My 2000 Ford Taurus- and Why I Love it

I love my Ford Taurus, let’s just get that out there. I have been terrorizing the roads in this car for almost three years now in my car which I simply called, “The Taurus.” I purchased the Ford Taurus SE in fall of 2003 from a private seller for $4200. This was about $1000 under kelly blue book pricing, so I got a pretty good deal. The car was a former company car, as many Ford Taurus’ are. At the time of purchase, there were 88,000 miles on the odometer which is well above average, but to be expected from a compnay car. The car is silver, and when i got it there were two minor cosmetic defects: A ding on the driver’s side door, and a deep scratch on the rear bumper. I personally don’t mind these dings because they are very small and I think they add character to my Ford Taurus, which is good because it seems as though everyone and their uncle owns one.

Here are some specs on the 2000 Ford Taurus SE:
Exterior:
Length: 197.6 in. Width: 73 in.
Height: 56.1 in. Wheel Base: 108.5 in.
Curb Weight: 3368 lbs.
Interior:
Front Head Room: 40 in. Front Hip Room: 54.6 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 57.4 in. Rear Head Room: 38.1 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 56.6 in. Rear Hip Room: 55.2 in.
Front Leg Room: 42.2 in. Rear Leg Room: 38.9 in.
Luggage Capacity: 17 cu. ft. Maximum Seating: 6
Performance:
Base Number of Cylinders: 6 Base Engine Size: 3 liters
Base Engine Type: V6 Horsepower: 155 hp
Max Horsepower: 5000 rpm Torque: 185 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 4000 rpm Drive Type: FWD
Turning Circle: 39.8 ft.
Fuel Tank Capacity: 16 gal.

Now there are some key features to notice in these specifications of the 2000 Ford Taurus SE. First of all, interior dimensions. This car is quite large for a midsized sedan, with enough room to seat 6 comfortably. Some models of the Taurus only seat 5, but with a fold down middle front seat, my Ford Taurus SE seats three front and three back with ease. The large size of the Taurus also helped me in my move to and from college. I would have never been able to fit all of my furnishings and personal items in a smaller car.

Another key feature to look at is the engine. A 3.0L V6 engine with 155 hp is enough to really move the Taurus. And the 185 ft-lbs of torque gives a powerful feel off the line. I have gone head to head with a V-8 jeep grand cherokee and came up the winner, so you know this V6 is powerful enough. All of this without sacrificing many miles per gallon. This car is epa estimated to get 19mpg city and 29mpg highway.

One spec which I have not been too crazy about on my Ford Taurus is the turning radius. At 39.8 ft it is much wider than average, and forces you to do 3-point turns more often than you might want.

One other thing that I wish were different with the Taurus is, I wish it had a CD player. I was very disappointed to find out this car came with only a tape deck and AM/FM radio. For some time I used one of those cd players that plays through your tape player but it just wasn’t the same. Also, the speakers are a little on the weak side. They may be good for easy listening but don’t expect to be blasted the bass anytime soon.

Now I have had my fair share of problems with my Ford Taurus, but nothing too unusual. One time the battery died, leaving me stranded at a gas station, and a towing bill of $150. Another, while my Taurus was parked in front of my house, the front strut randomly broke, and it took one of the front tires with it. Another issue with the Taurus was when my oil was constantly leaking, I found out that there was an underlying, larger problem with the car, and after labor fees and parts, I shelled out $800. Most recently, the rear sway bar broke, this is a smaller problem which will probably run about $200 with labor fees.

Taking into consideration that I have put about 19,000 miles on the Taurus in 3 years, I would say those repairs aren’t too bad.

I think overall I made a good decision on my Taurus. Because I paid so little for my Taurus, I could sell it right now for about the same as i paid for it. But don’t get your hopes up, this car won’t be on the market anytime soon because I’ll be driving it until it can’t go any more.