The seller has this one listed as a 1995 Tobaz, and if there’s anything I know about, it’s typos. They’re pointed out fairly often here. Ford didn’t offer the Tempo in 1995, so naturally, there was also no Mercury Topaz, so I’m listing it as a 1994 Mercury Topaz GS. It’s posted here on craigslist in Tukwila, Washington, and they’re asking just $1,850. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Rocco B. for the tip!
1994 seems pretty new to me, still, even though it’s been 32 years already. A lot of Barn Finds readers aren’t even 32 years old yet, so for those of us who may grumble about “new” cars being shown here as if this were some regular used car lot, think back 32 years and what was going on in your life. I’d go back in a heartbeat, even if I was still in college with no money. Here is a 1994 Mercury Topaz brochure to check out.
On the other hand, an Oxford White four-door Topaz on a website normally showing dusty muscle cars? Ok, I get your point, but I still like this car. Ideally, it would be a very rare AWD model, although they were discontinued in 1991. At one time, not that long ago, if you wanted to fit in or to go away, visually, you drove a white Tempo or Topaz four-door sedan. Today, this car sticks out more than a Ferrari, or at least as much.
The only buzzkill related to this car for me is the aggravating automatic seatbelt system. I always wear my seatbelts; I don’t need a car to tell me to wear my seatbelt. I’d have to figure out a way to disable or modify this system. Otherwise, I would love to have this one. The Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz line of cars was made from 1983 for the 1984 model year until the end of 1994. This is a second-generation car, which would have been made from 1988 through 1994. This car appears to have the Preferred Package 353A with power windows and locks, and many more nice features that are standard on pretty much everything today. The seats look perfect, both front and rear, for a car with 97,000 miles on it.
The engine is cleaner than I thought it would be, and this is Ford’s 2.3-liter HSC (High-Swirl Combustion) OHV inline-four with 96 horsepower and 126 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by an FLC (Fluid-Link Converter) ATX automatic transmission sending power to the front wheels, the seller says this is a one-owner car, it was never in an accident, and it runs and drives like new. The AC even works. For $1,850, I don’t know how you could go wrong here. This may not be an exciting car, but I’d bet anything you would have people coming up to you asking questions about it almost every time you were at a gas station. Would any of you daily drive this $1,850 Topaz? I sure would.
Great find on a perfectly dull car! There’s a lot to be said for flying under the radar in an analog vehicle. Nice catch, SG.
For the price, I’d drive it, even if the Tempo/Topaz twins were perhaps the dullest cars in the history of dull cars. They were strictly from Snooze City.
That said, they were reliable, and in this price range that’s really all that counts.
Haven’t seen one on the road in many, many years.
Good write-up SG. Car looks to be in good shape. Cheap.
Typos: sure, we all make them. But doesn’t it seem important to at least have the model and year correct in the ad? Of course Craigslist and Marketplace are not renowned for their finely-crafted write-ups. Power seat’s…….
Even in US dollars it’s a great deal to me. I would hope mechanically it doesn’t need much maintenance. It appears to have been given a lot of love over the years.