Faults:

Core plug went and the car dumped all its coolant.

As it aged, the central locking proved unreliable - ended up playing central locking roulette, having to check what lock hadn't worked each time you secured the car - what is the point of central locking if you have to go round the car checking all the doors (and the boot) every time you lock up!!??

Rust - awful spearing rust in the door bottoms, floor pan and inner wings

Impossibly heavy unassisted steering.

General Comments:

Went well enough - roomy, but not really the BMW basher Ford fans would have you believe. My Dad had one a similar age at around the same time and kept it for longer than I did, and his just dissolved. And just for the doubters, Manchester is NOT by the sea - nor does it rain as often as people would have you believe - the rust protection was just awful. My wife's Fiesta of a similar age did the same.

The interior was quite nice, though the grey, hard and easily scratched plastics were VERY 80's.

On the whole, even for the time it was pricey, only reasonably economical, and performed fairly well, but just not good enough.

Faults:

Piston rings blew at high speed.

Rear arches rusty.

Sunroof jammed.

Central locking failed.

General Comments:

This car easily kept up with and quite often beat RS turbo's and the like. Very fast and fun to drive. Saw 140 on quite a few occasions without much hassle. 60 coming up around the 7 second mark. Easy to hit the speed limit on most roads, and sounds awesome when the turbo spins up. Don't make cars quite like this anymore unfortunately.

No power steering or fancy computers making decisions for you, just man and machine! The way it should be.

Great old skool styling. Comfy inside too with plenty of space and toys. Massive boot.

Built well, but prone to rust and gremlins, but what car isn't?

Quite rare nowadays, and wish I never sold it on.

Was very low compared to standard, so the ride was pretty harsh, but made the already great handling even tighter.

If you see one of these beasts for sale in good condition, just buy it! You'll never regret it.

Faults:

The only complaint I would have with my particular Orion, is the amount of rust on the bodywork, particularly the rear wheel arches.

General Comments:

Overall I thought the Orion was a great car.

It never let me down and was completely reliable, even in the winter months.

The car was quick and handled well, and for me was a pleasure to drive.

For me the Ghia detailing and accessories were spot on, with rear head rests, electrics pack, on-board fuel computer and alloy wheels.

All this for a car I bought at auction in 1998 for £365.