Forgettable Garage Find: 1988 Merkur Scorpio
This is quite possibly the most “original” Merkur I have found for sale. I say original due to the fact that it has been sitting for years and not given a chance to be modified. Currently it’s still for sale here on craigslist in Naperville, Illinois for only $700. The seller states that the car was driven into the garage 12 years ago. Sounds like an original owner or at least a second owner? These were interesting when new, but what about today?
The car has just over 100,000 miles and has been parked in the garage since 2006! Not in drivable condition as it would need to be towed out of the garage as it hasn’t even been started since it was parked. This is quite a peculiar find as it’s not something you see every day, a Scorpio versus the far more popular XR4TI coupe. These old Merkur’s appear to be a mix between a Taurus and a Mercedes W124. Is it something worth dragging home though?
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Comments
A big no thanks from me. As big as it can get.
Earlier someone was raving about a Cimmaron. At least this is interesting, and it took someone 100k.
Just too Taurus looking…
I agree with Miguel!
had a client in the early 90’s who drove one of these in the same silvery color.
he seemed okay at first, a bit too concerned with appearing important, but okay.
a month or so later he showed up in a pearl white one….weird, but maybe he just had it painted….?
then a dark red one a few weeks after that!
when i saw him in a blue one i’m pretty sure i open-mouthedly exclaimed “WTF?!”
never said anything about it to him as i’m sure it would’ve led to an hour-long monologue on the Scorpio’s German engineering pedigree & superior handling.
sometime in the mid-90’s i lost track of him but around 2000 i passed by an older condo community & saw all four colors plus a black Scorpio parked side-by-side, stained by pollen & leaves, corroding in unison.
shattered dreams and all that.
As much as I love my ’84 EuroFord Sierra wagon, I’m with Miguel and Skozeny on saying a big ‘No’ to this Scorpio.
Pronounced “Mare-Coor”. I always thought these were like a German Mercury, without the Y. I suppose it’s a good car, German’s don’t build junk. Limited interest, however the is a Merkur club.The Simpson’s creators always pick cars that they feel won’t offend anyone,( Gremlin, VW Thing, etc) Principal Skinner drove a Merkur.
I’ve had two of these and the fact is, Germans do build junk. The comfort is unbeatable, and, when sorted, they feel… solid, but performance is terrible, electrical problems reminiscent of Lucas, Prince of Darkness, insufficient cooling system, TFI which fails every 10 seconds, gauges which rarely worked, outdated driveline, and the list just goes on… And, btw, as far as I know nobody modified Scorpios, unlike the Xr4.
I owned 2 or 3 of these in the early 90s including one with a 2.0 four and the others with V-6s. I liked them and would consider this car if it was local.
I had a friend that was a salesman at the L/M dealership where I grew up at. he was the resident Scorpio/XR4Ti encyclopedia
He sold a bunch of them, and got a new one every three months for his demo.. when the gravy train ended he went back to driving Mercury Grand Marquis as a demo.
People who had these cars adored them, good, reliable, and solid. Everyone I know who had one regretted letting it go.
First job was at a Merkur dealership in MN. Absolutely loved driving these and especially the XR4ti. Wonderful interior and fantastic to drive.
I would definitely go for this, or preferably an XR4Ti…I’ve always liked the Merkur duo. I believe the Merkurs were the right cars, but at the wrong time. We’re now in an age where every automaker is seemingly using the same designs, and a Merkur-like release now would be a refreshing change from the current ‘me too’ offerings.
I’ve always admired the Merkur Scorpio; big, euro luxury. Not the greatest build quality, but then again, that was a common theme in the 1980s auto industry.
Too bad that Ford didn’t give the brand a bit more time to gain a following here. If it were closer, I’d go for it.
Merkur was a badge engineered German built ford apparently they sold poorly stateside and only for 2 years!
No personal experience, but was told the 2.9 V-6 in these was much more refined than the one we got in the Ranger and Bronco II. If this had a five speed, would be interesting. Someone thought it worth the price, already gone!
Turbo model or Nothing. Parts are rarer than extinct!
Turbo model or Nothing. Parts are rarer than extinct! Would be a bucket list car if it were clean original and low mileage.
Omg not for anything but I don’t think a junkyard will take that.
I’d take this Scorpio over that Cimmarron any day.
meh…If it had the turbo 2.3L and five speed, I’d find a Pinto cruisin Wagon to put them in and junk the rest
The rust alone is enough to stay away. Anyone in the rust belt should be forced to take mass transit or have a Honda or Toyota on-hand for winter driving. That should be a law or something. I should write a letter….
These were Ford Granada/Scorpio here in Europe and they were, honestly, wonderful luxo barges, although becoming a rare sight. They are just like a Sierra on steroids. Parts are plentiful this side of the pond.
One of my ex-bosses had a fleet of these – wonderful to drive. Came with engines of various sizes from 2.0 to 2.9 litres in petrol and diesel guises and we even had a 4×4 option on some models.
And the rear seat reclined, a little.