1991 Mercury Topaz L 2.3 HO from North America
Summary:
A Slow, but fun first car
Faults:
CV Joints - both.
Head Gasket.
Lower Engine Mount.
Rear Transmission Mount.
Lower Control Arm.
Wears tires like CRAZY!
Struts.
General Comments:
I LOVED my Topaz! It was my first car, and, as such, I beat the crap out of it. Considering the beating it took, those problems there are minor. 3 Days ago, one cv joint finally let go, and I got a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier.
The gas mileage wasn't too hot (around 20mpg), but I do a lot of my driving in town and when I'm in the country I usually drive at 120+.It didn't accelerate too fast (probably a good thing, being my first car and all) but it would get up to 170 km/h if you stayed on it long enough.
Seats aren't the greatest for long trips, but most of my travelling is short (pizza delivery).
I fell in love with it, and am sad to see it go, but it was time.
I think that the motor will run forever, the oil got changed once a year until just recently.
Handles pretty well, but after I bent the control arm, it understeered pretty badly (in this car, the best technique seems to be brake hard before the turn, then gun it around the turn).
The automatic transmission started leaking a year ago, probably from my abuse.
Feel free to email trek1701@mnsi.net if you have any questions.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th April, 2002
12th Aug 2005, 15:57
I have a 1991 Mercury Topaz. It is a great car even though it is over 10 years old. I am a student and I do sometimes get careless with the repairs to my car, but it has not let me down. It has taken trips to and fro and across the country without hesitation or any problems. I have had to put it in the shop once or twice, but it gets me to where I need to go and back. I can't say that this is a great car, but it does get the job done.