Faults:

There were a couple of rust holes in one sill. That's it.

General Comments:

A 1.6 LX Sapphire is firmly in the banger camp, however this one was simply too good to ignore. Low warranted miles, FSH, its carb fed Pinto purrs like a kitten.

As you'd expect, it's not particularly swift, more noticeably so with passengers on board, and it can struggle to pull the 5th gear at motorway speeds. However it's wonderfully comfortable, smooth and quiet to drive.

It regularly returns 35-40 mpg, and has needed no work, apart from two small welding patches on one sill.

Faults:

Small exhaust blow.

Instrument dimmer is either on or off.

General Comments:

I've only had the car for a week, but covered over 1000 miles in town and on the motorway and it is fantastic, I went from an 03 plate Renault Megane to this £500 Ford and it was a great move to make.

There is no rust on the car, and it has a full service history, with all old MOTs and the original books, keys etc.

It does alright performance wise and is surprisingly economical, 35-45mpg, even though it is a carburreted automatic.

Mid range LX spec is more than adequate too, electric front windows, slide sunroof, tinted glass, delay courtesy light, alarm and more.

Mine came with 12 months MOT and no rust, its mint and completely original, I have added a new stereo though.

The car rides like a new car, it has a very well damped ride and feels like a new car.

I previously had a Fiesta 1.1 which was reliable aswell, these Fords are a great buy, just get a rust free one!

Parts are very cheap and even a novice can service this car.

I can't enthuse enough, Ford should still make this car, I traded a modern stylish hatch for this and have no regrets, if you are considering buying one, do, they are great!

Faults:

Front TCA bushes at 76,000 miles. These failed again a year later, so fitted polyurethane "upgrade" items which have lasted ever since.

Clutch at 89,000 miles and again at 179,000 miles. As the car is used to tow a speedboat in the summer and is 4wd, I think this is reasonable.

Rocker cover gaskets and crankcase breather cleanout at 105,000 miles.

Shocks finished at 120k. Replaced with Koni gas adjustables all round which transformed the car.

Coolant temperature sensor failed at 150,000 miles, giving 8 mpg (gulp!) for a couple of weeks.

General Comments:

I bought this car as a 1900 mile ex-demonstrator from my local Ford dealer in late 1991. I have since put over 200,000 miles on it, and still use it to tow a speedboat all over the country, and it's as reliable as clockwork.

People praise VW and BMW etc for build quality, but after 200,000 miles of hard use, this car still looks, feels and drives superb. There's a bit of wear on the drivers seat squab, and the odd squeak over really rough roads, but its mechanically and cosmetically still superb. A real testament in my view.

The 4wd system has never gone wrong despite its complexity (even by today's standards), and less than impeccable reputation for reliability. I've had to replace two clutches, but in 216,000 miles, I don't think it's excessive. The fuel injection/management system has also been faultless apart from a coolant temperature sensor failure a couple of years back. This was diagnosed quickly and cheaply by a local fuel injection specialist. Other than that, and the few bits above, I've simply followed the Ford schedule to the letter, and it soldiers on happily.

In terms of what the car can do, the answer is pretty much anything. It tows effortlessly, can be slung around the back-lanes in lovely tail led four wheel drifts, sits at 80 mph on the motorway in near silence and sits in traffic and town all day without getting temperamental. Despite its advancing years it has electronic ABS, power steering, a heated windscreen, air conditioning, a CD multichanger, and electric everything. It's quick enough to blow away day to day traffic, engineered solidly enough to rack up 200,000 miles and still feel good. Added to all that, it seats five in comfort, has a big boot, fully folding seats and a big tailgate area for awkward loads, and although not an off-roader by any stretch, its 4WD system gives superb traction over fields, dirt tracks and snow. The lack of modern, reasonably affordable new cars that have or can do all that is the reason I still have it.

If you take fuel consumption (18 mpg) and its dated styling out of the equation, this car is still a fantastic all rounder even by today's standards. Think of any type of use you might put a car to, and an XR4x4 will cope admirably.