This sucks......

[JaoSming]

So I own a 2000 Ford Taurus SES. It has always been reliable whether I was using it at 3am in the middle of a below zero Vermont Winter night to a scorching August heat wave when working in the middle of a rock quarry during the Summer.

This past Winter at UMass I had issues starting it one day, I brought it to the garage and just by keeping it inside for the night the car was fine.



And then last month I had issues starting it. (thankfully after I was done with work for the summer) A faulty alternator was to blame. The mechanics at Midas fixed it for $400 and the car ran fine. But on my way home from the work the next day I heard a loud clank. I thought nothing of it and kept driving. Then I noticed that I had no speedometer or technometer readings. Being only 2 blocks away from home I decided to keep going. After the blinkers died I started to get worried. 1 block away from my house the entire car pretty much died but somehow kept running without power breaks or steering. It puttered it's way to my front lawn where it stayed for the night.

Being that it was a Saturday, Midas was closed so I left a message on their machine about what happened. On Sunday i decided ok, lets see if it starts. Sure enough the car started right up and I did a couple of test laps around the block to make sure. Coming back with smiles me and my dad attempted to drive it back to Midas. (about 5 miles away) At the same spot where my steering locked up I heard another loud clank. I quickly got out of the car to see what happened or if something came out of the car. Nothing but I noticed that the car sounded like a 2 stroke motorcycle and had thick blue smoke coming out of the exhaust.

For some reason I decided to continue on. I made it to where I first noticed I had no speedometer when the car finally died. It stayed their for the night and Monday we got it towed back to Midas. They paid for the tow and all labor because well, they botched the alternator installation and the dying was caused by the dead battery.

Happy that the car was driving again I brought it home. 3 days later the car wouldn't start again. Called them back and they said it could be my fuel pump finally going. (we knew it was going) So I said Ill drive it for another week or so and drop it off when I am done with work for the week.

Yesterday when coming back home from work my RPMs started going haywire. I also had a check engine light and a new light that I have never seen before. An explication point inside a pointy circle. So I pull over, turn off the car and start it up again.....same errors. I stop off at the nearest parking lot to check the manual. It said Transaxel malfunction - you may having issues shifting.

Um ok....so I drove it over to Midas and left a message saying what happened. I noticed that there was a wet puddle underneath my car so I took a piece of paper to see what color it was......red.

So I got the call today. It's my transmission. The car is shot. I had already spent 400 bucks on it and if I were to replace the fuel pump that is busted that would cost about another 400-500 dollars and now I am looking at a $2500 dollar transmission job with about $600-$800 for labor.



That is how my car has gone from the most reliable car I knew about to the rotting POS Ford that will be sold off for parts.



Oh ya the kicker. I found out at the beginning of the summer that my car was worth over $6,000 because I didn't even have 50,000 miles on it yet. I was dis swayed from selling it by my mom. ugh, I am fucked.

[BigKaboom2]

That sounds like what is going to happen to my '99 Grand Am. It seems to be dying.

Then I noticed that I had no speedometer or technometer readings.

Tachometer or something I haven't heard of?

[JaoSming]

Nah its a meter that measures the techno music I have bumping in my car.


yah Im an idiot, I meant Tachometer.

[BOSS]

That sounds like what is going to happen to my '99 Grand Am. It seems to be dying.

Then I noticed that I had no speedometer or technometer readings.

Tachometer or something I haven't heard of?

Haha technometer.
He probably means the tachometer.

[benji]

had thick blue smoke coming out of the exhaust.

Were you running BioShock at the time? I've heard it makes the blue smoke that makes electronics work escape.

A faulty alternator was to blame.

I had one of those. Thought it was the ten year old battery, so got a new one from AutoZone, it did not work. Took it back, the guy matter of factly said "we've never had a battery returned". He checked it and it had no charge, so I got to tell him "you have now". Got a good one, and it didnt work, but had it's charge. Had to get fancy alternator the place had to order from Japan or something. Gave me a discount though since they had told me it would be a one-two day job, and it took a week. So I only had to pay for a "normal" alternator, not a fancy from Honda Corp in Japan one.

Hmm, yes. How can I make this more about me...

[Sauru]

i cant believe that the car went that bad so fast, mainly if it was under 50k miles. right now i have 2 cars but i let my wife drive the new one and i take the old "2nd vehicle" to work each day. its a 97 ford escort that i got from a dealership really cheap cause it was a repo. worked great for about a month then it started to stutter and i got the check engine light. lucky for me it was just a ruined hose and since replaceing it(and the plugs for good measure) the car is running fine. hearing your story makes me want to go and check it out head to toe and change anything now that might look suspect.

[Patr1ck]

Never buy Ford. Once something goes, it sytematically shits itself, especially when you get new parts, it's like the car disagrees with them. I had an 86 ford taurus (well two of them at different times)that ran beautifully until the alternator went. After getting it replaced, everything esle started to die. The second one is fine, only problem was we needed a new heater core which somehow costs more then what the car is worth, so it's sitting in our backyard.

