Faults:

Climate control packed up - turned out to be a broken bus (?) bar underneath the fuse box. Identified and fixed for £65 by local Ford Dealer after independent garage had tried to find the fault for 2 days (without charge thank goodness)

General Comments:

Apart from a magnet like tendency for the (225 profile) tyres to pick up nails and screws it's difficult to fault this car, although the big tyres do make it a bit crashy around town at times.

When we purchased the car it had a full service history and had racked up 123,000 motorway miles over 6 years as a company car. In 5000 more miles it has been a delight.

The 2.3 engine is more than up to the job, as long as you ignore it's thirst around town, the gearbox is fine, and the overall comfort quite excellent (as long as you avoid pot holes that is!)

All leather interior is supremely comfortable, elec adjustment, with memory!) for the heated front seats, climate control, heated front and rear screens, sunroof, 4 elec windows, cruise control, 6 cd changer plus radio and tape player, audio controls on steering wheel, alloys, etc etc.

Track down a good one of these and as long as you can put up with it's exterior look, you shouldn't be disappointed!

Faults:

The steering fluid line had a leak.

The air-conditioning was not fully charged.

General Comments:

This is not a fast car with the automatic in economy mode. Switched into sports-mode it's a whole lot better. It lacks the V6 great that I like.

The interior is still very good after 135.000 km. No rattles.

The handling is more direct in comparison to my previous 1993 Scorpio. Great for Autobahn & winding roads.

Faults:

Air conditioning had to be recharged.

Electric window switch faulty.

No other faults.

General Comments:

I'm a big fan of these old executive barges, having owned a Rover 827 Vitesse previously. You can pick them up for peanuts and waft around in luxurious, climate controlled comfort.

The Scorpio is a fabulous car, brimmed with every gadget known to man, and with a meaty 204 horsepower Cosworth V6 under the bonnet which is almost worth the purchase price on its own. Performance is breathtaking for such a huge car, and more than a match for the likes of 528i BMW's and 2.8 Audi A6's.

The equipment list is amazing. Climate control, electric windows, electric sunroof, electric mirrors, cruise control, ABS, remote locking, CD player, leather trim and fuel computer (don't switch the latter to "instant mpg" mode when on choke and under throttle - it is terrifying!).

Running costs are actually quite reasonable. The car is cheap enough to ensure TPFT meaning insurance for less than £200 a year for a 29 year old with full NCB. I have it serviced every 6,000 miles by an independent Ford specialist who keep it running in tip top condition for a very reasonable sum. Fuel consumption is surprising too at 28 mpg average. The Cosworth lump is actually more fuel efficient than the standard 12v V6, despite it's 40 bhp power advantage - a friend had a 12v and struggled to better 20 mpg.

I paid just £2,995 for this car last year from a dealer and it's immaculate. At little more than a tenth of its new value, you really can't go wrong. It's reliable, quick, fully loaded, and has some of the most comfortable seats in any car at any price. It's also beautifully built. For eating up 400 mile motorway trips, for mid 7 second 0-60 acceleration, and for wafting effortlessly from A to B in utter luxury I recommend this car to anyone.