Faults:

Car came with:

Warped brake discs.

Faulty speed sensor.

And most recently, the alternator packed up.

General Comments:

I paid only £440 for the car in Nov. 1999. It came with a long MOT and was taxed too. The previous owner(s) had obviously spent a lot of money on it as it had recently been serviced having a new timing belt, fuel filter & front tyres. However the car kept cutting off when coming to a stop and it seems that this was the reason it was sold.

The fuel cut-off switch had been bridged (it seems) to cure this problem. The fuel computer didn't work and ultimately after paying Lucas £45 for a diagnostic check the fault was found to be a faulty speed sensor. After replacing it (finally) with a £3 scrap yard jobbie the cutting off and jerking has stopped and the fuel computer works too!!

Overall the car is reliable, quick and makes a nice sound too! Okay so it now has a free flow manifold and system, Bosch Super 4 Plugs and 15" Cosworth alloys, oh and a drilled airbox for good measure. Tinted windows and clear front indicators add to the look.

Apart from a slight 'fluffing' at slow speeds, the car is faultless. The EFI engine seems a bit slower than the previous MFI, but hey it runs on anything, 4-star, unleaded, super plus.

The search is now on for a Scorpio 24v...

Problem is what do I do with 'my pride and joy'?

Faults:

Original exhaust went at 64000 miles.

New front shocks at 71000.

Speedo went at 71000 miles.

New gearbox and xlutch at 72000 miles.

Has leaky oil stem seals meaning blasts of blue smoke on startup, and especially if I give it a blast up the motorway after several months of short journeys - very embarrassing!

General Comments:

It's my first "proper" car so I'd love it whatever!

It is getting expensive to run now having spent £600 this year alone on it.

A bit concerning as it still has relatively low mileage for it's age.

Very heavy on the steering, but handles well although it tends to aquaplane in wet conditions.

Very nice looking however with metallic paint and alloys!

Faults:

I've had to replace the gearbox and as I got one from a scrapyard, I'm due to have a new one fitted soon!

Replaced the thermostat, lifters and valve stem seals.

General Comments:

Apart from the above problems the car is sound! I have added a Peco Powermaster S/S exhaust, clear indicators all round, 15 inch Fiesta Zetec 'S' wheels with Pirelli P6000 tyres, Sapphire Cossie spoiler, Kenwood mask and amp, and Bosch super 4's. This car is an XR3i with a boot.

I have raced a Corsa GSi 16v, Nova GTE, XR3i and won, these cars are well quick!!!!

Faults:

Connection on the fuel pump keeps coming off and the car cuts out.

Engine noises.

Can't have many people in the car because the badly designed exhaust hits the floor.

Rust.

General Comments:

The car is very quick for what it is and is quite good on fuel.

It's got lots of leg and head room front and back, with a big boot.

For the size of the car it handles very well (standard).

Faults:

I have experienced lots of annoying leaks which has resulted in the (expensive) replacement of several sealing strips. Other than that and the minor things like switch failures the car has proved mechanically durable with only regular service items being changed in 5000 miles of hard use.

Some worries over increasing engine noise may mean a new camshaft at 80k miles.

The idle is not as smooth as it should be and there is some hesitancy on acceleration which could require ultrasound cleaning of the injectors.

General Comments:

Although showing its age with slowly developing rust, this car is a joy to own. It moves quickly through all cars and is sharp from the lights. The comfort level is great, a car in this class could only really want an electic sunroof on top of the existing specification to make it perfect.

Don't expect it to to be the fastest Ford on the block but it's a lot swifter than it looks.