1992 Mercury Topaz from North America - Comments

The head gasket, starter solenoid, and tires were all replaced by the dealer a few months before I bought the car.

I had to glue the weatherstripping back onto the door frames.

The alleged power mirrors need to be adjusted by hand.

The factory rims are scuffed and starting to rust.

I'm still having intermittent trouble with the starter. The car revs up to about 1500 rpm when first started, then calms down to 980-1000 rpm.

The car idles roughly enough to vibrate my seat.

The wheels went out of alignment in less than a week.

The interior is a little worn. There's ink marks on the headliner near the sun visors, the seats are starting to wear out, there's a small crack in the dashboard above the glove box, and the cigarette lighter/ashtray panel is missing completely.

The glove box, by the way, is very small. The tiny pocket-size owner's manual takes up most of the space inside.

Road noise is almost nonexistent in the city, but becomes an issue on highways.

Engine noise can be heard coming a few blocks away, even with my stereo turned off.

I can feel even the slightest bump in the road.

There's almost no body lean around corners.

Handling is about average. It's not too bad, but it's not as good as I'd expect for a car that's this size.

The engine's decent. It won't go over 65 mph without sounding like it's about to explode into a fireball, but it is reliable, and it at least has the illusion of being quick when driven close to posted speed limits.

This car does best in bad road conditions, when you need excellent traction without blazing speed. It handles so well in the snow that I didn't need to buy snow tires, and it's nearly impossible to hydroplane on wet pavement unless you're speeding.

The factory speakers sound pretty good with my CD player.

The heater works well enough to continue keeping the car hot in below-freezing temperatures.

The A/C worked on the test drive, but being that I bought it in the winter, I didn't want to leave it on that long. Hopefully, it still works in hot weather.

There's a lot of passenger/cargo space. According to the design specs, the car is slightly smaller than the 2003 Chevy Cavalier I had previously, yet it feels roomier. The trunk also seems to have a little more room for my things.

The seats are so comfortable that I feel like I'm driving in a recliner.

There is absolutely NO rust anywhere on the body of the car.

Gas mileage for me is around 17 MPG city, 22 MPG highway. It's nothing to brag about, but it does keep me from going bankrupt at the gas pump.

Overall, this car is in good shape for being 16 years old. I get positive comments from both onlookers and passengers on a daily basis about how the car must be bulletproof to still be in its current condition.

There are a lot of these cars down here in the South. They tend to last forever with regular maintenance. I love my Tempo.