We drive the Mountaineer about 10,000 to 13,000 miles a year. It is yielding average of 15.6 mpg. The Taurus 3.0 is supposed to average in the low 20s mpg. Am thinking is it worth making the switch. Would have to hassle finding the Taurus, spending money to update the maintenance (alway have to on any used purchase), and for state sales taxes. Fuel savings would only be about $1000 to $1300 per year. Not sure it's worth it, all depends on cost of the Taurus vs what I can get for the Mountaineer.
4.0 Mountaineer to 3.0 Taurus Wagon
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It may be tough finding a decent Taurus wagon. When you say "average", is that your mixed city driving MPG? I'm usure of your budget or the value of your Mounty, but you could also look into a Freestyle (3.0), or Taurus X (3.5). The fwd versions should be able to get into the low 20s as well (mixed).
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Originally Posted By: TallPaul
BTW: There ought to be a law that if you keep a car less that 5 years, when you sell it the state must give you a rebate on your sales tax proportional to how short a time you kept it (or better, proportional to the miles you actually drove it). Makes perfect sense to me, but the greedy state would probably figure a way to charge more tax if they could.
Some of them already have. In the 1990s, I bought a C3500 extended cab in Louisiana and registered/paid tax for it there. I moved to Tennessee for a few years and then back to LA to help take care of my Dad. When I went to register the truck in LA, they wanted to charge me sales tax equivalent to the current value of the truck.
I responded with "I have already paid sales tax on this truck since I currently own it". They responded, yes, but not in LA (they assumed that I had bought the truck in TN). I proceeded to show them the original paperwork and said "Just how many times can I sell the same truck to myself"? They were unwavering as was I and so I kept my TN plates.
However, (at least in TX), you would get a tax break when trading it and only have to pay taxes on the difference between the two.
PS...I did not see any years posted for either vehicle, but you already know what you have with the Mountaineer and would have to worry a little about what you were getting with the Taurus (so to speak).
BTW: There ought to be a law that if you keep a car less that 5 years, when you sell it the state must give you a rebate on your sales tax proportional to how short a time you kept it (or better, proportional to the miles you actually drove it). Makes perfect sense to me, but the greedy state would probably figure a way to charge more tax if they could.
Some of them already have. In the 1990s, I bought a C3500 extended cab in Louisiana and registered/paid tax for it there. I moved to Tennessee for a few years and then back to LA to help take care of my Dad. When I went to register the truck in LA, they wanted to charge me sales tax equivalent to the current value of the truck.
I responded with "I have already paid sales tax on this truck since I currently own it". They responded, yes, but not in LA (they assumed that I had bought the truck in TN). I proceeded to show them the original paperwork and said "Just how many times can I sell the same truck to myself"? They were unwavering as was I and so I kept my TN plates.
However, (at least in TX), you would get a tax break when trading it and only have to pay taxes on the difference between the two.
PS...I did not see any years posted for either vehicle, but you already know what you have with the Mountaineer and would have to worry a little about what you were getting with the Taurus (so to speak).
Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
BTW: There ought to be a law that if you keep a car less that 5 years, when you sell it the state must give you a rebate on your sales tax proportional to how short a time you kept it (or better, proportional to the miles you actually drove it). Makes perfect sense to me, but the greedy state would probably figure a way to charge more tax if they could.
Some of them already have. In the 1990s, I bought a C3500 extended cab in Louisiana and registered/paid tax for it there. I moved to Tennessee for a few years and then back to LA to help take care of my Dad. When I went to register the truck in LA, they wanted to charge me sales tax equivalent to the current value of the truck.
I responded with "I have already paid sales tax on this truck since I currently own it". They responded, yes, but not in LA (they assumed that I had bought the truck in TN). I proceeded to show them the original paperwork and said "Just how many times can I sell the same truck to myself"? They were unwavering as was I and so I kept my TN plates.
However, (at least in TX), you would get a tax break when trading it and only have to pay taxes on the difference between the two.
PS...I did not see any years posted for either vehicle, but you already know what you have with the Mountaineer and would have to worry a little about what you were getting with the Taurus (so to speak).
Sorry I pulled that second part from my post thinking it was going to split the thread and made a separate thread about it. But your comments are appreciated anyway. You have a great point, I know what I have with the Mountaineer, it is a solid vehicle and should give many trouble free miles.
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
BTW: There ought to be a law that if you keep a car less that 5 years, when you sell it the state must give you a rebate on your sales tax proportional to how short a time you kept it (or better, proportional to the miles you actually drove it). Makes perfect sense to me, but the greedy state would probably figure a way to charge more tax if they could.
