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!

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.

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.

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!