OT: Any Merkur owners on the forum?

[saluki540i]

Just curious if any one on the forum owns or has owned a Merkur?

[colo525i]

Older brother had a scorpio we picked up at auction for $200. 1st problem, no coolant 2nd problem plug wires were mixed up so the cat nearly lit on fire. After fixing those things it worked pretty well. Probably would have kept it if it were the 5-speed.

[E34-520iSE]

I had a 1988 Ford Granada 2.9 V6 auto Ghia. It was a great car, really comfortable and would tow anything from caravans to felled trees. That Vee engine was unbreakable, and I really tried hard to hurt it. Only bad thing about it was it wouldn't go round corners very well if the road was damp. I wish I still had it now, even though it looked like Thunderbird 2...... I even bought a 1990 2.0 twin cam scorpio, which was another comfy car but it had no power at all, but those electric seat warmers were lovely in the winter, and the 7 position wiper thing was just....odd!

Cheers,

Shaun M

[Derek A.]

Spent some time with a 5 speed xr4ti. Neat car. Was pretty quick, fun to drive. Basically had the save drivestarin as a Mustang SVO and a Turbo Thunderbird.

[saluki540i]

I'm converting my 87 xr over to a V-8 as we speak, and just like to know if there are any other closet Merkur maniacs out there. It ought to be stupid fast after all is said and done. With the 331 cu. in. V8 it weighs just under 3,000 lbs.

[fujioko]

If your Merkur has a manual gearbox, be aware that the T-9 is a popular box for kit car builders. You can usualy get $300+ for a good gearbox.

Thats a pretty good price for such a crappy little transmision.

[saluki540i]

They really were crap in the american versions, though there were upgrades to be had. I could never justify it though. I sold mine to a guy and used the money as a down payment on the Tremec I have behind the V-8, in the car now.