So, the original V6 SHO, with a stick of course. Is it a front drive, domestic three series? Is it a fabulous motor in a terrible body? Is it an unreliable piece of junk? Does it have an undeserved bad reputation for being a Ford, and for being a Taurus?
Discuss...
My father had an 89 (purchased in 94), once he got all the issues squared away, it was a pretty reliable car.
I've been looking to acquire one, but they seem to be difficult to find in decent condition. Parts also appear to be made from unobtanium.
tuna55 wrote:So, the original V6 SHO, with a stick of course. Is it a front drive, domestic three series? Is it a fabulous motor in a terrible body? Is it an unreliable piece of junk? Does it have an undeserved bad reputation for being a Ford, and for being a Taurus?
Discuss...
Fabulous motor in a pile of trash. Fabulous, that is, until you have to fix anything.
Run away, though nice as the motor is, the chasis and drivetrain are not up to the task. Interiors are crap early 90s Taurus. You better have tiny tiny girl hands to work on anything in the engine bay. If regular maintnance was not performed you will spin rod bearings. Valves are shim under bucket and require a special tool to adjust plus the shims to replace them. They are a migrane waiting to happen, so if your a masochist then by all means buy one.
I had a '92 SHO for two or three years. It had 170k or so on it when I bought it, and 186k or so when I sold it. I autocrossed it for a full season, took it to the drag strip, abused it on the street, and drove it on the daily commute/weekend roadtrips, etc. It only left me stranded once thanks to a dead fuel pump, and I was able to limp it home when the quill sleve around the TOB exploded during a 6700+ RPM hard shift into second.
The engine is a work of art. I still long for those noises to come out of the engine compartment of something- anything- that I own.
The rest of the car was very 'meh'. I had some issues broken engine mounts and front strut mounts, but these were the result of neglect by previous owners and high miles. All of the interior electronics seemed to take a sh!t at one point or another. Window switches, brake light switch, seats, etc... All junk. The leather was cheap and did not wear well, and I really wanted to installed some cloth seats from another Toreass, but never got around to it.
As a whole, I'd own another one, but I'd want one with lower miles and the first thing I'd do is replace the dampers and springs with something more aggressive. It was easy enough to work on, IMO, but I never had to do any internal engine work on mine. With enough extensions, you can do a tuneup without removing the intake, despite what people may tell you. Replacing the fuel pump was as simple as dropping the tank. All of the Ford parts will probably break, but you can get them from most any Sable or Taurus at the junkyard.... and we all know how plentiful those are.
I had a 93 for about a year as a new car. I had endless problems with it, but in it's time, it wasn't a bad car. Yes, it was a Taurus, but this was before the Taurus was cost-cut to death, and it was pretty decent by early 90s standards as far as interior, handling, etc. And the engine is just a jewel, of course.
As far as buying one now, I'd be very leery, and I wouldn't pay much.
And I'd say it's more of a 5 series than a 3 series, at least size-wise.
Just walk away. I had a 92 Deep Jewel Pearl that I got from the original owner with under 80K miles and it haunted me for over a year after I sold it. GREAT engine, CRAP trans, CRAPPIER chassis. And now that they're old engine parts are non-existent.
Not worth the headache at any price.
(Drive one before you die though)
I did some work on an early one a few years ago. While it wasn't any more difficult to work on than any other car, I had some trouble finding a set of rear brake calipers for a realistic price (dealer wanted over $400 for each one IIRC). I don't know what the parts availability is for one now, but I can't imagine it got better. I did find a set at a mom & pop parts store for a killer price eventually.
As for the car itself, it drove like any other late 80s sedan. Maybe this one was a dud but it wasn't even in the same universe as a similar vintage BMW. I pretty sweet for the time engine but in a plain jane taurus wrapper. A late 80's 5 series will be similar money to buy and maintain with a 110x better interior and driving experience.
Get a V6 Mazda6 and call it a close copy
