The Autoshite holy grail is now one of us!

[Cavcraft]

I was a full on Ford licker when these came out, to the extent I was actually anti-Vauxhall. Never liked the Sierra at the time of launch as I was bang into Cortinas and just didn't like the sort of jelly mould new fangled shape of the Sierras. 

Now though I'd bloody love one, especially this particular car and would love to have enough coin to make the vendor a serious offer. I expect the dash is the same as other early Sierras, maybe the clocks are slightly different being a basic model, but if they're ok on this car perhaps a good second hand dash from a banger racer or someone could be had.

Restoring it to some showroom shiny standard might be going too far for some, but what's the problem in knocking the dents out, fixing the interior up and generally making it far nicer than it is now?   

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Think of the value of this if they ever do an update of Keeping Up Appearances

 

​nah - modern day Onslo would be tooling around on DLA in a mobility wagon....... more to the point what would Richard be rocking now Rover is no more?

[Tamworthbay]

​nah - modern day Onslo would be tooling around on DLA in a mobility wagon....... more to the point what would Richard be rocking now Rover is no more?

MG3

[chaseracer]

Hyundai or Kia.

[Alexg]

Hey Midnite, if you join a car forum and the subject cars aren't to your liking, then maybe you joined the wrong forum.

[Tamworthbay]

Or Dacia duster?

[Pillock]

agree entirel, except that a mini would cost a fortune and ferraris would be free. Cost a fortune, unreliable, shite build quality, actually apart from the first one ferrarris would fit in well on here! The mini is an amazing design, space for four adults and their luggage (mostly) and amazing fun to drive. My 998 was faster than a 911 turbo (with A008s on, a shit load of suspension mods and over one and half miles with four roundabouts including three right turns, several tight turns, but still faster)

 

And that demonstrates perfectly why it's important to have a range of cars, in different conditions, all living happily together.

I fucking hate Minis, I hate the scene and I hate the cars. You clearly love them. Shall we hug it out?

 

I also don't care much for Land Rovers and someone on this forum has probably just read that and half-formed a reply in their head. Who cares? I'm probably wrong and they're ace. I do like dangly Sierras, I like beige Cavaliers too, but more importantly I like reading about stuff I've not thought of in years.

[cort1977]

_{I love Sierras me, not because they are any good but just because I had a few when I first started driving and it's nostalgia innit.   There's a lot to be said for a car you can park anywhere, not worry about it getting dented and annoy car snobs in to the bargain.}

[MarvinsMom]

my father bought a poo stable no, sable brown mark 1 sierra second hand, back i think in 1986. the car A570FAJ served my dad well for 6 years. it wasn't a base, but the heady heights of a GL, and a 2000 too.

 

we were amazed by such delights as the dangly wing mirrors, plastic hub caps, and a hatch back.

 

in fairness i don't think it was as good a car as the mark 1 cavalier it replaced, but it kept on going, and going, and going....

 

we kids called it Christine... cos it just would not die!

 

holidays, going to work, taking us kids horse riding, it did it all, without a FTP as i recall at any time and all with the bear minimum of servicing.

 

its water pump packed up, and my father drive it like that for a couple of months before getting it fixed. when the temperature gauge got a bit scary, he would just ease right off and let her coast for a mile or too so it could cool down. 

 

in the end, it got to the stage when it would not pass another MOT easily, he chopped it in against a mark 2 sierra LX, which was an even greater car.

 

it had a well cracked windscreen, when  it rained water leaked though the hole in the bulk head under the battery onto the passenger side footwell, the door bottoms were missing, and the back bumper was hanging off.

 

that sierra at the start of the thread is proper grim and hanging in just about every way, but it is just how they were, mostly, 20 odd years ago. what a great survivor!

[They_all_do_that_sir]

My dad had a mk2 sierra, 2.0 LX from memory. Replaced his trusty old mk5 1.6 Cortina.

 

As kids we thought dad had really made it - colour coded bumpers, sunroof and that joystick to control the speaker balance. felt proper quick too

[lisbon_road]

Dashboard: the normal way to fix a Mk1 dash that gets all cracked is to fit a Mk2 dash.  They don't crack and fit ok, just do not have a centre speaker grill.

 

I must admit that I do not think that this would have so many parts for the go faster brigade.

[Pete-M]

Jesus. These things really were fucking miserable. Even in 83.

 

There's precisely bugger all on that which would be any use to the Cosworth / XR4X4 brigade. Even if the dash was undamaged, it's full misery spec and the wrong one for a Cosworth etc.

