1983 Ford Sierra L from UK and Ireland - Comments

Failed ignition coil.

Worn TCA bushes.

Faulty fuel gauge.

Look at the above faults, then consider that these were over 60,000 miles, and that the car had 114,000 miles on it when I started!

The Ford Sierra is one of the most solidly engineered, bombproof and reliable cars money can buy. It's also pleasant to drive (nice RWD chassis), cheap to run and easy to work on.

The engineering is simple, crude even in places, and the four cylinder engines are way off the pace both in terms of power and refinement. But the thing works, day in day out, and in all weathers. I'd jump in it, turn the key, and it'd start, religiously and without fail.

Two oil and filter changes a year and a few other bits of basic maintenance was all it needed. It let me down twice - once when the coil burnt out (brand new replacement cost £20) and the other was when the fuel gauge went faulty and we ran out whilst showing half a tank. Even without making allowances for a six figure mileage, that's good going in 5 years and 60,000 miles.

Parts and insurance are cheap, fuel economy was over 30 mpg however hard I drove it, and the car became like an old friend. Eventually the bodywork let it down, and with plummeting car values making repair uneconomical, she went to the breakers a couple of years ago, still running sweetly with 173,000 miles on the original engine.

I very much agree with this assessment of the Sierra. I bought a new one at MilFord Garage in Barton Mills, Suffolk in 1983, an L model with 4 speed gearbox, and drove it 72K miles in 3 years. As a new car, I can tell you it was more spirited than one might expect, and cruising the M1 at 85 was well within its capabilities.

Unfortunately, my wife collided with a butchers van as it left a lay-by and, while she was thankfully unhurt, the "little car that could" gave its all, and we lay it to rest at the breakers in 1986 at Cambridge. Well done, Ford. Pat Bodin, California, USA.