Should I bother checking this car out in person?

So, there's a 2005 Ford Taurus being sold that I saw online that I'm a little interested in, but there's one thing that really bothers me about it: it has almost 160k miles on it. The only reason I'm even considering it (outside of the price - a bit under $3000) is that the carfax for it shows that it's had regular maintenance throughout practically its whole life (and the car's value is noted to be $1,300 higher than normal based on the carfax). Can any car expert types let me know if this is something worth pursuing? Is that 160k just way too much despite that maintenance record? I'm more concerned with getting a reliable vehicle than something that needs fixed every five seconds, but I'm also on a tight budget ($5000). I've never bought a car before (last car was a hand-me-down), so I'd appreciate any insight here.

That's high mileage for its model year, which probably indicates that it was driven long distances on the freeway on a regular basis. Freeway miles are a lot less damaging to a car than the stop & Go miles of city driving, so don't let the mileage scare you too much.

the biggest is going to be your transmission: check out this website with info on common car problems:
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Taurus/2005/transmission/transmission_failure.shtml

Check to see if the transmission has ever been replaced.

160k is on the high side for a 9 year old vehicle, but maintenance matters. It might be worth a look if the price is right, but as always, have a qualified mechanic check it out first.

That price is on the high side, I think it should be closer to $2000 not $3000

Here in UK a car that has 160,000 on the clock would only be sold for spare parts or to be taken to the scrap yard and would be no more than £100 or around $120, anything about 75k is only buying someone elses problems and will be in garage for repairs most of the time