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.

Faults:

Front window motors failed at 48,000 miles.

Tyres needed replacing at 50,000 miles.

Heater failed at 55,000 miles.

General Comments:

Aside two electrical faults, the Orion was a very reliable car.

The Orion was also good value at £3,600 as a four year old private buy.

Sold it on a year later for £3,000.

Comfortable to drive and also gave excellent handling and performance.

Big boot proved very useful for carrying loads.

Saw it on the road as recently as 2004, by when it was 17 years old.

Faults:

So far, I have had an exhaust Drop off on me, The bonnet cable has snapped, and The usual rust in the arches, I'm having problems with the carb/fuel/vacuum system which is currently being sorted.

The usual tappets rattling away (not as bad as a 1.3)

The seat trims have ripped.

The valve guide seals have perished so I get a smoke screen every morning.

General Comments:

The car performs excellent when she works, cruises at 70mph without a problem and can accelerate to 80, 90 up to 110 quite easily. Have put a K+N induction filter on and replaced the exhaust which fell off with a Big bore 4, Sounds BEAUTIFUL now, fitted 14" XR3 alloy wheels, I recommend Dunlop SP sport 200 and she handles like a dream, before on 13"s she used to slide dangerously.

For a home mechanic I recommend getting a head gasket kit (£25) which includes valve seals and all the seals necessary to overhaul the head.

Faults:

Battery needed changing, understandable after 5 months doing nothing.

Passenger window slower than drivers. Not the end of the world....

Very "chuggy" accelerating hard through the rev range when cold, very annoying.

Has cut out once or twice when cold at junctions, took ages to ignite again.

Discovered a leak in the radiator 2 days ago....

General Comments:

I have just bought the car, very nice when test drove, acceleration very quick, but things have begun to go wrong so haven't had the chance to really "test" the performance qualities! Very smooth runner, although the car is bouncy over 80, can be scary on twisty roads!

Great car for potential performance increases, I intend to add bits to the engine in the near future.

Fuel economy is pants when thrashed, but is OK when driven sensibly, also expensive insurance at 1400 quid, but hey, I'm only 18.....

Overall great car, quick, fast, very comfy, wouldn't swap it for anything, however, did get blown away by a Fiesta RS Turbo......

Faults:

Oil leaks from most places imaginable.

Lot's of engine smoke.

Leaking seals.

Hot starting problems.

General Comments:

A surprisingly quick and well equipped car that only really slipped over with it's sludged up engine. If looking for CVH equipped engines then always go for well serviced examples and you will see the benefit in your wallet.

The interior was nice but if you can find a decent Ghia model, go for that instead.