Sierra Buying tips

Ok if you want to buy a Sierra or Sapphire Cosworth there are a few things to check for, listed below

Rear Chassis Rails Rust......... You MUST get under the car and check around the chassis rails near the rear shockers, its a bitch to get to but you need to have a prod with a screwdriver as some people cover the rust and\or holes with tape and underseal. This WILL be expensive and time consuming to fix

Rear Diff's.......... Even with 200BHP running through these they can only take a certain amount of abuse, if they whine the bearings are either no good or have been over tightened, if it clunks it may just need the backlash taking out, or there maybe some other underlying problems, bear this in mind

Wiring Looms........... These are now 20 years old plus and may have been chopped into for alarms etc, but the crimps and connectors WILL have got corrosion on them and this will give mis- fires and other electrical problems. Be aware this can be very expensive and annoying.

Accident Damage......... Obviously this will be one of the main problems with a 20 year old car, always do a HPi check (text reg number to 83600 and it only cost £3) and this will save you spending out good money on a crash damaged car. Always check the gaps are parallel, the paintwork is consistent, the boot floor isn't rippled, check for any overspray on the underside. Pay extra care to the chassis number on the floor by the drivers seat, pull the carpet up and check from underneath to make sure the chassis number hasn't been welded into another shell!

Engines......... Contrary to popular belief these motors are pretty strong if looked after (my first Cosworth had 140K miles on the clock running a BBR 300BHP conversion and had never been rebuilt) regular oil change with a quality oil. Early motors with the 205 blocks may give a rattle when cold which is called "piston slap" but this should go once the motor has been running for 5 - 10 minutes. If the car puffs out smoke on start up the valve seals may need changing, if it smokes on boost it may be the turbo that needs a rebuild, all costing money.

Gearboxes............ The 4x4 boxes are usually trouble free but the 2WD T5 gearboxes can be fragile on 3rd gear synchro rings, so check the 3rd gear can be engaged when the gearbox oil is warm, also check the clutch for slippage by pulling the hadbrake up and trying to pull away in 5th gear with about 2000 revs, obviously the car should stall staright away, if not then the clutch maybe on its way out

nice one simon thank you.

I will be posting up all buying guides at some point for people to access. Assuming its okay with you ill add it in

Of course, just trying to help a little

cheers simon-very much appreciated