1989 Ford Taurus SHO

widgeon13 · 05-01-2018, 03:44 AM

Anybody own one of these? I got one as a company car back in 89 and it was a bundle of fun to drive. Had it for two years and sold it. Always thought it would be fun to put the Yamaha engine in a Volvo wagon.

https://barnfinds.com/750-hot-rod-1989-ford-taurus-sho/

Hugh R · 05-01-2018, 04:39 AM

I had one, bought new, a blast to drive then you find out that things like the A/C compressor only fits that car and cost $1,100 instead of $300. Sodium filled exhaust valves, friend needed one and had a terrible time finding an OK used one.

mgatepi · 05-01-2018, 06:27 AM

I bought one new in 1990, black on black. Beautiful car!!! After 19 trips back to the dealership to repair everything but the Yamaha engine, I gave it back to Ford via the Lemon Law!!!
Suffered from No start, stranding me 6 times(turned out to be a sensor), Clutch throw out bearing seized up, air bag lights kept coming on, brake problems etc etc.......just an awful experience.
mg

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

I had a 93 5 Speed, also had many, many trips to the dealer for things. I was stranded several times for a fuel injection pump harness that kept going out for some reason. Same clutch problems as mentioned above.

mgatepi · 05-01-2018, 06:46 AM

Yep this is when I started to buy GM cars......and now I am buying Acura and Lexus for my everyday cars.......

widgeon13 · 05-01-2018, 06:50 AM

wow, drove mine 55,000 miles and never spent a day at the dealer.

Venetian · 05-01-2018, 07:53 AM

I had a 1994 for 3-4 years. Don't recall any serious issues with it. 220HP seemed like a lot then. Not so much today. Beautiful looking engine.

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgatepi

Yep this is when I started to buy GM cars......and now I am buying Acura and Lexus for my everyday cars.......

GM trucks.

1998 Integra GSR sedan was about the best car I ever had. Seated four comfortably, decent trunk, 30 mpg, would just scream from 5000-8000 RPM, and did so pretty much every time I went anywhere. Drove it like I stole it for 14 years, until a minivan killed it.

1990C4S · 05-01-2018, 08:18 AM

On a whim I stopped by the Ford dealer in 1989. He handed me the keys of a gold-ish five speed SHO which I took to some twisty roads nearby.

I bought that car the second I got back to the dealership. I loved it, and had 100,000 reasonably trouble free miles.

That was the only car I ever bought new, but I don't regret it. I loved that car.

GothingNC · 05-01-2018, 08:29 AM

Looks like it was stored in a time capsule

https://bringatrailer.com/2018/04/28/preserved-early-5-speed-46k-mile-1989-ford-taurus-sho/

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by GothingNC

Looks like it was stored in a time capsule

https://bringatrailer.com/2018/04/28/preserved-early-5-speed-46k-mile-1989-ford-taurus-sho/

"Trunk is locked." Never mind the manual release. I wouldn't open it either the strut towers rust. I had to torch a pair of struts out a while back.

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

My buddy got one as a rental that we used to support a 24 hr rally hosted by local sports car club. We drove it (like it was stolen) from Santa Barbara to Vegas and back. Car was ugly but really fast for the day. It does pretty good on graded dirt roads too

Arizona_928 · 05-01-2018, 09:38 AM

Don't they have head gasket issues?

911boost · 911boost's Garage

I wanted one of those bad back in the day but couldn't afford it.

Remember the SVO Contours as well?

vash · vash's Garage

i like them back then. a lot!!

now looking at it..yuck. no thanks. (same with the impala SS..bleech)

dafischer · 05-01-2018, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BSiple

Remember the SVO Contours as well?

I bought an SVT Contour new in 99. It was a really fun little car, and pretty quick. I had mine up to 135 on Rt. 93 in New Hampshire once. I had it for 12 yrs as a daily commuter, and I put 168,000 trouble free miles on it, and no major maladjustments, with regular service.

911boost · 911boost's Garage

SVT crap, I knew that.

We had a rental at work that wasn't the SVT and that thing got driven hard and never had a problem either.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by widgeon13

1989 Ford Taurus SHO Anybody own one of these? I got one as a company car back in 89 and it was a bundle of fun to drive. Had it for two years and sold it. Always thought it would be fun to put the Yamaha engine in a Volvo wagon.

https://barnfinds.com/750-hot-rod-1989-ford-taurus-sho/

In 1989, I was looking to buy a car for the 1st Mrs. Beard. On this list:

Taurus SHO
Honda Prelude 4WS
Mazda MX6-GT (Turbo), 4WS
Saab 900

The SAAB was a dog - drove like a truck!
The MX-6 had so many dials and buttons, it looked like the cockpit of a 747
The SHO looked like the inside of the space shuttle! And FORD would not give me a test drive! They were selling them $10K over sticker - no test drive with an offer

I bought the Prelude. Simplest of the 4WS systems (pure mechanical, least to go wrong), nice interior. Last of the flat designs.

mattdavis11 · 05-01-2018, 02:44 PM

No SHO, but Pops bought the 89 Mercury Sable ls. He turned it over to 2 of my brothers in 93, then I joined in from 94-96. It was a smooth ride, with enough power in the 3.8 to keep up. We didn't have to do much work to it, alternator, maybe starter in its 190K miles. Then the head gasket failed and we got rid of it.

The coolest thing with the car, you could put it in the middle lane in San Marcos, set the cruise, and not have to touch the wheel but a few times until our exit in Austin. Back then it was the easiest drive in the world. Not so much now.

fastfredracing · 05-01-2018, 02:53 PM

Correct me if Im wrong, but I always thought that Yamaha only did the from the deck up ( heads and intake ) and the bottom end was just standard fare Ford 3.0 with a slight overbore.
I used to do work for a dealer who schleped a lot of these. I put a few motors in for him . they sucked to work on . At least by the standards back then .