Sad news..

[19bonestock88]

Just s thought, but given one of my options, is the AX4N a flat tow trans?

[me and my metro]

I would not own any car that had an ax4n. The Taurus is Ford's worst car, probably ok with a 3.0 and a stick. I drove an old SHO Yamaha v6/5 speed years ago and it was fun.

[19bonestock88]

That bad? No manual offered other than the SHO you mentioned, the one I could get is a low miles 2003

[elhigh]

I see some hate mail directed at the AX4N. This is a list of known problems:

Warning: Watch Out for These Ford AX4N Automatic Transmission Problems - ETE Reman - Common Complaints about the AX4N Transmission

One tidbit leapt out at me, that people adding an aftermarket tranny cooler got much better service out of theirs. Maybe most of the problem with the tranny is it just gets too hot? Whatever the case, yours being as old as it is, there's a fair chance that needed upgrades within the transmission have already been done. You may be able to find out by searching its VIN on Carfax.

DO NOT attempt to Engine OFF Coast with an '03 Taurus. You'll cook the tranny. It won't take it.

NOTE: You can go to Motorhome Magazine's annual list of flat-towable dinghy vehicles to determine whether your auto-equipped car can be coasted with the engine off. With 4x4s sometimes the limitation is that the transfer case be in Neutral, but when you're talking about 2wd cars and trucks, it gets more interesting. Sure enough, your Maxx had no mileage limit for flat towing.

[MetroMPG]

Any chance you would consider buying the car back from insurance to fix it yourself?

I've never actually done this, and don't know how it's done.

And whether it makes sense to you from a tinkering time perspective is another question.

[Daschicken]

Ouchie!

Did you at least send that dumb ****er flying? Imagine how much worse it would be if you were going non-hypermiler speeds...

On a side note: Less V6 competition for me mauhahahahaha! Just kitten..

That damage looks repairable if you do it yourself, insurance may total it out due to it not being worth enough to repair, but it looks like it would be fine to repair and drive.

[19bonestock88]

Originally Posted by Daschicken

Ouchie!

On a side note: Less V6 competition for me mauhahahahaha! Just kitten..
.

It's all good, my cars only got the 2.2 liter, lol

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Any chance you would consider buying the car back from insurance to fix it yourself?

I've never actually done this, and don't know how it's done.

And whether it makes sense to you from a tinkering time perspective is another question.

Basically, you have the option generally at the time they tell you the cars totaled... I have considered it, mostly in the event that their offer is too low to replace the car with... I've also called the local salvage yard and for around $200, I could have most of what it needs, other than headlight and bumper cover and inner fender... I say I could fix her for around $5-600, IF I could straighten out the core support enough to bolt on a good fender, radiator, headlight, etc...

[19bonestock88]

Originally Posted by elhigh

I see some hate mail directed at the AX4N. Maybe most of the problem with the tranny is it just gets too hot? Whatever the case, yours being as old as it is, there's a fair chance that needed upgrades within the transmission have already been done.

DO NOT attempt to Engine OFF Coast with an '03 Taurus. You'll cook the tranny. It won't take it.

The car was supposedly owned by some little old lady, so I doubt they installed a trans cooler... I wasn't seriously considering another Taurus(I had a 95, Vulcan and AX4S), mostly due to not wanting another near full size, gas sucking, 3 liter engined car...(I sold mine to buy a smaller car) Honestly, I was only even briefly considering it due to price potential; it's part of an estate sale...

[19bonestock88]

I talked to the appraiser today, showed him all the damage... I'll know by Monday what they'll do, he said...

[Ecky]

Have you considered joining the Insight family?