My step father had some amazing fords from the late 80s right through the 90s. He had a 82 xr4, 90 xr4x4, 84 Sierra cosworth, 92 sapphire cosworth, 94 granada scorpio which was mint, full leather, electric heated and cooling seats in the back as well as the front, was pure luxury with more gadgets that a lot of far newer mercs/BMW. Then he had a lot of modified cars, like a Ford orion with Escort RS engine and a few others with crazy body kits which I thought were the nuts back then, but I'd give anything for a original cosworth, RS or even an XR now. I remember my 4th or 5th car back in 04 was a black G-plate, 91 xr4x4i which was down as petrol green on the logbook, when cleaned and waxed in the sun, it had a deep petrol green metallic tint under the black. I sold that car for peanuts, if only we could turn back time id have kept a lot of cars. There was that Sierra, I had a R34gt Nissan skyline I sold for 3500 which is still local and probably worth 25k now, Fiat coupe 2.0 24v turbo, 97 escort GTI. All are worth good money now.
I bought a 15 year old (1992) Mk3 with all the usual rust issues. for £400, fitted new front & rear valences, one new wing, new front cross member, new petrol tank, and new rear wings, 14 years later, (car is now 29 years old,) and all these replacement panels are still mint & rust free, which shows panel anti rust paint prep is key to ensuring long life, of any old car, mechanically the Mk3 has been Superb, and a nice car to own and drive, a rare sight on the roads now, compared to 14 years ago, but I have been very impressed with my little Ford and like it as much as the 1974 Ford Cortina Mk3 I have owned 45 years, both great cars, and lovely Classic Fords, I enjoyed this video, nice to see brand new mint Mk3 Fiestas, (My cars are on my channel if any enthusiasts would like to see them) and the extensive restoration of the Cortina back to a Brand New car.
Pretty car the mk3, always thought they were underrated in aesthetic terms. Note the pre-facelift fuel cap which caused so many problems with corrosion as I remember when a fuel nozzle was pulled out it would cause a glug of petrol to slide down the side panel causing them all to rot terribly around the fuel filler cap. It was replaced quite early with a more modern fuel filler flap arrangement.
I remember when these first came out in Spring 1989. Despite being 5 years away from being able to learn to drive. These were huge improvement over the mark 2 Fiesta. List price of a Fiesta 1.0 Popular was £5,199 in 1989 iirc.
Brings back so many memories. My dad had loads of fords in the mid 80s through the 90s, mostly the bigger models Sierra cosworth, sapphire cosworth, xr4x4, xr4x4i, Ford orion with RS Turbo engine which was magazine featured, fully loaded granada Scorpio ghia which I loved, even the back seats were electric reclining leather with heater/cooling controls, as well as separate headphone for kids in back, all my mates loved our cars. He did 90% of tuning himself, had some mental kits on some which we all thought were amazing back then. I had a 93 Sierra xr4x4i around 2005, 3/4 years after passing my test, was metallic black with a deep metallic petrol blue/green tint, I sold it for peanuts back then, along with a few other cars which are worth insane money now. What id give to go back in time, I'd keep them all.
Yes, Ford really couldn't address the rear arch rust on their cars of that era, could they ? My dad had an '86 2.0i GL Granada. Rear arches were shot some years later.
@@lewis72 The next fiesta and the Ka were both terrible for rusting away. The Ka always around the petrol tank lid. I was also told by someone that once it rusts there, it's pretty much done for. I was at the 96 Motorshow and the Ka was newly displayed, with crowds swarming it. Little did they know it would soon crumble like a ripped tea bag. They would've been really good cars had they not got car rash so easily.
@@lewis72 yeah my brother had the Og Puma. I wasn't a fan really low side windows, you had to duck down to see out of. Also as we've said the inevitable change of colour to crusty copper.
@@abingleyboy I think they improved the Ka over its life cycle somewhat. Early cars rusted at the drop of a hat but you still occasionally see later models knocking around in not too bad condition. The combination of damp summers and salty winters has always meant rust is a problem in the UK.
Sooooo great to see a brand new XR2 again 'in motion' ! Gives me a flashback visiting a Ford dealership in the early 90s and being so impressed by this version...not to mention the Sierra Cosworth
Did the same thing myself bud, I grew up right beside a ford dealership. I totally geeked out over sierras, collecting broashures, they had an open night aswell when that fiesta came out, was great not having to worry about being thrown out of the cars 😂
Ah late 80's, when equipment like rear wiper and heated rear screen was still considered a selling point :-D That XR2i body kit looks pretty mean! Not seen one out on the road for so long, I'd forgotten how chunky and squat they looked. A pity they all rusted into oblivion so quickly in the UK, as did many cars of the era. The Mk4 was a big improvement in that respect.
@@mxbx307 Rear wipers are present on modern vehicles where there isn't a trunk/boot or pickup bed between the rear glass and the back. The issue is water spray from the rear wheels.
