1975 Ford Cortina 1.6 gasoline from Philippines
Summary:
It was unreliable and not fun to drive
Faults:
Based on my mom, she said that this car was very unreliable. The car always had problems with the air-conditioning. Most of the time, it wouldn't work. If it was working, then it would just blow warm air. The air-conditioning would only blow cool air a few times.
Other problems encountered would be with the radiator. The car would always overheat even when it was pretty new. Clutch had to be replaced after 3 years. Several parts also had to replaced. It also stalled a few times on EDSA.
General Comments:
This was my grandparents' car for only a few years. It had a black rooftop with a white body. This was my sister's first car that she rode in as a baby. This car was a very nice looking car, but an unreliable pocket drainer.
Aside from being unreliable, the car had an anemic engine and was very slow. Pedals were very tough to step on and required a little bit of effort. Steering was also a bit unresponsive. Driving this car was a little bit of a chore.
My grandfather couldn't take it anymore and he traded it in for a Mitsubishi Galant in January of 1980, which he would keep for the next 10 years.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 18th November, 2016
19th Nov 2016, 07:27
If the clutch really went after three years, that's poor clutch control / driving style which may also explain why it "stalled a few times".
21st Nov 2016, 02:38
Ford Cortina clutches were rubbish (as were the front brake pads). But not too difficult to change. It was on the Cortina that I really got into home auto mechanics. The answer was to switch to competition parts. But that was the UK auto industry in the 1960s and '70s. Without quality control all you did was produce junk.
18th Nov 2016, 18:40
The air conditioning on Philippine cars pre-1990s were not factory ones. They were aftermarket-fitted, usually either an evaporator unit hanging under the dashboard, or plumbed into the existing vents. You'd be very dependent on the type of compressor used - during that time, ideally a York. European Fords were not designed at the onset for air conditioning - simply wasn't needed in Europe. Only since the late '70s Ford Granada was it optional in Europe. The car probably stalled a few times because of the electrics; they used British Lucas components.