I have been driving a 1997 Ford Taurus Sedan for 6 years. It had 47,00 to start and now has 137,000. The owner would like to sell it to me. I know it has front wheel bushing problem and starter problem. What should I pay for it. It did not have buyers manual check ups. Just a new radiator and battery.
If you don’t own it, who does? A relative? It sounds like a $1500 car to me…Maybe $1100…
I have been taking care of her learning disabled son and she has me using this car for him. It has a new battery and radiator, but the front wheel is making a rubbing and squeaking sound and there is a need for two tires and it seems to have problems starting but starts.Seems to take me pushing on the gas pedal a couple of times to get it started.
Do you still think $1100?
Sounds like a $1000-1500 car to me. These cars are not hard to find since they made hundreds of thousands of them. Your rubbing/squeaking sound could be brakes, ball joints, or wheel bearings, in that order of likeliness. This should definitely be checked out as all are safety related items. Your starting issue is likely either an idle air control problem (cleaning the IAC valve may solve it) or the car could have some neglected maintenance issues. If it has the Vulcan V6, it probably has copper core spark plugs, which do erode with time. I used to have a '96 with the Vulcan V6, and started having a hard starting issue. Replacing the spark plugs and wires solved the problem, and understandably so. The plugs were worn down to a .085" gap!
Thank you so much. It was recommended to me to bring the car to a Ford dealership to have it evaluated and depending on that evaluation and what it would cost to bring it up to snuff, I would then be able to negotiate with the owner.
I so appreciate your information to me. I will tell the service guy at the dealership tomorrow.
Do you agree?
I used to say that if a Taurus was pre-1996 to dispose of it at 140,000 miles because I believed that the car wasn’t worth anything after that. It’s ok to just get rid of it if you are well supplied with cash and can afford a really newer car. If not, it’s OK to be buying one for less than a thousand dollars.
The car’s situation is close enough to what my opinion of the pre-1996 car was but the car has problems which will take more money to fix. Plus, the problems are starting to get more serious. The brakes could need $450 just to change worn out pads and rotors.
You should not have to push the gas pedal at all. The older throttle positioners alone would cost $150. The car needs too much work that has been neglected.
That was going to be my next question. Is this car too old for me to buy? It has been neglected for sure. Guess I was just looking for something I am at least familiar with, but this car may not be it unless the price to fix /rebuild it is subtracted from the selling price. Do you agree?
Don’t take it to a dealership for an evaluation. Find a reputable independent mechanic instead. It will save you money.
Too late I am on my way to the dealership JUST for the evaluation in 10 minutes $141.
But do you agree if rebuilding and or fixing it all up is subtracted from the selling price is it worth it?
Friend of mine turned me onto this web-site…
You can get an estimate of what the car is worth. Great if you you’re looking to trade in a vehicle…You’ll have some leverage knowing what the car is worth before you go.
deleted. duplicate.
There are always reasons to buy or not buy. Always subtract the repair cost if you can.
Make sure the evaluation won’t cost $200.
If the transmission goes out on a $1,000 car, you won’t be out much money. The same bad things can happen to a $4,000 car so you’re at least in the right ball park as far as car buying is concerned. You drove the car: If the transmission seems to be confused when you turn corners, it would be a reason for concern. If the engine ever did anything unexpected, you should be suspicious. If not, OK.
Well the estimate for repairs for the 97 Taurus was over $3000.
In the process I met a guy who wanted to sell his grandparents car that he brought up to excellent condition via the dealership already. It is a 92 Ford Tempo and only has 66,000 miles and the dealership told me he did everything to it “to the book”.
He only wants $2000. I am going on a test run this afternoon. It is a bit of an aged car no power windows etc, but it is in excellent condition with all the paperwork!
So this has my attention . The Ford Taurus is suffering not having the proper attention for too long. So I will keep you posted if I buy this car. Looks like something that has fallen into my lap.
Tempo is a $500 - $1000 car. It is a serious step down in everything compared to a Taurus. They were very poorly made.
The Tempo is what I can afford and have it be trustworthy since he put $2000 into it. I can not afford the Taurus or a Taurus. When I checked out the year 1992 it got great and reliable reviews.
He has all the repair paperwork that is so hard to come by these days. I can only afford $2000.
I would love to get something better but this has fallen into my lap.
Just check out edmunds.com and kbb.com for the book value on this car and be aware of its value.
The amount spent on a car is irrelevant to selling price.
Two grand for a '92 Tempo? No way, and as Andrew correctly stated; the amount spent on a car is irrelevant to the price of the vehicle.
A few years back someone in OK City had a 1981 Buick Regal for sale and they were asking 11,500 dollars for this car which was worth about 1500 tops if it’s in good shape in and out.
The reason for the high asking price? They had sunk 9 GRAND into stereo equipment!
So not only were they delusional enough to think they were going to get their 9 grand back they also expected to get an extra grand over and above what the car itself was worth.
Glad you had the Taurus checked out even at that price. You saved a lot of money. The Tempo in any condition isn’t a best buy but at least it doesn’t need repairs right now as far as you know. That sounded like Caddy Shack.
See if you have two fans behind the radiator, if not, the single one could fail due to age. The Tempo I had would overwork the fan motor. It will always be loud, I always knew when my wife was approaching the house by the fan noise. Don’t let it scare you.
Well I took it for a drive and I have to say it really was great. It had some power and it had a vintage quality. Only 66,000 original miles and the dealership said it was in really great shape. It will get me around. Don’t drive far too much. I actually like the old car feel in a funny way. Guess I just like cars. Will keep that in mind about fan. I plan on sprucing it up to make it my own.