Cheap and cheerful (Ford Sierra/Sapphire)

Name: Bazza1603

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Product:	Ford Sierra/Sapphire
Date:	20/08/01 (626 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A bargain cheap car thats nice to drive, Spares cheap

Disadvantages: Plenty of rubblish examples about, Lots of ex taxi

After selling my Mondeo TD, I was after a car that would get me around from A to B cheaply, while still offer a decent specification. After hunting up and down the columns in the autotrader I decided that a high spec Sierra would do the trick.There aint many cars I havenot had and I liked my previous Sierra about 6 years ago. However the police seem to like it as well and I was always getting stopped.

I had first decided on a Turbo diesel, I know there are slow and very heavy to drive without power steering. The first example I looked at was advertised for £700 and it had power steering on a H Plate. The car was decribed as a mint example and the owner would siad in the advert that a RAC or AA inspection was welcome.

The owner said it was given up the car on health grounds, so i thought this is the car for me before I even saw it. First impressions of the car where good, a slightley off colour front wing ( a New wing had been fitted at some time) two just legal tyres and an engine with so much back pressure it was fit for scrap(back pressure is were the cylinders and/or piston rings are worn excessively and compression is lost in the cylinder which escapes into the main part of the engine.If you pull the dipstick slightley out and notice it is puffing smoke, then the engine is worn. The easier it is to see the smoke the worse the wear is).Back pressure on a diesel is bad as lack of compression will make it hard to start and as well as that the exhaust smoke was bad were reveved.

The owner had came down to £350 after my offer of £300 which gave me the money to pay for a replacement engine. But I decined the offer after he reveved the engine as he was slightly unset with me by this time and I noticed a big start across the Turbo. This completely put me off and I left.

Next I came across a J reg dull metallic blue 2.0GTI estate which looked rather sad in my local car dealers which had been a part exchange.The asking price of £550
seem a little high, but she was tax and tested. Things that where wrong included a blowing exhaust, the exhaust was new but required the joints bodging.A tailgate that didnot lock due to the lock rusting away whcih required welding.

I haggled with them and drove the car away for the bargain price of £325.She had all the toys which included PAS and unmarked Alloys with Mint tyres...Yippey.The car came up a shiney colour when slightly polished. The interior is clean and everything works except the radio and the paperwork shows only two owners from new.

The car drove nice until you hit 50mph and the car shook very badly that it was unsafe to drive. After testing the rear drive train for excessive wear my friend touched a tyre and give out a cry, problem found!!! One tyre had a bulge on the tread which had resulted in the steel wire caseing coming out of the rubber. One new tyre for £17.00 and she was back in business.

Ive now had the car for 1 month, she slightley smokey when hot, but this is normal for 2.0 DOHC engines. the rest of the car is spot on and I can honestly say shes a bit of a bargain.I will use her for 3 to 6 months and then valet her and hopefully sell her for a profit.

The car is nice and smooth and averages around 26mpg around the doors and insurance is a group 12. The power steering is still a bit heavy.Space inside the car is massive with it being an estate.

Stay away from buying any basic Sierra, unless in first class condtiona and it was made from 1990 onwards when where changed. Make sure it was not had a hard life, excessive worn interiors etc. And stay away from Ex taxis unless the prices is cheap. Prices for work and spares for this size of car are cheap.A bargain of a car if your looking for something about £700

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