Faults:

Still putting faults right from the previous owners, including balancing, exhaust, rear discs, leads, plugs, dizzy cap, rotor arm, air filter, and oil service.

Having said all that, whilst I have owned the car, nothing has gone wrong.

General Comments:

Apart from all the faults, the car is in stunning condition for its year, and is a worthwhile rolling restoration, requiring a small amount of work that a chimp could do.

Being a 4x4 on a spax kit, it handles very well; indeed with just a little over steer if you let off the throttle midway round a roundabout. I have never experienced under steer, and feel the car is very pointy, which I like.

Engine performance is not the quickest I have driven, but with an after market zaust, the V6 has a very nice sounding note to it; the cherry bombs help with this ;) Coupled with the handling and short shift gearbox, the driving experience is very rewarding.

Bodywork, considering the car is 21 years old, is in very good condition, with only one door requiring an new skin because the corner has gone, and only a few little bubbles appearing in the usual places. The car is Diamond White, and if you look at it for to long in the sunshine, you run the risk of getting snow blindness.

Chassis has never been welded and in good nick.

Interior is stock, and could do with a valet, but it is not bogging, just needs a freshen up. Sadly the dash has cracked, but I intend to have it re trimmed in leather anyway.

Fuel economy is poor, but who cares anyway. If you want fuel economy, buy a TDi of some description.

Parts are two a penny and plentiful.

All in all, I love this car, and they are starting to become rare and more valuable. It's not quite my Mazda 323 4x4 Turbo Rally with 275 BHP and mods as long as your arm, but it's a good sound car, and fun to be in.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

The best selling car of its time - the 1980's and 1990's. The 2.0 Ghia and 2.0 Ghia injection were the class acts of the range. The first run for three years was a silver 5dr model, an automatic with a radio cassette, electric aerial, and a glass sunroof, it covered 15k miles with no problems. The 100 hp engine providing good performance.

Replaced by the 2.0i Ghia in metallic blue. This version had one of the first on board computers and a quartz clock. The computer could not do much. It told you what doors were open. A slightly better performer than the 2.0 no I Ghia. It could top 115mph, and do 25mpg or so, as it was an automatic. Add 20% for the manual version.

The strange delayed reaction auto box always kept performance leisurely. It oozed Ford class and was actually little different to drive, if not slightly nicer than the Granada 2.8i Ghia run at the same time. The two had a similar corporate look and feel to them. The Sierra gave good service up hill and down dale, to the shop and back, never breaking down or missing a beat, until one day it was rammed up the back by a boy racer. A new body shell was needed!

This fitted, the car continued to give service. Now given to my sister to drive as her own car. It began to get grubby as horse riding gear was put into it, and was not cleaned much.

Then one day it was gone. Stolen in the night from a country road outside a farm house. Is it safe nowhere for an old car nowadays? It seems not.. Some joy riders had driven down from the North, stolen it, and dumped it with all the doors and windows open after reving the engine till it blew up. In the middle of a wood and too old for any repairs, so it was off to the crusher, even though it was only 10 years old. What a way to go!