Ford Five Hundreds, any feedbacks?

"I own dead car brands only" (Prd2bdf) 12/16/2014 at 12:30 • Filed to: None

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My cousin is in need of replacing his Buick Roadmaster. I located a nice Ford Five Hundred with under 100k miles and it looks to be loaded and has AWD. My cousin is on the big side (~450 lbs). I think it should be roomy enough for him.

Any feedback on these cars?

Actual car

Textured Soy Protein > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 12:38

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It's basically the predecessor of the current Taurus. They both are built on the Ford D3 platform , which is mostly a cheapened version of the Volvo P2 platform from the '99-'06 S80 (and other models).

For Sweden > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 12:40

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It's a poorly built S80 with a bad CVT.

Mosqvich > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 12:41

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My Dad had one and put 250k miles on it. BUT, the CTV doesn't work like it did. My nephew, who is an ASCE mechanic, drives it but simply cannot afford the several thousand dollars just for the transmission. He's looking into upgrading it with a normal automatic. I'm not sure the AWD platform will accept it though.

MultiplaOrgasms > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 12:43

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Wait. Your Cousin weighs 450lbs? That's roughly the same as my dick entire kitchen.

I own dead car brands only > Mosqvich 12/16/2014 at 12:45

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I believe only the FWD model got the CVT and the AWd got a traditional 6 speed automatic?

Mosqvich > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 12:51

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Nope, both of my parents had them and they had/have AWD and CVT. In fact, my Mom still has hers. They accidentally delivered a front-wheel drive with a 6-speed auto and then took the car back and replaced it with the AWD model my folks bought. They live on a 1.5 mile driveway with a seriously steep hill right at their house where it gets tons of snow. My Dad now has a 2013 Taurus.

ciscokidinsf > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 13:02

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I like the Mercury model (Montego?) better than the Five Hundred/Taurus of this generation -, seems slightly better equipped and looks better IMHO. Also, I've seen a few with OEM Navigation out there. I would buy low mileage and test the tranny for sure. But a higher mileage might hide some transmission gremlins.

Captain of the Enterprise > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 13:03

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Only get the RWD that way you get the traditional auto instead of the cvt, The cvt's fail and are really expensive to replace.

Schaefft > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 13:21

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No post-'98 (except Lincoln Towncar) Ford product can replace a Buick Roadmaster. Tell us more about it!

I own dead car brands only > Schaefft 12/16/2014 at 13:30

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window regulators are shot so windows are taped up. Rear quarter panels, rockers, and other metal bits are rusted away. Dents all over. Missing trim pieces. Interior is trashed. Transmission slams with more violence than a porn movie. Underside makes the Titanic look rust free. So yeah time to replace it.

Schaefft > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 13:41

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Still better than a Five-Hundred. Get a Towncar.

Jack Does Cars > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 13:55

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A Freestyle, which is the wagon version of the same car, would probably be better for him. It is more spacious, after all.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 14:42

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They are definitely roomy and from what I recall pretty comfy rides. The CVT sucks though. My parents had the Mercury version that I drove a few times and it is a horrible car to drive. The steering is so numb and overboosted that you can't tell what the tires are doing and the CVT turns the gas pedal into a suggestion box. You don't so much drive one as just suggest where you want it to go and how fast you would like to get there. It will end up somewhere in the vicinity at a much later time than you would care to arrive.

TL;DR - I didn't like its platform mate the few times I drove it.

ranwhenparked > I own dead car brands only 12/16/2014 at 18:53

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My old boss had one. A bit underpowered, but they were nicely put together and the space inside is ridiculous. They're almost Tardis-like with the rear seats folded down.

fiverguy > I own dead car brands only 12/21/2014 at 10:34

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I know this one is a few days old, but take it from someone who owned one:

It's not a Roadmaster. It won't be a Roadmaster. That's not to say they're a bad car, I loved mine—they're just a V6 with AWD and a CVT, and a little tighter ride than a GM barcalounger.

The CVT was a fantastic transmission, but was known to have issues when people didn't keep up with the (60k?) maintenance intervals that were quite expensive. Loved the AWD on it as well, with the single proviso that it like to kick the back end loose on turns when you didn't want it to do so.

Consider also a 2008+ Taurus if this is something you're interested in acquiring. The AWD was tamer and the transmission abandoned the CVT. Still, I wouldn't avoid a CVT if the maintenance was kept up on it.

One more thing... Montego had factory HID. Take that where you will.

I own dead car brands only > fiverguy 12/21/2014 at 11:49

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he, not I, ended up buying a Ford Freestyle AWD. He loved it period. It was the first and only car he test drove. Bought it right there. It looks to be very well kept.

fiverguy > I own dead car brands only 12/21/2014 at 11:51

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Can't argue with the utility of that car. Only downside to it was if people thought the Five Hundred was underpowered (and it was with the Duratec 30), the problem only worsened in the Freestyle.

But you can't argue with the utility of the latter. Good find for him.