From: philg@zurich.ai.mit.edu (Philip Greenspun)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Merkur Scorpio
Date: 19 Nov 92 19:25:41
Organization: M.I.T. Artificial Intelligence Lab.
	<1992Nov19.153403.14001@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Reply-To: philg@martigny.ai.mit.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: zug.ai.mit.edu
In-reply-to: bqueiser@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu's message of Thu, 19 Nov 1992 15:34:03 GMT


In article <1992Nov19.153403.14001@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> bqueiser@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Brian J Queiser) writes:

   mfolivo@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (Mark Newton-John) writes:

   >Does anyone have any comments on Merkur Scorpios?
   >
   >I've seen a few on the road, and I have alsways like the design.
   >Too bad that Ford decided to drop the German Fords (Scorpio, XR4Ti)
   >Were they built well? (I assume that being a German car, it should
   >hold up well. Assuming of course.)  (heh heh)

   The Scorpio was imported for 3 years, I beleive, '88-'90.  Occasionally
   I'll see one a used lot for about $12,000-$14,000 depending on mileage
   and age.  Usually, though, they're low mileage and are in excellent
   condition.  The car was originally sold for About $29,000, so it
   can be a good deal.  The downer is that there is the occasional horror
   story about them regarding their reliability and ease of maintenance;
   Phil Greenspun is currently suing Ford regarding his Scorpio.  I happen
   to think that his case is really an extreme, but I'd say that it's a
   gamble with those cars.  The common denominator among the Scorpio stories
   is that when it rains, it pours.  Knowing this, I'd still buy one
   because I love its look and personality; it's a true touring Sedan.
   They're RWD, luxurious, and European.  I wish I could've afforded one
   when I bought my used Sable.  Now I'm in the market for an XR4Ti.
   I think, in essence, that desiring a Merkur puts you into a cult.

Well, here is Philip Greenspun to stick up for Scorpios!  Rent one in
Europe and you'll see how great they can be.  The problems with mine
haven't been so horribly bad, it is just that Ford has refused to
acknowledge any of them until six repair attempts.

For example, my car vibrated (steering wheel visibly shaking at
40MPH).  Everyone could see it but Ford's specially trained "engineer"
from the zone office.  Well, after 14 months of complaining and suing,
they finally discovered that they'd sold me defective tires where the
belts separating.  They said of course this had never happened to
anyone else (I looked up the federal data and found that it had --
also these particular (P6) Pirelli tires were famous losers according
to the tire shop (and Pirelli dealer) I talked to).

Thus, if you have a really good mechanic and/or a good lawyer :-) it
can be a great car.

I do think that Ford screwed some things up when they federalized the
engine, particularly the throttle position sensor, and my car had
three parts spontaneously fall off because they weren't assembled
properly.  However, I don't think the Scorpio is poorly engineered.
My theory is that Ford's piles of Harvard MBA's are poorly engineered.

On the fourth hand, Ford charges viciously for parts (e.g. $55 for
wiper blades) so getting one without an extended warranty is kind of a
losing proposition.  My car has eaten up $thousands in brake parts and
engine control hardware.

One of the nicest things about the Scorpio is that the suspension has
no memory.  Hit a pothole in a BMW and the car is still recovering a
split second later; it would have been long forgotten by the Scorpio.
I think that is why Englishers and Deutschers like it so much.

In conclusion, almost all of what I have to say about the Ford Scorpio
has to do with the way Ford USA treats its unlucky customers and would
be just as applicable to a Taurus buyer who would up on the wrong tail
of the Gaussian.

--

      -- Philip Greenspun

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Newsgroups: rec.autos