A quality performer with outstanding reliability
The driver's side window regulator broke.
The oil pressure switch leaked.
One cannot ask for anymore from a car considering the initial cost of the vehicle.
The car is still capable of reaching speeds of up to 120mph.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 18th June, 2001
Racing car performance for Reliant Robin money!
Absolutely no faults so far!
I love my XR2 to bits, I look after it and have it serviced regularly, the only problem is when driving in sleet and snow, it can be bloody lethal! Especially when you live on top of a mountain like I do!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 20th March, 2001
Cheap to run? Yeh right, I live in a rural area so no chance of it getting stolen, I'm 26 and am getting told insurance is going to cost me £670 a year to drive a crappy Ford! Insurance companies are basically legal robbery (along with the government). Not only that, it has just cost me £400+ to get through its MOT so if it's a mk2 you are on about I'd sell it before it rusts away.
If you're paying £600 + to drive your XR2, you're with the wrong company. Try AXA Direct. I drive an XR2 and my recent renewal was £280 fully comp or £180 TPFT.
Hi, I had a Black F Reg Xr2 and I loved it. Forked out lots of money for repairs etc, but still loved it. I was 21 years old and it was my first car. Mine showed 120mph once, with 4 people in would you believe! (With video evidence, on the way to Blackpool!)
Mine had slight! rust issues and I needed a replacement tailgate because of this!
It sometimes threw a wobbler when starting when wet, until I threw yet more money at it to get it repaired. I bought mine with 89000 miles on the clock for £2300 from a dealer back in 1996. I sold it with 129000 miles still running strong, and got £600 for it at an auction (1998) I then owned a 1990 Ford Orion 1.6Lx (Same good fast engine. I'm now 30 years old and now I own a Mondeo 1.8 Lx zetec (Verona) with 35000 miles on the clock. Its ace buts lack the fun and charisma of my XR2 and in some respect the Orion too!
Nice simple car to drive, when learning...
No faults, just specks of rust.
Brilliant 1st car (nice, basic, simple to drive).
Cheap (nothing went wrong!), just take it steady and it's quite economical.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th February, 2001
A cheap and fairly reliable car
When I got the car it had oil leaking from the cylinder head gasket and a coolant leak from a core plug (I didn't know what to look for etc)... I had the core plug fixed at a dealer (which cost an extortionate amount of money) and decided to put a new head gasket on myself - which took ages (mainly due to the amount of crap which needed to be cleaned out), but very rewarding.
Also I think the engine mounts are knackered from the ragging I was giving it... will have to sort out soon.
Also a bit of rust on the wheel arches and bottom of the doors.
Apart from those problems, the car seems quite sound - it's never broken down, engine always starts first time, although it's very noisy, performance is nothing to shout about but gets me from A to B.
Fuel consumption also pretty good. I just hope nothing else goes wrong in the near future!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 5th January, 2001
Well I've now sold the old Fiesta. My original review didn't say what a utterly crap car it is to drive... tons of body roll and very vague steering, with a pretty crap gear shift.
It was quite good as a first car, never broke down although had lots of problems and rust was starting to build up on the arches and at the bottom of doors. I now have a P-reg Honda Civic which is soo much nicer to drive, and should hopefully prove to be very reliable!
24th Jun 2001, 16:15
Sadly, just traded my F-reg XR2 for a Fiesta Si. For its age my XR2 was in brilliant condition. It had been lowered, peco exhaust, expensive alloys, white dials and loads more. There is a bad stigma attached to XR2's and their drivers (ask insurance companies). In the 4 years I had the car, nothing major went wrong with it.