1985 Other Makes Merkur XR4Ti

Coupe

Turbocharged 2.3L I-4

Manual

wf1bp80w1fm621667

Clear

Gasoline

Hello, enthusiasts! It's been a good year in the Merkur world; there have been some nice examples for sale recently. I'm here to offer one more for 2014. As the title states, I've got a clean red 1985 XR4Ti up for bid. It's only seen a little over 38,000 miles of road. There was a man (whom I didn't know) who passed this year and the family began going through his estate. They pulled about ten cars from his barn, mostly junk except for a few; one of them, this decently-preserved XR - had been parked there since 1994! I found it on the side of the road for sale after a tip from a friend. After some negotiation, I trailered it home the following day. This car runs very well overall. It rides beautifully, and after a thorough bleeding, the brakes firmed up and came back to life. The steering is smooth and the pump is quieter than any old Ford pump I've ever heard. All of the switchgear functions and all of the print work and readouts are clear. Every internal and external light on the car works as it should. The headlights are amazingly clear. Seats still have their bolstering. The seatbelt returns do what they should. Every bit of glass is perfect. It drives perfectly straight, no alignment necessary. I have both original keys, including a non-functioning torch key, as well as the owners manuals/documentation with grey Merkur sleeve - all in great shape. Also, the original floor mats are there and in surprising condition! The car isn't perfect. It spent 20 years in a barn, which allowed generations of mice to inhabit the interior. They left behind a mess - one I spent much of my available time this summer cleaning up. Every panel of the interior has been pulled out, bleached, and cleaned. All nests were removed - about 7 in total. The headliner was lived in; I pulled it down and performed a quick (read: not great) rewrap with headliner material from another Merkur. The smell was hard to extinguish, and it is still not totally gone. It is 95% better than it was before I started - now it just smells like an old car. I keep a 'New Car Smell' tree on the rearview and that's all I can smell when I'm in it. Also, the steering rack bellows need to be replaced - I have them, they'll be included in the sale. One of the mufflers has a hole, I patched it poorly; I'm sure the next owner will do something they like with the sound. The stereo is shorted out but will still play music, speakers are in great shape though. Things I've done: - New tires! They're cheapies, but serve their purpose on this car. Simple Fusion Touring all-seasons. - A tune-up! Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel filter... A few basics. - Reconditioned fuel tank! The original sat for 20 years with no fuel in it, and was trashed. Along with the tank came a clean sending unit, fuel gauge reads great. - I spent a day buffing, polishing, and waxing the paint. It went from a dull, oxidized orange to a lustrous red. - Bled the life from the brakes... Or would it be the life into the brakes? Either way, they work great now. I'm happy to have found this car. It returned me to a world I had once been involved in (this is my fourth XR). I'm glad to be offering it up to the community, and I wish for it to go to someone that will continue improving and maintaining its condition and will actually drive it! Like many great cars from the '80s, a find like this is a rare one. As can be seen in the photos the car was originally assembled on February 14th, so I've been calling it Valentine. Happy bidding.On Oct-28-14 at 15:29:43 PDT, seller added the following information: I've had some good questions, and I want to address the answers I sent here: The A/C does not work, though it does try, so the system must be intact. The heat does blow hot, but the fan switch only works on high. I suspect the little resistor unit on the fan box, but I did not investigate. There is no significant rust on the undercarriage. Underbody coating is all there. There is of course some surface rust on unprotected areas like the fuel pump carriage, but this is a CLEAN car under there. Also, the pinch seams are solid and strait, as well as the goofy jacking "holes". The clutch is in fine shape considering it's highly likely to be original (unless it was somehow burned-up during the short 38k miles it was on the road). Grabs well, and pedal/cable operate smoothly. I wouldn't hesitate to drive this car some distance. I've been tempted to many times, but I couldn't stand the thought of something happening to it.