Performance sedans really are a great combination of luxury and underestimated power. This 1990 Ford Taurus SHO is one of the icons of the past. It has a $7,000 opening bid and no indicated reserve. The car has recently moved to Howell, Michigan within the last 5 years. It spent most of its life in Arizona. A VIN is listed, and the car is said to have 60,250 miles on it, and the title is said to be clear. You can view more here on eBay.
Sadly, this car does not get out on the road much. According to the current owner it has not been used much in the last 4 years. Although, they do say that the Super High Output V6 engine does start-up and drive well. That is connected to a 5-speed MTX-IV manual transmission. As you can see in the photos, this engine has been well cared for and is very clean. The trunk is said to have all the service records of the car.
Inside is a lovely brown interior that has very little wear and tear that is visible from the photos. The seller notes that the stereo is aftermarket but they will include the original radio unit with the sale. It will be in the trunk. They also note that the blend door is no longer working properly and they will provide an OEM replacement for that fix as well. That minor fault is easy to overlook considering what this car is.
While the starting bid price is a healthy sum, the overall condition of this car is beginning to warrant such a price. It is hard to find cars of this time period, especially performance models, and this being the first generation SHO, it really does add to the rarity. These are the kinds of cars I would collect. Performance sedans are practical as well as fun, and that to me is the best combination in a vehicle.
60k service?? Here that’s a deal/ball breaker lol
Too true. By 80k this car needs a clutch, timing belt, water pump, radiator, front rotors, struts, crank sensor, etc. And to do this, the engine or the subframe has to come out. Your choice. Enjoy!
Engine is a jewel, the transmission is a Mazda cable operated system that shifts like a two-ton truck.
Disclaimer: I owned an ’89 SHO from 2000-2004. Once I fixed all the problems, I sold it to my brother that drove it to 180k miles and resold it for the price he paid.
Nice find and write-up Brentton! For years I envied these. I bought an ’89 Mustang LX 5.0 and the Ford-centric magazines often featured an SHO now and again. Year later I drove one, and was a bit underwhelmed. I ended up buying a (used) 2002 Buick Regal GS which had considerably more usable power, and even more after I modified it. I also drove a ’97 SHO used, and loved the V8 sound but it, too, didn’t have the punch of the Regal. Still these are cars that Ford should be proud to have made, especially this generation with the five-speed. Thanks for the memories!
Sorry, but I have to object about the write-up. . (Again) the author is essentially repeating the statements/facts of the original ad, without any reasonable doubts about their accuracy, without adding any research or additional history, and with barely any own comment.
I can read the ad and look at the pictures myself without wasting time for reading written out sentences without added value.
Sad to see a wasted opportunity for a great story/article for this and similar cars!
“I can read the ad and look at the pictures myself without wasting time for reading written out sentences without added value” I’ve re read this comment three times and I still cannot make sense of it. Tell us again what else you would like to have included in the write up?
I’ve always wanted one of these. This one looks nice. I believe a timing chain replacement is due at 60k and from what I hear it’s not for the faint of heart…or wallet. Not sure if the price of the car reflects that or not.
Regarding your question : “the author is essentially repeating the statements/facts of the original ad, without any reasonable doubts about their accuracy, without adding any research or additional history, and with barely any own comment”
– BUMMER, I already explained it in my original comment..!
Every time I see these cars I think of the 6000SUX from the terminator movie…lol
That was Robocop but good memory. Same genre. The 6000 SUX was a giant luxury car that vaguely resembled an Aston Martin Lagonda. The Taurus in the film were the cop cars.
Yea let someone else do the 60k timing chain service right ?
Blend Door? What are they talking about here?
Blend door is under the dashboard..its movement sends cabin air to the defroster floor or dash vents according to the hvac settings and they are normally a b***** to access
As in: Remove the dashboard. Ugh.
Good question. There is the blend door that controls direction of air flow, and there is also a blend door for temperature. IN the Explorer the temperature one is not too hard to replace, but the other one is a dash removal to do.
There are replacement blend door mechanisms. Simply do a little surgery and replace. Took me 2 hrs, $50 – check the forums
If you can break that bled door open, leave it in the center position. Do not open or close all the way. This works for me on my Z3 for a year now. Heat and air still work perfect. Not crawling under that dash!
Can you get to the blend door without removing the entire dash. My mom’s Taurus needed a heater core and it was major surgery to fix it.
Thanks for sharing the car here. I posted the ad. Happy to answer any questions anyone has.
I learned about torque steer in one of these. Always thought the engine would make a great sand rail engine