t16coupe

can anybody tell me what problems happen and what to look out for on these please as i am new to them

mrjenrst

everything goes wrong with them as a rule

v man

a rule ive alwas had is
#if you speng 6k on a cosworth then have another 6k in the bank ready to spend

anything and everything can and most likley will in ownership go wrong

regular maintinence with propper parts are needed
oil and filter ever 3k is a must
with plugs cap arm etc

go coilpack if not already fitted

get a good one obviously the more you spend the better the car

4x4 is a better car but the transmition is shit after 350 bhp as standard

just dont think is a flat out everywhere car cos it will end up costing you big time

best to stay aroung the 350 to 380 bhp mark

other people may say different but thats just my experience and iam on my 4th now

good luck they are great great fun

and soon as you start modding its a never ending bug that wont go away

rs1072

iTrader: (2)

you should get a 2wd one imo

v man

na get a 4x4 and then 2wd that

you could quite easy sell all the 4x4 bits to fund the conversion
and its piss easy to do

thats the way to get a better base to start with

t16coupe

i realey want a 2wd but are they as bad as they say for things going wrong as my 280 bhp rover coupe turbo as had a year off hard use and nothing as gone wrong with it apart from a clutch and i aint realey that clever with cars so will i end up with big bills all the time i would probley have 6 k to spend on one

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

280 bhp cossie is just stage 1 power mate it will be very realiable if you get a good one!which is hard to find now!best bet is to take your time look at many!as there are quite a few sapps left compared to the other cossies,but alot of them are dogs!

cossiejsy

Like doug says look at loads first dont jump at the first one you see and also take someone that knows about cars and remember they 20year old cars now

ajamesc

there good cars if you buy a good one mate all this u need double the money what a load of shit lol as long as u get one that has been cared for or if its a moded one, one thats has been done by someone that knows what they are doing (not some twat just bolting bits on and turning up the boost) and has all the right bits on it u will be be fine but do look out for rust and 2wd is best even more so if you are after power i have had mine for about 7 years and when it was standard it was fine never went wronge when i started to tune it i did have the normal problems like clutch diff gearbox but that u have to expect!

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

I bought mine for 5 grand 4 years ago.I had a few daft faults at first but that was because of poor maintainence.They arnt as bad as you think.People say you need the same amount of money that your buying it with to spend on it.I run my cossie on a budget,most people say you cant do that but i have.

tabetha

Obvious things to bear in mind are as said the age, components are going to be worn.
One of the biggest problems is they attract people who want a fast car but can't afford to run one, so get bodged and abused.
Bodywork/welding will be a major cost if it needs any, which is very likely at thier age, all the usual rust areas.
Personally I have the attitude of assuming everything you are told by a seller is complete lies, some prefer to get a car that looks good, but not myself.
I got 3 folders full of history, a quick look soon confirmed it was crap, I mean a tranny diesel pump on a cossie for example!!
I just buy as seen on spec, get a discount as it needs arches etc this doing that doing.
I absolutely disagree about the reliability issue, there isn't one so long as looked after, for the age of the car they are very good imo.
I would take someone with you who knows about cossies, even if you have to bung them a few £'s money well spent.
Stage 1 as said around 280 is very quick, stage 3 loads more torque.
The major question should be 2wd or 4wd(tractor!!), sorry couldn't resist, they both have good and bad points, 2wd cheaper to run, 4wd the one you want in the wet, as 2wd really do need careful handling, try to get a drive in each if you can.
Ruuning cost wise is not bad at all, they do not need at all a coilpack conversion, the distributor set up worked fine on all cars for years before coilpacks became popular, and that had nothing to do with performance.
The one you want is a mercury grey with tango/amber rear lights.
tabetha

Eagle

iTrader: (2)

if you have never driven a 2wd one be aware ... very aware ....
4wd are slower as rule of thumb due to the tractor 4wd system
but both are fun cars...
don't buy the first one you see unless its really mint...
if its cheap there is normally a reason...
expect to have things go wrong ... and have a backup fund ..
change cambelt as soon as you get it unless you have a receipt saying it has been done... even then i would get it done for your own safety... not niceto buy one and have it go on you ...
make sure fuel filter has been changed, would be surprised how many get forgotten..
safe modding to 380bhp ish and cheap to get there, after 400 expect to be looking at paying for the privilige....
had a 4wd one for 6 yrs did 3-4 track days a year drove it there and back .. only bits i had to replace were a turbo and a gearbox and silly things like map sensor and cps ...
speak to the noted tuning people .. go chat to martin hadland at reyland in birmingham... stu in blackpool or madevelopments in maidenhead ....
so they dont cost the earth to run and repair so long as you look after em ...

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Tabetha......well said.

