1989 Ford Sierra XR4X4 review from UK and Ireland

I actually owned this car on 2 separate occasions. Once from 96 to 98 and again from 99 to 2001 but it was so different each time it may as well have been 2 different cars. The first time I owned it, it was a 2 owner pretty low mileage car. It had modified cylinder heads, a full 3inch scorpion stainless steel exhaust a K&N 57i induction kit and a superchip. It had a full service history at a Ford RS specialist and was a 2 owner from new vehicle. It had been serviced with nothing but Mobil 1 from its first service and had an electric fan fitted in place of the power sapping original viscous item. The first time I had it I had to fit a clutch cable once. The second time I had to have a clutch fitted complete with release bearing, I had to have all four brake calipers overhauled, I fitted a water pump, two new window motors, 2 new head gaskets and all valve stem oil seals after it blew the header tank apart and finally had to fit new cylinder heads so I could sell it.

What a car! The first time I owned her it was the finest car I have driven, massively fast, particularly on the motorway. Off the mark a modern GTi would have it licked, but on the motorway it was virtually untouchable. I had it rolling roaded and with the engine mods it had recieved was producing around 190bhp at the flywheel. This isn't massively impressive, but the torque from the mighty V6 could have pulled a castle down. On one occasion on the M6 after a hefty tailback the traffic had begun to clear, I was in the outside lane sat beside a fully loaded 1990 Sapphire Cossy in the second lane, the road speed had gradually picked up and at around 60mph the motorway returned to normal, we both dropped the hammer and I outdragged the cossy to over 100mph easily, I was about 10 car lengths infront when I had to brake again for traffic. It had a 170mph Cosworth speedo fitted and on one occasion I saw an indicated 154mph on this, it would pull an indicated 111mph on the limiter in 3rd gear with a car full! I sold it because I couldnt afford the 16mpg it was returning on my apprentice mechanics wages. About a year later I saw it for sale locally and bought it back, the service history had gone missing and it was a little rough round the edges. It had however been lowered and fitted with 17inch alloys which made the handling sublime and it was well less than half the price I had sold it for! It was nowhere near as quick as last time I had owned it and a rolling road session showed why, only 110bhp at the wheels!!! The ported heads had been replaced (badly) with standard items, the 57i kit had gone and I don't think it had been serviced since I had last owned it. Finally one day the header tank exploded because the head gaskets were leaking so badly, a number of the head bolts were only finger tight and I am afraid to say I bodged it up on the cheap and we parted company again. This situation is proof that service history is everything. In only 12 months the car had gone from being the best buy of my life to the biggest money pit I had ever seen. Buy a good one and revell in its glory, buy a bad one and wish you hadnt!