1987 Topaz, what to expect? - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

09-07-2003, 22:49

I am about ready to inherit a '87 Topaz. 105K miles. New tranny and alternator. What's the market value?

What should I expect from it? I heard later 80's Tempos had terrible reliability issues, especially with front end ball joints, CV boots.

I had a '93 Tempo, and was rather pleased with it. No real issues.

big1 · 09-08-2003, 05:23

You were told correctly, but luckily the tranny was one of the issue's. The other's were cracking head's on the 4cyl. ( you didn't state which engine ) power window motor's burning out, overly sensitive "MAP" sensor's ( making driving into other altitude's rough ) Transmission shift cable stretch issue. I'm sure there are other's that slip my mind, but if the car has a good service record you've got a pretty good car for the money.

09-08-2003, 08:00

I don't know which 4-cylinder engine it has, I thought there was just one. I think it is the base one.

The tranny is factory new.

I can drive this thing into the ground and not really worry about reliability that much. I troubleshoot a lot of issues myself on cars, unless part swapping involves crawling under it.

LunaticSVT · 09-19-2003, 11:24

Just run it like you stole it. Heheh. Actually you should not have to worry much with the tranny being fresh. That is a major issue with these cars. Check the heads for any sign of leaks.