One of my brothers has just purchased one of these beasts. It's a one owner 1991 H reg example with 76k on the clock, full Ford service record, all old MOT's & tax discs, along with the original purchase receipt and all the service receipts.
I've not yet seen the car in the flesh but from what he's told me it sounds like it's mint for 15 years old. The car is completely standard and doesn't appear to have been molested at all.
He's registered on the RS owners club forum, but I said I'd also ask here to see if anyone has experience of owning one of these machines, or if anyone has any other relevant feedback?
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tell him to have a tracker fitted pronto
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And don't leave it anywhere!
Cheers
DP
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Tell him to sell it to me, dirt cheap :)
Piston Heads might be worth a look for owner info aswell.
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I asked him about the Tracker, he was going to look into the installation cost versus the insurance saving. He's of the same opinion as me when it comes to these devices, I personally wouldn't want the vehicle back as a stolen recovered. The car has a Thatcham Cat 1 immobiliser fitted. A steering wheel Disklok is also being considered.
He is a bit wary of being followed in it. It will be garaged overnight, and I've suggested that he might want to beef up the garage door locks.
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I would remove all Cosworth badges as a give away and some nasty scrotes like to pinch them (the badges that is).
One car you do NOT want scrotes to easily see in a multi storey..
madf
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From memory, a few years ago Practical Classics magazine had their Sierra Cosworth stolen from inside a locked garage.
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Yes a great car in its day, but any Audi Quattro with a decent engine or Subaru will more than match it today, so reckon that its had its day of being nicked. I should know - my Forester was almost car jacked from underneath me two years ago.
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4x4 Sierras eat front disk brakes, not so much wear them out as wear them out of true, causing vibration which can only cured by new disk/pads.
I had a cross-country "race" with one in my Cavalier SRi , we were both 4-up. Obviously on the straights the Cossie just went away from me but in the twisty bits he had to slow down so much I caught up. I think the problem was the rear ground clearance when laden.
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4x4 Sierras eat front disk brakes, not so much wear them out as wear them out of true, causing vibration which can only cured by new disk/pads. I had a cross-country "race" with one in my Cavalier SRi , we were both 4-up. Obviously on the straights the Cossie just went away from me but in the twisty bits he had to slow down so much I caught up. I think the problem was the rear ground clearance when laden.
I don't think so. Its more like the person driving it, didn't know how to drive it.
I had one for some 2 yrs with 70k on the clock and I had no probs with my Brakes, unless this driver drove on his brakes causing them to over heat.
I'd have another one any day, if my wife would let me.
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I have a feeling the 4wd system on these is quite sensitive to tyre tread depths, more than most other 4wd drive units so tyres have to be replaced 4 at a time. I think the tolerance is as low as 1mm difference which is a bit of a bummer if you get a puncture that is unrepairable as it means 4 new tyres.
Diskloks are great and will put off a lot of thieves. There are devices which have remote disable via mobile phone as well as tracking which might be better as I know the Meta one you can track the vehicle yourself. Simple solution is just to drop off an HT lead or have an ignition cut out switch somewhere obscure for when it is parked up as it will out fox a lot of people, especially if it is the kind that you have a fundamental part of in your pocket which isn't left with the car!
Usual stuff applies about security - don't leave keys near the door or on display anywhere. Invest in a bad tempered dog /attack cat for added security. Gravel the drive so that it makes noise for when people creep about on it, puts burglars off more than security lights apparently. There is also scope for amusement with a strategically placed rake....
Somebody like practical performance car magazine might be interested in doing a feature on such a car as they have all sorts of exotic older cars featured.
teabelly
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May put off some of the amateurs but the pros will turn up with a trailer or put it on suspended tow.
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If it was mine, id take off the rear spoiler, change the alloys for some off a Ghia ( put the others under lock and key as many of them end up on Escort vans ) and as suggested, remove the badges - all this may help with the insurance.
The only Cossie that doesnt get stolen is the one that doesnt look like one, at all.
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For any information on cosworths or RS fords try www.passionford.com its the largest and most helpful place on the net for anything cossie,
simon
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I knew someone with one of these-went to Liverpool in it and it was stolen while he was there-recovered very quickly with broken window and ignition lock.He left it there with a dealer to get it repaired.When it was done,he went up there to collect it,driving back down the motorway,he decided to stop for coffee.When he came out of the cafe,well you've guessed!!!
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The feel of a Cosworth given full beans in 2nd gear is an experience that I still remember vividly 10 years after I experienced it. The midrange on the YB engine is just staggering, and it's a rasping, growling, buzzing old thing, about as far removed from the sanitised, EU silenced modern four pots as you can get. And let's not forget this is a 2.0 engine that can be safely modified to produce over 600 bhp. At the standard 220-odd it's not even breaking a sweat.
OK, a modern "superdiesel" is quicker, but for me the Cosworth era was the pinnacle of the affordable performance car. A bit raw, a bit rough around the edges, but just plain exciting and made no apologies for it. Weighed the same as a mid-spec modern Focus. What a lovely old car.
Finding an unmolested minter with reasonable miles is a heck of an achievement
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I was lucky enough to have a brand new 2wd in 1988 and at the time there really was nothing else like it on the road for anywhere near the price.i remember the grin that it would put on your face and the fact that it was so easy to drive in traffic and to the shops etc,but when you wanted to go fast,well it went very fast,a real modern classic.
