COSWORTH_DREAMER

So as the name suggests, i'm just a dreamer and have been for AGES!
I love the Sapphire Cosworths but due to age meaning crazy insurance, it's pretty much been a no go (2-3k fully comp at 23/24 years old!)
So i've been waiting but 2010 is the year for my first cosworth!
This October 25 years for me would have past combined with 3 years no claims comp (Hopefully still!) from my ever reliable 1.3 Toyota corolla GL - it's a go!
Run a quote today of £700 fully comp, not bad i thought.
HOWEVER, all i really want to know is honestly what owning a Cossie is like?
I know Ford in general have a HUGE following, but can you still buy parts etc or are certain things now obsolete from main dealers etc?
I only ask as for example i had to shift my Lexus LS400 as they decided to stop making the rear calipers, which i required 1 of, so kinda wrote the car off without going to non main dealer suppliers.
I'm guessing from what i can see, for an average one 5k (which for me is no small out lay) is kinda the right mark, i just don't wanna buy something which i'm then going to let get wrecked because i didn't consider the running costs and possible complications etc.
I wanna keep them on the road, not aid scrapping them!

Any help or advice would be brilliant. Thanks.

BRAMMER

iTrader: (23)

Buy a good one to start with, i would say like this https://passionford.com/forum/cars-f...-sapphire.html

james kiely

iTrader: (5)

as brammer said buy a good one ,pay anything betweenj 5.5k and 9k for one and you should be pretty well covered,they can be expensive to run and parts are readily available secondhand but you wont get many parts at your l;ocal ford dealer,except for service items.
hope you find a good one


cheers james

mgbrs

save and buy a good one! buy the best ya can afford, don't buy on mileage, buy on condition, look for things that have been done correctly, especially mods! bodywork is the key thing, buying a good chassis and body and a rough engine, is better than the other way round! also you got remember there is a massive choice out there! i bought the 1st i saw, but not after looking at around another 3! you have also got ask what are you going use the car for? i.e weekend use, daily driver etc.. the price range on cossies is a minefield, some peoples value is unreal! i got mine for £5850 the car is mint such a good all round road car, and i mean it! which i thought was top money, but i can remember going a classic car show at Weston park, and there were a few RS owners who said it was a bargain! think prices are rising, i like the look of the flint grey one that's just gone for sale on here!
and the insurance is great on them, that's one massive reason i wont have a m3 or evo, because basically i have got a cracking all round road car, 282bhp, and a classic and something different, for £312 fully comp on a classic insurance policy with peter best! give em a try pal!!

mgbrs

really thinking about selling mine for 6k, and then looking at that flint grey one, really is one of the nicest saphs i,ve seen in a while!!

Cragrat

iTrader: (4)

expensive bit starts when you get tuning em imho its a slippery slope as thers always summat better you can get and theres always someone on here that tells you about (you know who you are )

as said get the best you can

and you are probably asking in one the best places

good luck and get some pics up when you have it

tabetha

Good luck with the search, best bit of advice I can give you - take someone with you who knows cossies.
You really need to try and drive each variant, ie 2wd and 4wd, 2wd esp if tuned will kill you in the blink of an eye, 4wd will stay on the tarmac better, if not experienced with lairy rwd take it seriously easy.
Parts wise a few things are either hard to get or stupid money, but all srvice items as as per any ordinary ford really.
Mpg wise reckon on around 22-25 average, when not booting it, carefully set up can get over 40, tuning is peanuts, most have been thrashed to within an inch of thier life, and most have been bodged a lot as owners couldn't really afford them.
I would never buy a immaculate cossie due to age, the rust is there just waiting to come out, as over 20 years old now, I was pleasantly surprised recently however when I fitted my tow bar, next to no rust in sight tbh.
A lot depends on what you can do yourself, mechanically they are kids stuff, but can give problems, they are certainly very reliable if looked after, but many lecky problems crop up, some leading to damage ie pump loom and fan loom, both these need fixing/replacing if not already done.
tabetha

opposite lock

iTrader: (3)

Definately buty the best you can find for your budget, plan for a service straight away if you dont know when last done . I bought the 2nd one i looked at 2wd was my only choice (saph) 3500g for an average condition eng/body nice interior. It now owes me probably over 8 grand or so with an engine rebuild , new tank and pump, powder coated the rear suspension parts to tidy up n found i needed to fix the chassis rail, new brake lines , rad , bushes, it adds up to get these cars in good order so definately take the above advise. Buy the best one you can find body wise , i didnt do this n its biting me on the arse 5 yrs on...... superb cars tht need the tlc they deserve.

