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Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
Goodbye, Dave: Taurus X To Say Farewell By 2010

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loquaciousmusic
12/06/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
I was just reminded of the Mondeo the other day while watching a Top Gear rerun. Even I, as a five-Volkswagen owner, would consider one of those if they were sold in the U.S.
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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
12/06/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
That's cool. I'll just wait six months until they roll out the brand new Mercury 500. Probably start a new rage for car badges held on with duct tape.

So, basically they're just admitting that they can't sell a mid-size family sedan in America, right?
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thomas124
12/06/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
Uh yeah. Big news, we've heard about 2010MY D258 for what, 12 months, but no D219 or D333. You called nothing.
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Mad_Science
12/06/08

@thomas124: That's some serious insider shit, right there.
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JDisnidiet
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
Doornail - dead as a doornail. A nail was driven through the several boards used to make the door, then the point was bent over on the interior side of the door, and this clinched nail was then said to be dead. Read your Dickens - 'tis the season, right Marley?
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MushyHeirloom
12/05/08

@JDisnidiet: I didn't notice that, somehow, and am now (figuratively) kicking myself. +hearted.
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iantm
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
In addition to Volvos, the Taurus/Sable twins have always been favorites. I learned to drive in my mom's 00 Taurus wagon when it was new. When the Freestyle came out and Ford failed to provide a proper replacement for the Taurus/Sable wagon, I was saddened. At that point, the Taurus/Sable was your only option if you wanted a mid size wagon, and didn't want to spend north of $25k.

I've always been fond of the Sable. I owned an 89 for a while. It was a beater with half of it's bumper missing, a trunk that I never had the key for, and an interior that was in horrid shape. While it wasn't pretty, or terribly fun to drive - it just kept going. Well, until it came time for the every 100k transmission replacement. It was a good, cheap, comfortable honest car.

I was given a Montego as a loaner for a few days when my focus was in the shop. I truly genuinely loved the car. Was it sporty? - nope. Was it flashy? - nope. Was it comfortable, roomy, honest, and sensible? yes. Would I buy one? - If my wife and I had kids, that would be a no brainer. Or if I decided to continue working as a field technician. (the focus is hell on my back)
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damnelantra™
12/05/08

@iantm: ...this is jalopnik.com right?
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MushyHeirloom
12/05/08

@iantm: I occasionally drive my grandfather's loaded '03 with the Duratec (he got it used, don't worry) and all I have to say is "jet-powered bouncy castle". It's a great car for people who don't care much about handling or fun-to-drive, and just want something safe, roomy, and cheap to buy, maintain, and run.

I swear, if that car ever gets totalled, I'm pulling the engine and transmission for our Mystique.
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MushyHeirloom
12/05/08

@damnelantra™: You drive an Elantra. At least you don't appear pleased about it, which is a point in your favor.

(Just giving you a hard time. Let the man have his Tauri.)
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damnelantra™
12/05/08

@FuzzyPlushroom: hey man im doing my best to drive it into the ground while paying off student loans.

so, its my low point, but ill get out of it!
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theeastbaykid
12/05/08

@iantm: Please tell me you grew up in Detroit. Otherwise, this sets some kind of Taurus-exposure record for young people outside of the Motor City.
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MushyHeirloom
12/05/08

@theeastbaykid: They're big here in New Hampshire (as are Fords in general) due to being cheap, reliable, safe transport. My grandfather's owned two Sable wagons (and before those, an Achieva, a Corsica, and at least one Celebrity Eurosport wagon, so who knows about his taste in cars), and one of his employees has a Taurus sedan, as does my cousin.
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theeastbaykid
12/05/08

@FuzzyPlushroom: Oh, my grandma had one too. (In fact, she outlasted the transmission.) I was just thinking that if the original poster learned to drive on a 2000 Taurus, he's on the younger side of things. And a young person in a Taurus is rare in these parts.
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MushyHeirloom
12/05/08

@theeastbaykid: True indeed... neither of the cars I drive ('97 Mystique, '89 244DL) are exactly young-person's cars, but more so than the Taurus.

That being said, the cousin with the Taurus is a couple years shy of 30.
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Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
12/06/08

@iantm: That may very well be the saddest thing I ever read, even sadder than Graverobber's paean to the Mercury owner.
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havasuracing
12/06/08

@FuzzyPlushroom:
im 18 and have owned a taurus since i was 16, in washington and arizona, but its an sho
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MushyHeirloom
12/06/08

@havasuracing: An SHO is on my short list of attainable dream cars. Black on black, '95 or earlier, five-speed. I commend you.
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damnelantra™
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
i believe its called "Düff"...

though its too watered down for my taste,

i much prefer a cool "red tick beer"
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dopplerd
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
A few years ago I had a tour of the plant on the south side of Chicago were these two (along with the Taurus) are/were built (at the time is was Freestyle/500/Montego). It was pretty amazing to walk from one end of the line seeing robotic welders on the frame to vehicles driving off the line on the other end. This was in 2006 and in talking to the workers there they were very disappointed with the car Ford decided to make. They felt like the car needed a hybrid option, dynamic styling and a better drive train. Looks like they might actually get 2 out of 3 with the 2010 Taurus.

