1973 Mercury Capri 2.6 cc. from North America
Summary:
Just one word...Fantastic!
General Comments:
This car was, without a doubt, one of the best vehicles that I have ever owned. I'm not saying that I never had any mechanical problems with it. It had a few, just like any vehicle, but just the power of the 2600 cc. engine and the sporty good looks of the body made up for any "minor" inconveniences that I may have encountered while I owned this car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 3rd October, 2006
22nd Aug 2012, 17:26
I had a 1973 or 4 Mercury Capri I bought to go to college in 1977. It was the 2.6L and it was by in large a decent car.
The biggest problem was that since I lived in Texas, I really needed an AC that worked. It had AC, but the radiator wasn't designed to cool the engine at anything less than highway speeds with the AC on. So it would overheat in stop and go traffic. Other than that, it got 26 MPG on the highway, and something around 19 in the city. It was a 4 speed manual and was relatively fast, but not necessarily quick. I later used it in Phoenix, and the AC was basically not working by then, so that wasn't very good. I sold it in 1984, and bought a new Alfa Romeo Spider, which I still have.
16th Dec 2008, 16:35
I had a 1972 Mercury Capri too, but my experience with that car was mostly unsatisfactory. It was sporty and fun to drive, but prone to many mechanical issues.
For instance, in the winter it would never warm up in very cold weather (of course I had the thermostat changed), and as a consequence of this, it would only get around 12 MPG in cold weather.
The U joints went bad at the back end of the drive shaft, and I went to the dealer to buy the rear yoke where the drive shaft coupled to the differential, and I was told I had to buy the whole driveshaft, that the yoke was not sold as a separate part. I ended up finding the driveshaft at a bone yard for $75.00 versus the $260.00 the dealer wanted.
Another thing that drove me crazy was the rear windows (side). They were the type that just cracked open a couple of inches. They opened outward hand were held open by a hinged strut. The struts were glued to the inside of the window the way a rearview mirror might be glued to the inside of a windshield. Well, in very cold weather the struts cracked off the windows. I took the car to a glass shop and they re-glued the struts, but they just would not stay glued. I drove some screws into the trim piece that surrounded the window and permanently screwed the rear windows shut.
The car had timing gears rather than a belt, and one winter when I was stuck in snow and trying to rock the car out, the fiberglass teeth of the timing gear sheared off.
The car was very prone to rust. When I got it the whole dual exhaust system was shot full of holes. This was a two year old car, mind you.
I could go on and on, but in my opinion this car was a real piece of junk.