While build quality has improved tremendously in the past few decades, every once in a while a car with “issues” sneaks out.  As long as a car isn’t a reincarnation of “Christine” we usually put up with a few minor annoyances.  Yet, if presented with an opportunity to purchase a vehicle that you knew had “quirks,” would you go through with the sale?  Would you be even more tempted to take a chance if the car is a highly desirable collectible like this 1994 Taurus SHO for sale on Craigslist in Lakewood, Washington?  A person of few words is selling this handsome blue SHO if the lack of information in the ad indicates their verbal parsimoniousness.  One cryptic line, however, hints at something ominous.  The seller states that the car “Has few quirks.”  With an asking price of $1,600 for this rare road rocket, do you even care about these quirks?  Thanks to Rocco B. for the tip on this special Taurus!

Sometimes automakers can surprise you.  Take for example Ford and its ubiquitous Taurus.  Introduced in late 1985 as a 1986 model, the Taurus replaced the LTD and also represented a major shift in design and manufacturing quality for the automaker.  These mid-sized sedans were a home run when introduced and product planners were eager to chase niche markets with the Taurus and its Mercury Sable stablemate.  The first major variant of the Taurus was the Taurus SHO.  In 1984, Ford and Yamaha Motor Corporation inked a deal where Yamaha provided a special version of the Ford Vulcan V-6.  That special engine would boast four valves per cylinder, an increased compression ratio, and numerous heavy-duty parts to accommodate the substantial increase in the car’s horsepower and torque output.

The SHO was available to customers during the first three generations of the Taurus.  Then, it was put to bed for eleven years before returning in 2010.  By the time the SHO exited the market yet again in 2019, Americans had largely turned their back on four-door sedans due to their new-found infatuation with SUVs.  Still, the last SHOs were a force to be reckoned with on the streets.  Its twin-turbocharged V-6 had 365 horsepower, and all of it was pushed through a four-wheel drive system held up by a world-class suspension.  The car had come a long way since the early eighties, but customers rarely gave the last SHO a second look.  This ending was not much different than the car’s history.  Sales never met expectations, despite the considerable development expense and the car’s undeniable performance advantages over its more pedestrian stablemates.

The 1994 Ford Taurus SHO seen here is one of the second-generation models.  While the SHO was a niche vehicle, Ford felt that only offering a manual transmission hampered sales.    Given what we know now about the not-so-gradual reduction in the percentage of drivers proficient in shifting a manual, the Ford marketing department made a smart move.  They corrected the oversight by offering a 3.2-liter 220-horsepower engine in conjunction with a four-speed automatic transmission in 1993.  Changes were few and far between in the later half of the car’s run except for the wheels seen on the featured car in the ad.  Nicknamed “Slicers,” these distinctive wheels were directional, mandating a different pair of wheels for the left and right sides of the car.

While the pictures reveal a rough spot in the passenger rear fender, the rest of the car is in very good shape for its age and the fact that it has traveled over 179,000 miles.  The interior is in especially fine shape for a car with this many miles.  The seller tells us that it runs and drives well and has newer Pirelli tires.  There is also the matter of the line in the ad that says that the car “has few quirks.”  One would imply that there is an “A” missing.  If so, it would be nice to know what those quirks are.  With an asking price of $1,600, it might be worth putting up with a few quirks.  That is bottom dollar for any running car these days, much less one that has value as a collectible and can haul the mail if you push your right foot to the floor.

Do you have any idea what the mysterious quirks might be in this car?  Would you take a chance for $1,600?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.