it.

The second day my daughter drove it to school she was in the left turn lane and the light was going from red to green. She came to a stop behind the line. About four seconds later the school bus behind her hit her and knocked her into the middle of the intersection.

The car was totaled. But you could look at the rear end and see that it had done just what it was supposed to do. It absorbed a lot of energy and accordion folded itself. The gas tank was mangled but did not leak. The kids were shook up but no long term damage.

The thing about the model of car is there are lots of them about and you can get parts for them for not a lot of money. They do well in protecting the occupants and you can generally work on them yourself. I love OBDII, saved me some bucks.

I would not hesitate to recommend a used Taurus/Sable to anyone looking for a car for their kid.

Also this car model was vary popular with older drivers who tend to not abuse a vehicle and keep up on the repairs.

Mike: What do you mean by huge PO*S*?

Its true that the Taurus/stables from that era feel like POJ's. ANd more than likely, a windshield wiper motor isn't going to work, power windows button fail, rear defrost stop working, etc.

The engines, on the other hand, are much more reliable. I don't know much about those transmission.

I have 3 friends that drive (or recently) drove Taurus. Two 1998's and a 1999.

The 1999 only has about 70,000 miles. His grandma owned it...but passed away. His parents took it, drove it for a couple of years before he got it. His dad is the head engineer for a company that makes car parts. At any rate, the vehicle was WELL maintained. Power steering rack went out in it in Gardner. Another friend drives a 1998 model. Poorly maintained. It still works. Just a couple of weeks ago, she called. Heading back to Lawrence, in Garnett, smoke billowing out of the hood, no steering. Guess what? Another steering rack. The other 1998 Taurus is the car I spoke of before, with 300+k miles. The friend's Uncle has a 99 Contour with 50k miles (it just sat!) he sold to him for $1500. Michael sold the Taurus to someone around here.

Outside of the steering racks, and all of the "little" things, I think that era is pretty bulletproof engine wise.

Buying a used car is tough. There are so many to choose from, that I would recommend narrowing down to a specific car, then looking at every one of that model available in the area over a few weeks. Of course sometimes you don't have time to do all that shopping.

However, If you drive five or six very similar cars in a short period of time, you'll begin to see the differences between them.

Personally, I try to always buy a car from an individual rather than a dealer. First, you'll probably get a better price, and second, they might be able to tell you something about the history of the car, if you talk to them long enough. I look for a car that hasn't been smoked in, has newer tires - has a decent body and runs and drives perfectly.

Let's face it, you will always be lied to about the true condition of the car. Nobody will tell you - "well it started nickel and diming me to death, so I bought a new one and now I have to unload this on on the first sucker that comes along".

I recently bought a 96 Lexus ES300 to replace my son's 92 car that was nearly identical that got totalled in an accident. I looked at about 10 cars from 95-2000 - I didn't buy the cheapest one available, but didn't buy the newest one either. Most of them I could tell if they were good or not by driving them around the block. The car we bought has been perfect so far. I drove it 600 miles on a business trip a couple weeks ago and it runs flawless - doesn't look quite as perfect as the first one we had though.

OK, I'll include Taurus in the candidates (any thoughts, Bob?).

I agree about buying from individuals, definitely. I pretty much don't even look at dealer ads. Of course, there are also dealers pretending to be individuals.

I'm a small used car dealer, in a small community in Central Pa and have spent thousands that I didn't have to in order to keep my customers happy. The guy down the street selling his kid's car won't give you a nickle if blows up on the way home. He gets cash, which you can't stop payment on, I trust my customers and in ten years have had 2 bad checks, therefore they trust me. Most of my business is repeat business, so I am offended by being called a liar, I tell everything I know about all my vehicles, and me and my wife drive them all.
"Let's face it, you will always be lied to"..Indyboater

bperg, I don't want to speak for Indy, but I'm 100% certain he didn't mean to offend anyone. I also believe 100% what you're telling us, but it's also a fact that you are one in a million when it comes to used car dealers. It's unfortunate that the few honest people have to deal with the results of all the rest.

I don't think he was targeting dealers in his comment about lying. He was simply pointing out that anyone selling a used car is going to maximize its positives and minimize any negatives, and all too often they cross a line in doing so. Most individuals do the same.

I know that around here, I stand a better chance of finding an honest individual than I do of finding an honest dealer. No, the individual won't do a thing if it craters on the way home, but neither will most dealers around here. Buying the right car, from the right person, I might have some chance of at least knowing what I'm really getting.

