Need Everyones Opinion!!!!.....

[Mark B]

Hey guys,
I am faced with a big decision. I am 21 years old and I currently own a 1996 Ford Taurus Wagon. I HATE IT, but it is reliable, safe, and its paid for. I have a huge urge to get an F-Body. I have already owned a couple 3rd gens and a 4th gen.

I have a chance to pick up my brothers 1991 RS Convertable. The plan is to keep the Wagon AND get the 91 RS. I could make that car my project/play car. However this weekend, I thought of a alternate plan. How about I sell the Wagon and pick up a newer 1998+ F-body. I think that cost wise, it would be about the same.(as opposed to Insuring 2 cars.) Tell me what you guys would do. If I know you guys, and I think I do, I have a feeling most of you are going to tell me to go with the 4th gen. But I thought I would throw it out there anyway.


Thankx,
Mark B

[JL8Jeff]

You're right, I'd go with the 4th gen and ditch the Taurus. You're definitely on borrowed time with that wagon. For some reason, it seems like a lot of the 3rd gen cars are overpriced to me. When you can get a 93-94 Z28 for less than what a lot of people are asking for 91-92's, I'd take the LT1 any day. The 98-99's seem to have dropped down and you can find them under $10K so that's pretty affordable. The biggest downside is trying to drive them in the snow. As long as you can take days off from work when it snows, then you should be fine with a 98-99. I know my old 93 Indy Pace Car was terrible in the snow so I would skip work when it snowed. Now, my 91 SS454 pickup feels like it's worse in wet conditions. We'll see come December I guess.

[MN6WS6]

I'd stay with both cars. At your age, it is going to be cheaper to keep full coverage on both cars than it would to insure just the 98 up. Also, you said you want the 3rd gen as a project/toy car and keep the Taurus for daily driving duties, which means you can play with the RS more and not have to worry about having it ready to run the next day. If you play with the 4th gen, you better not run into any problems or you will be renting/borrowing a car until you do get done. Further, New Jersey is covered in snow for 11.99 months of the year I'd much rather be in a Taurus wagon with 400 inch wheelbase and 27 airbags than a 4th gen 320 RWHP monster while in the snow. Get the third gen and keep "ole trusty" for the daily grind.

[markd79ta]

I bought my '97 T/A as a daily driver when I lived in Seattle; it replaced my 3rd gen. When I moved to Denver, I bought a '77 Blazer as a secondary vehicle. However, I have driven my '97 in just about every kind of weather imaginable. Heck, I even made it up a hill covered in ice in Monument, CO on worn out Goodyear GS-Cs when a FWD minivan couldn't. That car has 94K on it, and it has been through almost everything and it is a ROCK. Anyhow, it is up to you. If you live in a place with a lot of snow, it is nice to have the "beater" to keep the road gravel and chemicals off the f-body. I think either of your choices would be good depending on what you want to do. Get some insurance quotes first; you may be surprised with the results. I didn't buy my 4th gen until I turned 25, and I then started look at the then new '97s. However, the insurance was extremely prohibitive before then, and the insurance actually went up $20 a month from the combination of the 3rd gen f-body and 4th gen Vette I sold to buy the '97.

I am very anti F.O.R.D. and as a disclaimer, I am VERY biased. My friend had a Lincoln Continental which is built off of the same chassis as the Taurus. Anyhow, the motor mounts rusted out of the thing, and the front suspension and engine/tranny fell out of the car when he was going down the road which took the steering with it. This is a recall is some states like Minnesota but not others. The dealer did fix it for him even though it was out of warranty. If you do keep the Taurus, get the motor mounts/front saddle checked. This is a frightening thing when it happens. Also, how is the tranny on this thing; they are not known for longevity?

[94TAonASSASINS]

dont forget to use the poll at top guys!

[JL8Jeff]

What is the poll? I see "p" and "t" and I have no idea what they stand for. I think I'm brain dead today at work.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Taurus transmissions are notorious for having problems. Everybody I know that has had one has had to get them rebuilt. It's not a question of if, it's when.

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

If traction in bad weather is a concern read the following from the horses mouth....

Quote from a Scott Settlemeyer post (Asst Brand Manager Camaro)?...I put the whole post in verbatim since there are a couple of interesting tidbits in there too....

"Actually, Traction Control was available (at least since 1998) with any axle/tire combination on Camaro. (we did recommend the RSA tire because it is an all-seasons tread, vs the GS-Cs which are not) There was a time when traction control was not available with the V6...and for a while, due to packaging issues, you had to order a PEG group with the fog lamps in order to get traction control on the V6. (when I heard this, I burst forth with "why, so you can SEE the ice???" Turns out that the traction control system relied on one of the same harnesses that was used for fog lamps.....we changed that because I felt that even a buyer who bought a completely stripped V6 should still be able to order traction control.

Interesting tidbit: we proved time after time that a Z28 with Traction control and the Goodyear RSA tires would outperform a FWD sedan in ice-covered conditions. (yeah, that's a broad statement....but this board doesn't have enough room to go into an indepth analysis of that one..........) Do I have confidence in the traction control system? Well, "mom" Settlemire, who I love dearly is somewhere north of 75 in years.....lives in snowy Pittsburgh....and is driving a Bright Rally Red V6 T-top. And she's lovin' it, baby!"

[z06transam]

get a f - body *** a ford. i hate anything that has those four letters in it. get a 96 lt1 camaro or tranny you can gett hem really cheap. dont go w/a 6 cylinder i had one and you cant do **** to it but a supercharger for power.



z06transam, you have a PM........
Joe 1320

[markd79ta]

I like my BFG (KDWS)s better then my stock RS-As, and I usually turn my traction control off. I hate that thing, but I like to control my car manually with the throttle not some stupid computer. I commuted an entire winter from ELEV. 7,300 feet Monument, CO 70 miles to ELEV. 5,000 ft Denver every day snow, rain, or shine. The good 'ol T/A never let me down once especially after I replaced the tires after the hill of ice incident and I got four brand new KDWS tires on the car. It takes some time to learn to drive a RWD car, but the rewards are definitely worth it; I learned to drive in the previously mentioned 7,300 ft Monument, CO in the '80s, and snow was all we had in the winter. FWD cars are a bummer because there is little that can be done once the car slides whereas a RWD can be adjusted. The FWD just gives the driver better take off traction which provides the illusion that there is more control. I can't wait to add the '94 Roadmaster to my linup (still wish it was an Impala .

[94TAonASSASINS]

the p is for pontiac i think and the t is for taurus.

[Mixedpuppy]

4th Gen

From the way it sounds, you would be more satisfied with a $th Gen car. But if it is going to be your primary driving car then I would be very very careful in what I do to modify it and something goes wrong or you'll be using the leather sole express to work. I would also make sure your life priorities are secure before you go forward with your decision. In the end though your personal satisfaction in your decision is important.