Considering buying a '91 ford taurus SHO

[dpok69]

I spotted '91 ford taurus sho advertised with a new engine and a $1850 price tag by my workplace. The car is burgandy with black leather seats and a sunroof. The body is in good condition. The two front wheels are missing the sho rims.

I kinda fell in love with it. Its perfect for my wife and child to cruise in while i keep my GN locked in the garage for restoration and repairs.

I done a search on these cars and found out the engine is partially built in conjuction with yamaha and the car is quick. It makes 220 hp stock. 0-60mph in 6.6 sec (r&t) and 1/4 in 15.4 seconds. Thats quicker than the newer v8 shos.

I don't want to jump into something that i dont know much about . Is there anything i should be looking for when purchasing this car? HAve any of you owned one?

Oh yeah, i will probably offer the guy a 1000$ at first, there is not much demand for these cars up here in NYC.

 

[ghall]

Clutches can be a nightmare!!!!!I had a 91 for 2-3 years and loved it.Just make sure they put the right motor back in when they replaced it

Geoff

 

[GN One Day...]

Some info sites:

http://www.shoforum.com/cgi-bin/Ultimatebb.cgi

http://www.shotimes.com/php-bin/

HTH

 

[Crazy D]

I love my 93 ATX. 166k miles and still running strong. I swear, this thing would take my friend's 94 GT. It's a GREAT beater. Oh, and the engine's Yamaha, not Ford, so you don't have to worry about it as much.

 

[turbo buicks]

i had a 93 ATX and it was a good car. took quite a lickin' from me and my dad owning it and putting many hard miles on it but it kept on running. one thing though, DO NOT PUT FLOWMASTERS ON IT, THEY WILL SOUND LIKE A$$ AND YOU WILL KICK YOURSELF FOR NOT LISTENING TO ME. think of a metal spoon clanging around in a metal pot, thats Flowmasters on a SHO. the ATX tranny is weak but lickicly it was only in the 2nd and 3rd gens. the 1st gen you are looking at was all manuals. SHOs usually go for cheap despite their rareity. my ATX went 15.6 and it was my first time at the track, had old radials on it, tranny would shake the dash on the 1-2 shift, and it only had a cold air KN and no cats/flowmasters. good luck.

 

[orion681]

my cousin had an '89 and it was pretty cool. it was quick, but the clutch was a pain, and they are known for electrical problems. my uncle had a '90 and it caught fire while he was on his way home from work and turned into a molten ball of stuff.

 

[turbo buicks]

ya my dad had to have the '93 re-wired also.

 

[Tom Tom Turbo]

I have 2 friends who each have one and we have beaten on those things for almost 2 years now, they can take some abuse but don't wear out the clutch...cause you will wear out a mechanic fixing it.

 

[Rollin]

I had one, basically a SHO Shop poster car. Needless to say I know Vadim. The only mechnical problems I ran across not of my doing were the 1 Cam sensor, 1 Clutch cable and 2 Fuel pump(s), expect to wait on some parts as most dealers dont stock them as for Parts stores don't even bother they may have alts and H20 pumps but little else and they don't last long, factory parts last longer(alittle further down and you'll know why). Otherwise the motors are bulletproof and much like Toyota's 4.0 in LS/SC-400's are way over built for longevity, that said even a stocker with the right cams will make power to 8500 rpm, I'd spin mine 10k on a missed shift lol. As far as clutch's the stock clutch is too small in the 91 and has a cable shifter best advice lose the cable and upgrade to the linkage. Anyway I believe the clutch size increased in the Gen 2's. There is an upgrade you could go with the High Rev's Jr or a DF Centerforce as well as a Billet or Aluminium flywheel(I opted the DF and Aluminium flyweel...it rev'd like a bike ) As far as sound don't expect much...kinda blatty with Flowmasters, Borlas are a better choice. Just like anything else they can be money pits as parts are more expensive think Stage stuff. All in all its a awesome little motor wrapped in 3300 lbs of Taurus, in fact my son is looking for one as a first car due to insurance reasons... I'm not paying for it.
Anyway if you have any questions E-mail me.


Geoff