If I was anywhere close to PA I'd come buy a car from you .

Mike I think you are wrong to eliminate chrysler products from consideration. Neons are good little cars for the money and safe. My oldest was rearended twice, rearended two people and never got a scratch, The car was repaired and was good as new each time. Not to mention tornado damage resulting in 3K worth of hail dings. That little neaon was almost bulletproof. Other kid wrecked in her accord and ended up in hospital when the seat belts broke in a not so bad wreck. Newer Sebrings, 00-6?,are Mitsubishi eclipes with a different body and softer suspension. Stratus R/Ts are same as eclipes with different body. Mine has mitsubishi stickers everywhere, kind of funny. All made in the same plant in ohio. We have close to a quarter million miles on our chryslers (4) with very little trouble. They get a bum rap cause of the crap they built in the 80s but by the mid/late 90s, their quality improved greatly. JMO

Owned, 'em (more than one, including a mid-90's), done with 'em, never again. I do appreciate your opinion, however.

Mike,
These are good, solid cars in general. Stay away from the older ones with the 3.8L. The newer ones are undervalued, IMO.

The used car dealer subject is a touchy issue. I have worked with used car dealers in this area for over twenty years. The problem arises when my customer brings a car in from one of these dealers for a pre-purchase inspection. I work for the customer, not the dealer, and I often find many major problems with the typical $2500 used car. The dealer typically becomes infuriated, but the fact remains that I'm working for the customer. How would I look if I give a car a clean bill of health and all of the problems that I turned a blind eye to start coming back to haunt me and the customer?

Last fall I had a customer bring in some high mileage, rusted out junk from the corner lot. I encourage the customer to look with me at the problems. After two rejects, the 3rd one died on the way over. He bought a new Cobalt instead.

I also had a customer break down right in front of my shop, on their maiden voyage from a dealer 10 miles away. Keep in mind that a used car sold from a dealer here in New York has to pass a state inspection. This car needed about $600 worth of work to make it somewhat reliable and to really pass inspection (ie make it safe). The used car dealer complained that all his profit would be lost. I complained that I really didn't care and that he should look over his junk more carefully. It was a 1994 Tempo, BTW.

And the last story is still unfolding. A customer of mine purchased a 1997 Sable last fall for their son's first car, from the most unscrupulous area used car jockey. They did not bring it to me for a pre-inspection (lesson learned). First, it came in with a dead battery. He "warranteed" the battery with a used junk yard one. Nice. Then the alternator went. Autozone to the rescue - he put it on himself. Next was a trans line that rotted away. I fixed that. Then it was the trans side cover that rotted and leaked. I quoted many hundreds of dollars, as the front sub-frame has to be dropped to replace the $25 side cover. He has a hissy-fit, and wanted to inspect himself at his house. There's no way, says him, that it costs that much to change the cover.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, the car comes in for a power steering leak. I noticed that the side cover had not been replaced, and that the power steering leak was from the power steering rack. I also noticed that the body in the area of the right rear subframe mount was rotted bad, and I explained to the customer that I have to refuse the $600 rack job as I don't feel comfortable in doing the job safely. The body is rusted in an area that could cause a major failure if aggrevated. After a face full of tears from the customer, I apologized and sent the car, leaking trans and now steering fluid, on its way.

Last week, I got a phone call from the customer. They took the car back to the used car dealer, and somehow got him to take it to the shop that he uses (muffler monkeys, perfect fit), and they welded the body, replaced the steering rack and trans side cover. Two days after getting the car back, the son (17 year old kid) is driving the car and he hears a pop in the right front, looses control, hits a light pole, goes down an embankment into a culvert and totals the car. Both airbags deployed, and the kid walks away, shaken, but unhurt.

The owner of the car wants me to inspect it to look for a cause, however, the car was towed by a police-contracted towing service, who is (drum roll please!), the Muffler Monkeys! Having grown some thick skin over the years, I stopped in and inspected the car. There was so much damage (rf wheel and control arm were in the back seat), I could not determine a cause.

I am SOOOOOO glad I didn't attempt to fix the car!!!!! It was junk before the accident, as far as I was concerned. $2500 cars around here (rust belt) are cars that cost $2500, need $5000 in repairs and are worth $500 after the repairs.

I KNOW there are good used car dealers out there. I just wish we had one around here..