 

The idea of an RS500 with a dangly mirror and grey grille is amusing.

[MarvinsMom]

there used to be a nutter near us who had a base 3 door 1300 mark 1 sierra,

 

who put the full cosworth body kit on it, including the whale tail, but retained the 165x13 wheels. they were some sort of cross spoke alloys, but they were small and dead skinny.

 

it was dreadful.

 

just dreadful.

[sierraman]

I think it's a given that I like Sierras.

[Tamworthbay]

And that demonstrates perfectly why it's important to have a range of cars, in different conditions, all living happily together.

I fucking hate Minis, I hate the scene and I hate the cars. You clearly love them. Shall we hug it out?

 

I also don't care much for Land Rovers and someone on this forum has probably just read that and half-formed a reply in their head. Who cares? I'm probably wrong and they're ace. I do like dangly Sierras, I like beige Cavaliers too, but more importantly I like reading about stuff I've not thought of in years.

that's the key to me, I wouldn't want a cavalier but still enjoy seeing them about. I love reading about The cars that were around when I was a kid. I would much rather see a cortina or manta, or alfasud or beta for a bit of foreign exotica than any Ferrari or E type. Super cars don't mean anything to me, they aren't part of my life and never will be.

[trigger]

There's a 1.3 Base 3 door that does the show scene around here but it's now got a Rover V8 and XR4i front end.

 

 

Yes it's got those mirrors.

 

[RayMK]

Nice Vauxhall in that photo            .

[RoadworkUK]

You know, there's a gentleman on here who keeps threatening to Sell his Sierra 2.0 Ghia Automatic.

 

What he actually needs to do is buy this as well. How many people have ever boasted of owning a base and range topping thirty-three year old Sierra simultaneously?

 

Get on it, Ken. All time hero status awaits you. And possibly a knighthood.

[pandamonium]

I have some money due to me from the Daihatsu crash.

 

Would I get hero status if I bought this and just restored it?

[hauserplenty]

ALL MERKURS R SHIT.

[RoadworkUK]

I have some money due to me from the Daihatsu crash.

 

Would I get hero status if I bought this and just restored it?

 

Probably more if you bought it and left it alone.

[greengartside]

If I had a grand spare then I'd be booking my fucking ticket to Laahndaan and snapping that bloke's arm off for it.

 

No bullshit, I genuinely would.

 

GVG is a Norwich registration so double shite points for bringing it back home. Would even go to the Norwich Ford dealer Busseys and take a photo of it sat outside the showroom, maybe I'd partake in Woollarding too.

[michael1703]

I remember when these came out, I asked my dad if they had normal engines and would look under the bonnets suspiciously to see what was underneath.

 

They started up first go with their auto chokes and pre engaged starters unlike the other cars in our street,they seemed space age to me

[Cavcraft]

Right, have mailed the seller and asked for pictures of the interior which he was good enough to send. The dash obviously looks pretty bad (understatement) but he didn't have to send me the pictures and doesn't seem to be trying to hide anything, so I'm not going to give him a hard time over it. Nobody has to buy it if they don't want or like it!

 

 

 

 

 

[I_am_Diesel]

I was expecting a 'J' reg Proton.

[fordperv]

Dashboard: the normal way to fix a Mk1 dash that gets all cracked is to fit a Mk2 dash. They don't crack and fit ok, just do not have a centre speaker grill.

 

Mk2 dashes warp though and aren't as wide at the a pillar where it meets the trim

[Hertz]

Not my bag these but can understand it's charm. Looks like a monkey tops to me IMO.

[pandamonium]

Still would, even after those pictures. Reckon if I waved £800 in crisp notes under his nose he'd budge? I have never paid more than £700 for a car, these figures scare me...

[fordperv]

Right, have mailed the seller and asked for pictures of the interior which he was good enough to send. The dash obviously looks pretty bad (understatement) but he didn't have to send me the pictures and doesn't seem to be trying to hide anything, so I'm not going to give him a hard time over it. Nobody has to buy it if they don't want or like it!

 

 

IMG_0432.JPG IMG_0434.JPG IMG_0435.JPG IMG_0436.JPG IMG_0437.JPG IMG_0438.JPG IMG_0439.JPG IMG_0440.JPG

When I first had my 3 door base in 2001 the interior was in a similar state

[Pillock]

What's going off with the inside of the passenger mirror?