Fast and powerful
The timing belt.
Hole in the radiator.
I know that it may have let me down a couple of times, but over all I thought it was a great car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 24th October, 2003
Performance bargain, built like a brick outhouse
Gearbox lost 3rd and 4th 6 months after purchase, it cost £500 to replace, but it was 13 years old and had done 117000 miles.
Exhaust developed holes this year, but it was the original exhaust from manufacture date.
Dashboard has cracked.
For the price I paid in 1999 for a 13 year old car, £1200, it was an absolute bargain.
The car has awesome performance, 0-60 in around 8.2 seconds. Blows away the boy racers in Novas etc.
When the seats are folded down, there is loads of room for moving house or large boxes.
Very comfortable for long distances and it doesn't use much petrol at steady speeds on the motorway. It is only going over 3000 revs that the fuel consumption gets bad (but that's when the fun begins).
It is nice to line up against flash BMW's at traffic lights and show them what performance is :)
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 9th July, 2003
It's a brilliant buy for £100 2 years ago!
A new battery had to be fitted.
Filler bought for a dent went scraped down the side.
Odd cheap repairs (e.g. new rubber holder for parcel shelf) approx £30 altogether.
The car has had no MOT since the week I bought the it so only driven home. The mileometre has since broke and so the mileage clock or mph clock don't work. The car has only been sitting in the garage being driven up the 200yard drive, but has proved very comfortable for a base model.
Mostly the car has very little rust on the body work, but most of the rust is underneath on the brake pipes etc so it will stay off the road for a long time as yet!
Always starts except one time when the battery went flat. Since I have owned it, it has been my little toy and I have done a lot to it, it now has colour coded everything (light blue), silver interior panels, an alarm and sports seats.
A regular oil change is definitely necessary for a long life.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 7th February, 2003
Always provokes a race from a Fireblade rider!
Wiper arm, caliper piston, master cylinder.
Great for hammering those roundabouts! I find myself looking out the passenger side window....
Downside is every boy racer wants to race you in his shopping trolley.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 11th July, 2000
I find the boy racer problem very annoying. I usually let them get about 100 yards ahead of me in their Nova SR or some other piece of crap. I then hammer it and show them why people who drive Porsche's are afraid of Cossie's, especially a 460bhp 4x4.
I can imagine how you feel about the boy racer problem, but I must make a point. I don't believe that they want a race for the simple fact that a Cosworth would beat a nova/fiesta any day. They are simply trying to provoke you to drive fast because they like and admire your cars, and want to see how they go and sound etc. Most boy racers would like to aspire to own a Cosworth one day, so count yourself lucky!
I can understand the boy racer thing totally and I believe most of them DO actually believe their silly little shopping cart cars are quick. I had a similar problem with my Saab Carlsson.
To be honest I learned the best thing to do was to ignore them although at times it can be difficult.
£90 for a backroad bomb can't be all that bad!
Twin-choke Weber wore out, causing awful driveability and fuel economy.
Rear light circuit corroded.
Track-rod end worn.
Main bearings failed.
Conrod punched hole in engine block (over-revved).
Puncture.
Brake discs+pads wear rapidly.
I drove it into a hedge.
Amazingly nimble chassis on Mk1 model.
All dampers were Monroe, good ride+cornering.
Low top speed, but original engine with the Weber gave seriously good acceleration.
Good ride quality.
No rust at all!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th March, 2000
Radiator leaked, water pump broke, seemed to get more punctures than any other car I've owned. By the time I sold the car it had covered over 250,000 miles (most of them as a taxi, before I bought it) so most of the original parts had already been replaced.
Easy to repair, big comfy car for people who just want:
a) 2.4 children
b) a practical car.
Great for cold winter mornings as the heater warmed up real fast. Shame it's a Ford. This car got a lot of bad hype it didn't deserve.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 10th November, 1998
Major overheating.
Excessive tyre wear.
Excessive oil consumption.
Cracked rear brake drums.
Frequently blowing fuses.
High fuel consumption.
No feeling/feedback.
Expensive insurance.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 18th October, 1998
16th Nov 2005, 08:48
Hi chaps just found this page all I can say is you are so right in wot you say I've just got myself another 4x4.already own a 2.9 on a h plate my new one is a 2.8 just can not wait to put her on the road at the end of the month last thing to say 2.9 and doing fine 2.8 and life is great,the car's are beast's .