Apparently people WILL pay $40k for a Taurus...

[ifcar]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm

can't wait to see one then.
My parents owned a Gen1 wagon and a Gen2 sedan (looked almost like Gen1 but for the slimmer headlights.)

I owned 2x Gen1 and a Gen1 SHO "Plus".  And someday when I have oodles of extra cash to spend, I'm going to get another 1991 Taurus SHO "Plus" and restore/drive it on the weekends.

Honestly they were so plentiful and no one cars about them now that in about 30yrs they will be the "57 Chevy" collectible of our era. (I think..)

Nah, Civics. Few people have fond memories of their Tauruses.

[2o6]

Nah, Civics. Few people have fond memories of their Tauruses.

Says who!?

[AutobahnSHO]

Nah, Civics. Few people have fond memories of their Tauruses.

Civics were always beater commuter cars. They have had the same nameplate for a long time, but evolved.
The Taurus was BRAND NEW for 1986, and completely reshaped what an American family sedan was.

[SVT666]

It looks even better in the metal.  I saw a candy-apple red SHO at the local dealer.  I'd say it was the best looking car Ford has made since the original Boss 302.

I don't know about that.  I love the new Taurus but Ford has built a few others cars that are more attractive, starting with the 2010 and 2005 Mustangs, the 2003 Cobra, the 1970 Mach 1, the 2003 Mach 1, the 2010 Fusion is close, and well, that's about it.  Ford built a lot of ugly cars for a long time.

[Xer0]

I don't know about that.  I love the new Taurus but Ford has built a few others cars that are more attractive, starting with the 2010 and 2005 Mustangs, the 2003 Cobra, the 1970 Mach 1, the 2003 Mach 1, the 2010 Fusion is close, and well, that's about it.  Ford built a lot of ugly cars for a long time.

I can't believe everyone is forgetting about this bad boy

[68_427]

My neighbor has a Limited AWD with every option...  So I guess she isn't the only one.

[SVT_Power]

Really?  I'm kind of surprised by that.  SVT's claim to fame is the nimble handling their cars get besides the power jump.  The SHO handles very well, especially for such a big car, but it's got nothing on the SVT cars.

I think most owners who traded their SVTC's for SHO's have owned their cars for a long time (thus saving money for a new car over that time). So over the last decade or so, their family and what not needs have changed vastly.

Funny trend though, almost all SVTC owners who buy something else get: a big sedan, miata, or a motorcycle.

[GoCougs]

Civics were always beater commuter cars. They have had the same nameplate for a long time, but evolved.
The Taurus was BRAND NEW for 1986, and completely reshaped what an American family sedan was.

The storied history of the Taurus is indeed something to behold; from revolutionary world changer to a languishing turd to a so-so average.

Few things characterize the decline of Detroit more than the Taurus life cycle (with the Ranger a sold second).

[Catman]

My 1993 Taurus was an immense turd.

[Eye of the Tiger]

My 1993 Taurus was an immense turd.

[J86]

My 1993 Taurus was an immense turd.

We had a 1992 wagon which was pretty sweet....until it rusted to pieces.

[SVT_Power]

We had a 1992 wagon which was pretty sweet....until it rusted to pieces.

so you got mercury taurus wagon to replace it? 

[2o6]

My mom had an 87 or 88 (I think) Sable Wagon. I was about 3 or 4........so that was around 1996. It had an overheating problem. Come to think of it, that's kind of unacceptable. The car wasn't 10 years old.....

[ifcar]

Civics were always beater commuter cars. They have had the same nameplate for a long time, but evolved.
The Taurus was BRAND NEW for 1986, and completely reshaped what an American family sedan was.

The Civic (coupe) is what's popular among today's young people, and is therefore what will be sought after when today's young people become old. The Impreza and Lancer are other possibilities, by virtue of their performance variants

[2o6]

The Civic (coupe) is what's popular among today's young people, and is therefore what will be sought after when today's young people become old. The Impreza and Lancer are other possibilities, by virtue of their performance variants

To say that a Taurus won't be, is quite simply stupid.

[ifcar]

To say that a Taurus won't be, is quite simply stupid.

Oh please. What person from this generation is going to have nostalgia to someday own a Taurus, and why?

[AutobahnSHO]

My 1993 Taurus was an immense turd.

But it was a CHEAP turd, wasn't it!? 

[2o6]

Oh please. What person from this generation is going to have nostalgia to someday own a Taurus, and why?

Opinions change.


The Bel Air when it first came out was considered homely. Now people think it's one of the most beautiful cars ever made.


Besides, it stylistically revolutionized the automotive market at that time. No, it isn't a performance powerhouse, but that notability will keep some sort of following.

[ifcar]

Opinions change.


The Bel Air when it first came out was considered homely. Now people think it's one of the most beautiful cars ever made.


