Multi-talented Saloon (Ford Orion)

Member Name: PeeRicho

Product:	Ford Orion
Date:	14/08/00 (353 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to maintain and More distinctive than Escort

Disadvantages: Prone to annoying faults

I've owned two Orions so far, a 1987 1.6 GL and my current car a 1990 1.6i Ghia.
Both cars are pretty solid with only wear and tear items such as brakes, exhaust and tyres giving me any expense. Each of them has done about 80,000 miles which is a crucial time in an Orion (or Escorts) life. At this age a properly maintained engine can go for another 40,000 miles plus but a less maintained example (such as my old GL) will have begun to sludge up. The sludging can be cured by blowing the oil galleries out with an air hose, but you can bet the damage has already been done before you notice it. If sludging has occurred then the camshaft and rockers will get starved of oil and wear very fast. Count on spending at least £200 to put this right yourself.

Other common problems include a leaking boot that can often be traced to the sunroof or rear window seal. Do check the sunroof carefully before buying as you might be in for a surprise rust shower the first time you brake with the roof open. Be warned.

Plus points are many though. My Ghia has electric mirrors, heated front screen, velour trim, trip
computer and lots of little nice touches like additional sound deadening and rear courtesy lighting. Reliability is good, only my older (poorer condition) GL ever failed to start or complete a journey in a combined total of nearly 15,000 miles of motoring.

Do check carefully for rust though. The main areas areas include: the whole car.
Look carefully at the sills, inside doors, battery tray, wheel arches and sunroof (if fitted).
I have not come across one pre- 91 Orion that wasn't rusting in at least one spot no matter how good they look from a distance.
If in doubt, take a magnet and place it against suspicious paintwork, it won't hold against filler.
Also run your fingers around the inside rim of the wheel arch, any immovable lumps here are
probably filler too.

Gear boxes can be a little fragil
e so give the car a good run with some swift changes. Also look for severe vibration at speed in 5th gear.

Aside from the problems, the Orion can be an excellent family runabout with enough power (1.6i) to get you around faster then average too. The price differential between Ghia and less spec models is small so look first for good Ghias, there's plenty about with only a little rust on them.

If you're into home maintainance or your budget is tight you'll pleased to know that the Orion is a straightforward car to work on. The aforementioned camshaft change can be done in 1-2 days depending on experience.

p.s. If you're into big loud stereos then the Orion may not be the car for you as replacing the rear speakers is difficult due to the lack of space under the standard speaker boxes. The best route I've found is to adapt two 14cm speakers to fit into the bass speaker section of the speaker boxes. The adaption means sawing off the screw holes on the speaker and glueing the speaker in place. Not for the faint hearted...

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