1981 Ford Cortina T F - Ghia review from Australia and New Zealand
"If you can find, or already own a good Cortina don't be a fool and sell it like I did"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Radiator was replaced in the first few weeks of ownership as it started overheating at speeds over 80 km/h.
Starter motor needed an overhaul.
Replaced heater core (old one started to leake and left a permanent stain on the carpet).
Engine needed a rebuild as the previous mentioned over heating problems had broken a few rings causing poor oil consumption and low compression on a few cylinders.
Steering rack reconditioned.
New springs on front and rear suspension.
Converted gearbox from 3 speed auto to
4 speed manual.
Engine could at times be temperemental
and needed constant fiddling/tuning to run correctly.
(This in part was due to super petrol being no longer available and being forced to run on lead replacment petrol).
Other than that just your usual maintenance- oil changes, points, plugs
etc.
General comments?
O.K it had a few things go wrong, but it isn't exactly a new car any more and the faults did occur over a 5 year period not all at once.
Basically the old Cortina was a pretty good thing, it was comfortable on a long trip, easy to drive, started every time and when it was tuned and running right the 2 litre engine is a fairly willing motor (it doesn't have the outright grunt of the sixes, but that is to be expected).
Another feature I liked was the tight turning circle, being tighter than some smaller front wheel drive cars.
Being a Ghia it had the upmarket interior with a few more features and higher quality trim than the lower spec models, and although it was starting to look dated it was still quite presentable.
Body strength was excellent with no squeaks or groans which is good for a
20+ year old car.
I would recommend fitting better springs as I did as it improved the somewhat sloppy handling in standard form quite remakebly.
I would also recommend a manual gearbox as the automatic with the 2 litre engine was a bit of a dog, (plus the four speed manual that Ford put in them are a delightful gearbox to use).
All in all the Cortina Ghia is an honest, stylish, affordable means of getting from A to B.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 litre 4 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7/10 |
| Reliability marks | 8/10 |
| Comfort marks | 10/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 160000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 235000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Ford Falcon |
| Date of Entry | 2nd August, 2003 |