1990 100q questions -- potential purchase

[JustaxPHX@aol.com]

I've been looking for an inexpensive car for my girlfriend and after
considering her requirements and our budget, had pretty much decided on an '85
or '86 Dodge Omni GLH turbo ... they're cheap, readily available locally and
reasonably easy to work on (my requirements) and have four doors and a turbo
(Paula's requirements).  We ruled out the 4kq because Paula found it too slow
(at least the one we test drove) and finding clean ones locally is practically
impossible; we've also ruled out the 80q and 90q since the 20v is way too
pricey and the 10v ones are too sluggish ... the styling really isn't much to
our liking, either.  I've also ruled out the FWD versions of all of the above
since I find them considerably less satisfying to drive than than the quattro
versions and I will be driving the car occasionally as well.

After discussing this with Eric Friedmann and others, though, I'm rethinking
my decision since the Omni isn't known for its crashworthiness and saving a
few bucks here might not be the smartest idea.  So, I've started thinking
about the '90 100q that's being advertised locally ... I know it doesn't have
a turbo -- Paula thinks my father's '91 100 and my mother's '87 5kw are slugs
-- but I know the Type 44 chassis pretty well, they're reasonably easy to work
on and I'm sure the $3,900 price can be negotiated lower seeing as it started
out at $4,500 several weeks ago.   

So, the question is, does the lack of a turbo make this car a slug as well?  I
know it's got slightly shorter gears than my 200q, which should help offset
some of the power difference, and I believe it's slightly lighter as well,
which helps, too.  I want to get some idea of what the car's like before we
decide to look at it since my buying strategy hinges upon making a quick
decision and waving cash around rather than mulling it over for a few days.
The other possibility is to wait for an '86 or '87 5ktq to become available
since they usually fall into the sub-$4,000 price range or perhaps even a
beater 200q (a clean one is probably out of our price range) although my
interest in acquiring another "project" is pretty much nil at the moment.

If anyone who owns a 100q or who has at least compared a 100q to a 200q can
share some insight with me, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks!

JG