1998 Ford Taurus Deal or no Deal?

Question

I am about to buy a 1998 Ford Taurus is it a good car to buy as far as gas and long lasting it has about 200,000 miles on it but im buying it for 500 so oh and it has a new engine and from what i see its a good buy if you know someone or have one let me hear your opinion

Answer 1

I would say if it has a new engine and a clear title you should buy it, for one chances are it will run for year properly maintained though,

   two years a go i bought a 95 Ford ranger with 241 000 miles on it and a new transmission , it runs great still and hasn't broke down once, it is always a gamble with any used car no matter what kind or anything but i would say ya buy it  

Answer 2

like the other guy said, it sounds too good to be true. also, the trannies are common in those. we just did on within the last few months at my work and it was about 2500 or so to get fixed. did they put a rebuilt engine in or a used engine in? it may be just as bad as the first one. new eng? why so cheap? how long ago was it. because, unless they put it in themselves, it cost a lot more than 500 bucks. try more like 1500 or so, for a used one. personally, but your choice entirely, any taurus with over 150,000 miles on it is iffy. not knocking them, they just aren''t that reliable. oh and to one of you messages...taurus' didn't come with a 4 cylinder. 3.0L ohv, 3.0L dohc, 3.8L, etc. all v6's. some, depending on year even came with a v8.

Answer 3

the Taurus is a good car. However with 200k a lot will depend on how well the car has been maintained and what if any damage the car has been subjected to. Many reputable shops will do an inspection for a small charge. It is usually money well spent. For a list of reputable shops in your area see the following site.

http://www.certifiedautorepaircenters.co...

Answer 4

200,000 is a lot,you have to think of how much more you are willing to spend on repairs,because it will break down on you,that car is ready for retirement in my opinion

Answer 5

The taurus probably has a 6 cylinder engine which are usually strong, but I would ask how many miles are actually on the "new" engine.  Ford did have a real problem with their transmissions, so check that very carefully.  I have owned several of these cars and had good luck with them.  My advice to anyone spending under $1500 on a car is to plan on getting one year out of it and perhaps spending another $500-1000 on it during that time.  I know some people get lucky and get more time out of cheap cars or don't have to spend any real money to keep them running, but they are the exception to the rule.  Any car with over 150k miles is chancy, but if it is all you can afford then don't be afraid to buy it if it checks out.  If you spent another $1000 on a different car you might not do any better and would have that much less available to repair it.  Good luck, and spend the money to have it checked by a competent mechanic.  

Answer 6

you have to buy it for 500. but the chances that its ****** up is like 85 percent if you dont know the person. i mean what do they care. ask them plenty of questions

like

why did u put a new engine in it

why are u selling it

stuff like that.

Best answer mE

Answer 7

It would be fair on gas. A Taurus  is a small economy car nor is it a huge boat. With a 4 cylinder engine I would guess it could get 26 to 28 mpg on the highway. Now that is if the engine is actually new. If it isn't, 500 is to much for a car like that with 200000 miles. Make sure it's a new engine and make sure you test drive it good to see if there might be other problems such as brakes, transmission, suspension.

If it's a new engine and there are no other problems with the car, it's a fair deal. If the car has problems while test driving or during a mechanical inspection, bad deal with a car with that many miles on it. So, make sure someone with a  mechanical aptitude checks it out.