A cheap, fairly reliable workhorse
Interior trim very shoddy and fragile, though this had been rectified with a later model I owned.
Leaking rocker box cover (inexpensive and easy to fix.)
This car served me well and was reliable.
Cheap to run and maintain.
Relatively comfortable even for a very tall person like myself.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 7th January, 2002
Headlamps needed replacing (both sides had cracked lenses and water penetration - expensive!). Brake discs needed replacing, rear drums needed re-lining.
No major problems otherwise. In spite of the awful ford auto-choke it usually starts... which is unusual for a ford.
Comfy old barge. The 2.0 Pinto engine is still reasonably light on oil (with 120K miles behind it) but still runs like a bag of hammers. You don't rev it if you can avoid it. The 4-speed box is as dreadful as most big-Ford boxes, but still has synchro on all gears.
Seats have held up well - no collapsed springs. Apart from the awful fuel consumption (25-30 mpg, typically) running costs have been low. All the electical bells & whistles still work, amazingly. No apparent leaks.
Conclusion: a cheap (450 UKP) comfy barge. Poor handling but a reasonable ride. Heavy steering (no PAS) but it'll do well enough for a year or two.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 8th December, 1997