Just traded in a 2000 Taurus with 135K on it last night. It was the car I bought for my oldest 2 years ago when she turned 16 because I had a Taurus in the mid '90's that was a tank. The 2000 turned into a money pit. Originally cost $3000 but I put another $3000 in it over two years. Not really a slam on Ford but just a lesson to me not to expext much from a car that has 110K on it. Anyway the Taurus was leaking some juice in the driveway that turned out to be tranny fluid, although the level looked good. Took the car for a spin for the first time in a while and knew right away it was time for a change. My daughter never complained about it but the 'Taurie' as she called it had turned into a POS. We took it on a one way trip to a Hyundai (Korean owned, Alabama built) dealer and now she has a brand new ride (an Elantra) with a rocking warranty that should carry her through college and beyond. I let her kick in a significant down paymenet that was a result of her waitress job just to let her have the feeling of some 'skin in the game'. Looked pretty hard at a Ford Focus and a few other comparable cars but the Hyundai just had way more bang for the buck. And I do not plan on ever holding a wrench within three feet of it.