Some of them already have. In the 1990s, I bought a C3500 extended cab in Louisiana and registered/paid tax for it there. I moved to Tennessee for a few years and then back to LA to help take care of my Dad. When I went to register the truck in LA, they wanted to charge me sales tax equivalent to the current value of the truck.
I responded with "I have already paid sales tax on this truck since I currently own it". They responded, yes, but not in LA (they assumed that I had bought the truck in TN). I proceeded to show them the original paperwork and said "Just how many times can I sell the same truck to myself"? They were unwavering as was I and so I kept my TN plates.
However, (at least in TX), you would get a tax break when trading it and only have to pay taxes on the difference between the two.
PS...I did not see any years posted for either vehicle, but you already know what you have with the Mountaineer and would have to worry a little about what you were getting with the Taurus (so to speak).
Sorry I pulled that second part from my post thinking it was going to split the thread and made a separate thread about it. But your comments are appreciated anyway. You have a great point, I know what I have with the Mountaineer, it is a solid vehicle and should give many trouble free miles.
Hmmm, yes the Taurus wagons are not that common and tend to have high mileage. But Freestyles are not all that common either. I think there are probably 10 Escapes out there for every Freestyle. It's nice though and the 4 banger should be a better fuel mileage bet.
My sister has a 1997 Taurus LX Wagon with the Intech 3.0 DOHC engine (NOT the Vulcan 3.0 engine). Great car/wagon. It has well over 100k miles on it (she purchased it used from my best friend when it had 33k miles on it). The only problem she ever had was when the fuel pump went at about 75k miles.
A few years ago, I asked her if she would sell it back to me as "it's about time you get a new car", and she refused. Why? Because I once told her that the engine in that car is "Bulletproof".
A few years ago, I asked her if she would sell it back to me as "it's about time you get a new car", and she refused. Why? Because I once told her that the engine in that car is "Bulletproof".
FWIW, my '07 fwd 2.3 4-banger Mariner barely made better MPG than my '08 4wd 3.0 (same CD4E transmission). My 2.3 made roughly 20 Mixed, and 25 best (once) on highway. Typical highway was 23. My 3.0 4wd made 18.5 Mixed, and 24.5 (best highway). Typical highway was 23. The 09+ models make better due to the new 2.5, and 6spd auto. If you can find a 2.3 manual transmission, it would be much better. The 2.3/auto combination just didn't have enough power to pull itself up the tiniest of inclines -- had to shift and thus impacting MPG.
Now, my Pentastar JGC 4x4 (weighing +1000lbs more, and 90 more HP) makes the same mpg as my 08 V6 Mariner did.
Now, my Pentastar JGC 4x4 (weighing +1000lbs more, and 90 more HP) makes the same mpg as my 08 V6 Mariner did.
If you find a Taurus in great shape with low miles, and you get more for the Mounty than what the Taurus costs, it seems like a good idea. In practice though, it could be really hard to find the right Taurus to make it worthwhile.
The pickings are slim from the start because Ford wasn't making the wagons in great quantities during the 2000s. Production of the wagon ended in 2004, a couple years before the sedan. If you do find a wagon, you have to hope it wasn't beat on. A lot of the 2006 and earlier Taurii around here look like they have been through all nine circles of [censored] on a regular basis.
If you do happen to find some old guy selling his pristine Taurus wagon that he bought new and has all maintenance records for, go for it. Don't pay more than what you can get for the Mounty though. Considering you are a BITOGer it is probably a nice, well maintained SUV and I wouldn't take a financial hit on it just because you had to sell it in a bad market.
The pickings are slim from the start because Ford wasn't making the wagons in great quantities during the 2000s. Production of the wagon ended in 2004, a couple years before the sedan. If you do find a wagon, you have to hope it wasn't beat on. A lot of the 2006 and earlier Taurii around here look like they have been through all nine circles of [censored] on a regular basis.
If you do happen to find some old guy selling his pristine Taurus wagon that he bought new and has all maintenance records for, go for it. Don't pay more than what you can get for the Mounty though. Considering you are a BITOGer it is probably a nice, well maintained SUV and I wouldn't take a financial hit on it just because you had to sell it in a bad market.
If the Merc suits you, and you've got it well sorted and expect to get a number of trouble free years from it, keep it.
The Taurus is a down market midsize, and the wagon doesn't offer all that much utility.
The Mountaineer is a fairly deluxe vehicle, and does offer more useful space than would a Taurus wagon.