It is a downer to have actually met the people who will be directly effected by model changes. My the new Taurus sell well.

Suggestion for Ford: Kill Mercury. And just make a station wagon version of the Taurus. No need for a higher roof line or SUVing it in any way. Just make it a station wagon. IF GM is considering a wagon version of the Caddy CTS you can make a Taurus wagon, OK. Wagons will be the new SUVs.
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Mad_Science
12/05/08

@dopplerd: Actually, it goes like this:

Wagon-->Minivan-->SUV-->Crossover-->[D.C. al Coda]
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A strolling player
12/05/08

@Mad_Science:

Wagon to Coda
| Minivan | SUV | Crossover D.C. al Coda

Wagon
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Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
12/06/08

@A strolling player just got CR-Ved!: Thanks boys, I learned something today!
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Plecostomus [Tyrrell]
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
Hertz, Enterprise and Alamo are all inconsolable over this great loss.
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pauljones
12/05/08

@Plecostomus - Now with 20% more Algae!:

I wonder if there's any chance that we can console a heartbroken Jill Wagner...
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Plecostomus [Tyrrell]
12/05/08

@pauljones: She never pimped the sable, just the Mariner and the Milan IIRC. I don't think she touched the Montego, either.
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A strolling player
12/05/08

@Plecostomus - Now with 20% more Algae!: Mercury didn't wanna kid themselves, the Sable doesn't really appeal to the "hurr jill wagner hurr" crowd.

Besides, well, they still have the Taurus.
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pres
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
Screw the LTD II, I want them to bring back this:

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DannyBN
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
Maybe if these cars were named Taurus and Sable from the outset, priced and equipped properly, and got a decent amount of advertising when they were launched, they might be big-selling class leaders today.

Oh, silly me.
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pauljones
12/05/08

@DannyBN:

I agree that the re-naming of the cars halfway through their product cycles was a foolish thing to do. Once they introduced them as the Five Hundred and the Montego, they had already thrown away the equity they had built up in the Taurus and Sable names; there was no going back an undoing that. Rather, they should have simply stuck with their decision and worked to build up the equity in the Five Hundred and Montego names again.

FoMoCo's decision to do so only served to intangibly tarnish the reputation of a car that did not get the acclaim it deserved in the first place.
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Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
12/06/08

@pauljones: Ford (most of Detroit) flipflops like mad on naming, design language and overall direction. Even those who want to like them rarely have any idea of what might be on offer, and US customers aren't exactly known for doing a lot of homework before buying.

Say what you will about Honda/Toyota, but everyone knows what a Camry, Corolla, Civic or Accord looks like and in which price range it might be found. And they have seen only gradual change since their respective introductions in 1979, 1966, 1972 and 1976 (JDM).
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Mad_Science
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
Her?
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layabout
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
Yet i'll still sleep well tonight.
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MushyHeirloom
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
I'll agree with this...

...if they also axe the Crown Victoria and bring us the fucking Falcon to replace both of 'em.

Seriously, Ford. Snap to it.
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It's a Camaro
12/05/08

@FuzzyPlushroom: I just looked up the Falcon, and damn. It might be better than the Holden Commodore.
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Deartháir II
12/05/08

@kumbayacars: J'adore the Falcon, just as j'adore the Commodore. Unfortunately bringing it over could very well mean the death of Chrysler, as it would make the 300C look more sub-par than it does now. As it is, only Los Jalops have noticed the G8 GT; having the Commodore and the Falcon going head-to-head in North America would expose the 300C's flaws.
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MushyHeirloom
12/05/08

@Deartháir and his eight little drained beers: Hey, Chrysler's SOL either way. If they survive, they'll be a truck/van company.
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EffieGodinka
12/06/08

Falcon, Commodore.....YAWN...Probably would be a hot seller like the GTO and G8.
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MushyHeirloom
12/06/08

@EffieGodinka: The GTO was brought down by its utter lack of 'returning to its roots' as a GTO, while the G8 just wasn't marketed properly. I say, when we kill Pontiac, put the South African front clip on the G8 and call it Impala, so we can kill off the W-body hosebeast.
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f3rg
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
The Taurus X was an attractive vehicle with more room inside than the heavier, less efficient Explorer.
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Mad_Science
12/05/08

@f3rg: ...but completely redundant with the Edge and Flex.

Also: the Explorer was built to be heavier-duty than the Freestyle/Taurus X. Can't tow a boat with the TX.
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pauljones
12/05/08

@Mad_Science:

Unfortunately (and stupidly), it seems that Ford will be putting themselves in this exact same position yet again when they release the next-gen Explorer as a crossover. They may as well cut the current truck-based explorer, move the Explorer name over to the Taurus X, and be done with it.
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brandegee
12/06/08

@pauljones: Won't happen. Even with the crash I'd wager they sell way more Explorers than Taurus X's. And I think Ford recognizes that the Taurus X (which looks dowdier than a Pacifica) will never sell well.
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theeastbaykid
12/05/08

In reply to Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob
I was in Detroit for the LeMons and saw a current Sable. I reported my find to the local Audubon Society.
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Ford Taurus X And Mercury Sable Officially Dead As A Doorknob

Goodbye, Dave: Taurus X To Say Farewell By 2010

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