Faults:
On delivery, the steering rack need to be replaced, along with ball joints.
There were problems with the differential requiring a fix.
The exhaust system banged and the back suspension was also making noise.
The steering wheel was not aligned properly, and remained incorrect even after a steering rack replacement and alignment.
General Comments:
The build quality on the car was appalling. It was in twice in the first 60 days for repair. The diff was very noisy (it was a LSD)
This car was a replacement for a falcon "S" which Ford eventually bought back from me due to major rust problems (from new)
Given the that I had had a three year battle with Ford to sort out my previous new falcon, I sold the vehicle in frustration within 2000k from new.
The value of the vehicle fell 30% in 60 days, as the model was a run-out (seriers three)
I had major problems selling the car, the dealership giving me a price for which I eventually sold it. New price NZD 48,000, sold at NZD 34,500.
It has nice low down power, and its very easy to exceed 50k round-town. This wasn't helped by the high idle setting, which was to specification.
The suspension setup was inferior to the "S" and just about adequate.
The tires on the vehicle were poor. Wheel-spin was very easy in the wet. This can be cured by getting some decent rubber on the car. The tires were way under speceified for a vehicle this large, and in fact it would step out in the wet with no warning on fast corners.
I will not be buying any more new Ford's.
14th Jan 2005, 03:47
I wrote the above story, I forgot to mention that it seems to float all over the road, probably the tyres though, the handbrake has had to be adjusted 2 or 3 times, although it is a wagon it is very noisy and has vibrations coming from the rear. Has just been booked in for its new suspension and steering (all this and more at 2 and a bit years old).