Neither vehicle is much of a treat in the twisties, but neither was intended to be.
The savings on fuel are not enough to really impact your budget.
You would incur the expense of going through the Taurus to make it right, which you've already done with your current vehicle.
If I were you, I'd need a lot more than 1K in annual fuel savings to make the switch.
Also, consider that your total cost per mile with your Mountaineer is probably not too much different from what you'd get with a new Fit.
Fuel represents only a part of the cost of owning and using a vehicle.
OTOH, you don't see depreciation expense or financing expense displayed on lighted signs at every street corner.
The Taurus is a down market midsize, and the wagon doesn't offer all that much utility.
The Mountaineer is a fairly deluxe vehicle, and does offer more useful space than would a Taurus wagon.
Neither vehicle is much of a treat in the twisties, but neither was intended to be.
The savings on fuel are not enough to really impact your budget.
You would incur the expense of going through the Taurus to make it right, which you've already done with your current vehicle.
If I were you, I'd need a lot more than 1K in annual fuel savings to make the switch.
Also, consider that your total cost per mile with your Mountaineer is probably not too much different from what you'd get with a new Fit.
Fuel represents only a part of the cost of owning and using a vehicle.
OTOH, you don't see depreciation expense or financing expense displayed on lighted signs at every street corner.
You are right, the $1000 per year is not a lot of money to offset the costs and hassle of buying and selling. The Monty has a good engine and the oil level never drops over the 5000 mile oci. I think when my son gets his license he will be driving the Aerostar and the Monty will start seeing less miles. At least the Monty is not a lot worse than the Aerostar (17 mpg avg, can to 19 if all hwy), and I got rid of the 14 mpg (my heavy foot was part of this problem) F150 for the 25 mpg Ranger. As stated above, if the right Taurus wagon came along, or Freestyle for that matter, at the right price, I can jump on it, but to go out and actively seek one is not always that productive. I got both the Monty and the Ranger by just stumbling across them, and both worked out to be great vehicles (Ranger no drop in oil level after 2000 miles--still in first OCI). Oh, by the way, if space wasn't the issue, I would go for a Forester in a heartbeat!
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Hmmm, yes the Taurus wagons are not that common and tend to have high mileage. But Freestyles are not all that common either. I think there are probably 10 Escapes out there for every Freestyle. It's nice though and the 4 banger should be a better fuel mileage bet.
The freestyle or Freestar or what ever they called it was a Ford flop. It didnt last long at all.
Hmmm, yes the Taurus wagons are not that common and tend to have high mileage. But Freestyles are not all that common either. I think there are probably 10 Escapes out there for every Freestyle. It's nice though and the 4 banger should be a better fuel mileage bet.
The freestyle or Freestar or what ever they called it was a Ford flop. It didnt last long at all.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Hmmm, yes the Taurus wagons are not that common and tend to have high mileage. But Freestyles are not all that common either. I think there are probably 10 Escapes out there for every Freestyle. It's nice though and the 4 banger should be a better fuel mileage bet.
The freestyle or Freestar or what ever they called it was a Ford flop. It didnt last long at all.
I have to ask my son, he has been studying all the car guides, but pretty sure the Freestar was the van that replaced the Aerostar and the Freestyle is an SUV-ish thing that sits lower than your average SUV. Sad they got rid of the Aerostar. With some new engine options it would have been a great vehicle, rear wheel drive too. I think it could have worked with the 2.3 4 banger, once had a 4 banger but back in late 80s it didn't work out. But even the vulcan 3.0 is much better now than back in my 92 for mileage and power.
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Hmmm, yes the Taurus wagons are not that common and tend to have high mileage. But Freestyles are not all that common either. I think there are probably 10 Escapes out there for every Freestyle. It's nice though and the 4 banger should be a better fuel mileage bet.
The freestyle or Freestar or what ever they called it was a Ford flop. It didnt last long at all.
I have to ask my son, he has been studying all the car guides, but pretty sure the Freestar was the van that replaced the Aerostar and the Freestyle is an SUV-ish thing that sits lower than your average SUV. Sad they got rid of the Aerostar. With some new engine options it would have been a great vehicle, rear wheel drive too. I think it could have worked with the 2.3 4 banger, once had a 4 banger but back in late 80s it didn't work out. But even the vulcan 3.0 is much better now than back in my 92 for mileage and power.
OVERKILL
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Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Hmmm, yes the Taurus wagons are not that common and tend to have high mileage. But Freestyles are not all that common either. I think there are probably 10 Escapes out there for every Freestyle. It's nice though and the 4 banger should be a better fuel mileage bet.
