1993 Mercury Capri Convertible 1.6 non-turbo from North America
Summary:
Sporty commuter with room for kids
Faults:
Shifter broke loose and fell through the floorboards. Ongoing problem last solved with epoxy.
Soft top leaks around the driver's side door.
Clueless local mechanic didn't know it was a twin-cam (they all are).
Starting to become hard to find body parts.
General Comments:
Wish it had more power, but a lot of fun, especially with the top down. Compared with the Del Sol and the Miata, it has about the same performance. But you can't throw two toddlers into the back of the Honda or Mazda.
Hard top a definite plus - makes it a four-season car. Looks were a little dated in the '90s, but for some reason seem cleaner now.
Do-it-yourselfers beware: it takes a lot of scraped knuckles to change the timing belt and water pump.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th August, 2000
9th May 2001, 18:28
I also have the shifter problem. I found that an air conditioning duct zip strap worked real well. I drilled two holes, on each side of the shifter, through the metal plate in the floorboard under the shifter. Then ran the strap through the holes, but not around the shifter bar that goes to the tranny. Over the shifter bar and under the metal platform that holds the rubber piece that is supposed to hold the shifter up. I then tightened it up, and put all the console back together. I have driven it about 10,000 miles and haven't had a problem yet.
My dad is an ASE certified mechanic and he said "their should be no problem with that".