Faults:

Transmission required rebuilding at 75,000 miles (£1200). The local Ford dealer could not fix it.

Climate Control system control panel required replacement at 80,000 miles (£300). Dealer reinstalled panel incorrectly, causing temperature control to not work. I fixed it myself.

Air conditioning compressor and air drier leaked and required replacement at 94,000 miles (£600).

Engine computer failed at 103,000 miles; car would not start (£200).

Water pump leaked and required replacement at 108,000 miles (£250).

Several other minor problems.

General Comments:

This should have been a great car. It has all of the toys and creature comforts one expects of a big, touring saloon. The 2.9 liter, 24 valve Cosworth engine made the car perform like a rocket sled, particularly for a car of this size. It's a little sluggish in the corners, but that's forgivable; it's a touring car, not a rally car. The lack of reliability was unforgivable. I traded the car for a Toyota Avensis Verso at 109,000 miles. I wanted the reliability of the Toyota.

Faults:

Air conditioning clutch bearing noisy.

Alternator light glowing (common problem with blown diodes in the alternator apparently)

Cruise Control has never worked.

Fluid pipes between auto transmission and oil cooler replaced due to corrosion.

Front disks need replacing.

Driver's door look worn.

General Comments:

Very relaxing and surprisingly quick.

Thirsty around town, but not bad at all on the motorway.

Cheap to insure.

Other cars might be more 'fun', but this one is easy to live with whatever mood you're in.

Faults:

The bumpers are, just like on most modern cars, fragile. The front bumper cracked last winter (25 degrees below).

The auto box started to shift roughly and the fuel consumption started to increase. It turned out to be the Mass-Air-Flow sensor, located by the air filter box, that needed cleaning.

A quick squirt of carburetor cleaner in the MAF sensor housing solved that one.

The web site www.fordscorpio.co.uk is really helpful to anyone who owns a Scorpio!

General Comments:

It shouldn't really be necessary to write anything about the performance of this car, but one word: Cosworth.

This is truly the perfect combination of raw extreme power under the bonnet, and luxury and comfort in the cabin.

If you can't afford a powerful Mercedes E-class, then start looking for a Scorpio Cosworth.

I simply can't think a one bad word to say about this fine car!

Faults:

I bought this Ford Scorpio in September 1995 and about 3-4 months later, I had trouble with the anti-lock braking system. I took it back to Wallace Harper (Ford agent) and later Sime Darby for service, and I still have had trouble with the ABS since.

Steering is also not good.

General Comments:

My Ford Scorpio give me a lot of headaches.

Faults:

New ignition leads needed as they wend a tortuous route around the inlet manifolds and are prone to shorting when damp.

Slight vibration on braking means new discs may be required soon.

Alternator failed, but the Ford main dealer was cheaper than Halfords. However fit it yourself if you can as Ford are charging 75 quid an hour. Ouch.

General Comments:

Having just come back from the States where we lived for 2 years, I was looking for a cheap but high spec car. I remembered the Scorpio when they first came out and they were ugly, but it's amazing what 2 years looking at Olds, Buicks and Caddys can do to you as I actually love the shape. I might experiment with a boot spoiler to see if that improves it's backend, but the boot is absolutely cavernous and so I can live with it's bustle shape - I find it no worse than the Omega anyway.

Well I had 5 grand to spend and after looking at very old Mercedes and overpriced BMWs, I came across my 24v Ultima. It was only when I lifted the bonnet that I realised it was a Cosworth engine - no external badges give this away but the engine cover has it resplendantly announced in Silver letters. Actually only the head is Costworth, but what a head! Quad cams chain driven with hydraulic tappets and it really makes a difference from 4000 rpm and up.

Performance is excellent in Sport mode and my favorite trick is holding 70mph on the motorway and flick the Overdrive switch off when the traffic starts to clear. Then floor it and just sit there and grin. It's an amazing feeling with the kick that it gives you up to the ton.

However I have one piece of advice, switch the computer out of mpg mode when you do this (set it on something static like external temperature) as it has a habit of disappearing into single digits. This car is not economical - even though the auto box has an E setting - HA! It's not bad on a steady motorway cruise where at 75-80 it will return just on 30 mpg - but short journeys or spirited driving brings it down into the low 20s.

Comfort has got to be the best available for the price. Leather all round with electric driver's seat with memory, air conditioning and more courtesy lights than you can imagine - it lights up the footwells all round and each door has a downward light to illuminate the pavement/kerb and any puddles you just happen to have found.

I cannot think of anything that Ford have not added into this vehicle - the list is amazing. Just think, for less that 5 grand I picked up an 85k mile luxury tourer with more than adequate power, a full Ford Service History, leather, A/C with temperature control for passenger/driver, switchable auto box, ABS, traction control, heated screen, auto dipping mirror, passenger side mirror automatically shows the kerb when reversing, speed variable power steering with a wheel that adjusts for rake and height, electric windows with one touch on every window, back seats that tip for extra boot space, top of the line stereo with steering wheel controls and 6 CD changer, cruise control and multi function computer. AND ALL THIS FOR LESS THAN 5 GRAND. I still can't believe it. The nearest Merc to this was priced at 12 grand for a 1995 and the garage wanted 10 grand for a beemer of the same vintage, and neither of them came close on equipment.

Would I buy another?

You bet!