'87 Turbo Coupe

[DICY]

I've just bought myself a 1987 T-Bird Turbo Coupe for $500 Canadian (about $300 US). The thing's in rough shape, but I have a feeling most of the work is body and interior. It has 150 000 kilometers on it (roughly 94,000 miles). I picked it up cause the second I saw it I knew it was a really rare car and probably wouldn't find another Ford I ever actually wanted to buy (no offense, I'm just not a big fan of Fords in general). We know the engine is still good because it turns and there's compression in it; problem is the last guy managed to break the key off in the ignition somehow, so I don't know if the turbo is still good or not. My question is, if the turbo's shot once we get the engine started, is it really worth it to try to get this thing back into good condition, or should I just chop it and sell all the parts?

[Liquid_force]

there are a LOT of websites and forums to help you keep these cars running. If the turbo is indeed toast you can probably find a used replacement in the neighborhood of $100, or have it rebuilt (or rebuild it yourself) for not much more.

BTW - my '88 has 219,000 miles on it and is completely original except for the automatic transmission which I replaced with a 5 speed a couple years back. These motors will run forever if you maintain them even reasonably well.