1985 Mercury Capri (like Ford Mustang, but neater!) 3.8L/Auto. AC works great!

1985 Mercury Capri GS Description

(Sorry Mustang guys, I really do think the Capri is neater than the Mustang! But, perhaps someone searching for a 4-eyed Mustang will see this and love it!)
Hey all, it's time for me to let someone else rock the 4EYEDFX..Sorry for the dissertation, but I'm a history teacher.. We're wordy as heck, are too busy for flaky people and to flake on people, and (me, atleast!) are honest to fault with business deals..
I smogged it to renew tags, but it was more than 90 days ago.. For a California buyer, they can secure it with a deposit, I'll get it smogged, and then we can finish the deal.. Should be a one day turn around since my local smog place is pretty quick.
For the too long; didn't read crowd... runs great, daily driven, $2200 buy-it-now.
I bought this car and fixed up this car for a number of women who have disappointed me, so it's time to send the car on to someone who will do something with her.. Since I bought my daily driver, I've pretty much stopped driving and working and obsessing over all my project cars..
You should buy this car as your "bomb around town" car while you're making all your other Capris gorgeous.. (but please make it gorgeous eventually too!)This is the "drive it to the parts shop and not care where you park it" car because it's already got some blemishes..This might be your "hey, I should buy this for my (now ex-)girlfriend so she gets into foxbodies" car like it was for me.. She was a failure. The car was not.This might be your "hey, I want that license plate, 4EYEDFX!" car so you can put it on another 4 Eyed Foxbody..
For pictures-- Yeah, I really should have cleaned it out and made it look pretty.. But, it was my daily driver for a while and..Well, you're getting the candid photos, not the studio portaits..
It's a little rough around the edges, but I'd like to get $2200 for this car.. I'll probably get laughed at for that sum, but after dropping $1300 into it six months ago to get the AC going and button up a few annoying issues, I'd like to not feel like I gave it away.. Plus, they aren't growing on trees anymore.. This is one of 18,000 or so made in 85.. It's a special snowflake! ;) It's a good runner, no issues, go anywhere car.. And besides, it's an uncommon color..
(Some upgrade stuff is available for the buyer to purchase for an additional cost in person if they wish. 5-lug swap stuff, hood scoop hood, etc.. but not included in this sale.. If they elect not to buy it, it will also get listed on ebay/craigslist)
I would not hesitate to drive this car coast to coast..
The details..
Honestly, this car is great.. I'm going to describe all its flaws so you know I'm a straight forward guy.. No sunshine will be blown up your skirt..
85 Capri 3.8L automaticHas been a semi-regular daily driver for a few years now.. Brakes, lights, and all that stuff is solid..Currently registered and insured.. Was owned by a mechanic friend who has taken care of the work on it.. I don't have the time to wrench on my daily drivers..
Drivetrain StuffAccording to a previous owner, the 3.8L and Trans were done somewhere around 60-70k miles by an owner before them..I have no documentation for this other than "hey, it runs like it should..."Odometer shows 24k miles, so 124k.I spent $1300 readying it for a friend who needed a relatively inexpensive car with AC..So, yes, AC works. Brand new compressor on that sucker. 134A converted, too, so it's an easy recharge if it ever needs it.New idler, too. It was squealing like a banshee-- ends up it was the idler pulley gone south. Now it sounds normal.I wanted it to pass smog legit, so I put a new catalytic converter on it. It passes CA smog. It's close on HC so maybe plugs/wires/etc some day..The fuel pump has been changed to the newer style (...err, I can't remember the details other than "hey it gets fuel just fine..." and "it has that typical electric fuel pump whine.." ...I remember something about a dual pump setup originally and how it was troublesome.. I don't remember.. It just works..)New ignition module.It does do that annoying "hey, didn't Ford do a recall on this?" thing where if the shifter isn't positively engaged in park it will want to roll..It's never been a problem for me, since I always firmly place the shifter in park and I test the parking pawl engagement as I get out.. But, full discloure, I bet Ford did a recall for that..
