1981 Mercury Zephyr Z-7 Coupe from North America - Comments

The transmission blew.

I have to rebuild the carburetor at least once a year.

The power steering pump locked up.

The rear suspension bushings and springs got really noisy when you hit bumps.

This has been an overall great car. It is identical to the Ford Fairmont Futura. The car was not one of Ford's better ideas though. It is hard to start in cold weather and takes a lot of gas to get started. Gets great gas mileage when its running though. The carburetor starts dumping too much gas in the engine and causes the spark plugs to foul, the only fix I found was to rebuild it.

This model of car was the first of the fox body cars, which is what a 79-93 Mustang was based on. A couple of weeks ago the transmission stopped going into reverse. So I am going to put a 302 and a 5 speed manual in to fix this problem. The straight six is a great reliable engine, but only puts out a whopping 92 horse power. So it's not much for performance. I don't have to drive any more because I bought a 1992 Chevy S-10 for $500 dollars. The people I bought it from thought the computer was fried, which would have cost around $1300 to fix, and all it was is a $100 ignition module. Now I could get $5000 out of it. Lesson: always make sure what the problem is before you sell for dirt. And the guy that buys it makes it gold for a cheap part.

$5000? For a 92 S-10?

I don't think so!

I find that a lot of American manufactured cars from the early 80's tend to have a few quirks. Odd part is, it seems no one actually junks them, since you see them rolling around all day every day everywhere. I think it's more that they are generally reliable, but small things often come up that need work.

As for the previous comment...I've seen early 90's S-10's go for $14,000 (highly modified. Mechanically and aesthetically). It's all in what you put into the vehicle. Sure, bone stock, they are dirt cheap. Customized, they can be pretty pricey. So, in the spirit of good natured, friendly fact-sharing; yeah, it's very possible to squeeze five grand out of an S-10 (even more if you have a good eye for modification).

Re the S-10, this is not a customized truck, or even one that has had any improvements. The guy bought a truck for $500, stuck a $100 module in it and now claims it is worth $5K.

Unless the person who sold it to him was a complete moron, he did not get a mint condition S-10: it had other problems besides the module to warranty a $500 sale price.

I had a Zephyr from '94-'98. Dark gray with limo tint. Battleship-looking thing. I painted the rims black with chrome beauty rims, and it looked okay. Most of the time it was very reliable, though never fast or beautiful. Interior was a gross looking orange plaid thing, so I painted it all black. This is boring to read so I will end it here! Later...

I have two Zephyrs with v8 engines in them. One is factory the other was an in-line six. To put a v8 where the six was you need a k-member from a 4 cyl.,v6,or v8 fox bodied car. Just thought you would like a little advice from someone who has been there.

You stated you had to rebuild the carb at least once a year. And this is a 1981 model. HMMM? Dude, like get a newer, more modern car!! (fuel injection instead of a carb!Carbs are sooo 1970's)

I had a 1978 Mercury Zephyr Z7...and I loved it. The only problem that I found was the starter solenoid would over heat. you couldn't start the car until it cooled down. It was a great car for 3 years- I just had to get something a little less big & yellow. (yes, it was banana yellow)

I have owned a 1979 Zephyr Z-7 for about 2 years now. I bought it for 100 bucks as a daily driver as I fixed up my 1968 Cougar, but fell in love with the car. It's black on black, V8 floor shift stock. I rebuilt the transmission with a shift kit and replaced most everything in the engine compartment except the engine itself. It's a reliable car and does what I need it to.

Quote:You stated you had to rebuild the carb at least once a year. And this is a 1981 model. HMMM? Dude, like get a newer, more modern car!! (fuel injection instead of a carb!Carbs are sooo 1970's)

Carburetors were more fuel efficient, and more powerful than FI.

I have a Fairmont Futura that'll smoke the crap out of any car I see on the street. all 427 Cobra Jets of it.

Carbs "were more fuel efficient and more powerful than FI"?

The only thing correct there is the "were" part, as in, carburetors are part of the past, not the present or future.

No carbs are not in the past; I get better mileage in my Zephyr than my dad does in his 2006 Toyota Camry, and it's more reliable.

We have a '78 Mercury Zephyr Z-7, and I love that car!

The one thing that we have had problems with is the voltage regulator... we have replaced it more than once.

We were having a problem with the headlights... when I would click the brights, all of the lights would go out. We replaced wiring and so far so good.

She is a great car... we added a hitch when we moved to Mississippi and you can tell it made our car heavier. But hey... always a good thing knowing your car will set there with the extra weight there... especially if people like to back into you or side swipe you on the street (both have happened and our klunker was barely damaged... few scratches for the most part!).

I am a proud owner of a 78 Z-7, that's for sure.