Piston Slap: SHO Me My Next Car?

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta

Bob writes:

Sajeev,

Thanks for all the wasted ti…,er reading enjoyment you and TTAC provide. My Q has to do with “plan on keeping, or start looking for a replacement?”

Bought my ’93 SHO in 1996, a 5-sp w/28k miles. It just rolled over 140,000 (I’m an over-the-road truck driver). Has been a great, fun car. Only major problem was a radiator leak & attendant CPS failure.

Downers: Headliner and driver’s seat uph need replacing. Clearcoat peeling. Worried about parts avail, transmission (no problems so far, but “maintenance-free ATF?”). Still has original clutch. Car is 22 yrs old. Etc…

Upside: Just had front susp renewed, doesn’t burn oil, still drives great. Etc…

So: used Crown Vic, or used Miata, when the time comes?

Sorry this is so wordy/rambling, but hate to think of you & that cymbal.

Sajeev answers:

Oh yes! The Edelbrock cymbal is still on my drum rack, but I’ve had no time to “work” on it. And that’s thanks to folks like you!

You have a two-part question, and the first answer is you need a newer car. While an SHO has a tricky motor (timing belt and valve lash work every 60,000 miles IIRC), any old Taurus won’t be relaxing and reliable: it will always need work, even if it may never leave you stranded without days/weeks/months of advance notice. You’ll shell out big bucks on the paint and clutch alone.

About your next ride: some will consider the Miata vs. Crown Vic suggestion as insane, but I get it. The SHO is almost halfway between in size, number of cylinders, etc. And when you’ve already done the middle ground, it’s now time to go to the extreme!

Question is, which extreme?

I’d go for the Miata if you can keep the SHO around to carry people/cargo. Depending on where you live, a FWD sedan with a solid roof helps in bad rain/snow. If you go Crown Vic, the SHO is pointless. Which is a problem.

Think about it: the SHO is essentially worthless and the next owner is likely to kill it. I reckon it will be Chinese scrap metal less than a year after the sale. Not cool: cars with intrinsically fantastic yet obscure design like the Taurus SHO deserve to live. Having owned this car for almost 20 years now, are you dumb enough to see it my way? To restore this future classic?

If so, you will also be dumb enough to buy a Crown Vic to make a collection of cool yet understated American sedans! And for those that find this notion silly, I suggest watching this video about 10 times.

What was that about not wanting a collection of Ford sedans?

[Image: Shutterstock user Gengwit Wattakawigran]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.

Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

More by Sajeev Mehta

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 102 comments
  • 95_SC 95_SC on Jul 22, 2014

    Well i'll add to the crazy talk by saying find a mint Tempo V6 and drop the SHO engine in. Now, back to the real world. I love driving the SHO, but I despise any time I've spent under the hood of one. It's hard to pin down a modern spiritual successor to this car (certainly nothing that has worn the SHO badge since). I can attest that the Miata is downright simple to work on. It also hits the sweet spot of being usable as a day to day car, provided you don't need a back seat of course. The trunk is usable, even the early cars. But there are compromises. Were I going to daily drive an NA or NB again I'd shell out the grand for a hardtop. The Crown Vic is another animal. My buddy has the Panther Love. I don't get it. If I were looking at something like that I think I'd go with a Fox Body T-Bird. Old, yes, but simple to work on. My flavor would be the 87-88 Turbo with a 5 Speed. The 2.3 Turbo has some power potential. They are comfy as well. An E30 BMW would work too but good luck finding a decent one. If you were to go newish, perhaps a Mazdaspeed 3 or a Focus or Fiesta ST?

  • TrenchFoot TrenchFoot on Jul 22, 2014

    Nathan Wind would have never driven a Miata, just not enough room for his sideburns and 'stache. Before he passed away, I'm sure he was driving a Crown Vic or a Marauder. #pantherlove

  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
  • B-BodyBuick84 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport of course, a 7 seater, 2.4 turbo-diesel I4 BOF SUV with Super-Select 4WD, centre and rear locking diffs standard of course.
  • Corey Lewis Think how dated this 80s design was by 1995!
  • Tassos Jong-iL Communist America Rises!
Next