Airport Car

[jergar999]

This is only somewhat aviation related, but I have seen tons of similar posts, and this is the general forum so here goes:

Does anyone have experience with a 1999 Ford Taurus? I bought a used Dodge Intrepid (1995) with 80000 miles on it, and am about to put the fourth (yes 4th) transmission in it. The thing has 97000 miles on it now. I would like to find the Chrysler engineer that designed that thing and kill him. Regardless, I have found an incredible deal on a 1999 Ford Taurus SE, which would be used primarily as an airport car, occasionally used to deliver pizza (maybe 1 or 2 days a week). I have checked out reliability through Consumer Reports, and it seems there have been no major problems, but everyone has had to have the rotors turned at about 50-60k miles. I was just wondering if anyone has experience with one of these cars and would care to comment.

 

[ShawnC]

...1999 Ford Taurus SE, which would be used primarily as an airport car, occasionally used to deliver pizza...

Deliver pizzas? So you were the guy in a Capitan's Uniform that delivered the pizza to my office last week.

BTW: Extremely off-topic, this is officially my 1000th post of spewing my inane drivel on this board.

Edit: Who deleted one of my posts?

 

[newmei]

No offense but that Taurus with double your Chrysler's milage would be better any day, I used to own a Dodge, wew, never again. Constantly stuff breaking and just over all poor quality. Yes they are cheaper but you really get what you pay'd for. I put 5 a/c compressors in span of 80,000 miles I've owned a Ford, Dodge, AMC, and BMW. The BMW is the best with the Ford not being too bad. I decently maintained late 80's 3 series BMW will go forever not uncommon to hit 300k easily with a manual tranny, BUT they've got to have the basic maintence done to them when you look into buying it, or it will eat you alive. (BMW parts=$$$, but they last four times as long!) For the price +/- $3000, its not a bad deal.

Just my opinion

 

[cl-65link]

Not all Chryslers are garbage. I have a '96 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 125k miles and have had no significant problems and I've owned since it was new.

 

[tarp]

Note to future aviators:

That's right - he said deliver pizza's.

So glad that our professionals drive beat up Dodge's and deliver pizza's to make ends meet.

Ah, the glory days of aviation.

 

[jergar999]

Don't forget...

to TIP THE DRIVER!!

 

[cessna_driver2]

Most brake rotors should be turned or replaced around 50 - 60000. (or each brake job) It tends to eleminate Parrallelism. (warping of the rotors) The tarus is a decent car. My father has an 88 he still drives. A/c would still blow cold if I only would convert it to 134 and fill it.

Some of the things you may want to check out are the motor mounts and the strut rod links. Those tend to go bad. Ford had a recall on the motor mounts on the ealier versions. (you should be fine) OTher than that, it a pretty simiple car. Easy to work on.

 

[IAHERJ]

Best Airport car,

Mercedes 300 diesels from 80-85. I have 4 right now. You can purchase one with 200,000 milles or less for under 5,000 and they will run for 500,000 miles. They are clean with leather and they are the least expensive mercedes to work on to this day. If you can find a 2 door coupe (300CD 83-85) get it. Sporty with a sunroof and peppy turbo diesel engine that gets close to 30 mpg. I'm sold on the things.

IAHERJ

 

[TXCAP4228]

Not all Chryslers are garbage. I have a '96 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 125k miles and have had no significant problems and I've owned since it was new.

I have a 98 Jeep Cherokee. New transmission, new water pump (you should have seen the one that I took out of it - unbelieveable), $500 brake job because it came defective from the factory but was past my warranty, gas guage broke, other guages are periodically intermittent. The switch for the fog light broke at 40k miles so they're useless...

I've been disappointed.

 

[mobs]

I drive a 99 Mercedes E300 TD with 47k and no trouble,bought new and only repair is replace one glow plug. Mid thrities on fuel mile. I will replace it with a 2004 when they come out. Mobs

 

[pilotyip]

87 Ford Tarus

I have an airport special 1987 Tarus, 225K miles starts anytime you hook up the battery, looks ratty, drives terrible, but starts and stops upon command.

 

[Birddog]

I have a 90 honda Civic with an indeterminate number of miles on it. The odometer hasn't worked for a few months at least. Starts every time though, no matter how cold or how long it has been sitting. Its weak spot is corrosion. If anyone sees my left rear fender, let me know so I can put it back on and remove the bungee cords holding the bumper up.

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

anything honda

 

[Hawker rider]

Hey just a little pointer here.

Volkswagen is right up there with the mercedes as far as ease of maintenance is concerned. Offcourse the diesels are the business there!

BTW, Volswagen just came out with a dieselV10 for regular streetcars. It must drie like nothing else, and don't confuse these with the big truck engines in "them pickups"

 

[uavchaser]

i'm sure none of you guys put sumped Jet A from the FBO in your tanks, right?

 

[Airpiraterob]

where i went to college, the airport car was a former campus security Ford Taurus. a blah blah taurus right? hell no. It was the cop car package so it had the yamaha built 3800cc V6 (bigger than the SHO motor) and went like a raped b!tch ape! had a tendency to trail-brake oversteer tho on the fast curves to a stopsign. was great till some of the line-guys decided to see how well it jumped (rolls eyes)...and i hired those guys. everyone would flip coins to see who got to run into town for parts or whatever.....

 

[EagleRJ]

Tauruses (?) are good cars, and by '99, they had refined them to the point where they don't have any mechanical issues anymore. They're common enough that parts are cheap, too.

Diesels do run forever, but speaking from experience, they aren't without their own issues. Parts may be hard to find for an early '80s Benz, and although they are reliable, they can get expensive when they break. I know the injector pump ususally goes after 150k-200k miles, and that's $$$$.