Wise Buyer: Sierra
Bag Ford’s gamechanger before it ends up out of reach.
Why you want one
Digital watches, home computer games, a woman at Number Ten… As if all that and more wasn’t enough for we Brits to get our heads around at the dawn of this new tech-driven decade, two years into it Ford blew up the family car. It gave everyone such a fright, many buyers clung on tightly to their Cortina keys or worse still for Ford, headed for the Vauxhall showroom.
That alone seals the Sierra’s significance in British automotive culture. However, 40 years later, we now fully understand the true impact Ford had on car design. It banished boxy. Every mainstream car since has sought to cleave the air as smoothly as the radical Sierra did. And with a sprinkling of Ford’s unique performance fairy dust added to the formula, from XR4I to Cosworth, the Sierra is rising in value in a way that only a classic Ford knows how.
Which one should I buy?
Early Sierras are very hard to come by these days – especially ones that weren’t butchered by the boy racers. Locate one of these, and you’ll find either a 1.3, 1.6, 2.0 Pinto unit or a 2.3-litre V6 Cologne under the bonnet. There was also a rather unrefined 2.3-litre Peugeot-citroën pushrod diesel version, which lasted until 1989 (when it was replaced by a smoother turbodiesel unit).
The base spec five-door (with the black plastic front) and three-door hatch models are particularly rare – especially if the latter hasn’t been tarted up to look like an RS Cosworth. Converting it back might be one challenge too many.
The Genk-produced XR4I wowed crowds with its twin spoilers and body kit at the ’82 NEC show and went on sale early the following year, lasting until 1985. Few remain but it’s a highly prized model. The fuel injected 2-litre debuted in January 1985, alongside the XR4X4 and the bonkers rally-bred three-door Cosworth appeared in May 1986. The V6 engined Sierras were dropped at the end of 1985, with the sluggish 1.3 getting binned a year later. From L, Laser and LX spec to GL, Ghia and GLS, any standard early model is worth saving these days. In March 1987, Ford scrubbed off the Sierra’s smooth face and replaced it with a more conventional nose. It got more glass, upgraded trim and quieter engines and a booted version, called the Sapphire. From June 1988 there was a new 1769cc ‘CVH’ petrol engine and six months later the XR4X4 was given a 2.9-litre V6. One particular collector’s choice burst onto the scene in 1989, in the form of the 2000E – a nod to Cortinas of old. It’s recognisable by its two-tone metallic paint and leather seats. Also in 1989 a 2.0 DOHC ‘I4’ engine arrived, signalling the inevitable end of the ageing Pinto. Smoked rear lenses, clear front indicators, colour-coded bumpers, more equipment and a slightly curvier dash followed in subsequent facelifts. From August 1992 catalytic converters were fitted to all petrol cars before the Mondeo came along in April 1993.
You’ll need some serious dosh for a Cosworthbadged car these days and you’ll want to study history as if your life depends on it. Nevertheless, whether it’s a base spec Sierra or a Cossie, many parts are shared so you’ll have to perform similar checks. Which leads us to…
What should I look for?
That curvy bodywork loves to rot, naturally, so beware of bad repairs. The areas to home in on include the wheel arches, door peripheries, sills and the box sections that strengthen the floorpan.
Also check the slam panel where it meets the inner wings, the crossmember behind the bumper, sunroof surround, battery tray, the bulkhead and the suspension turrets. Concentrate on the spare wheel well, the boot floor corners, rear panel, jacking points and floorpans, too. The Sierra was
‘Hot Sierras became instant icons from the very beginning’
famed for its ‘ripple effect’ which allowed a minor rear shunt to twist the whole bodyshell.
As detailed above, there were five engine families plus the twin-cam unit in the Cosworth.
The automatic chokes on carburetted cars are unreliable, so most have been replaced by now. Water pumps wear, but they’re relatively easy and cheap to replace. The CVH, I4 and Cosworth units have an alloy cylinder head that warps; the cast-iron Pinto can just shrug it off with fresh coolant.
The most common engine you’ll come across is the CVH unit, which tends to need a top-end rebuild after 100,000 miles. The I4 can have timing chain problems above 130,000 miles if the wrong oil has been used – it should be 10W/30 or 10w/40. I4 head gaskets fail, causing overheating and then a cracked cylinder head. The V6 power-plants generally last in excess of 200,000 miles.
Gearboxes tend to be tough. If a four-wheel drive Sierra has been used with unmatched wheel and tyre sizes, or towed on a dolly rather than trailered, the viscous coupling in the transfer gearbox may be wrecked, given away by the awful racket when the car is driven. Four-wheel drive cars got a limited-slip differential, but the differential casing is the same size as that of a standard car.
If ABS is fitted, check that it’s working. Some parts are unavailable. Make sure the orange dash light illuminates, but doesn’t stay lit; if it does, the ABS isn’t working. Connectors in the wiring were patchy, so some electrics can work sporadically and be a pain to fault-find. Rear lights are a major suspect here.
The bushes in the track control arms wear quickly; it’s easier to fit a replacement arm. Feel for a vibration under braking and vague steering. A screeching noise from the front suspension points to tired wheel bearings. Warped brakes discs (juddering under braking) and seized wheel cylinders (which leads to rear brake imbalance under hard braking) are common. On cars with rear discs, the handbrake can seize if not used regularly. Overall though, the Sierra is a real joy to own, fairly simple to look after and you’ll get a warm welcome and loads of support from the numerous clubs.