Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Classic Cars I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!
17983 messages, Last post on Dec 03, 2009 at 8:46 PM
You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
|
but I think the T-bird turbo actually used the little Brazilian Pinto/Mustang/Fairmont OHC 2.3 4-cyl. The 2.3 used in the Tempo/Topaz, and I think the Ranger pickup, was actually the old inline OHV 6-cyl with two cylinders removed, an engine that dated back to the old Falcon 144/170 6-cyl. My stepdad bought a Tempo, brand-new, in 1984. It was an ugly looking thing. A 2-door GL, IIRC. It was white with a gray lower accent, and some hideous looking alloys. It had some issues over the years, but they ran it to around 160,000 miles, when they traded it for a '91 Stanza. It was still on the original engine and tranny, but I don't know what other work had been done on it. They got $600 in trade on it. IIRC, the Diesel Tempo used a 2.0 Mazda unit? And in later years, they put the Ford Vulcan 3.0 in the Tempo, which had 140 hp. That must've been a gutsy little car for the time. |
|
|
I think you might be correct about those engines. I never kept track apart from displacement. We're discussing Tempos...never thought I'd see the day |
|
|
I don't recall the Tempo/Topaz being available with the diesel, but I do remember the V6 option .. and yeah, I seem to remember that it was pretty quick for the time. I do remember that the Escort/Lynx had the option of a diesel engine, as I almost bought one back in 1985. I was just a few months from graduating college, and my beloved '79 Sunbird had been totalled by my insurance company .. I had $2K to use as a down payment. The dealer offered me a 3-door Escort diesel for the $2K down and, I think, $150/month. They would even defer the payments until after I graduated. My folks talked me out of it, telling me that I didn't have a job lined up post-graduation, and that it was silly to commit myself to car payments when I wasn't sure about future income. Reluctantly, I agreed and ended up buying a '76 or '77 Olds Omega with a 306 V8 for $1000. When I met my wife 8 years ago, she was driving a Tempo that she had bought new in 1986 .. it had 96K on it and was starting to look pretty ratty. Gave it to her sister when we got the wife a new Escort. |
|
|
I Googled Ford Tempo Diesel. Apparently there was one, and someone loves them enough to devote a web page to them. There is also a Tempo/Topaz car club. I can't fathom why. |
|
|
|
|
We must have run out of everything else to talk about ? Yes! The old Toyota Land Cruisers, the FJ40s I mean, not so much the wagons, are VERY collectible right now. They don't bring "big bucks" but they are worth more say than an early Mustang plain coupe and are in small block Camaro territory already. They can easily bust $10K and run up to $15K for nice nice ones. Many have been molested with American V8s but with a utility vehicle this may not affect value, if a nice job was done. |
|
But what's so spectacular about an FJ40 Land Cruiser, other than being a truck?
|
|
|
...the first of the four-door Land Cruisers (pre-91), other than 'ugly'? I saw TWO of them within three minutes early this morning on the way home from work. Hopefully this will be among the last post(s) on these, but I can attest to the existence of both diesel Escorts (a friend in HS and my grandpa had one, AND a diesel Chevette) and diesel Tempos, I've seen plenty. |
|
|
Replying to: jrosasmc (Feb 15, 2005 2:23 pm) They're famous all over the world for their ruggedness and their offroad capability, they're the real deal. |
|
|
Don't forget the AWD Tempos!!! LOL! I saw one of those xA 1.0 today. Even tho it's new, they're only making 2K of them, or less, so is obscure.  Looked better than the original model.
|
|
|
|
| FJ40s are very macho---simple, rugged...it's cowboy coffee rather than a Starbuck's latte. | |
You are here:
Forums
Classic Cars I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!
