Faults:

I had to replace the radiator as the fins had disintegrated. The new one is going the same way.

The cable to the screen wash motor corroded and had to be replaced.

The boot lock no longer works.

The paintwork is faded and peeling off on the roof.

The headlights flicker when I indicate right.

The dashboard lights no longer work.

The fuel gauge and temperature gauge no longer work.

General Comments:

My Orion has been very cheap to run over the years and usually gets through its MOT with a bit of welding and the odd wear and tear replacement.

For a car with nearly 160,000 miles on the clock, it still drives well and the rattly old 1.3 engine still gives me an easy 400 miles per tank of fuel.

Parts can be very cheaply picked up at scrap yards (where there seems to be an awful lots of Orions and Escorts!)

As the car is probably valueless now, I will keep running it until something expensive falls off.

Faults:

The ignition control module blew at 270 kkm. Cost 30 Euros to replace. The only time the car ever left me stranded.

The clutch finally gave up at 275 kkm. Cost about 300 Euros to replace.

The windshield washer pump died at 260 kkm. I replaced it with an after market one for 15 Euros.

When I bought the car the central locking wasn't working. Traced the problem to the trunk lid, whose central locking motor had seized (completely rusted together). Removed the whole motor and the rest of the system works.

Both the engine and the transmission have small oil leaks, but not serious enough to fix yet.

General Comments:

Even after some pretty serious mileage the seats still look and feel like new.

Except for the central locking problem everything works the way it should.

The ride is very nice around the town, but at highway speeds the noise level becomes disturbing.

Rust around the door edges is becoming a problem. Especially since the car is white. A respray seems to be in order.

Faults:

Distributor cap needed replacing, new spark plugs, new wing mirror, new rotary arm.

General Comments:

This car is quick.

The inside is clean.

The body is spotless.

Faults:

I had a carburator leak, bad exhaust (which made me change my exhaust 2 times, first the last exhaust, then the middle exhaust), and very bad state of conservation of seats.

Bad battery.

General Comments:

I knew I wouldn't buy an old car without problems, but I'm very happy with the car since I solved it.

It's very comfortable, excellent driving and it tops out at 200km/h.

Excellent comfort on the rear seats.

It has great driving and it behaves like on rails.

It came with excellent body paint and a smooth clean engine. Loved it.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

It is a nice car. A friend. It has never let us down.

Faults:

The only problem is corrosion of the rear panel.

General Comments:

Being a mechanic I like the car's reliability and ease of maintenance.

Getting all parts trade keeps the running costs to a minimum.

30 + mpg is excellent for a car of this age, especially as I don't take it easy.

Faults:

I had three new engines because I drove the car like a maniac.

Two new lower control arms.

New carb, the 1.4 carb couldn't take the pressure of the XR2 engine so I up-rated it to an XR2 carb.

Whole new shocks all the way round.

New spax lowering springs, made it handle a treat.

New front pads and disc's.

New back shoes.

New head gasket, while it was being fitted I had the valves chopped to the bare minimum, and

Kent cams fitted.

General Comments:

Apart from all the problems I loved this car because I could get 130MPH and 0-60 in 8 seconds. This beast could stay with any turbo, you should have seen the bloke in the RST along Southend pier when I steamed past and he couldn't respond.

MPG was crap, about 20 to the gallon but you don't get that speed without using a lot of fuel. But in the end all good things come to a end, I had a crash with a oncoming car on a country lane. It put me in hospital for 3 months with two broken legs.

Now I have a Fiesta Si, and am having a turbo conversion done on it. But to be honest I miss the Orion days.