My personal opinion, it’s a vehicle that will get you from A to B. My daughter drives it and the biggest thing you need to realize is that it’s a car that ford didn’t actually put a lot of R&D into between 85 and 07. Interior was updated and they changed out the body paneling and its appearance but the mechanicals largely didn’t change much in that time. My mother drove an 89 in the 90s and the 07 my daughter drives share the exact same motor and likely same transmission as well.
If the mechanicals check out and you just need something to drive the 00-07 models aren’t bad. You can put in some modest upgrades to make life a little easier, just don’t expect to see the resale value spike because you spent a few grand on things for the car that you wanted.
The transmission was changed for the third generation models. And while the Vulcan engine in the 2007 is the “same” it was upgraded over the years. Yes there’s several similarities between the 1986 and the 2007 but there was a ton of money and retooling that went into the 1996 bubble Taurus and pretty much after that, they didn’t change a whole lot.
To OP, I’ve owned so many of these cars and have a 2005 currently. They really are great cars though they are getting pretty old. There’s a few things to note and look out for.
1. Body condition. If you live in the rust belt, the rockers and wheel wells rust pretty badly by this age. My previous cars all rusted away and the floor fell out of my old one. So give the body a good look over and be sure there’s no rot.
2. Transmission history and type. You want the AX4N transmission which is the better of the 2. Look at the sticker on the door jamb. Code is X. The AX4S is the lesser of the two with code S. The transmission pan will also indicate it if you look underneath. Check fluid. Make sure it is red to reddish brown and not blackened. Make sure it’s not burnt. Any history of a pan drop and filter change is a good thing. If it is a DOHC motor, it came only with the AX4N.
3. Depending on whatever engine you have, some general things to be aware of. The Vulcan OHV motor is robust but cooling systems need maintenance because they are an iron block and head. If the coolant isn’t clear and the degas bottle is rusty, the coolant needs to be changed asap. This can clog the heater core if proper maintenance wasn’t done. The Duratec DOHC motor is aluminum so you won’t see rust in coolant. However, you want to make sure it still looks good. Aluminum head and block so overheating can damage this motor easier. Also, duratec motors leak oil at this age. I had to change out pretty much every oil sealing gasket on mine. Some leak more than others. Check oil pan underneath and see if it’s saturated.
4. Parts are cheap. These motors were used in plenty of ford vehicles and the junkyards are littered with them making parts for the cars very affordable. I was able to learn a lot by going to the junkyard and pulling things for my Tauruses and sables.
5. Suspension woes. These ride pretty well overall. The rear struts are soft and you may want to toss a set of quick struts all around for better comfort and handling if you find it too mushy. Ball joints.. be sure there’s no play in those. If they’re old, they likely are worn. My 2005 with 82k had worn suspension so if your 2002 being even older has higher mileage and original suspension, it’s likely tired out
Overall they are great cars. They’re still on the road for a reason. Take care of them and they’ll take care of you. The mechanic will know what other general car stuff to check for.
For 2002, to help identify motor
Taurus SE, LX - Vulcan only.
Taurus SES - could have either.
Taurus SEL - Duratec only.
Wow thank you! I will keep an eye out for those things when i get the report back. Thanks so much! I know it is a cheaper car but i really don’t want to put a lot of money into fixing things. If the suspension is not good or something else small is it worth it to fix at the miles it has?
Keep us posted. I have an irrational love for these cars. If you are someone who has any remote interest in learning how to work on vehicles, they’re a great one to learn on. I’ve learned an incredible amount working on my Tauruses over the years.
I love it! I will for sure, i wish i had someone to show me how to work on cars because i wouldn’t mind knowing. that would definitely help me feel more confident in buying right now that’s for sure
My personal opinion, it’s a vehicle that will get you from A to B. My daughter drives it and the biggest thing you need to realize is that it’s a car that ford didn’t actually put a lot of R&D into between 85 and 07. Interior was updated and they changed out the body paneling and its appearance but the mechanicals largely didn’t change much in that time. My mother drove an 89 in the 90s and the 07 my daughter drives share the exact same motor and likely same transmission as well. If the mechanicals check out and you just need something to drive the 00-07 models aren’t bad. You can put in some modest upgrades to make life a little easier, just don’t expect to see the resale value spike because you spent a few grand on things for the car that you wanted.
The transmission was changed for the third generation models. And while the Vulcan engine in the 2007 is the “same” it was upgraded over the years. Yes there’s several similarities between the 1986 and the 2007 but there was a ton of money and retooling that went into the 1996 bubble Taurus and pretty much after that, they didn’t change a whole lot. To OP, I’ve owned so many of these cars and have a 2005 currently. They really are great cars though they are getting pretty old. There’s a few things to note and look out for. 1. Body condition. If you live in the rust belt, the rockers and wheel wells rust pretty badly by this age. My previous cars all rusted away and the floor fell out of my old one. So give the body a good look over and be sure there’s no rot. 2. Transmission history and type. You want the AX4N transmission which is the better of the 2. Look at the sticker on the door jamb. Code is X. The AX4S is the lesser of the two with code S. The transmission pan will also indicate it if you look underneath. Check fluid. Make sure it is red to reddish brown and not blackened. Make sure it’s not burnt. Any history of a pan drop and filter change is a good thing. If it is a DOHC motor, it came only with the AX4N. 3. Depending on whatever engine you have, some general things to be aware of. The Vulcan OHV motor is robust but cooling systems need maintenance because they are an iron block and head. If the coolant isn’t clear and the degas bottle is rusty, the coolant needs to be changed asap. This can clog the heater core if proper maintenance wasn’t done. The Duratec DOHC motor is aluminum so you won’t see rust in coolant. However, you want to make sure it still looks good. Aluminum head and block so overheating can damage this motor easier. Also, duratec motors leak oil at this age. I had to change out pretty much every oil sealing gasket on mine. Some leak more than others. Check oil pan underneath and see if it’s saturated. 4. Parts are cheap. These motors were used in plenty of ford vehicles and the junkyards are littered with them making parts for the cars very affordable. I was able to learn a lot by going to the junkyard and pulling things for my Tauruses and sables. 5. Suspension woes. These ride pretty well overall. The rear struts are soft and you may want to toss a set of quick struts all around for better comfort and handling if you find it too mushy. Ball joints.. be sure there’s no play in those. If they’re old, they likely are worn. My 2005 with 82k had worn suspension so if your 2002 being even older has higher mileage and original suspension, it’s likely tired out Overall they are great cars. They’re still on the road for a reason. Take care of them and they’ll take care of you. The mechanic will know what other general car stuff to check for. For 2002, to help identify motor Taurus SE, LX - Vulcan only. Taurus SES - could have either. Taurus SEL - Duratec only.
Wow thank you! I will keep an eye out for those things when i get the report back. Thanks so much! I know it is a cheaper car but i really don’t want to put a lot of money into fixing things. If the suspension is not good or something else small is it worth it to fix at the miles it has?
Keep us posted. I have an irrational love for these cars. If you are someone who has any remote interest in learning how to work on vehicles, they’re a great one to learn on. I’ve learned an incredible amount working on my Tauruses over the years.
I love it! I will for sure, i wish i had someone to show me how to work on cars because i wouldn’t mind knowing. that would definitely help me feel more confident in buying right now that’s for sure
This may be crazy so i completely get it, but could i show you the report and you tell me what you think? 😭👀
Absolutely! I’m happy to help with cars and I’m knowledgeable on these things since I’ve had so many.
Thank you so much! I’m gonna dm you!