1987 Merkur XR4Ti 2.3 turbo from Germany

Summary:

The best 80's build ford of all time

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with this car, it was my fault not the cars. Other than the drivers heated seat needed a little wiring help.

General Comments:

This is on the list of best made 80's cars ever produced. I have never driven a car with such great handling and even better acceleration. If you have never owned a turbo car this is my recommendation for you.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th November, 2005

1987 Merkur XR4Ti 2.3 Liter turbo from North America

Summary:

An excellent example of eighties performance cars

Faults:

Broken waste gate hose causing turbo pressure to go too high.

Replaced throttle position sensor to get rid of rough idle.

The power steering rack just went out.

Driver side seat broken down by what must have been an over size driver.

Suspension somewhat ragged too.

General Comments:

I love these cars! I had my first one in 1988 with 36000 miles.

I flew to Oregon to buy my current car, as there were none in Oklahoma, and I wanted one badly.

Parts are readily available on E-bay, or at Rapido (look them up on the web), and believe it or not at the Ford dealer. Pricey, but available.

I am converting my automatic to a 5 speed manual, using parts from E-bay and following directions from the Online Merkur community. Having an online community available to support your passion is invaluable!

I also bought leather seats online nice, but expensive for used and old seats... recovering might be more wise.

I am going to replace suspension parts with upgrades from Rapido.

I can't wait to be driving her on my daily commute, soon!

Happy Merkuring!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th April, 2004

1987 Merkur XR4Ti 2.3L gasoline- turbocharged from North America

Summary:

A four seat guided missile

Faults:

Waste gate actuator went bad at 114,000 miles.

Dashboard lights burn out and are difficult to locate and replace.

Sensor connections get a little spooky.

General Comments:

You have to drive it to believe it. There is no car that can match the Merkur's performance, handling, comfort and structial integrity for a price of less than $50,000.

The suspension is very tight. No lean, no bounce.

Once the turbo kicks in, the car might as well be rocket powered.

It is not a car for those who don't know how to do repairs. But it is the most fun to tinker with.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th June, 2003

1987 Merkur XR4Ti 2.3 liter turbo from North America

Summary:

Unique and a pleasure to drive!

Faults:

Brakes and struts needed replacing when the car was purchased in February 2002.

Stock muffler fell off the car in June 2002.

Heat doesn't work well.

Driver's seat (interior is leather) has rip in the center of the back and wear on the side panels. Passenger side has wear on the side panels. Backseat has small tearing near the back windshield.

The car overheats.

Left signal doesn't work when the brakes are applied.

Replacement parts can be hard to locate and expensive.

General Comments:

Quick, rare, and fun car to drive.

Overall I am extremely satisfied with this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th October, 2002

20th Dec 2002, 14:27

I also had the tail light problem and I found out that is a short in the brake light harness.. if you wiggle it around or re-do the harness it should work again.. me I just wiggled it around until it started working.. and it hasn't failed yet after 3 months... hope that works for you.

1987 Merkur XR4Ti 2.3 turbo from North America

Summary:

Excellent performance in a sweet package

Faults:

Bought this car for $500 with these problems, which I fixed.

Fuel pressure regulator.

Oxygen sensor (fouled because of the above problem).

Steering rack.

Hood release lever.

General Comments:

I LOVE this car. It handles like a rally car, and has great acceleration.

I plan a series of performance upgrades to turn this into a Mustang killer, and SCCA race vehicle.

It has the double spoiler on the back and gets lots of attention. You don't see these every day, more like twice a year!

These cars, also came with a lot of great options - sunroof, heated leather seats, lumbar support, power windows and rear wiper.

This car is a great sports car, and you can usually find one for less than $2000 in fair shape. Just plain fun!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st December, 2000

29th Dec 2000, 22:49

I agree on some of the points that he made. Although there were a lot of problems with my Merkur, like turbo transmission, and now fuel injection, it is a very noticable car when driving though town, a lot of heads turn.

My friend's Cavalier would get me at the start but if we went over 115 mph I would kick his ass (his Cavalier had a governer to reduce speed, but the highest I ever went was 121mph).