The freestyle or Freestar or what ever they called it was a Ford flop. It didnt last long at all.
I have to ask my son, he has been studying all the car guides, but pretty sure the Freestar was the van that replaced the Aerostar and the Freestyle is an SUV-ish thing that sits lower than your average SUV. Sad they got rid of the Aerostar. With some new engine options it would have been a great vehicle, rear wheel drive too. I think it could have worked with the 2.3 4 banger, once had a 4 banger but back in late 80s it didn't work out. But even the vulcan 3.0 is much better now than back in my 92 for mileage and power.
The Freestar replaced the Windstar, which replaced the Aerostar.
The Freestyle is a CUV wagon-thing.
Freestar:
Freestyle:
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Hmmm, yes the Taurus wagons are not that common and tend to have high mileage. But Freestyles are not all that common either. I think there are probably 10 Escapes out there for every Freestyle. It's nice though and the 4 banger should be a better fuel mileage bet.
The freestyle or Freestar or what ever they called it was a Ford flop. It didnt last long at all.
I have to ask my son, he has been studying all the car guides, but pretty sure the Freestar was the van that replaced the Aerostar and the Freestyle is an SUV-ish thing that sits lower than your average SUV. Sad they got rid of the Aerostar. With some new engine options it would have been a great vehicle, rear wheel drive too. I think it could have worked with the 2.3 4 banger, once had a 4 banger but back in late 80s it didn't work out. But even the vulcan 3.0 is much better now than back in my 92 for mileage and power.
The Freestar replaced the Windstar, which replaced the Aerostar.
The Freestyle is a CUV wagon-thing.
Freestar:
Freestyle:
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Hmmm, yes the Taurus wagons are not that common and tend to have high mileage. But Freestyles are not all that common either. I think there are probably 10 Escapes out there for every Freestyle. It's nice though and the 4 banger should be a better fuel mileage bet.
The freestyle or Freestar or what ever they called it was a Ford flop. It didnt last long at all.
I have to ask my son, he has been studying all the car guides, but pretty sure the Freestar was the van that replaced the Aerostar and the Freestyle is an SUV-ish thing that sits lower than your average SUV. Sad they got rid of the Aerostar. With some new engine options it would have been a great vehicle, rear wheel drive too. I think it could have worked with the 2.3 4 banger, once had a 4 banger but back in late 80s it didn't work out. But even the vulcan 3.0 is much better now than back in my 92 for mileage and power.
The Freestar replaced the Windstar, which replaced the Aerostar.
The Freestyle is a CUV wagon-thing.
Freestar:
Freestyle:
Yeah the freestyle is the one I was referring to.
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Hmmm, yes the Taurus wagons are not that common and tend to have high mileage. But Freestyles are not all that common either. I think there are probably 10 Escapes out there for every Freestyle. It's nice though and the 4 banger should be a better fuel mileage bet.
The freestyle or Freestar or what ever they called it was a Ford flop. It didnt last long at all.
I have to ask my son, he has been studying all the car guides, but pretty sure the Freestar was the van that replaced the Aerostar and the Freestyle is an SUV-ish thing that sits lower than your average SUV. Sad they got rid of the Aerostar. With some new engine options it would have been a great vehicle, rear wheel drive too. I think it could have worked with the 2.3 4 banger, once had a 4 banger but back in late 80s it didn't work out. But even the vulcan 3.0 is much better now than back in my 92 for mileage and power.
The Freestar replaced the Windstar, which replaced the Aerostar.
The Freestyle is a CUV wagon-thing.
Freestar:
Freestyle:
Yeah the freestyle is the one I was referring to.
Both were flops -- and only lasted a few years. That's not to say they were terrible vehicles though.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
Both were flops -- and only lasted a few years. That's not to say they were terrible vehicles though.
We have a Freestar as one of the work vans. It has been decent.
Both were flops -- and only lasted a few years. That's not to say they were terrible vehicles though.
We have a Freestar as one of the work vans. It has been decent.
Neither one is all that bad, but I am not a fan of minivans unless rear wheel drive. Also, I don't ever what to be stuck driving a toilet (2012 Ex-plorer):
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Neither one is all that bad, but I am not a fan of minivans unless rear wheel drive. Also, I don't ever what to be stuck driving a toilet (2012 Ex-plorer):
I like the 2012 Explorer. This is the best looking design they had in years.
Neither one is all that bad, but I am not a fan of minivans unless rear wheel drive. Also, I don't ever what to be stuck driving a toilet (2012 Ex-plorer):
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