Faults:

General wear and tear and maintenance aside, there were no major problems with this car until the very end - in its final year with me I had a faulty fuel pump, and around about same time the head gasket showed signs of leakage (white smoke from exhaust) so at the age and mileage I decided to scrap it, not worth fixing. Some signs of rust, but nothing major.

General Comments:

A popular sight back in the day, the Sierra 1.8 LX must have been a common model; mine was light blue with alloys and looked sharp. I loved driving this car, it was my first rear wheel drive car and wet weather driving was fun, so long as you know what you are doing ;)

Interior was comfortable but very basic, and very 80's. Visibility was good and the car seated 4 adults in comfort just fine.

1.8 petrol did around 35 mpg which was good at the time, performance was OK though I would have preferred the 2.0, or better yet a Cosworth!

This car was so simple and cheap to work on that I could have kept it longer if I wanted to, but it was time to move on. I don't know if the head gasket was common, but I have heard of some failing as early as under 100K miles, and yet knew people who had these cars with nearly 200K miles still going strong with no issues. Either way I think I got my monies worth out of mine at 12 years old and 140K, which was good going.

Have since moved on and had many Ford Mondeo's to replace this car - also good cars, but I still miss the Sierra!

Faults:

Clutch went after three months of hard driving on tarmac and gravel roads on a daily basis.

Steering rubbers must be replaced at least every year, because of hot dusty summer driving being plus 30C and in the winter it is minus 30C with deep snow and by the law studded tyres must be used, great fun to drive on.

Oils are changed on a very regular basis and the dist/cap too changed and Ht leads and plugs too.

General Comments:

A German built Ford which is great fun to drive and can match many BMW's and many more other models too... just watch it go over the many gravel roads and when I hit tarmac roads it is just a dream (pity the wife does not respond like the car does)

Faults:

Passenger side electric window malfunctioned at 55,000 miles.

Brake cable broke at 60,000 miles.

Tyres needed replacing at 64,000 miles.

Left side rear door handle fell off a 71,000 miles.

Head gasket blew at 75,000 miles.

General Comments:

Considering its high mileage, the Sierra was a very reliable car.

Its bodywork and interior trim were also very sturdy and of a high quality.

The Sierra was also comfortable and fun to drive.

A decent buy at £4,400.

Retailed at £2,500 two years later.

Faults:

Left rear side door handle broke at 82,000 miles.

Power steering failed at 97,000 miles.

Driver's side window motor failed at 118,000 miles.

Interior light bulb blew four times in as many years.

General Comments:

Aside a few niggling problems and the power steering failure, the Sierra was a very reliable car that was also well built, comfortable and a joy to drive.

It also gave good economy and value for money. I bought it for £3,000 when it was six years old, and five years later I sold it to a private buyer for £800. It is still on the road today.