My second piece of advice is to go to private garages, not that commercial shit. Find a mechanic who owns a garage that services your type of car(American, German, etc)and always go to that person. They are usually mechanics who love cars and love to work on them. The commercial garages will fuck you, whether it's on purpose or an accident.

I used to share a Honda Civic with my brother almost 10 years ago. He still drives it. It has had problems, but they've always been fixed without a systematic shutdown of other parts. Our Fords have not been so lucky. I drive a Ford Escort now, I wonder when it will start to crap out. If I had the money, I would buy a Honda or a Toyota. I have had two notes left on my car leaving a phone number because they were interested in buying my car. Your story makes me hope I get another note.

So, are you going to put the 3 grand into it, or trade it in?

[JaoSming]

oh the car is done, I dont want anything to do with it anymore.

I got it from an elderly man who was friends with my grandma. But he let it sit out in the snow for an entire winter. That is where most of the issues came around from. But I did get it for $5000 bucks so that was kind of a steal.

[Matt]

Never buy Ford. Once something goes, it sytematically shits itself, especially when you get new parts, it's like the car disagrees with them

Amen to that! We have a Ford Mondeo that has transmission issues constantly and the car has low mileage.

[cyanide]

Ford is meant to break down, as with generally all American cars. The acronym that I'm familiar with is: Ford = Fix or repair daily.

The reliable cars based on my research would be Toyota (or Lexus), Honda (or Acura), or Volvo. Other cars that seem to be good are Nissan (or Infiniti), Mazda, and some luxury cars like BMW and Mercedes. Plus, they always have a higher resale value, so it doesn't depreciate too much over time.

We just bought an Acura, and it should last us a long time. Sorry to hear about your Taurus, but hopefully it won't cause you any more problems. Same deal with my dad's Chrylser Intrepid. The transmission literally got crushed in itself, and he had to pay over $5000 to repair it. It was bad.

[J@3]

Ford: Founded On Rubbish Dump

[JaoSming]

Found On Roads Dead

[bigh0rt]

Never buy Ford. Once something goes, it sytematically shits itself, especially when you get new parts, it's like the car disagrees with them

Amen to that! We have a Ford Mondeo that has transmission issues constantly and the car has low mileage.

Agree completely. My first car was a 98 Ford Explorer, which I spent $5000 putting not one but TWO new transmissions in in a 3 year period, as well as a ton of other little nickel and dime bullshit. I'll never drive another Ford again. Hell, I may never drive another American car again after my current car shits the bed.

[Patr1ck]

Feminine Odors Reak of Death

[Christopherson]

Fucked Over Rebuilt Dodge

[JaoSming]

Ford Owner Really Dumb

[BigKaboom2]

http://acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?A ... ring=exact

#2 is sort of relevant - somebody test it

[---]

^ That site makes me laugh.

Proton-Enhanced Nuclear Induction Spectroscopy (NMR technique).

[Donatello]

Sorry to hear about your car.... get a Subaru, they last FOREVER.

[shadowgrin]

Unless you run a tank over them.
Top Gear is cool.

[J@3]

no acronym matches for cunt

no acronym matches for fuck

BITCH:
Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity

JAE:
Jamaica Association of Evangelicals
Joint Admissions Exercise
Juvenile Absence Epilepsy
Journal of Atmospheric Electricity
Japan Aviation Electronics

[shadowgrin]

**** National Longitudinal Survey of Children (Canada)
*** National Logistics Supply Center
*** National Loan Servicing Center
*** National Logistics Support Command
NBA Live Series Center **** (four stars, high rank woohoo!)
National Leadership and Skills Conference ***
National Logistics Support Center ***
Northern Lights Swim Club **
Northern Lights Sailing Club **
National Life Story Collection **
National Learning and Skills Council **
Newfoundland and Labrador Safety Council *
Niagara on the Lake Sailing Club *
National Longitudinal Strategy Committee *
North Lake Senior Campus *
naval legal service command *
National Learning Skills Council *
Norfolk Land Stewardship Council *
National League System Committee *
National Loss Service Corporation *

[BigKaboom2]

Not unless you run a tank over them.

You have to run them over with a tank in order to get them to last forever?

[shadowgrin]

There, edited it wiseguy.

[Silas]

Maybe you guys don't like Ford cars, but I'll tell you something, my 1994 Ford F250 has been a beast for 13 years now despite many, many attempts by others to kill it.

It took a tummy tuck from a classic 250z Datsun in route to a car show. The guy's clutch got stuck and he slammed into the side of it at 40mph. The Datsun was totaled, but the truck drove, with a camper on the back, to a repair shop.

It also, after a tire got shredded on the freeway, towed a full horse trailer, with three wheels, up a hill into a grass field so the tire could be safely replaced.

You guys may hate your ford cars, but ford trucks, at least from the 90's, are safe, reliable, and most importantly powerful. The gas mileage is really just a minor issue, nobody ever drives more than ten miles from home anyway....