Here’s a time warp traveling object, a 1987 Ford Taurus wagon in what seems almost showroom condition. Oh, fame, fickle fame… The once ubiquitous Taurus, among the best-selling models in the ’80s and ’90s, now seems like a faint memory. But for those who lived those times, this find is certain to take us back to the days of going to the nearby mall and dropping the kids off to go to Sam Goody (or whatever it was they did) while you went to JCPenney and Radio Shack (You have one of those programmable VCRs?). Then drive back home in modern Aero comfort to watch a new episode of Alf, Who’s The Boss?, or Wiseguy (or Star Trek TNG in my case).
Yes, I’m laying it thick with the 1980s nostalgia. But how can I not? When’s the last time you saw a Taurus looking this clean? This find came via a for sale ad recently posted in the comments section, and I thought it was too good not to share more widely. The car of future, or rather, the immediate future, when it appeared in American showrooms in late 1985. It looked like nothing else among the domestics back then, and was quite the sensation.
Just as I remember it… but do I see a multimedia stereo in there?
The interior of this one is just as well preserved. I spent quite a few times riding in one of these early Taurii back in the ’90s when a classmate bought a used one from a rental fleet. And indeed, this was not your father’s LTD. A well planted smooth ride, nice ergonomics and cabin, in a package that still felt very up to date.
Still, our Taurus’ rental miles hadn’t been kind, and the car spent more time in the shop than on the road. I didn’t hold that against the vehicle (my classmate differed, vehemently), as its provenance wasn’t an ideal one. But when it did run, riding on the Taurus was more than OK in our suburban surroundings; one domestic of the era you didn’t need apologies for in the Golden State.
Car styling has gone either overwrought, plain brutalist industrial, or weirdly extroverted in recent decades; not the future the Taurus was felt to herald. Regardless, the clean shape of the model, even in wagon form, still feels rather futuristic. Like it belongs to a parallel timeline of automotive development.
That velour bench seat is another nostalgic throwback; it’s Regatta Blue finish, in factory speak. Aside a minor cut on the driver’s side, it looks almost factory fresh.
At the time it was posted for sale (Interested? Sorry, but last I checked, it’s gone), the car had a total 53K miles. A rarity for these family haulers. The engine under the hood is the 3L Vulcan V6 with 140 HP and 160 lb. of torque, the standard mill on the station wagons. All powering the front wheels, of course, in ideal 1980s form.
Sadly, we know the tuna-fish 3rd gen. from 1996 sent the Taurus on a downward path from which it never recovered. And like all regular use cars, these once successful models seem to have vanished from the face of the Earth in recent times. I would think the likelihood of finding another survivor looking this nice is very low… So take a careful glimpse at this one. Then think of it covered in black matte paint, and picture it as the ride of choice for Robocop’s wife. Yes, another 1980s reference. But how can I help it?
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1986 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable – At This Moment You Mean Everything
1986 Ford Taurus: Good Role Models And Clear Objectives Create A Breakthrough Car
Curbside Analysis: 1986 Ford Taurus: The Most Important American Car Since The Model T
Curbside Find: Ford Taurus (gen1) – The Best Seller Has Become Scarce
Got a link to the ad you can share?
As I understand, the wagon is gone. But here is the ad:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-ford-taurus-4/
Great find. And in one of my favorite colors, not just for this model. These Ice Blue metallic shades look good on almost every car..
I’ve never understood why Ford Europe never introduced the Taurus (especially the station wagon) in even modest quantities. In Europe, this would have been considered a (very) upper mid-range vehicle in terms of size and features. At least back then.
Missed opportunity – what a pitty.
This car brings back memories, since my aunt and uncle owned a very similar blue Taurus wagon. Theirs was an LX, and since my uncle loved gadgets, he ordered it fully-loaded. They owned a small business at the time, which required them to make occasional deliveries, which is why they bought this car, and they figured if they needed a delivery vehicle, they might as well buy a really nice one.