Interior StuffThe speedometer probably needs attention-- it runs all over the place when cold, but then settles down.. I run a heads-up display GPS speedometer anyway. (not included in sale, but your phone works great as a substitute!)The rest of the gauges appear to work just fine.. Never had a problem there..Seatbelts are a bit on the tired side-- they don't retract with enthusiasm, you have to help them along a bit. But, they work as seatbelts should otherwise. I have a set of the same color out of a Cougar I can throw in.Hey, it's got those great kick panel speaker pods (and I have the original kick panels too for you) that sounds great.. They really only work in an automatic, so here's your chance to blast the tunes. It has an aftermarket stereo because the original radio/cassette had the burnt out LCD.. I have a junkyard sourced radio to replace it, but never went that route because... well, having hands-free bluetooth is actually really nice.. The stereo isn't going to blow your doors off, but it's got tunes for you..Power windows, and they work. Cool! Over it's life the windows have gotten fine scratches along them.. Doesn't bother me, but figured I'd mention it..Of course-- no power door locks.. Dude. Who ordered this car?! (the same dude that ordered my 83.. power door locks, manual windows.. what?!)Dash pad is drier than the Sahara and cracked, so you know the drill.. It'll look better with a dash cap..A previous owner probably did the heater core some time, because they managed to stress crack the dash (see pic).. Not a big deal for me, as a daily driver..The headliner was seriously dried out and crusty, so I scraped the foam off it and left it.. It's actually not that noticeable, but it could use some foambacked fabric and spray adhesive..It does have the cool maplight (that never seems to work...)... There's a fix one of the guys on my facebook did to his, but I never got the energy to redo it..The front seats are comfortably worn.. They're the unique grid pattern cloth that is not reproduced (that I know of).. I threw covers on them and didn't look back.. The rear seats are okay, though the tops are sun faded and cracked.. They're the awesome split fold-down seats.. I gotta say it, too-- the cargo room on this thing is cavernous. Much much better than my 2016 Focus! :(It does have a unique arm rest.. One of the previous owners was an executive with TMI Interiors, so I guess it was him that had the cool arm rest made.. It's very comfortable.. It holds a small or medium drink.. A large if you remove the plastic insert (as shown in the photos.. lol!) It's actually a very well done, comfortable arm rest..The air conditioner fan switch is loose.. My guess is the plastic holding the switch in place got brittle.. It's something I was going to junkyard shop for, but never did..The rear cargo area carpet is a bit worn.. The plastic back there is definitely sun damaged/powdery in places.. The large quarterpanel pieces are fine, it's just the rearmost parts where the tail lights are accessed from.. I have a spare in black I nabbed from the junkyard and was going to paint..The rear glass has old tint on it that's bubbled a bit and has a hazy spot where old shag carpetting rubbed against it while I was transporting it.. (it's a long story.. I also own an old Dodge cargo van that was a shag wagon back in the day..)It does have a rear defogger, but the front AC panel has been replaced in its past and the connector is just sitting back there.. I junkyarded a replacement switch and put it "somewhere in the garage"..The door panels aren't the prettiest, but they'll do..The driver's side weatherstripping is worn exactly where every previous owner (other than me) apparently dragged their shoe getting in the car..When it rains heavily, I do get a drop or two of water along the inside metal trim at the top of the windshield.. Honestly, it's not really anything other than "ah, man.. I gotta figure out where that water is getting in..."It could use new door rollers (the thingies that keep your doors open), since they're worn into a major groove.. Really kinda cool, actually, until you try to keep the doors open on an incline.. lol.. You learn to love it. I know it's a cheap fix, I just never did it.. Again, full disclosure stuff nobody ever tells you except the overly honest..
The Exterior:Dude, it's a seriously rad brown metallic color. I believe the pinstriping is original, too.Some previous owner must have spilled brake fluid on the hood and roof and then done a horrible job masking and painting.. So, it has some blemishes.. See pictures..The area underneath the hood vents was cut and pulled back to make them functional (...yay?).. I was going to change to a hood-scoop hood when I repainted it..The front urethane areas are worn bare.. That would be taken care of in a repaint, I'm sure.. Nothing missing that I can tell, just worn?It has what I'd call "California rust" ("That ain't rust..."-- East Coast guys I know...) in the pillar area where they all get it..I guess the top of the driver's door was getting some rust action.. you can see it in the picture..Nothing on it is missing (other than where a GS badge probably went.. they appear to have de-GS'd it interior and exteror for some unknown reason..)Hey, it's got nice driver-quality 10 hole slots.. Tires are a few years old, but still good..I really can't get over how much this car deserves to be repainted the original brown metallic.. Or just polished out.. It shines up great..
If you read this far, you're a champ.. :)
The Fine Print and details:No unrestored car of this age is without it's flaws. I've done my best to document and make light of any particularities with the car. A $500, non-refundable deposit is due at the close of the auction to secure the vehicle. This may be done via paypal, with the balance completed via cashier's check or cash in person. Sorry, no wire transfers or any of that sketchy stuff. Once the vehicle is paid for, I'm happy to keep the vehicle safe in my locked, patrolled RV Storage area until the buyer is able to secure airfare/time off work/transport/etc. Please, though, no more than 2 weeks. It would be displacing one of my cars to be rotated on the street. I'm happy to allow your mechanic to check it out, skype or facetime a tour of the vehicle, etc. Message me via ebay or text 949-415-4686. The reserve is the best cash offer I've received locally.**Not included for sale is the GPS Heads-up display or the tools and such laying in the car. It'll be clean and ready for you to drive away, don't worry!
Please ask your girlfriend/wife/mom/dad/boyfriend/husband before bidding on this vehicle. If you're clicking buy-it-now, you've got cash in hand or a cashier's check ready to go. Check your bank balance and make sure you don't have something that will make you unable to follow through with a commitment to buy. Thank you :)