Faults:

Boot leaks.

Fuel tank leaks when over 2/3 full.

Welding needed to front suspension link arm.

Starter motor failed at 110,000 miles.

Indicator switch has to be handled carefully to avoid applying full beam.

General Comments:

Not a bad looking car for the purchase price (£450 in 2004 with a long MOT).

A few minor faults, but they're excusable as this car has been pretty well used and abused by me for the last 2 years / 18000 miles as a backup vehicle to my motorbikes.

Downsides are running costs. Insurance companies seem to view this car as a performance model (it's not!) and charge accordingly. I couldn't add my girlfriend to my policy as she'd not had her licence for over a year.

It is also quite thirsty though the leaky petrol tank wouldn't have helped that!

I'd probably keep this car and sort out it's faults if not for the above insurance problem and the fact that a hatch back is far more practical.

Faults:

When I first bought the car both rear wheel bearings had worn out.

The front passenger side brake caliper needed adjusting.

Two months later the alternator belt and cable connecting it to the battery broke. No big problem £40 later and it was working again.

Rear suspension creaks a bit, but that's because the rubbers are dry and I can't be bothered to replace them.

General Comments:

This is my first ever car, and what a car! You need a map and a compass to find your way around the boot! The thing is massive.

The engine is over-engineered to the point of insanity. It has been through ten years of driving and apart from belts and timing chains nothing has happened to the thing. It chews through petrol, but the performance is still brilliant, it can rev high and won't complain about it too much, if at all.

The problem with it is that it's a motorway car, it appears Ford didn't plan on this thing being reversed and thus the gear can be a little temper-mental about engaging. Also when reversing it handles like a fully laden oil tanker. So parking can be a bit lumberous, but even though town driving isn't its forte its size gives it presence, yet doesn't make it unwieldy.

Faults:

The floor plan rusted in two locations: one under the drivers pedals, and the other in the same area on the passengers side.

The starter motor died suddenly without warning requiring a breakdown service call and a very expensive replacement part.

It's drinking oil, which requires me to top it up every two weeks.

The heater controls are rubbish and the car never manages to arrive at a comfortable temperature.

General Comments:

Handles reasonably well, but wallows in road bends and is very back heavy, therefore it doesn't require much to lose the grip on the rear.

The seats are quite comfy and it is a nice motorway mile muncher.

It has a reasonable top speed of around 120, with a bit to spare if you are willing to red-line it (I wasn't)

For the power output of the engine the fuel economy is rubbish.

Faults:

When I first bought the car, it needed 3 new tyres and a new rear offside shock absorber. No big deal.

Replaced fan belt soon afterwards.

Starting problems. First time, they were traced to the ECU relay, for which I was charged £93 to put it right! The second time, it was down to the fuel pump relay. My friend charged me a fiver to fix it. Why are garages so expensive?? It took my friend 20 minutes with a screwdriver and a multimeter.

Gearbox went at 87,000 miles. It decided to lock itself in 4th coming onto the motorway. This proved expensive, I couldn't afford the cost of a garage repair, so my friend was once more going to fix it. But whilst it was off the road, it got broken into and all my sound system got nicked (Including a 10 disc multi changer) along with the new clutch that was in the boot! The second hand gearbox I bought for £100 turned out to be broken too when we had fitted it and they weren't going to give me my money back. So in the end I decided to cut my losses; cashed in my tax and scrapped the car, keeping my alloys to sell.

General Comments:

When it works it is a nice car! I was disappointed that I had to do so much work on it though as I had it inspected by the AA before buying it. Won't be doing that again...

I swear this car was cursed though! I mean look at the sequence of events; who needs to buy TWO new clutches?? Only to find that the new gearbox doesn't work. And the break in too... mind you, Ford could at least have made it a bit harder for the thiefs.

The car was very comfortable, although a little noisy at 80+ mph.

It copes happily at high speed, but can take some revving to get there! And the engine is harsh at higher revs... nice woosh from the air intake above 5000rpm though! But overall, although the car is not slow, the performance was well below expectation for a 1.6, especially compared to the Honda and Rover engines.

With the 195/50/15 tyres, it has a lot of grip, and the suspension is rigid making for a good drive. Lots of feel through the steering wheel too.

Stacks of space in the back and in the boot, much more so than the Escort. And the Orion is better looking too...

When I have more money I might need to buy one for modifying... but only when I have more money so I can afford the repairs!