As far as I know, the Taurus served them well, and they replaced it in the mid 1990s with an Aerostar (which was a big more problematic)
I wonder how much better the 1st gen Taurus wagon might have sold if not for the station wagon-killer 1984 Chrysler T-115 minivan.
Very nice. I like everything about the car except the 3.8 Essex. If a Vulcan then I would have no trouble buying such a car up. There was recently two sedans, between 92-95, for sale in very nice condition and low miles. The Essex so bummer otherwise I find these easy cars to work on and maintain. The velour interior is bullet proof and seen in many cars of the era such as my 91 626. Now there is also a very nice SHO for sale but I am not interested in a turbo four that is 30 years old. As for the jelly bean I only know of two over this decade seen by me on a weekly basis. Both are nice wagons with one in my driveway awaiting it’s new engine. The wagon looks way better than the sedan.
The SHO wasn’t turbocharged or a four, it had DOHC heads on a modified Vulcan block. (Being uneasy about a 30-year-old car that may have been used very unsympathetically is a completely reasonable reaction, though.)
My mistake as you can tell I paid very little attention to the SHO. You are right in one of the main reasons to avoid one besides it’s extra complexity and that is the high performance aspect attracts a certain buyer who then wrings it out.
In 1992 we rented a Gen-2 Taurus GL for a 3,000 mile road trip. We loved it. Reasonably quiet, very comfortable, spacious. We would have bought that car if we could have. So in ’94 we drove, liked and bought a ’93 Sable GS–in reality, not very different from a Taurus GL. Alas, it had the 3.8 V6. Yep, lots of torque; that was fun. But it wanted to run just a bit hot. Not fun. Within a year, the A/C suddenly failed on a very warm day. At least the car was still under warranty for replacing the compressor. Over the years, it failed two more times, and those replacement compressors were expensive. As the years went by, the power window switches or motors were acting up; we never knew if they would work or not. Finally, in 2003, a cloud of white vapor came up from under the hood. The dreaded cursed head gaskets of the 3.8 Essex had struck. No special warranty from Ford; that was for ’94 and ’95 models. So that was it for the Sable.
I, too, recall renting one of these. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the year, but it’s noteworthy primarily due to an incredibly annoying seatbelt reminder. Unlike other vehicles of the time, the Taurus’ chime was a series of ‘doyng, doyng, doyng, doyng, doyng, doyng, doyng!’ (that’s right, seven ‘doyngs’) which, unbelievably, repeated every five seconds until it forced the driver to buckle-up, for no other reason than to just stop the unrelentingly constant chimes.
I suppose it was successful in that regard but, man, was it irritating.
We had the same wagon, an ’89. GL trim, same 15″ wheels, but white with burgundy cloth inside. It served us well with two, later three kids.It was mighty tight when the fourth reared his head…. it made way for the first of a string of minivans!
I also had a ’92 SHO as a company car, with the proper number of pedals in the footwell (that would be three).
We had an early version, in Barney Purple. Only used car I ever had that – per the mechanic – had to get a ‘complete top-end rebuild’.
It did get us around well, though but was the Last Ford for me.
I actually see these now and then, although it’s quite rare to see them in condition anywhere near this. They’re mostly beaters, but it’s testimony to how robust they could be. Newer cars may be getting too complex to survive as a beater; once things start breaking it’s done if there’s too much complexity. That said, I hope there are a few people out there interested in keeping the nicer survivors like this one up and running.
It’s amazing how functional and even modern these still seem. I drive a rental car on a regular basis, and if anything, they’re less likely to be user-friendly. I could get in this Taurus, set everything how I want it, and be rolling in half the time of a typical new car. That’s partly because Ford worked hard to make it that way – you couldn’t say that of a number of 80s cars – but also because feature creep is overwhelming new “cars.” I feel like we need a new Taurus to remind us of the value of a solid, no-nonsense car.
Amazing survivor .
Bummer about the roach burn in the otherwise perfect upholstery .
-Nate
I’m still hoping I can find an 86 LX Taurus wagon. It’s been so hard. I hope that will change for me soon…