I bought this car as a fun project to learn new skills working on cars. I had a lot of fun with it, but also had a ton of problems (broke down on me an innumerable number of times) and it's not always easy to repair a Merkur becuase you need to order parts from the most random places. (There are lots of things you can't find at an Autozone or Pepboys). I also had no real place to work on the car (I was always doing it someplace it wasn't allowed).

As I entered college I would no longer have the time or money to maintain this car and since it was already in pieces I had to make the painful decision to part it out and... junk the car :/ I don't feel too bad about it becuase it was a rusty, dented up shell.

Now for your viewing pleasure, some footage of the old car, may it R.I.P. I have to say my favorite thing about the car is the sound, and my second favorite thing was the reactions on everyone's faces to the sound! :)

My very first 2nd gear donut (the Tokyo Drift thing is a joke!):

Open Downpipe in this video:

My turbo Wastegate Actuator let go, causing my boost to rised uncontrolled, pegging my autometer boost gauge at 30 psi, and causing an extreme lean condition that resulted in the backfire you'll hear. Thankfully due to the toughness of the 2.3T I didn't blow my Headgasket or do any apparent damage!

Thanks to the great Merkur community I made lots of money selling off the car parts and was able to buy a 99 Saturn SC2, which is certainly no sports car but provides me with some fun handling and the reliability and fuel economy I need for commuting to school and work. Someday I plan to buy another XR4Ti and go all out with it! Until that day I will keep dreaming. Thank you for all your support but please go and check out the other Merkurs on cardomain! They ARE really amazing cars and mine will always be in my memories.