| Author | Message | ||
     Toona |
Just curious if anyone owns, or knows someone that owns, a 2005-2007 Ford Five Hundred? Looking at replacing the family truckster (Tahoe) with one. Web research turns up a rear brake "problem", as in going thru a lot of rear brake pads-kind of odd on a FWD car. Price seems right at $14k for an '05 w/ 16k miles. First impressions are: nice car, roomy, decent gas mileage 19/27 (3.0 V6), big trunk. Styling is OK-it's not a Chrysler 300, suspension is based on a Volvo S80 chassis. We (wife and I) test drove a '06 Mazda5 (2 of them actually), '06 VW Jetta, '05 Dodge Magnum and this 500. They have an '06 Mazda6 with the V6, but we didn't try it out - yet. My concern is this; Why did Ford discontinue the 500 after 3 years, '05-'07? Only to rename it back to the Taurus. It's built on the same platform as the Freestyle "wagon"/SUV. Any relevant thought/questions are welcome. | ||
| Thespive |
Don't be concerned with the name change. The Five Hundred's sales were dissapointing because of the lack of name recognition. When Alan Mullaly came on board as the new CEO, he wondered why the Taurus nameplate, with all of its hertiage and name recognition was dropped (and why the previous model was relegated to rental fleets and not updated for retail sales), so he made the decision to change the Five Hundred to the Taurus to up sales, it also coincided with a mid-model makeove that included dropping the lackluster CVT for the new 6-speed auto and dump the sluggish 3.0L V-6 for the super 3.5L (along with a bunch of refinements). That being said the Five Hundred was a decent car, if not a bit pokey. Rear accomodations are excellent and comfortable, the car is safe and stable, with good quality interior materials, if not a bit lacking in style. My major complaint with the Five Hundered, other than power would be an ample amount of road noise, could be quieter (and in fact the Taurus is). Of the others,the Mazda6 is a nice choice and is the basis for the Ford Fusion. Both very good cars. Stay far away fromt he quality of the Jetta unless you like the dealership experience. The Magnum is okay. Hope this helps, --Sean | ||
| Toona |
Sean, thanks for the input (others welcome also). Looks like another trip to the dealer is in order. They have a couple Mazda6's (only 1 V6) and an '06 Fusion. A quick count shows 10 '07 Taurus' from $10,500-$12,000, all in the 24k-26k mileage range. hmmmm I wasn't impressed with the Jetta, actually it was the 1st car we test drove tonight. It got crossed off the list when we went out in the 2nd car. My wife call the Magnum a "hearse", so it didnt't last long on the list either. The dealer, a large (they sold 800+ cars last month) local, late model only kind of place. They don't buy wrecks and fix them because it takes too long. (Message edited by Toona on September 07, 2007) | ||
| 98s1lightning |
Fords suck, GM all the way. | ||
| Thespive |
Fords suck, GM all the way. Care to back that up? I can list an equal number of reasons why GM sucks and he should buy a Ford, but being in the business of reviewing vehicles for a living has really opened my eyes and mind, changed my die-hard loyalties and certainly has had an effect on my perceptions. Rather than just being able to say "X Sucks, Go Y!", I actually have to base my opinions on fact. Honestly there isn't a bad car you can buy today, nothing like the 1986 Hyundai Excel, even the new Korean stuff is starting to rate high on quality. I still wouldn't recommend a Kia or Hyundai to a loved one, but they are getting close. I don't think you would be dissapointed with a Mazda6 or Fusion, but if you need the room (and coming from a Tahoe, you might), the Five Hundred may be a better choice. Feel free to fire away if you have any other questions and want unbiased answers. --Sean | ||
| Lightningrob |
I've heard plenty of good things about the Mazda 6's. I don't think a person could go wrong with one of those if the price and miles are right. That sounds like a pretty decent sized dealer you're talking about. If you like the 500, you might want to ask that dealer if they have any Lincoln LS's. They are similar to the 500 and you can get them for a decent price now. | ||
| Thespive |
BTW, the '07 Taurus mentioned above WILL be a former rental car (old body style, not Five Hundred), but they were still be decent cars. Biggest weakness on those is probably the tranny, but if it is an '07, the warranty will still be in effect. --Sean | ||
| Thespive |
If you like the 500, you might want to ask that dealer if they have any Lincoln LS's. They are similar to the 500 and you can get them for a decent price now. Sorry Rob, you are mistaken. The Five Hundred is FWD/AWD D3 platform - based on the Volvo P2 S80/S60/XC90 platform, the Lincoln LS is RWD and based on the DEW98 platform, which it shares with the T-bird and Jag S-Type. --Sean (Message edited by thespive on September 07, 2007) | ||
| Lightningrob |
I stand corrected. Still, the LS is a nice ride and can be bought for a decent price nowadays. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Got to test drive a Mazda 6, Taurus, several Fusions (I4 and V6) a 500 and a few others last weekend. I really like the 3.0 24Valve DOHC motor from the older style Taurus's. I think all the 3.0's are just refined versions of that engine but don't know for sure there. We just finished with the '99. Taurus we bought in Sept of 2000. Tired of all the sensor problems (150K miles)... We bought the '07 Fusion SEL. I really liked the Mazda, I know it's on the same chassis but it felt smaller inside, suspension was sweet though. The Fusions has nice suspension but not as good as the 6. i wasn't happy with the power of the four cyl engine in the Fusion, just didn't seem big enough, but we go up the canyons and I want plenty of power for that too. I didn't really like the 500, the salesman was pretty excited about it and told me how they were gonna be sold as the new Taurus. The Sheriff's office has a few of them with the big engine, they kind of look like a newer Audi in their profile. Seems like a nice car and the tranny is supposed to be pretty trick according to a mechanic I talked to, just wasn't the car for us. | ||
| Thespive |
I agree, the LS is a great vehicle. That was one of Ford's mot expensive and advanced platforms. Littlebuggles, you can thank J. Mays for the Audi profile... --Sean | ||
| 65460 |
Toona, Too bad you dont live closer, You could do a side by side compairison in my driveway. I have both a Five Hundred and a Chrysler 300. Both V6 AWD cars. Hands down, the Five Hundred is better then the 300 in: 1) Quality 2) Preformance..it will out accelerate my 300 3) Interior room AND trunk space. The only reason I bought the 300 was the styling of the Five Hundred was just kind of bland, in my opinion. If I had to do it all over again, Id have two Five Hundreds in my garage. Havent had any brake problems with 39,000 miles on the car. Chuck |
