1987 Mercury Topaz GS 2.3 Liter Gasoline

Summary:

I miss this car, and gladly would buy one to rebuild

Faults:

Everything went wrong with the car at one point or another. But the problems I encountered were mostly from previous "repairs".

General Comments:

Never had a serious mechanical problem which left me abandoned at road-side.

Well built with decent power, needed TLC.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th January, 2007

1987 Mercury Topaz L 2.3L

Summary:

A nice beater

Faults:

This Car has went through 5 different alternators.

2 new alternator v-belts.

5 different batteries (from the super-dads to the cheapest kinds)

3 starters were replaced.

The main flat serpentine belt snapped.

Idler pulley bearings.

Many spark plugs and distributor caps.

1 water pump along with 1 v-belt.

Driver side front brake line replaced.

2 Front brake Hoses fell apart.

Both front brake calipers ceased up.

Both rear brake lines replaced.

2 Rear brake assemblies rebuilt (each side)

Many, many brake pads.

The parking brake cable rotted away.

My cooling system leaks half a cup of antifreeze a day.

It burns oil quickly.

It aways operates very hot.

A few mufflers and associated piping.

The "cigar" lighter doesn't work, but no fuses are bad.

Manual window mechanism freezes perpetually.

Factory plastic coating on head lights started to turn opaque.

1 Outer constant velocity bearing replaced.

Driver's side drive axle was replaced.

1 cast steering knuckle complete with shock attached.

1 tie rod.

The torque converter makes loud noises & knocks, when decelerating.

1980's flawed sheet metal, rusty spots on the middle of the roof & hood.

Finally, it never started in anything lower than -15C (about 5F) or when its really humid.

General Comments:

I bought this car off of an old lady in an elderly home, it sat for about 9 years in the elements. When I got it, I flushed out most fluids and replaced them. The paint was also cracking very finely from the sun.

The interior was great, the old lady used a cardboard windshield insert.

There are thousands of these cars in junkyards, because of this the parts are cheap and abundant.

It's a nice little engine block, but its just everything attached to it that's bringing it down.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 20th January, 2004

1987 Mercury Topaz

Summary:

A major wallet-emptying nightmare

Faults:

The car broke down on the way home from the dealership! Many electronic problems.

General Comments:

This was a very nice-looking car, but had many many electronic- and fuel-related problems.

I had never heard of most of the components that needed to be replaced.

There was always the constant smell of anti-freeze when the heat was on.

I could never figure out why the windows were impossible to defog. Possibly, it was a problem with the A/C condenser. The windows would fog up so badly on the inside, that it would eventually turn into condensation, dripping down the windows!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 13th December, 2002

1987 Mercury Topaz GS 2.3 fuel injection

Summary:

Take care of it and it will take care of you

Faults:

Replaced the battery.

Replaced the ball-joints and tie-rod ends on both the left and right sides.

One side of parking brake doesn't work.

New fuel pressure regulator.

New fuel injector.

General Comments:

My parents bought me this car from an auction and we have put about $500 into the car.

When we acquired it there was only one problem with it - getting it started.

Later we found that the engine was replaced and one of the connectors wasn't hooked up right, and after fixing that we have found few problems with the car.

The brakes we discovered were put together backwards (more than likely the previous owner) and the A/C doesn't work along with the heat on the floor or vents.

The car has always started and has never broke down on me so I feel very safe in the car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th January, 2002

1987 Mercury Topaz GS 2.3L Inline 4

Summary:

A great gas saver

Faults:

New clutch installed.

New brake pads and rotors.

New alternator.

New air conditioner.

General Comments:

I think this is a great car! It may not be as fast as a sports car, but it gets around. The 2.3L 4 cylinder engine gets excellent gas mileage, in the range of 25-32 mpg.

The interior is decent, although it could be a bit wider.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th August, 2001