Just a post why I got into the XR's Add your own stories

olddog · Post by **olddog** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:30 pm

Stumbled accross a tired looking white coupe with a funny name and a bi-wing at a Salvation Army car lot. Popped the hood and saw the turbo, hmm. Took it for a drive and thought hey this is fun, this car wants to run. First car I have seen held together with bailing wire and wire ties. That should have been a big clue, LOL. But it liked to run. Finishing up a 72 Mustang Grande with a 351 C at the time. Running really good ready for paint and a new interior. So I thought hey my next project.... oops.

They wanted $1200, so I went home did some research, though really not enough, came back offered them $800 and they took it, another missed clue.

My son and I drove it home and started our love/hate relationship with Merky, AKA POS, Mucky, PIA and the money pit. New head, grille, plumbing, shocks, struts, springs, all the hoses, speedo, cable, clutch cable, TPS, VAM, radiator repair, exhaust replacement including the CAT, tubing, sewing the seat seams back together, AC repair, lots of elbow grease, cleaning, etc, etc. I have more in this then the Mustang. For some reason Momma doesn't like that, or Merky very much, hehe.

If it wasn't so much fun to drive when its running good, turbo reminds me of the secondaries opening up on a 4 bbl carb. I think I may have donated it back. Everytime I think I'm going to paint it, something else goes south. So Merky is still tired looking but suprises a lot of newer cars, and right now she is running PDG. I have though of some Mods, but the only thing I can really do is an IC, SMOG rules being what they are.

Camaro5690 · Post by **Camaro5690** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:10 pm

Well I found Merkurs on a webcomic "Misfile" That this girl wanted me to read (addicting webcomic really). I saw the XR and got interested looked into them a little bit. Then I found one sitting in a field that a family friend owned. Got it for free, now after a few years of it not running and me not being too interested. I got it running and have bitten by the Merkur bug, looking to make it my DD next year as the 85 Camaros MPG sucks horribly.

Post by **timxr8** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:36 pm

My oldest brother had an 86 XR and the head cracked, so he told me if I fix it I can have it. So that was spring break 2004. 1 gf and about a year of college tuition later I got rid of it. Did a V8 conversion and a lot of other work, but the wiring was messed with before and the rearend was rusted through. Now that I am out of college and have the money I bought a very nice 85 XR. Got a lot of plans for it and will probably do a full tear down and rebuild of the entire car...maybe a Duratec 2.3? Who knows.

Post by **86XR4Ti5SPD** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:32 pm

Grew up on fast Fords and got bit by the Merkur bug before I knew how to pronounce it. Bought a Scorp in '88 and had two XRs in the early 90s. Found my current '86 in April '08. I've concluded it's a life-long sickness with no known cure.

Stargazer7467 · Post by **Stargazer7467** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:11 am

I sold my 85 Omni GLH turbo, wanted something turbo and strange to replace it that i could get to be quick and get a "WTF is that factor".

nathankershaw · Post by **nathankershaw** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 10:44 pm

My dad owned an XR4i 2.8 V6 Gunmetal Grey in England in 1983 reg: A215 MND. I loved that car. I can remember me and my Dad racing a Ford Capri from the lights, my Dad dumped the clutch and the XR spun it non-lsd diff'd rear wheel for what seemed like a lifetime and the Capri disappeared into the distance! What fun!
I saw the XR4Ti in a UK mag, either Fast Ford or Performance Ford a few years ago and it stuck in my mind.
When I moved here I saw an XR in Craigslist which 'TheDrill' ended up buying, who is now a friend I met through here.
So it wasn't meant to be!
Two trips to the UK and back later I saw another one in Ventura, went to see it a mono white 87 auto and fell in love.
A bit of nostalgia with a car that everybody says WTF is that?!
She didn't cost me a lot, broke down on the way home. I fixed the snapped cambelt, alt, a/c and pwr steering belts and not much else.
Money is really tight right now but I do have some plans for her.
She leaks and doesn't run perfectly but she keeps going.
I love her!
Bloody great cars!

