Hi all.

I'm seriously debating on buying my first ever sapphire cossie ether 2 of 4 wheel drive. I will happily sit here and say Im by no means a mechanic and I don't have a vast knowledge on cossies.

My grandfather was a very big old school Ford fan And I myself am to. Unfortunately a few months back I recived the heart breaking news he had passed away and had left me in his will so I thought what better way to remeber him than buy a cossie. Like I mentioned I'm by no means a mechanic so any tips Info pointers ect would be much apriciated. If I manage to get my hands on one it would be used for almost a daily driver so it would be handy to know if they are prone for any faults and what to look out for. Running costs ect.

Cheers in advance
Josh

 

These days most Sapphire Cosworth owners do not use them as daily drivers as a lot have been modified and the mpg figures would not be very good. A low mileage completely standard one would probably suit your needs but you would need a really good security system if you were just leaving it in random locations for any long periods. They are getting more valuable and a stolen one will fetch big money as parts.The salt that gets spread on our roads in Winter would be a worry as rust can be a problem unless the car has been waxoyled or had a similar treatment.They can be as reliable as any other car if they are maintained properly.
I have owned my 2wd Saff for 23 years and it has never had any major problems, it has done 107000 miles , had 23 MOT tests, all passed.Mine has a 3000 mile restricted Annual mileage with an agreed value insurance of Ł23000. It has had various modifications and goes well with 450bhp. It still has plenty of power to make me smile and I have never got bored with it.
Its old school compared to the modern Focus RS etc but that is all part of its appeal!
Good luck if you do decide to get one.

 

 

Don't buy any resto jobs that look cheap
Buy the best you can afford
Get it on a lift to check underneath for rust
Bring a guy who knows his cosworths, pay someone if needs be

They can be a nightmare if you buy a wrong un
2wd can be a handful if you haven't driven them before especially in the wet

 

All valid points but I would not use one as a daily driver due to the amount of Pratts on the road in their buy monthly / lease cars.
One smack up the bum it will be written off as parts are becoming rare and expensive.

Always be aware of cossies on eBay without side mouldings and which have bling painted floors.
All of these type of cars hide rust which is common on older Fords.

2wd saffs are more expensive as they where broken for engines etc back in the day and are now rarer than the 3dr. 4x4s can be had for sensible money and offer a safer ride but are heavier and not as much fun due to transmission losses.
4x4 has the better engine by far but to tune a 4x4 for over 350bhp with similar torque an expensive gearbox will be required.

Buy on condition NOT mileage these cars don't like sitting idle.

My advise is yes buy one they are great but also buy something small as a daily.

As above take someone who knows their cossies inside and out this way you will get a better example.

 

 

I used to use mine as a daily years ago. Would I still use it as a daily now??? No. As said there are too many divvys on the road and the price of parts now would scare me off using it all the time.

Someone pinched a door mirror glass off my saff years and years ago when the car was parked on my drive.

The price of cossies these days are just sooooooooo silly so try to buy a good one.

 

 

Gaz if you have any spares you wanna get rid of let me know.

How come your selling yours matey?

 

RSbryden The wheels are 17inch OZ racing Cronos, old school and not been available for a long time but I love the look of them. I used mine as my daily for the first couple of years but even back then I spent loads on petrol! I have been lucky with mine as it was waxoyled from new which has kept it rust free and it is the original paint from 1990. As others have said if you do buy one take someone who already has one with you as they will be a great help.Rust is the thing to be wary of and mechanical problems can be expensive to fix. Insist on seeing proof of service history as this is really important.

 

 

 

Can be used daily if all the car is kept in tip top condition, take a lot of looking after in comparison to modern cars.
Rot and getting damaged is a constant fear as others have mentioned, they can be and are a pain at times and are a desired taste for sure but if your bitten by the cossie bug then you will love them.
Best thing i can say is you cant run a cossie on a shoe string.

