My most recent Ford purchase

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My most recent Ford purchase

November 07, 2007, 03:08:40 AM

Howdy all. I hope the Ford Gods have blessed you all with good luck over the past summer/fall. I decided to drop a line and let all those who still remember who the hell I am know that I'm doing well in med school at the moment and that my Ford family has seen a few members come and go over the years.

2 years ago I purchased a 99 Escort ZX2 5 speed for the wife, originally to replace her aging 93 Topaz. The Escort is Toreador Red with black interior, with all the nice options I wanted- sunroof, spoiler, fog lights, CD changer, cruise, everything but power windows and leather seats. I picked it up for the smoking price of $1,200, due to a massive dose of hail damage all over the car. Mechanically, it was in great shape, and had just a bit over 100K miles. To prove it's road worthiness, we drove the car from Omaha, NE all the way to Albuquerque, NM, and took it up Pike's Peak on the way back through CO. Now, that Escort is pushing 140K miles. I've put some work into it, but overall it's been a very reliable car for my wife.

Now lets get back to what I drive daily. Well, with gas prices soaring at the time we bought the Escort, I decided to drive the Topaz and instead sell the 1995 Mercury Cougar V8 I had owned for the last 3 years. It was a fairly quick sale, and went to a nice car-oriented buyer who purchased it for his grandmother to drive. The proceeds made off that sale paid for the Escort twice over, and then some.

I drove the 93 Topaz, a black 2 door 5 speed gutless wonder mobile, for the next two years up till yesterday, racking up another 20,000 miles on the old girl, bringing the total mileage to an impressive 191,000+ miles. All this time, the ugly thing would get 25-28mpg in town, and 35mpg highway, and it's been pretty reliable to boot. This weekend, I will be giving the car to an old friend of mine, who has helped me many times on my cars in the past.

All this brings me up to today, where I'm here to tell you about the newest member to the Ford family. I came across an irresistible deal on this 1994 Taurus SHO. I was originally looking for a Ford Focus ZX3 hatchback, but when I saw this offer, it was just too good to pass up. This 94 SHO has 124,670 miles on it. What I like best about it is that it's one of the very rare 5 speed models for this year. The car's body is in great condition and the interior, which is all grey leather, is pretty good considering the age and miles. The best part of it all was the price; $1,000. The previous owner was the 2nd owner, and had owned it since 1996 and 24,000 miles, and had full records of all work done on the car since he owned it. He was a nice middle aged man who appreciated fast automobiles, having owned a Buick Grand National and a fox body Saleen Mustang in the past. He definitely took good care of the car, judging by the maintenance records and the car's garage-kept condition. I'll miss the gas mileage of the old Topaz, but at least now I won't feel embarrassed driving to my rotation sites. Here are the pics:

I plan to drive this thing for the next 2-3 years and rack up another 20,000 miles on it, and then dump it before I'd have to put any real money into it. Should be a nice car in the meantime.

Joe

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #1 – November 07, 2007, 07:34:31 AM

Nice ride but watch out for the expensive repair intervals.
Parts are also becoming hard to find for those.

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #2 – November 07, 2007, 08:52:22 AM

ya, I know exactly what you mean. That's why I always said that I like to drive 'em, I just never wanted to own one. Fortunately, all the major repair issues have been addressed in the last 20,000 miles, such as timing belt, water pump, crank position sensor, plug/wires/valve cover gaskets, brakes, clutch, alternator, serpentine belts, tires, and last time valve lash was checked was at 85,000 miles. Like I said earlier, this guy really took great care of the car. I shouldn't have any major impending routine maintenance issues for the next 20,000 or so.

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #3 – November 07, 2007, 09:54:51 AM

Cool, same color as my '92. I put 300+ miles a week to and from work on mine, takes it all in stride. :burnout: Good buy, have fun.
(also check out http://www.shoforum.com for lots of info on these) .

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #4 – November 07, 2007, 09:58:19 AM

wow, smokin deal for a grand.

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #5 – November 07, 2007, 05:29:39 PM

Is that a Plus model?

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #6 – November 07, 2007, 05:58:11 PM

Na. To the best of my limited knowledge on these cars, the Plus model was a 1991 only deal. This 94 is just a regular old SHO, one out of supposedly 2,497 MTXs for that year.

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #7 – November 07, 2007, 09:09:23 PM

Sho looks nice and the price was good hope the car treats you well or you treat it good either way nice buy.

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #8 – November 07, 2007, 09:47:42 PM

I want.

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #9 – November 07, 2007, 09:55:49 PM

I really really want a 4.6L SHO but for $1,000 i still want that one.

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #10 – November 08, 2007, 09:38:56 AM

Quote from: Carpimp1987;186649

I really really want a 4.6L SHO but for $1,000 i still want that one.

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #11 – November 08, 2007, 12:32:26 PM

What is a "plus model"? Nice grab BTW!

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #12 – November 08, 2007, 03:54:50 PM

"1991 - saw the addition of the SHO Plus model. It had a fiberglass hood, 24 Valve DOHC emblems on the side, and the first year of the body colored "TAURUS" logo on the trunk lid, many received updated rod shifter."

I think 1991 was the only year for the Plus. After that a lot of "Plus" options became standard.

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #13 – November 08, 2007, 06:39:49 PM

Quote from: Carpimp1987;186649

I really really want a 4.6L SHO but for $1,000 i still want that one.

Keep dreaming, a 4.6L SHO was never made

My most recent Ford purchase

Reply #14 – November 08, 2007, 08:01:41 PM

im guessing he ment the 3.4l V8 sho?? instead of the 4.6l?
crazy 60* block.....