Originally Posted by andyrh
I am looking into buying a saph 4x4. Can someone lend a bit of advice into how reliable it should be. I appreciate they are getting on a bit, and standard ones are hard to come by, most Ive seen come with the stage 1 conversion, is this still a reliable amount of power ? Also are they common for certain faults or flaws as most have over 100k now.
Cheers.
I've had mine for around 1,5 year now and have done 50,000 km (30,000 miles). It is a 1992 Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4 with at stage 1 kit and T34. I believe the car is quit reliable. Mine has done 172,000 km (107,000 miles) now and I have had no problems at all for the last 20,000 km (12,000 miles).
However, I must say I had a few problems in the beginning - head was of and a grp. A gasket was fitted, the bearings in the bottom was changed etc. I have had no problems with the engine other than that, but this winther the gearbox will come of and get rebuild.
A lot of the problems you read about is caused by the driver himself, the mechanic who hasn't got the right experience to work with Cossie's or it is simple unluck. I believe when you take good care of your stage 1 Cossie it will run without problems and therefore it will be reliable as a car you can drive every day. I do this meself.
Go for a standard or a fully serviced stage 1 Cossie! I promise that you will have a smile on your face every day you drive it! It is sooo nice
/Thomas Krath