I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

[03mach1]

Hey guys, My friends dad has a old Taurus SHO it has over 200K on the odometer (highway miles) but it is the yamaha V6 which is a very strong motor. They are asking 750 bucks for it and I would use it to drive every day instead of loading miles up on my Mach1. I would only have Liability insurance for it that is what my dad told me to do but I would use it to drive all the time. It is also a 5 SPD manual. It is white with a SS paint job but has rust.

Anybody who knows these cars or worked on them plases let me know what you think of these cars.

Thanks in advance
03mach1

[PorscheGuy997]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

I would post this on Taurusclub.com.

All the members are extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. There should also be a seperate SHO site.

[RDVT4ME]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

I had a 1993 SHO, dark emerald green. It was a great 4 door sedan. That engine is definitely a strong V6. Plenty of room for adults too. Mine had 100K when I got rid of it. At that point I had no major mechanical problems.

[03mach1]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

Thanks guys. I just signed up on that site, and yeah I am thinking since it a Yamaha motor it should last a very long time, the car has been sitting for some time I think at least 6 years. we tried to start it butit had a dead battery. The interior is growing mold. I think it leaks through a window seal. It leaks oil and it has a leak in the exhaust. Has rust on the hood edges. My friends dad is the 2nd owner so they know all the history on the car. Plus that car was built a month before I was born in 1990. It is as old as I am. I am worried about getting parts for them. The tranny is stiff the stick would barly move but I think that is from sitting. They do not know if it will pass smog. I would do a leak down test and a compression test before I buy it.

[Executive Detailing]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

For $750 why would you bother with the leak down test? It is a cheap car, and any engine problems should be reletively cheap to fix. If you are worried about reliability then do not buy it. 200k is a lot of miles, esp. for an American car.


I purchased a 1990 Honda Civic with 150k on the clock,($300) with 3 burnt valves, and a bad piston crown and it cost me about $450 in parts which included 3 new valves, decking the head, seating all 16 valves, and the piston crown. also belts, and gaskets. But it helps that I did all the work myself(except for the head and valves).

[benhui86]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

my first car was as old as me..... it lasted a year and then burst into flames... i was so sad... i liked that car.... it was a 86 toyota cressida i bought for $700

[Nappers]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

.....200k is a lot of miles, esp. for an American car.

I'll say! Yikes!



But, the Yamaha V6 is a reliable motor, 220HP with the 5 speed. DOHC, I would see if the timing chain/belts (can't remember) were ever replaced. If memory serves, they had a few problems with the 5 speed tranny but nothing big, problems shifting. See when a new clutch was put in. If it passes smog, I'm sure it runs good.

Buddy at work bought a Honda Accord with over 200,000 with an automatic (4 cyl) and expected it to die in a year (he paid 1,000 bucks for it) and it's still going strong. His other cars are Expedition and a V-10 F250 Crew Cab.....He drives like 40 miles a day to work. Hence the reason for the cheapo beater car.

Anyways.....

They weren't bad cars, better than the regular Taurus' with the Vulcan V-6 and those cruddy auto's that drained your wallet.....

I had a 2000 that developed a bad tranny, who'da thunk? Too bad, it was a great car, it was the 24V V-6, it hauled butt, it was loaded too, that Mach stereo made my ears bleed. I really miss the sunroof! And, it drove smooth and handled decent.

[03mach1]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

I can do the leak down test myself at my old high school auto shop. I could not get it started dead costco battery which usually when they die it is hard for them to retain a charge from experieces with their batteries. Nothing wrong with their batteries but they don't recharge as easily as other batteries. They might sell the car to me for 600 bucks other wise they are going to donate it as a tax write off but might as well buy it and get some use out of it and when it dies I will just just roll it in the weeds and call it that. The gaskets were replced for the intake and new plugs and plug wires. They said it runs like a champ but I will see when we can get it running. The tires are new but the side walls are cracking. The tranny feels like it is like stirring really thick cake batter like it is hard to move not like my mach1s shifter.

[03mach1]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

So I talked to my friend some more and got more info on the car. The water pump was replaced and the timing belt was done when the water pump was put in. also how I can I get rid of mold, is there like a anti mold bomb I can buy so it would kill the bacteria? It smells bad but it needs a detail. The seats are cracked and the dash is cracked but I think I can get it for the 600 dollars and that is below Blue book. Also it has a new clutch.

[Jeepster04]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

ha, 150k-200k is nothing. Weve got a 94 Jeep with 166k and its still going strong. Tows boats, pop-ups, and jet skis every summer. Original tcase, tranny, and good ol I-6. 6 in a row makes it go!

Cant say the same for foreign cars though. Had to many problems out of toyotas.

I say go for it if you really want it. Good car to put miles on and if you can work on it yourself it will save $$. Gotta expect things to go wrong here and there with that many miles.

[Holden_Caulfield04]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

Can't sing the praises of Toyota enough in my case. If you're looking for a beater, a Toyota or anything Japanese really is what you should be looking for. My parents purchased a Toyota Previa back in 1991 brand new (92 model) and it was towed away this past summer with the engine still running perfectly at 550,000 km. The body was pretty well shot and the brakes suffered a little bit, but the engine could not be more bulletproof.

This video is a great example of how tough Toyota's are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrk6vsb77xk

[Jeepster04]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM1R9UKiJ_I

[new2detailing]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

The motor on the SHO is a modified Vulcan motor with Yamaha heads( this is not a bad thing, as the 3.0V6 motor is actually one of Ford's most reliable motors with many still on the road with 250-300k without a problem. The addition of the Yamaha heads/valves/ecm really open up this motor) There is another writeup on mold removal on another forum's website. Not sure if it is appropriate to post here. The biggest problem is that the car has been sitting and any associated hoses, seals, etc will need to be addressed prior to making the car roadworthy. Best of luck, with a little money, effort and sweat you will have a sweet ride.

[Holden_Caulfield04]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM1R9UKiJ_I

Try parking it at the top of a building that's being demolished.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: I am looking at buying a 1990 Ford Taurus SHO

I know someone who has had THREE, yes THREE Tacoma 4 cyl motors literally die before reaching 100,000 miles. He bought all 3 used, and the most he got out of any of them before dying was 15k miles. He did oil changes, didn't race or modify them, and had no desire to make them brake down. They just did.

I know you're probably thinking the guy must abuse the trucks, but he's honestly one of the most tame people I know, a total Toyota die hard fan, and he did all the normal maintenance and didn't drive it hard at all.

Moral of the story? No brand is immune to problems, and sometimes the perceptions about brand names are not as close to reality as you might think. Ford has 1-3 engines on Ward's top 10 engine list every year...