2004BlackBird

Since taking delivery of our 2010 SHO on 3/1/10, it has proved to be a blast to drive. Despite having owned many excellent,dependable Ford vehicles over the years, we must say that driving this one is the best combination of fun, power and comfort. Yes, there is a bit of "bad" with the good though. We thought that we would share our observations with fellow Ford fans. Here they are, in no particular order. Car now has almost 14000 miles on it. This car was special ordered in late December, 2009. It was ordered as a replacement for my wife's dependable 2002 Crown Vic; still bullet proof and new looking at 120,000 miles. (Amsoil and Zaino user) Wife had driven 6 Panthers in a row since the mid 80's: 4 Crown Vics, 1 Town Car and 1 Grand Marquis. (See, there were indeed people that purchaseds these cars new!) All had proved to be solid, dependable and inexpensive to maintain & own. Tires, batteries, brake pad & shocks were pretty much it. The out going Crown Vic had three repairs. Two $50 sensors and a rear window actuator, the actuator repaired under warranty. Despite the deals on left over GMs & TCs, we decided to spec out & order the Taurus SHO. Wife wanted the nav, Sync & satellite radio availability. Yes, is "wife's car" as my vehicles are a 2004 'Bird and a 2000 Excursion. Both are wonderful vehicles in their own way but not nearly as much fun to drive as the SHO. Candy Red SHO was ordered "X-plan" (Ford stock holder) with almost all the available bells and whistles. Back up camera, upgraded stereo, 20" wheels to get the Michelins, rear blind, heated/cooled seats, navigation system, hole-in-the roof, auto lights & wipers, BLIS sensors, etc. Did not order the performance package but now wish we had as we could have used the upgraded brakes in the package. Likes: Car is extremely eye catching in Candy Red, we still get positive comments wherever we take it. Many say things such as "can't believe Ford makes such a good looking car, etc." Power is unbelievable for a 4400 lb. vehicle. Sync voice commands, Bluetooth, satellite radio, Sirius travel link, nav package are excellent, rear shade is great here in Florida, trunk is larger than expected but somehow not as usable as CVs was. Power is smooth, quiet. This car is a solid, competent, stealth rocket for sure. It equals the acceleration of son-in-laws Bullit Mustang, without all the noise and drama. A nice touch that our name appeared on the window sticker. Also wonderful that all those gadgets work so well. Car is very comfortable on long trips, seat adjustment is almost infinite. Leg room is better than CV. 26/27 mpg is quite easily achieved on the interstate at 75 mph. On a 3000 mile trip to Pennsylvania last August the overall average was 22.8. This included many miles though the VA/WVA mountains and many times exceeded the 75 mph where mileage seems best. Use of Amsoil synthetic helps some here too. Dislikes: Blind spot in rear is pretty significant. BLIS and rear camera should be standard on all Taurus models. Console takes up a lot of room in the front; this noticeable for all first time passengers who think the car appears "big"on the outside, "small"on the inside. Brakes could be bigger/better for a car with this much heft & power. Observations: Car is nearly invisable in white or silver. Might be better for insurance purposes as Candy Red is eye catching, particularly for law enforcemen types. Just sayin'. Car cruises naturally, effortlessly at 80 - 85, smooth & quiet. Seems like 55 - 60. From experience, some constabulary just are not sympathetic. Also, seems to attract "boy racers" like crazy. Those who are partial to Acura's just can't seem to resist a chance to (try) to blow by a lowly Ford. At first it was amusing but it does become somewhat boring after awhile. They do seem disappointed to learn that the SHO more than holds its own with them quite well. Car could be 500 lbs. lighter but would only recommend that if retained its feel of being solid, quiet. Warranty/Repair problems: One cracked plug. Car missed only occassionally, put code reader on it and said "misfire cylinder #4". Dealer of course had to confirm it with his code reader. Only issue is had to leave car overnight until they could locate a replacement plug. They had none in stock and no other 3.5 EB in stock at the time. This is a tasteful, solid, competent vehicle with wonderful power. The gadgets are great, handling is superior and gas milage is pretty darn good for the power. There is no torque steer with the AWD. We really, really :D like our stealth rocket.

We took delivery of our 2010 Candy Red SHO on March 1st. We REALLY do like this car and it invariably attracts compliments and plenty of positive comments wherever we go. It is much more comfortable to drive than the previous Crown Vics (more front legroom) and you arrive after a drive of several hours without feeling cramped in any way. The power is quiet, effortless and extremely 'competent'. It is as much fun to drive as our 2004 Thunderbird. The 'gizmos' are great as well. That being said, the high beltline adds to a sizable blind spot issue. The rear camera and (particularly) blind spot sensing system are definitely features to be considered with a purchase of this car.