The high security Chubb key. Hah! I had a G reg 1.0 and the key of my old mans work Transit as well as his XR3i would happily open both the driver and passenger door! I also discovered that any Ford key of that era would lock any Ford lock.
@@chinnyvision I think the idea was that they were 'pickproof' and they, I guess, are harder to pick than conventional tumbler locks at the time. But yes, the shims and keys used to wear terribly, a good friend of mine has a 2002 registered Transit and the key is absolutely worn smooth and still works fine. The addition of PATS (Passive Anti Theft System), coupling these keys with a transponder immobiliser did improve the security immeasurably though in the early 1990s.
Like many others my first car too, I loved it. Mine was a bit newer on a k plate, so it still had the old fuel cap etc but clear lights, CFI and 5 speed gearbox! Freedom, what a magnificent tough little car that was.
Learned to drive in a face lift Ghia, Metallic Burgundy/Red it had the colour coded bumpers, spotlights and alloys like the XR2i, remember thinking it looking and feeling really nice, once I learned to drive I had a MKi Popular Plus, fitted XR2 interior and body kit from a MKii then moved onto an Orion Ghia I, that was the last Ford for me, tried a few of the new models but they don’t have the feel and character the old models had
Bought my Fiesta Classic Diesel in 2004 owned her for 15 years. We had a bond you can only have with your first car. I sold her (rust, of course) to a guy who restored cars to use as his family run about so she got a second lease of life.
This car was immensely popular- here in Ireland they were literally on every street corner. Everyone had them from young people to small families to retired people. Same across the UK. They were exactly what the market wanted at the time- competitive, nice styling, modern (for the time), extremely easy to run and held their value used too. Sure some of the engines and tech were the familiar Ford trick of re-packaging old tech/bodies and upgrading it but it was very succseeful. The fiesta is still a great all rounder.
They weren’t as popular as Toyota starlets or micras, if my memory serves me right, the fiestas were old technology, horrible 1950`s engines` Ford were taking the piss as far as I’m concerned, anybody with a bit of sense bought the Japanese equivalent.
@@Shane-zx4ps I think they were more popular- the Fiesta was the top seller for several years, micra or starlet never were and were often too expensive with the volatile Yen before they starting making them in Europe. Neither of which were exactly cutting edge either! The micra from 93 on was a better car alright. Current fiesta way ahead now though in my opinion though the just launched Yaris is a big improvement
Mark 1 fiestas were good for driving schools all round excellent visibility especially without the parcel shelf so you could easily judge the rear of the car.
Should have kept mine I'm pretty sure it's still on the road red oaz5443 I loved that car did need some work but was pretty clean I've been told it's been fully restored how true it is I don't know but it is still on the road
lol how the executives just rolled out of old school tranny minibus. My fave model van too especially when you drop a Cosworth engine in it. The days when i worked as a sign fitter/maker and hearing that girl fire up.
My cousin bought a 1.4 LX new in 1989. It had a few hundred miles when it was delivered and went back to the dealership several times because it kept overheating. The cause turned out to be that the fuse was missing from the engine cooling fan circuit Needless to say, confidence was lost in the car. I thought it was a nice car though - good for it’s time.
Hi ROVR. Great video. Just wanted to let you know that I have the original copy of the Dealership Ammendments for the introduction of Unleaded Fuel across the range. This is the original copy aimed at the Dealer Principal. Found it for free in some Bochures on Facebook Marketplace. I am happy to send you a copy if you like, as it corresponds with this video.
Yeah passenger door mirror good to aid parking, pity drivers don't use it to see how far they are from the kerb when moving so they don't baulk others on narrow streets with parking that are coming the other way.
Ford Electronic Digital Radio :-) (Sound 2000 FM/AM) With Twin Speakers ;) This was my first car in 2001 with 28K Miles on the clock and 1 owner from new. A Doctors Wife in Stratford Upon Avon :-)
Good job the Fiesta L has a cigar lighter rather than the good old fashioned cigarette lighter. Will make the car more appealing to the more upper class set.
in many cars you do have to remove luggage to unbolt the wheel, but as the wheel is under the car it may well be worn out before you put it on so may as well not bother. It looks like you have to lean forward to work the electric windows this is worse than manual windows that can work from seated
They need to send this video to my local Renault dealer, I was asking about one of their cars and the salesman admitted he didn't have a clue as he used to sell Toyotas???
You get the same issue if a branded main dealer takes in a different brand as part exchange (which they sometimes do). I'd be pretty embarrassed to ask an Audi dealership about the used Honda they had in. I think what normally happens is they flog it privately to the main dealer for the correct marque or to another local used car place just to raise a bit of cash.
Car manufacturers were making money hand over fist with cars getting stolen and damaged repaired or written off money selling another one or making money on parts. Even today the two wire self contained siren car alarm at £20 that works off voltage change and shock sensor is good value and reliable, uses battery though.