Post by **Leishycat** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 9:24 pm

I got bitten through Misfile as well. Ash's car always seemed a lot more unique than most of the cars you see on the streets, or most of the other cars in the comic for that matter. I did some research, liked what I saw, and today I applied for the loan to buy one three hours drive from where I live

mtnXRti · Post by **mtnXRti** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 10:44 pm

A lady that use to work for my Mom asked me one day if I knew much about cars. Hers a had died down the street. I made my way over to it. Opening the hood I did realize it was a turbo charged car, 5spd and RWD. Intrigued. I got it started with a jump. Not sure what the issue was really. The lady thanked me and said she was planning on trading it in on a Focus sometime soon. I quickly jumped on a computer and looked up what the car was worth and it's history. Also if it was a car worth owning. By now I wanted one. I think I called the owner that night and spoke with her about me purchasing it verses her trading it in and getting nothing. It ran poorly. Backfiring, high surging idle and what ever else was up with that electrical issue. I flat out asked what she wanted and she said no less than $2000. I laughed and said well I could do $500 max. She went on saying that she had almost $3k in the car for a/c work, maintenance and misc stuff over the last 5 years and could prove it. I kindly said I am sorry. Just told her to keep me in mind. She called two weeks later and asked if I still wanted it. I said I did but I no longer could afford the $500. I made my offer of $275. She said sold! The dealer offered her $200 trade in.

I think I still fall in love with it everyday. Even if it is starting to make milk shakes

BuzzBomb2.3 · Post by **BuzzBomb2.3** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 1:08 pm

This actually started 15 years ago, but didn't take hold until last month. When I was still a teenager, my brothers saved some cash and bought an '86 turbo coupe for our mother as a grad gift when she graduated nursing school. The fact ANYTHING Ford with a turbo rather threw me off. I was used to the idea of a grunting, snorting V8 but realized the potential of the car when I went out for a ride and test drove it in the local hills. Later on my older brother picked up an '86 SVO and had taken me along for a ride. The performance aspect of the car then became apparent. Less then six months later he went off the road racing my other brother in his '68 notchback and put it into a fence. The front bumper was a bit banged up and he had no idea where to find parts so he sold the car off. Thinking about having one, I researched the engine and found the parts available for such a project and wanted to build something similar, but didn't know what until I stumbled across the XR4Ti. Instantly with the road racing heritage, I knew I'd have to pick one up. As time went on however, I settled on a '70 'stang Grande with a 351, then sold it for a '97 cobra, then sold that for a 2k Jetta TDI for mileage. The mediocre performance of the diesel had me looking on craigslist one day and lo and behold, there she was as a single ad posted at 1500 bucks. I went out, took a look, found EVERYTHING working (Unheard of!) so six weeks ago, I bought the car, sold the jetta and so far, haven't looked back. Mods to come soon!

kevin86xr · Post by **kevin86xr** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 8:04 pm

It was July 1990 and I was driving past the local dealer in my 87 4-banger stanger and saw a red one on the lot. It had just come in from a lease with 36K miles. It had bald tires and a fuel or air problem that combined made the test drive very rough. I knew nothing about the cars, but I had to have it. Bargained some new tires and a few repairs and bought the car for something like $6500 out the door, if memory serves... Still have the car to this day.

MFND · Post by **MFND** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 12:26 pm

I have always liked cars outside of the mainstream U.S. market cars. The family has always had Volkswagens, air and watercooled, an Austin Healy or two, a Morgan, and even a two stroke Saab. Growing up (I'm 35 going on 17) I always lusted after Group-B rally cars and marveled at the fact that LeMans had different cars running in the same race. Always liked the racers who turned both directions and made the most of small displacement/huge handling.

Anyway, I have always liked the XR4ti for it's styling and engineering, yet never really considered it to be a car that I had to own. A few years ago, we hired a guy here at work who's Grandfather was a Ford executive who spent time in South Africa. It just so happens that Ford gave him a Sierra as a gift when he left. It had remained in his garage for 20 odd years and I tried to talk this guy into getting it and putting it on the road. Well, it seems that the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn was willing to take it and display it there (I have no hard proof of this however). Bummer.

Well the same guy stumbled upon 2 abandoned Xr's that were destined for the scrap yard and he was going to do one, and I agreed to take on the other. His wife was very unhappy about this, and soon I found myself in posession of both of them. Unable to fund a resto of this magnatude, I sold them both to a guy who since has one back on the road.

Since that defeat I have been combing Ebay and Craigslist for a reasonably priced runner that I could actually do something with, and I have found one. I pick it up next weekend. So my story is just beginning really. I have been watching the BTCC videos on youtube non-stop, I am now in full jones-mode for my Sierra (as I will refer to it, to further stump those who choose to drive run of the mill automobiles). Rock on, niche car weirdos!