Our Candy Red SHO was finally delivered yesterday, March 1st. Car had been selected by Ford engineers for a 'test drive' and had 31 miles on it, with a window sticker telling me this. Anyone know if this was just a couple of trips out for lunch in the Chicago snow & salt - or some fault they were looking at? Car was delivered without the optional all weather mats that had been ordered. Dealer is ordering these and filing claim. Test drive at factory partially explains the delay, I guess(?) Car now has about a hundred miles on it and engine is still very tight. I am not going to 'punch it' for a few more miles yet. As someone else stated, the interior is nice - but not extra luxurious. It is a bit small/confining compared to the old Crown Vic, both front & back. Our grown daughter rode with us and commented on the lack of rear seat room, especially leg room, in comparison , etc. The 20 inch Michelins ride a little rough, but not bad. Car is extremely quiet and a brief bit of interstate driving quickly showed that one could easily get a ticket as 80 feels like 60 in respect to interior/road noise, etc. The 'gadgets' are wonderful, high quality, and (so far) easy to operate. Nav system, satellite radio, stereo et al are all definitely first class. Initial gas mileage is not good, but should improve as car loosens up and once Amsoil synthetic is installed. Car is an eye catcher but almost no one but a true Ford fan would really know what it actually is. I share the opinion that it is a bit too understated. Hard to tell from a Limited. Will post again once we get a few hundred miles on it and learn where all the switches are and how everything works. I think we will really, really like this car once we get a some seat time in it.

I also have a 2000 Excursion Limited that I factory ordered. It is Toreador Red w/gold trim and has not been garaged since we moved to Florida in mid 2003. Surprisingly, it has no peeling or fading issues at all and actually looks only a year or so old even now, sitting in the Florida sun. I keep it waxed with Zaino and use a sunshade, leather protectant, to maintain the inside. That being said, I also have a beef with the 'finish' of Ford SUVs. The left rear door on the Excursion has a 'bubble in the aluminum about the size of a quarter. The selling dealer in Vivian, Louisianna would do nothing whatsoever to stand behind it and because of it I never bought another vehicle from him. (I had purchased five new vehicles from him previously) My daughter's 2003 Explorer (red) also had this same type cancer on the hood and the local dealer here in Jacksonville was good enough to address this and repaint the entire hood. (They stated Ford had a TSB on this that could be exercised until 60000 miles) My gripe is that there is no way that the cancers in the aluminum components could not have been noticed and yet they were assembled and painted over anyway.

Mine was/is to de delivered this week. Dealer says can't locate it's whereabouts. I suspect that mine, built on 2/8, may still be in Chicago as well.

Yesterday my wife & I were driving up San Jose Blvd in Jacksonville, Fl. As we passed a silver Sienna we noted that driver had his arm out of his window - holding down a floor mat half in / half out of the vehicle. We still can't decide if he was demonstrating to other drivers nearby that it was 'safe' to be around him on the road - or if he was 'protesting' his Toyota. Whatever - as a died in the wool Ford guy, it was a great sight to behold.

Congrats! Looks good. Mine is scheduled to be in dealership next week. Can't wait!

My Candy Red SHO was built on 2/8 as the window sticker had indicated. Dealer says the delivery date is 'TBD'. I expect it will be at least another 2 weeks, especially with the weather in the great white North lately. You seem to be 2 to 3 weeks ahead of me in the order process. Just wondering if they had been delivered yet?

Ford I recently ordered an SHO and had an X-Plan PIN due to being a long time Ford stockholder. On this purchase I will pay the X-Plan price, a price not likely to be otained on an SHO at this point. Also, a BIG advantage is that the $275 admin fee is INCLUDED in the X-plan invoice price. All the area dealers are adding $699 - $899 for the admin fee - and because it is standard practice, by state law they "have to" charge it to everyone not an A/X/Z plan sale. Additionally, the maximum they can charge for "doc fee" on an X-Plan sale is $75. Anything that comes into their heads is the fee they charge otherwise. Additionally, they charge about $300 for title/tag service. On an X-plan sale they can only charge what the state charges ($about $59 here). So, here in Florida at least, even if the agreed upon sale price is exactly the same as X-plan invoice, it can be up to $1000 less in BS fees & packs to purchase using an X-Plan PIN.

Was able to pull down window sticker today .... build date the week of 2/08!!! :happy feet: I emailed the sticker to the dealer sales rep - some satsifaction in that at least. 2004 Black Bird

I do not know if it is because I ordered X-Plan or whether dealer just can't be bothered. His attitude just does not make sense. Seems like an auto dealer would not be ticking off a repeat customer who has just ordered a new vehicle? He has never even once called me after order placed in mid December - I have called him only three times since then and each time it seems he just can't be bothered and can't get off the phone fast enough. I am a repeat customer there and have referred others to sales rep I deal with - who have purchased from him as well. Any serious service work is done there too. Just do not get it. I did manage to get dealer to give me my VIN yesterday, saying he thought car was 'on hold' but was not sure and was unwilling to research further. There is no sticker available yet on line for car. (I looked, not dealer) Can any Ford employee find out and let me know what, if anything, is the issue? Long time Ford Fan pleads! (VIN 1FAHP2KT3AG148692)

I am in Jacksonville, Florida. Finally obtained the VIN today. Dealer seemed like he could not get off the #$#@ phone fast enough(?). Said car was 'on hold' though. (can/will anyone trace the VIN for me? 1FAHP2KT3AG148692)

A couple of times. It is almost as if they have lost interest???!!!! I am a repeat customer as well. Not sure if it is an allocation issue for them or what.

Congrat on V-Day arrival. I was hoping against hope that may have been the case for me when I ordered in December ... but I do not have a VIN yet. March 1 looks like the earliest I can hope for now.

*** It has been over a month since order for SHO placed - NO VIN number yet!!!!