Faults:
The bumpers were damaged when I bought it. Even if you can't blame this on the car, it was quite hard to find a Sierra with good bumpers on any junkyard, so probably they are weak.
The door handles was also broken, and I'm not surprised, because they are made of weak plastic.
The glove compartment door have fallen off.
Due too bad lubrication, the camshaft is worn. You have to clean the tube sometimes, and change oil often in these engines. The previous owners didn't.
Worn balljoint, had to replace it to pass annual safety inspection. You have to replace the whole control arm on these cars, can't change just the balljoint.
There is an oil leak from the rear crankshaft seal.
Rust does exist, but not much for a 18 year old car.
The alternator bolts cracked, I blame it on the salt they put on roads here in the wintertime rather than on Ford.
The doors can't be locked from the outside. I've got an immobilizer and live in a very calm area so I'm not worried though.
General Comments:
Well, it is not built like a Mercedes, and were never intended to be...
There is a lot of plastic and cheap solutions. But most things will work, and it is a very easy car to do DIY work on, as opposed too many of its FWD competitors.
It handles good and the comfort is OK, thanks to the individual rear suspension. However, it is very sensitive on the tires. It's especially important to have good winter tires, because when it starts to skid, it can be a tricky car to "get back"...
It is fun to drive, feels very quick. The seats are good, there is pretty much equipment for its time, you can drive very long trips without getting tired. Not bad for quite a small car.
The trunk can get huge when you fold down the rear seat, though it is not as easy to use as the compartment in a station wagon.
The design is often called the grandfather of the modern car. While this is true, it still has its own profile. You find your Sierra easy in the parking lot among the "modern" cars, especially the two door (which I have) has its own profile, not beautiful maybe, but it certainly has something. I like it.
It runs cheap. I get 0,79 litres per 10 km on long trips. That's OK.
Sierras are often very cheap. Find a good one and you get much value for your money!
25th May 2025, 12:36
The Sierra always seemed to me like a larger, more comfortable Escort.
The accessories and their quality were similar. I always liked the design, more than modern for its time. While it was cheap to maintain, it was quite an expensive car, even more so if you bought it new. It was a truly innovative initiative from Ford of Europe, a very good car; the Mondeo was its worthy successor.
Good review.