Potential Buyer Inquiry

[Joe87t]

Hey guys, so long story short i may be in the market soon for a new vehicle and have started looking at The Ford Taurus SHO's - Specifically used 2010 - 2012 because im trying to stay around the 20k ballpark.

Im new to Ford and Taurus / SHO's in general but not new to cars, currently I drive a Dodge SRT4 with about 380 WHP, Full Boltons, Turbo Upgrade, Meth Injection etc etc

Anyway, i dont want to go into this blind, so im curious what I should look out for as far as potential problem areas? Anything I should keep an eye on?? Im going to TRY to find one with the Performance Pack Option but im unsure how rare or hard to find that package is

Im going on 27 now and married, may have kids on the way in a year or two, so im looking for a more "adult" performance car, I live up north so the AWD is also a great feature.... I figured a new SHO fits the bill, I would do an Intake / Tuner to it and call it a day, I hear that may get me close too or in the high 12s and have zero to 60s in the mid 4 second range

Any Info would be appreciated, Thanks

 

[jmr061]

Research the differences between the 10-12 and 13+ if you haven't. There are some minor exterior changes however there is a big difference in the interior as far as instrument cluster, HVAC controls and the 13+ have MyFord Touch.

Personally I am glad I got a 2013 versus a 10-12, but it all comes down to personal preference. Scour sites such as autotrader.com. Just curious, what state is "up north?"

 

[Joe87t]

Thanks for the reply,

I reside in New Hampshire so its not uncommon to get severe snow storms here that have totaled 12+ inches in the past. I dont beleive a 13+ would be feasable with my budget, im trying to stay around 20k range which would get me a 30-50kish 2010 - 2011 from what ive seen so far.

Just curious if the powertrain is reliable at all for the long haul - cars are great but not if they arent reliable

 

[BamSHO]

I bought a 2012 this past Feb, and one month later I had it tuned by Livernois. They only 2 issues I've had with the car is the peeling chrome on the rear taillights, and bushing went bad in the rack, all replace under 3/36. I bought the car with 19K on her and now have 33K. Most of that being tuned. I have two long trips on her, one at Easter down to Hilton Head Island, and this past Oct out to Milan Dragway for LME CAD. Car average 25MPG running between 70-75 both trips. Never took the tune out for the trips. I also have now close to 90-100 trips down the dragstrip. Powertrain has held up nicely. Also if buy a SHO, need to check the knock sensor wires near the thermostat housing to see if there is chaffing. Its a simple fix if there is, just wrap wires with electrical tape to protect them better. Hope is helps. My mods are LME 4X, 3BAR, 160 Tstat, modded Airaid, 3rd cat delete, Dynomax mufflers.

 

[SHOdded]

Powertrain is reliable. PP doesn't make that much of a difference in speed except in the initial launch. A tune neutralizes that advantage as well. But you do get better braking & handling due to upgrated componentry.

Depending on the mileage of the SHO you settle on, you should allow budget/time for a spark plug change & PTU fluid change at the least. Likely need new tires if PP and over 20K miles. And a set of lower trim taillights as you will eventually encounter peeling chrome on the SHO trim ones.

 

[jmr061]

Powertrain is reliable. PP doesn't make that much of a difference in speed except in the initial launch. A tune neutralizes that advantage as well. But you do get better braking & handling due to upgrated componentry.

Depending on the mileage of the SHO you settle on, you should allow budget/time for a spark plug change & PTU fluid change at the least. Likely need new tires if PP and over 20K miles. And a set of lower trim taillights as you will eventually encounter peeling chrome on the SHO trim ones.

Thought the brakes on the 10-12 were the same regardless of PP?

 

[WojoMojo]

I was on the same boat as you. Of course I was eyeing up the 13+'s.. but the price tag is still pretty crazy compared to a 2010-2012. I test drove both a 13 and a 10. Aside from a few interior/exterior changes (which were pretty awesome) I didn't feel like it was worth the 12k more it costed. I eventually got a 2010 SHO without the PP. The 2010-2012's PP package isn't THAT much better. The 13+'s PP package is definitely worth getting as it offers a lot more upgrades that the previous years. (A tuned+bolt on non pp is actually proven to be faster than a PP).

As far as reliability, there is some things to research about the 3.5 ecoboost engine if you are new to the platform. They do have some potential problems, mostly dealing with the carbon buildup due to direct injection. Also spark plugs have been known to cause issues and recommend changing ASAP if you get a 2010-2012 (get the 2013 SHO plugs to replace them)

I purchased my 2010 SHO last January with 49k miles for 22k (best price I could find). Mine is non-pp and doesn't have adaptive cruise control, but has EVERYthing else offered as an option for 2010.

I just hit 65k miles yesterday (have been tuned since 55k miles) and have had ZERO issues what-so-ever with the car, and have taken many road trips. Fuel economy is great if you can keep your foot out of it I just saw a 2010 SHO with 112k miles for sale on craigslist yesterday, so that's a good sign. I only seen 2 SHO's with 100k+ miles so it's hard to tell the reliability after 150k miles. (Research has shown me that the turbo's lifespan is 150k miles according to Ford, but can't confirm this).

Not to keep talking forever, but just like to show my experience to potential SHO owners. The AWD system is good, but not great. It's front wheel drive biased (70-30), which is really nice in the snow, not so much on the track (Torque steer!). My car tore up the northern MN winter without a problem.

Transmission has also proven to be pretty stout considering it was rated pretty low from factory. May people running 500+ crank hp without blown transmissions yet. That being said a lot of those have only put on 20k miles with that power, hard to tell how long it'll hold up in the long run with that much ponies. As far as leaving it stock, can't imagine it ever being a problem as long as maintenance is kept up (transmission fluid changes).

So basically in my opinion its a fantastic performance family sedan. The reason I bought mine is the room and AWD, while still having the fun factor. Test drive the 2010-2012's. They're definitely worth the 20k price tag and you'll get tons of compliments on the car!

 

[TheDailySHO]

I just checked carsoup.com for SHO's around your area. (I guessed on the zip code area of Ashuelot 03441 not knowing where you're at) There's only about 10 SHO's within 200 miles with your price range. Here is the best one I could find and it's just a tad over your price range but for about $10/month you could get the 13.

http://www.carsoup.com/details/used...cm1fdHlwZT00JTNhU3VtbWFyeVppcA~~#.VFvZ8fnF98E

Good luck on your search

 

[integrity6987]

one thing i did'nt see mentioned was PP card have summer tires and no real spare - so leave room in your budget for winter tires.