Besides, it stylistically revolutionized the automotive market at that time. No, it isn't a performance powerhouse, but that notability will keep some sort of following.

No one is going to say in 30 years: "I must own the car that changed the shape of the midsize family sedan of the 1980s."

[GoCougs]

No one is going to say in 30 years: "I must own the car that changed the shape of the midsize family sedan of the 1980s."

2o6's '55/'56/'57 Chevy Shoebox example is very apt. It was a plain, inexpensive, everyday man's machine that sold in profound volumes; IIRC correctly something along the lines of 300,000+ units/year when the US auto market was vastly smaller; probably equivalent to well over 1,000,000 units/year today.

Talk to people alive back then and they'll all say that NO ONE would have ever predicted the popularity of the Chevy Shoebox in the following decades. It was plain, cheap, and everywhere. NO ONE. It was the era's Taurus/Camry/Accord, etc., all wrapped into one.

[the Teuton]

Oh please. What person from this generation is going to have nostalgia to someday own a Taurus, and why?

I had to track down a first year, mint condition Taurus/Sable when Jack Telnak spoke at the concours where I worked. That was an insanely difficult task, but I did it, and the car was probably in better condition than several of the multi-hundred thousand-dollar cars. It was fantastic.

The 1986 Taurus is the "car that killed the pinstripe." It is a marvel of what innovation can become in the industry, and it really did bring forth a whole new marketplace with it. It some 40something wanted the nicest Sable in the country outside of what Ford or Chik-Fil-A own, you can bet there are other people who will be just as obsessed in our age bracket.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

2o6's '55/'56/'57 Chevy Shoebox example is very apt. It was a plain, inexpensive, everyday man's machine that sold in profound volumes; IIRC correctly something along the lines of 300,000+ units/year when the US auto market was vastly smaller; probably equivalent to well over 1,000,000 units/year today.

Talk to people alive back then and they'll all say that NO ONE would have ever predicted the popularity of the Chevy Shoebox in the following decades. It was plain, cheap, and everywhere. NO ONE. It was the era's Taurus/Camry/Accord, etc., all wrapped into one.

+1  Same thing goes for the Impalas of the sixties.

[AutobahnSHO]

+1  Same thing goes for the Impalas of the sixties.

Those already have a following- the newer Impalas are quite popular with certain segments of the population around here.
(Especially the really big one, with RIMZ, blackened windows, and big muffler tipz.....)

[ifcar]

2o6's '55/'56/'57 Chevy Shoebox example is very apt. It was a plain, inexpensive, everyday man's machine that sold in profound volumes; IIRC correctly something along the lines of 300,000+ units/year when the US auto market was vastly smaller; probably equivalent to well over 1,000,000 units/year today.

Talk to people alive back then and they'll all say that NO ONE would have ever predicted the popularity of the Chevy Shoebox in the following decades. It was plain, cheap, and everywhere. NO ONE. It was the era's Taurus/Camry/Accord, etc., all wrapped into one.

That's where I'm going with with the Civic. The difference is that the Taurus left a lot more people with a sour taste in their mouths than the Civic did.

[2o6]

That's where I'm going with with the Civic. The difference is that the Taurus left a lot more people with a sour taste in their mouths than the Civic did.

So......the Taurus will be forgotten because everyone will aspire to own JUST the Civic?

[ifcar]

So......the Taurus will be forgotten because everyone will aspire to own JUST the Civic?

Who said forgotten? I remember many cars that I'd never want to own.

[AutobahnSHO]

That's where I'm going with with the Civic. The difference is that the Taurus left a lot more people with a sour taste in their mouths than the Civic did.

The Civic has NEVER been "WOW A NEW CIVIC!"

Whereas the Taurus was WOW in 1986, 1989 (SHO introduced,) and currently.
(although I personally believe the current WOW is over-rated..)

[ifcar]

The Civic has NEVER been "WOW A NEW CIVIC!"

Whereas the Taurus was WOW in 1986, 1989 (SHO introduced,) and currently.
(although I personally believe the current WOW is over-rated..)

I can see the SHO approaching collector status easily. But I just don't see people flocking to the car in the future based on the fact that it was sleek by 1986 standards.

[2o6]

I can see the SHO approaching collector status easily. But I just don't see people flocking to the car in the future based on the fact that it was sleek by 1986 standards.

The Taurus (when it was introduced) had much more charisma than a Civic of the same era.

It was more than sleek: It revolutionized the automotive industry for that time period.

[ifcar]

The Taurus (when it was introduced) had much more charisma than a Civic of the same era.

It was more than sleek: It revolutionized the automotive industry for that time period.

To be clear: I'm not saying people are going to seek out 80s Civics. What people, like Wimmer, will want from that era are the last American boats. Not the first attempt at being modern.