dazcossie

as tabetha said mate,take someone who know's cossie's inside out,take your time in deciding on which one 2wd or 4wd,i looked at about 10 before i found a mint 4wd one in sussex,87,000 on the clock a folder the size of a suitcase with full service history and i got him down to 5k cash..bargain..treat it with respect mate cos they will bite you in the arse if your not carefull but thats the beauty and appeal of them i guess.i'd change the oil etc every 3k miles..good luck mate you know where we are if you need any help

ajamesc

there fine good cars i think but buy a good one make shore its not rotten drive it from cold look for smoke make shore the temp gauge works and it keeps its temp make shore all the syncros in the box work and if its tunned make shore its been done well and set up by someone who knows what they are doing not just some twat who has bolted a load of bits on and wound up the boost and trys telling u it has 350bhp when its still on a t3 lol

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

I brought my sapp cossie from guildford all those 9 years ago!


but as above fella take ya time have a good look round a few before you commit!and try and tak someone who knows what to look for

English

Bought my first Cossie at age 19 - 2WD Sapphire

Had ups and downs

Some days you love it, others you hate it

You can't compare it to a Lexus or a Toyota because it's not apples with apples

The same way you shouldn't mortgage yourself to the hilt to buy a mansion you can't afford to run, don't spend all your cash on a Cossie and then be a slave to it because you can't afford to run it, as it will tarnish what could otherwise be a pleasurable pursuit

If you can't afford to buy a good one, and run it properly, then don't get one

If you can, then good luck and you will have TONS of fun!

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

if you get a good one it will be reliable. Since you used to own a toyota you can put your pipe slippers and glasses away and dye your hair. Good luck.

COSWORTH_DREAMER

Cheers guys, really appreciate the advice. Will have to think very carefully about this. As i say, it's not going to be until the end of the year either way, but i'll get something, cossie or not but def Ford. It will just be my bit of fun, a motor with some character & attitude.
Until then, just have to keep collecting the 1/18's and dreaming!

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Show us your models then.

COSWORTH_DREAMER

Really? Ok, haven't got many (in comparison to fella' in this months Performance Ford, if anyone saw that??!) Getting there though. I'll put some pics up soon.

james kiely

iTrader: (5)

ive heard even the models rust and break down ,when you do decide to purchase just take your time and have a good look around


cheers james

KSA-Cossie

iTrader: (4)

Buy as good as you can afford m8 , get a good one and you'll love it.

tabetha

And don't listen to the stories of unreliability, they can be perfectly reliable, I've done 900 miles this week, although I have access to many other cars I would never not take the cossie just because it was a long journey, and mine has somewhere upwards of a true 180,000 miles on it.
tabetha
as said piccies of models please!!

Cragrat

iTrader: (4)

yup can be very reliable have had mine 10 years although it a second car and now in bits mid resto it never once let me down or broke down

COSWORTH_DREAMER

So here's the models as requested. Nothing really too special here, perhaps the road going Capri RS 3100 and the limited edition Rothmans MK2 Escort. All still easily available on eBay!

The Whole Collection


Black RS1600i. The latest model to the collection, with the red one to follow next month. Made by Sunstar, not bad.




The "Rothmans" Escort MK2. Really glad to have this as there's only 3000 world wide - still currently easy to get though & of course, Rothman stickers and limited edition card still in plastic!




Ah, probably my favourite for quality...






The 3dr Cossie's from Minichamp. Not bad, they are what started it for me. Loads still around and proper easy to pick up. All the same so just using the white one for the pics...





Still loads to get on the horizon - Minichamps have announced plans to remake the Escort Cosworth. The last time they did it was under their old name of UT, one of those now go for over £100!!
I probably need to get the Autoart collection of 3dr Cossies as they're amazing - the detail is on another level considering it's just an 1:18!
Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7QIzePvzT8

Cheers.

s1wospy

got saff last year after haveing rsturbos and love it! i bought the first one i saw (not recomended though i love tinkering)good on fuel nice to drive 100% reliable only cost me£2500but think i was looky!! buy one you will never look back!!

ajamesc

u have some cool models there!

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

great little collection mate this is by far the best one tho!

WongRS

iTrader: (11)

Its the bestt hing i've ever bought, i love mine to bits!
The feeling when you first buy ones amazing!
And everytime you drive it.

