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turbos have an average life of 160k miles, so the turbo on the car you are looking at "may" be approaching its end. This may or may not be the reason for the weak performance you mention. Of course, performance in these cars can be affected by octane as well... I used 87 once and thought I'd killed the turbo or something (it just wouldn't accelerate properly). Changed back to super (91-93) and all was right as rain.
engine harness deterioration. especially prevalent on earlier models with "green" ecowiring (yesk the 1986 is included in that group) and PARTICULARLY on turbos with the high heat.
has the car had transmission work previously? gears can get sticky with age on the manual (especially 1st), but its usually the early harbinger of the death sprial. Of course, that spiral can take 30k-40k miles with proper care, so...
and of course check the undercarriage for any rust or corrosion, with particular attntion to the drains in the doors (bottom), the drains along the body under the door jams, the front of the driver and passenger floorboards, and the bottom or the rear storage compartments.
good luck with your purchase.
-rt
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