2008 FORD TAURUS X, Puyallup, WA - $4,800

I've sort of been admiring this one (and some others) from afar, lately.........

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/sumner-2008-ford-taurus-limited/7781709191.html

Ad text:
For Sale: 2008 Ford Taurus X Limited

Mileage: 123,000 miles
Color: Silver
Body: SUV, 6 seats
Drive: All-wheel drive
Condition: The vehicle is in good condition. It has minor signs of wear, including a small tear on the driver’s seat.

Features: Leather interior, sunroof, power-adjustable seats.

Price: $4,800

(Many more pics with the CL ad......)

 

These are solid rigs and vastly underrated in my opinion. I hate doing 3.5 water pumps. It's too bad they never offered the 3.0 with AWD and a conventional automatic transmission. The 3.0 AWD always got the CVT. They finally dumped the CVT and went to a conventional automatic transmission, but also changed to the 3.5 which is a fine engine except for the aforementioned water pump.

 

Exactly. Our 2012 Ford Edge had the 3.5. It was totaled in July of 2019 with around 72k on it, before it needed a new water pump......

In looking at some of the CL ads when I spotted this one, I also noticed someone who was selling their 2011 Edge for only $2,000 - precisely because it needed a water pump.

- We've got the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder in the 2018 Edge.

 

Don't get me wrong, the 3.5 is a really good engine. The water pumps just take time to do. I could see it being expensive if you had to pay a shop to do it. I've done several, mostly in Explorers. The parts start getting expensive since I usually do all of the timing chain parts. Maybe I should start picking up Fords with 3.5's and bad water pumps and flipping them.

Does the 2.0 have the same head gasket/block cracking issues as the smaller 1.6? I don't recall what year they fixed that.

 

I'm afraid I haven't done my due diligence and checked anything out on the engine. We're only at 65k miles on the car right now. Might downsize to something a bit smaller maybe next year. I've got to find myself some wheels first though.

 

I've been watching this one for a while. $8500 , 40,000 miles. not too far from me.
Used 2005 Ford Freestyle SEL for sale in Burlington, NC 27215: Sport Utility Details - 715001459 - Autotrader

 

At 40k miles, the CVT should still have some miles left......

 

I wouldn't give $8500 for any Freestyle/Taurus X. Part of the appeal for me is there is absolutely no market for them (or their Taurus/Sable sisters) so you can get a nice car for cheap. Downside is if you want AWD you get the CVT. If the bellhousing from the 3.5/3.7 is the same as the Duratec 3.0 then you could in theory take the AWD drivetrain from a 3.5 car into a 3.0 car and have the car Ford should have built.

 

Yes the Freestyles all have a CVT for a transmission, but the (renamed) 'Taurus X' (2008 - 2009) has a real 6-speed automatic, and was available (I think) in FWD as well as AWD form. It was virtually the same drivetrain as the 1st-gen Ford Edge, although the Edge was also available with a 4-cylinder).

 

I have a 2006 Freestyle that is Mrs. Orthmann's daily driver. It has been a reliable rig, it's good in the snow and has taken the beating that any daily driver of Mrs. Orthmann's is going to be subjected to cussing and keeps on ticking.
I love the AWD, but the best fuel economy I've ever been able to muster is 18-19 on a road trip. Average MPG is around 15-16.
I had the CVT transmission serviced by our local Ford dealer at the recommended interval (I can't remember exactly what it was though) Haven't had any issues with it. I think the car has 140K miles on it. I did have to replace the alternator last summer.

Overall, it's been a great car. Not perfect, but it's suited our needs very well.

 

Good to know your Freestyle is still a valued 'member of the family'. I suspect that at least some of the 'bad publicity' that CVT's get is from complaints by owners who don't maintain their vehicles properly........

Just checked the vehicle log on our old 2012 Edge, that we had from early 2014 to July, 2019. Looks like we were getting 15-16mpg around town with the 3.5 V6, but up to 24 mpg or so out on the highway, on trips. With our 2018 Edge (turbo 4, 2.0 liter), we're getting 17-19 around town and around 23 on the highway.