I sympathize with the gentleman who had a bad experience with two Taurus cars.
I have a 1998 Taurus wagon with 160,000 km. I have not had any major problems with the car, only had to replace the alternator twice (the first after 8 years, and the second after 1 year). The car visits the Ford dealer every three months for regular maintenance and is oiled sprayed every fall. No rust, no rattles, no mechanical problems.