 

Thanks for the replies great help. When I say daily driver it would be more towards a weekend toy as I work round the corner. I'm just in the middle of blagging the misses as we have three children. Would anyone happen to no if you could get 2 car seats and adult in the back happily? Looking to get one in the next hand full of months but I do live in well a bit of a shit hole area so the point being made about people steeling them for parts is worrying but we are moving soon so I may hold fire for the buy. Hopfully I should have about 20k to spend on one so I will be taking my time looking round. A friend of mine has a series 1 rs turbo escort so he will tag along and have a good butchers round it. If a cossie is not ment to be then I think a older evo or something is in order. Thanks again for the advice and tips I was waiting to get a load of twatish replies off people tbh 😂

 

 

One would stick out like a sore thumb where I am at the minute your shoe laces get stole if you stand still long enough

 

Wait until you move.
Remember to get a insurance quote first some areas can be a pain for insurance.
Many have mentioned fuel costs but tbh mine running closed loop and coilpack can easily see 30 plus mpg on the run but once on boost they like a drink and it's super unleaded.

It's very tight with 2 child seats and a adult and remember to cover seats in some kind of padding as the child seats will damage the seats I have proof of that......

Imo service history is not too much of an issue who needs to see if it's had 4 sets of lowering springs and 22 different types of dump valves.
Check oil is clean
Overall cleanliness
Mot's match the mileage
vin numbers not had any welding around it.
vin tag on slam is in place.
2wd's if not rebuilt will have piston slap when cold this is normal and lessens once hot.
Accident damage are the panels genuine ie wings etc.
Do all the panels and front end line up? One on eBay atm looks like it's had a front impact...
Are the tyres a good make ? This will prove to you the owner cares about the car.
Buy from an enthusiastic owner not a garage unless it's a specific RS dealer like KGM.

Do your homework check online for mot history and hpi and cat cars.

Paul

 

The I'm fine thanks. I know how you feel. My little boy takes up all my time. The saff hardly gets used matey. I take it to work every now and then and that's as far as it goes.

 

They are not everyday cars, sure of course they could be used as one, but theft is a huge issue.

I don't even like leaving mine anywhere other than at a show (and even then sometimes I'm wary).

Common problems are the cooling fans and fuel pump wiring, both of which should have been rewired.

Given that the majority are tuned, you want to see proof who done it and what, bodywork wise, you will want to check for corrosion.

Martin

 

A proper service history will be proof of how well the owner has looked after the car. Yes, you can do some visible checks yourself but if there is no written service history and you have to rely on what the seller tells you it could be complete bullshit.There is much more to a proper service history than lowering springs or dump valves(never had one on mine! ) Also if the work has been carried out by a well known Cosworth specialist they will know the car and its owner and should be happy to confirm what they have done to it.I would want to be sure that if I was spending a lot of money on a Saff it was a good one.

 

No such thing as proper service history....
I work in the trade and the amount of cars I have seen which have not had things like pollen filters changed etc is shocking.

Only way imo is if you have a long term owner ie like yourself who has a passion for the car and either gets a friend or a good garage to carry out the work.

Mine has service stamps from a so called ford rs mechanic but that means Jack shit. The same person fobbed a mate off with his 37k from new escos Monte saying it didn't need a cambelt cos of mileage.
so you can make up you own mind about that.
Buy on condition is my advice and if the history is there it's a bonus.

Someone I know recently sold a 3dr with no history for very good money. Why because it was a honest car.

 

I have always had my Saff looked after by Richard and Malcolm at Tremona Garage and have all their paperwork which shows everything that has been done to mine over the past 23 years .If I ever sold mine who ever bought it would be able to see that what I said in my advert was completely true.

 

Your a lucky one then. I have seen so many that have been timed up wrong after having a cambelt.

I even know of one guy who is a RS specialist used to charge people for a cam belt on a Micra......

Crooks are everywhere im affraid.

 

Mine came with a full service history. I had a fault with the cossie when I first got it. It kept cutting out and wouldn't start. It turned out to be a blocked fuel filter. It had never been changed in its life. The fuel filter had a date on it from 1991 when the cossie was registered.

 

This is why it is so important to go to real Cosworth specialists who know what they are doing and will not be trying to rip you off .If you are trying to keep a Cosworth in top condition it can't be done on the cheap by some random back street garage owner who has little or no real knowledge of the car.