Expert: James - 10/27/2009

Question
i have a 1995 ford taurus ex cop car 3.8 liter engine. it will not shift out of first gear. over 20 mph it just whines real loud. in your opinion is it worth fixing

Answer
That is a pretty big question giving what you provided, but I will try to help. When deciding whether to scrap a car, I consider the following. How dependable the car has been in the past. What kind of compression does the engine have. What kind of body damage does the car have. Look, the bottom line is that you have an interceptor engine. Just about all Taurus's had a short life expectancy when it came to their transmission. You have to factor in how hard the car was driven on the job, was it a single or multi-shift vehicle, etc. How much money do you have currently invested compared to the money it would take to repair. The next and most important question is could you find a car that you know about, for the price it would take for repairs.