Ford Sierra vs Mazda 626

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Yeah that would be the brief 1.8 pinto iirc.

I'd forgotten about those , bought a 1.8GL estate ( C426 DMP) from my work at 2 years old for my mum. She ran it for 10 years or so, never spent a penny on it.

They were a desperate company car tax dodge to compete with 1800 Cavaliers and Carltons, I'm pretty sure they were just badges on 1600 Pinto's , that one was 100% not faster than a 1600. Whereas when the 1.8 CVH came out it felt as quick as a 2.0 .

[Pillock]

Pre-internet days, you also bought a car from a local dealer. You didn't go traipsing the length of the country for a specific model because you had no way of finding out what they had in stock. Or you bought a magazine, there were no free reviews and forums to help you choose.

 

You based purchases on sitting in cars and my recollection is that there were simply more "domestic" dealers (Ford, Vauxhall, Austin) than "weird foreign muck" dealers, and often the imported cars would be sold on the same site but in a smaller dealership and you'd be guided towards the major brand as soon as you got there. 

"Hey, want to buy a Mazda? Come this way, just need to walk through the Ford showroom.... by the way, have you seen the Sierra?"

[sierraman]

I'd forgotten about those , bought a 1.8GL estate ( C426 DMP) from my work at 2 years old for my mum. She ran it for 10 years or so, never spent a penny on it.

They were a desperate company car tax dodge to compete with 1800 Cavaliers and Carltons, I'm pretty sure they were just badges on 1600 Pinto's , that one was 100% not faster than a 1600. Whereas when the 1.8 CVH came out it felt as quick as a 2.0 .

They used to burn out quite quick though in the Granada.

[AMC Rebel]

If you stuck a Ford badge on an Allegro it would be transformed from a rubbish BL car (not my opinion) to a masterpiece of design and worth £50,000 instantly.

 

BMW has actually done this - the current Mini Countryman is what the Allegro would have looked like if designed by a committee tasked with making an updated uglier version of the Allegro.

[AMC Rebel]

In all honesty, what the fuck are you on about? So what if one car is worth* more than another or one make is more popular*. Like what you like and sod everyone else.

 

This is exactly right and the reason I have a 4 seater 60's V8 yank convertible that if you squint looks very like a 60's/70s Mopar b-Body at a tiny fraction of the price. 

[lisbon_road]

As a Sierra owner, I'm quite happy if the values are going up.  

[Guest Hooli]

I still miss my first Sierra, a late '92 2.0GLS (J784BNO) with the twin-cam lump. All it needed was 35mm drop progressive springs to stop it wallowing like a boat  plus going thinner (185 not 195) on the front tyres to make an excellent motor. Still remains the highest priced car I'd had, I think I paid £4,000 in around 1995/6.

 

I part-ex'd it for a MG Midget.

[PrimeraMike]

Since emotions and memories are a big part of it, you could say you would do your kids a favor, giving them car memories in hard wearing cars that nobody would want 20-30 years down the line? Cheap nostalgia for them as grown ups - so if you choose to drive in an undesirable car, you're thinking of the kids.

[trigger]

I like Sierras, i have some great memories of my old 1.6 pinto one, i paid £100 for it of a racer with a years mot back in 2002ish and ragged it everywhere, i remember going to the local nightclub one night 7 up in it with my mate in the boot being speared by the massive screws holding the 6x9's in the parcel shelf and doing doughnuts in the car park, with him still in the boot!. (It's alright, he found it funny too)

 

 

Then i bought this grey one which had been of the road 10 years about 3 years ago which wasn't as nice, carb didn't run right, it was gutless and very disappointing.

 

 

It's still like to own either a nice 89-90 2.0 EFi Pinto Ghia or a late 2.0 DOHC GLSi Sapphire one day but the way the values are going i don't think i can justify so much for such a modern car.

[fordperv]

As a Sierra owner, I'm quite happy if the values are going up.

As a multiple sierra owner im even happier but and it's a big but I'm shit scared at the same time with the number of old fords that became valuable that are going missing, I will meet a theif with deadly force but what if im not around at the time.

[sierraman]

Problem is of course the cost of parts once they become mega desirable, I’m buying bits for the Mondeo I’m working on at the moment and new old stock stuff is really cheap mechanically. Brake shoes? A set of APEC ones a tenner? New pads for the front £8.

 

Trim and good bumpers are going up in price though as they start attracting scene tax.

 

A Sierra dash that’s uncracked is worth silly money.

[bezzabsa]

had Fords when younger, but got fed up with welding them up..

had a damn good gap, then brought a 2002 Mondeo Tdci, and LOVED it, quick, economical and comfy as hell..

 

BUT

 

would LOve a MK2 escort RS2000...know I never will though

 

would also love a GOOD Rover 820, another 418GSD, and allegro either standard or VP..

 

problem is nowadays cars could do with velcro where the makers badge goes, cos they all look the same, Kia's, Astras, etc .. even the new Alfa looks like a 3 series!!!

[TripleRich]

You can always rely on a Ford to rust properly...

 

 

[Marm Toastsmith]

Here's one reason people like Sierras:

 

they’re rear wheel drive .

 

Whereas at the time most manufacturers were going to a more modern FWD setup. If you want an 80s RWD "practical" classic, then it's basically a Sierra, a Merc, or a Beemer. I'd rather have a Merc or a Beemer, but then the prices of many of those have gone mad too. Glad to say I owned my E30s and E28s at the right time, even if I did sell them too soon.

 

Old Fords ARE overrated. Or at least over valued.

I don't know why. I don't get the hype.

 

Because they're what most working class petrolheads drove BITD. Nostalgia. Plus generally they're mechanically simple, cheap to fix, etc. Not intimidating like a posh car. Ford always had the geezer reputation whereas Vauxhalls have always been shit. Actually that's not true. Cavaliers and Astras were advanced in the 80s... and my mate's Nova was much better than my Metro and the Fiestas most people had... a large part of the population was always Ford loyal. My dad used to say they had a "Ford mentality".

 

I'd much rather have a Mazda...

 

I love my Ka but it's so un-Ford.