Toe Knee

iTrader: (2)

As said their not as bad as people make out, u get what u pay for!! spend 3k on one and you'll prob have problems and need to spend loads on it, spend circa the 5k mark (2wd anyway) and you'll get a good one that has probably had money spent on it and looked after. The main thing which is good is one that has loads of history as it shows the owners have cared for it, within reason anyway

Which one to go for is up to u mate, as said 4x4 is a good safe option but 2wd is more fun!! but as said 2wd deserves alot of respect and even when u get used 2 it can still catch u out if ur not paying attention!!

v man

the reason i said have another 6 to spend is not just down to things going wrong

i ment for modding and bits and pieces

it is quite easy to go to one show see a nice cosworth and think i want this and that

3k to 6k dont go far when the bug bites

ajamesc

ha ha i get u and i know what u mean ive spent about 17 grand now lol but as standard their good i think anyway

v man

yeh standard or stage 1 there just as reliable as any car

but who stays at that power for long
once the spending starts its very hard to stop until the day comes when you put your cash card in the machine and it dont ever come back out hahahaha

for stage 1 i would go nms gun ship

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

mine is stage 2 and its been reliable. Ive been all over in mine and its never missed a beat.

m4tt274

iTrader: (2)

what do u wanna do with it, if u just want to rag it everywhere and like the look of a 4door, you would be better buying one with a 24v conversion like this one. http://www.pistonheads.com/SALES/1437280.htm
1/4 of the price and a spare engine, you can just Banzai the 24v all day and itl take it, they sound better than a YB.. tbh, and they look good too.
if ur buying them for the YB everything said above stands, if you go and look at one make sure the guy hasnt warmed it up before u have arrived, as u wanna see him start it up cold.

KSA-Cossie

iTrader: (4)

Get one bought m8.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

just remember they are a old car with old technology.

martysmartie

iTrader: (1)

As said there is no reliability issue with the cars, this issue only rises from ill informed meddling, I have to say if your not mechanically minded then there not the car for you.

2 musts to check are a fan and fuel pump rewire.

Disagree about being a handful in the wet, I have never had any trouble with mine (2WD)

Check the usual rot places, wheel arches, boot floor, floor pans etc, also check the wings for stamps to see if any wings have been replaced.

Just make sure you get a sound one, and the engine is not tired, as this is where you will notice the expence/grief, IMO they are strong all round cars.

Martin

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

check rear chassis legs too cause the rot aswell. I will tell you the problems i had with mine.1 it kept cutting out after driving it for 5 to 10 mins. The car came with a full service history. Found fault to be a fuel filter. It had never been changed in its life. 2 when driving round town it used to missfire and blow black smoke out the back. Replaced water temp sensor. 3 wouldnt start. Found fuel pump fuse holder corroded. Replaced. Thats the only reliability problems ive had. This was years ago now. I changed timing belt tensioner plugs leads cap phase sensor so that i knew that this would stop problems later in its life.

dom123

iTrader: (1)

heres my rule of thumb, for a fun cossie that is relaible and really enjoyable...

these are the prices i think for each car with around 400bhp no welded etc

a
saph
2wd £7000-9000
4wd £9000-£11000

3 door cosworth £13000-£15000

escort cosworth £20000-£22000

if you buy a cosworth for less than these prices you will end up spending loads on it and it will total these amounts..

unfortunaly people seem to chop up the good ones and sell all the parts so you may have to build a good one your self...

this prices are from my experiance..

Captain500rs

Your 4wd prices are optimistic mate lol i would say from about 6k- 9k. You do see them up for more but dont seem to go anywhere.

dom123

iTrader: (1)

i'm talking with uprated transmission and closed loop, wasted spark, long stud etc

TurboShed

They are a great car, bear in mind the engine is a consumable and you'll do ok. Oh and mind the bit that Ford built that surrounds the engine, that's a common fail point

cossiejay

never had any major probs with mine had it 4 years and only costly thing i have had to do is replace the engine harness regular oil changes and buy one with history and take someone who knows about cosworths if you are going for rear wheel drive be careful they can catch you out very easily

RWD_cossie_wil

iTrader: (9)

If you can, buy one built to the spec you want or as close to as possible. Take someone with you who knows what they are looking at.

kev8728

I bought my first one about 6 weeks ago,G reg Sapphire,had full engine rebuild less tha 1000 mile ago and i picked it up for £1700!! Bargain i think,and the guy before me had looked after it Just waiting for all this snow n shit to clear up so i can get a decent shot in it

KSA-Cossie

iTrader: (4)

Buy the best you cab afford even better if it's had engine rebuilt/upgraded already,and with lots of receipts.

retro d

iTrader: (15)

Good thread, was going to ask the same question as im thinking of buying a 2wd in the next few mounths.
I hope to have around 6k to spend as its going to be my daily driver, I think worth spending the extra with simple mods etc but standard looking. Think I will be looking at a few first before jumping in.

tabetha

I paid £2700 for mine, the next day a dopey f*****g bint wrote it off, slammed her 4wd into the front at about 30mph when she lost it whilst reversing her trooper at speed, £3k damage, I put it back on the road, she or rathe rher friend paid CASH, think the 4 soldiers that went for a wander with him might be persausive, just pure bloody luck I knew some of them.
Fortunately she was "persuaded" to stay by some nice army chaps, who no doubt got pissed on the thank you beer!
I got mine cheap as it needed bodywork, I would never buy a car with 20+ year old wings just because of a ford stamp, as it's on borrowed time rust wise, mine now are new so good to go again.
tabetha