SS1

iTrader: (3)

As above you get what you pay for shes been flawless for years

You get what you pay for

cossiejsy

I have had my cossie for 12 years and it was the best thing i have ever brought and still love driving it to this day and always brings smile to my face when on boost

tabetha

May be a lot more relevant to those who don't diy to get the best they can, I just say to myself it's going to have in all probability bodges things that need fixing after 20 odd years, I disregard all history no matter how well backed up, I have modded every car/bike I have ever had so would take away any concours value anyway doing this, I just buy on what I see, looked at a few one was 100% pristine, and I was able to verify the history but not worth to me what he was asking though car was worth it, 100% original right down to number plates etc, just not what was after I prefer one with problems which is what I found for £2,700, I had the arches done and the rusty bits, new wings slam panel, inner wings bonnet x member etc, spent a load but now don't need to worry for 10 years as have 10 years rust warranty.
So I suppose there is two distinct trains of thought when buying, my car had receipts for parts that don't even fit a cossie, such as a timing chain, and fiesta head gasket, so I threw the lot away.
Last two owners were "specialists" despite this and the 177bhp(well lane turbo) dyno printout it had a 12 year old fuel filter, as date was written on it, made a big difference changing it!!
tabetha

Toe Knee

iTrader: (2)

the thing u have to take account other than whats been said about buying a decent one in the first place is what u want out of it, and how econonical u want it!! determine what spec u want as obviously getting one thats 400-500bhp would be great but then u gotta look at wear and tear if things like the diff/box havnt been changed etc!! Whereas a nice 350bhp would be alot kinder on the running gear etc.

Obviously all that also relies on how ur gonna drive it lol.

COSWORTH_DREAMER

For me it's going to be used to get around but it's also mainly my toy. It's just wanting the proud moment of actually saying "Yup, that's my saph cossie - i've always wanted one now i own one". So regardless of it's power and condition to a certain point - either way, it would still be mine and that's all that matters. I'm quite excited as you guys have been really positive about getting one and that makes it all the more annoying having to save up and wait!
Let me know if any of you guys (dare i say it) want to sell your cossie at the end of this year?

Back to dreaming!
Cheers

charlie luciano

iTrader: (3)

Great cars but can be a bit tempremental some great advice on this thread, buy with your head and not your heart and take time in looking around for one, ideally buy one that has had a lot of work done already because as said when you start to tune up for that ever increasing pony power figure thats when they start to get expensive.

service parts still obtainable, body parts, transmission parts (4x4) are rare as fook and command big money, if ever want obsolete parts I'm your man

the old saying goes "if you haven't got the money to buy the car twice over then don't buy it"

good luck


Luciano

tabetha

That said even the stage one and three tunes won't really affect reliability, and make for one very rapid car esp in 2wd.
tabetha

ajamesc

all this if u havent got the money twice over is bollox lol i had no problens with mine as a standard car at all mate i will admit when it was 350 i did do the gearbox and diff and now its 500 i did the diff again but these things are expected with a modded car but even with 500 it still hasent let me down but then ill admit i dont use it everyday but did when it had 350!

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

My sapp could well be up for sale around that time fella!

charlie luciano

iTrader: (3)

There is always one muppet who comes on this site passing comments on what others have said and with the bollox comment directed at me and the mood I'm in I must say fuck off mate and go and put the kettle on ffs

It don't fucking matter that your old shitter has been reliable for you the twice over saying is reknown amongst cossies owners and I've heard said more than once, keep your cunty comments to yourself


Luciano

ajamesc

u can say fuck off to who u like mate thats your right same as it is mine too say needing twice he money for when it gos wronge is bollox i had mine standard for 2 years and hardly spent anything on it! id say you would have to buy a right dog to need the same as u payed for it to spend on it and as your calling me a muppet seems fair to call u a fool seems i reaply too soon as i dident read the last bit of your reply u twat and if mine is a shit one then why did it not cost me money u fool and ill comment on what knobs like u say all the time u may put the lad off buying a great car

charlie luciano

iTrader: (3)

Listen mate fuck off and crunch on some more carrots basingstoke bumpkin


Luciano

ajamesc

seems we have a 10 year old here! and as for bumkin ? i havent seen maney farms were i live

opposite lock

iTrader: (3)

I think as time goes by with cossies the statement 'have enough to buy twice ' is probably a good guide to cover most vehicles out there specially a lower value cossie compared to an expensive one. Think it depends on where you want to take the cossie in terms of upgrading/enjoying modifying and using. Each person gonna have different idea,s in mind. So the statment is just relative tbh. But also a complete reality if you want one of these cars in total good order everywhere. If you find one that needs nothing doing what so ever its had the cash already spent on it. Probably a damm sight more than you will pay.

charlie luciano

iTrader: (3)

Judging by the spelling that you're spouting it looks like you're the one just out of short trousers, piss off cunt


Luciano