I just bought a 1984 Mercury Topaz in excellent condition, true little old lady car w/ less than 33,000 miles and all the paperwork for $2500. Can I still get parts? Am I crazy, like my husband says?
Yes, yes and yes.
Should be no problem getting parts. Was it well kept, with oil changes as needed? Antifreeze and transmission fluid changed? Low miles can be a problem if it’s not maintained correctly. But if it works a year, you’re OK.
I agree with everything that texases said, but the price that the OP paid for this 25 year old car is about 3 times what the car is actually worth.
Let’s hope that the oil was changed often enough to overcome the likely pattern of local driving without the engine ever warming up fully. And, unless the OP can verify that the brake fluid was changed within the last 3 years, that maintenance procedure should be first on her list, followed by changing the transmission fluid and the coolant.
It’s all right, but you’re not getting a prize winner. It won’t do U-turns well. You can still get parts and definitely parts for an automatic transmission. When you have the transmission rebuilt, have the planetary gearsets changed too.
Semi-crazy only. There is a reason that some people drive these bombs a long way. First; the transmission isn’t always shifting between 3 and OD.
There are no air bags with the stupid warning light that keeps you from passing inspection.
Your calipers and rotors are easy to change and inexpensive. Once the caliper is out of the way, the rotor just comes off.
The timing chain lasts for the life of the engine; good thing too because it’s one heck of a job to change due to space limitations.
Have the front end aligned now and every two years afterward. A bad front end alignment will ruin the automatic transmission if left too long. If you drive on snow, slow down before you turn, not during a turn. Get rid of it at 140,000 miles if you can stand to drive it that far. If the heater core leaks after 70,000 miles, change the radiator too. On your car, forget about the 70,000 miles and just do it.
If you bought it just for casual driving and not daily commuting, yes, it’s a good car for $800 or so, as indicated by others.
If it was a 94 instead of an 84, then you might have gotten a decent deal, but for a 25 year old car, that’s too much.
If your happy with the purchase, don’t worry about what you paid. A new car depreciates a lot more than $2500 if you drive it off the lot. If you get several years of service from the car, you are money ahead.
One thing I’ve learned is never to tell my wife she paid too much for something.
I will just add in that there is more to a car’s value than just it’s $$$ value.
I had a '90 topaz in high school. It was a real beater and the engine would randomly shut off on me, however - in the end it never failed to get me where I needed to go! Have fun with the Topaz and good luck.
You are crazy! You just bought a 25 year old economy car that wasn’t very good when it was new. Regardless of the miles, you’re going to be dealing with degraded seals, rusted lines etc.
Two days ago I was driving behind a 1989 Ford Escort with a for sale sign in the back window. 12k miles, they wanted $3,500. A higher mileage Focus etc. would be a much better buy. On cars that old mileage means nothing.
I’ve seen a early-mid 90s Civic hatchback that looks riced out and the guy wanted like $3500 for it. I wouldn’t give him 1500 for it
If you like it, enjoy it. 1984 and 33,000 raises some flags you should check. Low miles and old age means it most likely did NOT receive the kind of care that really matters. (1) Have the brakes bled and replace with new fluid. (2) Unless you have documentation that the tires are less than ten years old, replace them. They may look good but if they’re ten years and counting - they’re rotten. (3) Same goes for all hoses and belts. You’re looking at another $1,200. (4) Have a mechanic give it a going over to identify any serious safety problems. Yes you can get the parts. But another $1,200 is not much if you really like this car. Tell the old man that women like toys too and he should consider that for future reference to his choices.