Funnily enough i was recently talking to someone that owns a RS500 and i mentioned that in the day they were notorious for getting stolen,seems these days the scrotes dont really know what they are so leave them alone,so not really a problem anymore.
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Mid '91 I found a demo model Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 in a lovely Grey/Blue colour which I think was called Moonstone. It was a good price and I almost had my chequebook out. Luckily I called a few insurance brokers first.
Insurance on the Cossie was nearly three times that for a 944 Turbo S.
Surely any TWOCer old enough to recognise a Sapphire Cosworth should have grown out of it by now?
Kevin...
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What a lot of negative feedback!
I hope he has lots of fun with it!
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Not from me i told him how to protect it so he can enjoy it.
The idea that it wont be stolen is so laughable and then broken for bits or fired is so laughable that i couldnt bring myself to reply
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See i laughed so much i laughed twice :-(
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Don't listen to folk who say take the badges off, whats the point of owning a nice desirable car (even if it is 15 years old) by disguising it as a normal Sierra. Thats just plain daft!
As for the chances of it getting stolen, well its difficult to predict as the cars are a bit rare these days. On one hand it is not so desirable to thieves as they have moved on to the "bigger and better" Subaru's and Mitsubishi Evo's as Cossies are old hat, but on the other hand because they are old hat they are a damn sight easier to nick without getting hold of the keys first.
Other than that, tell him to take reasonable care of it and enjoy!
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How does having all the original badges on a car make it more enjoyable, Simon? What matters is the actual machine, how it works, not what it looks like.
Indeed the more ordinary and commonplace it looks and the more extraordinary its performance, the more I would like it. My attitude on this matter is the absolute opposite of yours.
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i always used to debadge my cars years ago so nobody knew what it had under the bonnet ,my favourite was my old escort with a 1600 xflow fitted in the days when disc brakes and servos were also not the norm.
However these old cossies are so rare now in mint condition (they are worth £2000 stripped by the way) that i would leave all the badges on for my own satisfaction,unfortunately my insurance company dont cover these otherwise i would fancy a dabble myself at the right time of year
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Once in S London, om, an ordinary looking black Mk 1 Escort van a couple of cars ahead suddenly did a handbrake turn in heavy traffic and took off in the other direction with a mighty roar and much wheelspin... heavily tweaked 2 litre at least. My kind of car!
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that could of been me lud ,small world
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>>unfortunately my insurance company dont cover these otherwise i would fancy a dabblemyself at the right time of year
Use a different insurance company - they're plenty around!
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Use a different insurance company - they're plenty around!
its a trade policy and they dont like cossies/lotus or anything similar, but the policy is very cheap. :-)
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Any suggestion these cars are not stolen is imo laughable.
There are flourishing owners clubs and a massive market for good secondhand spares. Thy alos make excellent cars for getting away after robberies.
And everyone who steals cars knows how easy they are to steal. (they're a Ford before standard fit immobilisers).
So if you have a really nice one that stands out and leave it where it is visible, you might as well put a notice beside it saying "STEAL ME"
Having said all that, I would love one.. and I would ensure it looked smart and anonymous with no OBVIOUS signs of what it is : no Cosworth badges or spoiler and no 4x4 signs.....
These of course add 20mph to the top speed and reduce the 0-60 time by 2 seconds:-))
madf
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Thanks for all of your replies, I'll print the thread out and let my brother have a copy.
I've only seen the car in the flesh during darkness so far, I've had a ride as a passenger and it's very rapid as you might expect. One thing I didn't expect was the original Ford radio and amp which although dated does add to the overall timewarp condition.
His insurance came out at around £650 fully comp which seems very reasonable to me. He's 30 with 7 yrs no claims bonus by the way.
The car has an immobiliser which requires a fob to be shown to a receiver before starting. The fob has been supplied on the same keyring as the car keys, so I've suggested he separates these for security.
I don't think he'll go for the anonymous look somehow, he wants to enjoy the look of it as much as how it drives. To make it look truly anonymous you'd have to remove far more that the badges and spoiler. For a start the RS Cosworth has a unique stance, and a unique front bumper, as well as things like headlight wipers and side skirts. Also the interior is very different from a bog standard Sierra. Any thief worth his salt would be able to tell that it's not a lesser model even without the badges and spoiler.
My brother is well aware that he may get some unwanted attention, or come back to find it missing, or even worse be woken up or mugged for the keys, he has insurance and if the worse comes to the worse.................
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Pete,
Tracker knocks around 10% off the cost of insurance - certainly in the case of the last few Beemers I've owned.
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Mid '91 I found a demo model Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 in a lovely Grey/Blue colour which I think was called Moonstone. It was a good price and I almost had my chequebook out. Luckily I called a few insurance brokers first. Insurance on the Cossie was nearly three times that for a 944 Turbo S.
you're absolutely right.....good mate did the same, but ended up with a manual BMW 635.....strange gearbox with first in the wrong place......pretty quick though
the first time he let me drive it properly, i got hassled by some chap in an RS Turbo Escort.....every time i got to a straight bit i'd be fine, but not knowing the car and the road being a tad damp (spot the excuse) at every corner he'd reel me in again....those were the days
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and the road being a tad damp
No excuse a wise move.........I managed to - how can I say - get the rear end out of line :-) today on a normal commute to work, never underestimate a rear wheel drive in the damp !
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BMW 635.....strange gearbox with first in the wrong place......prettyquick though
You mean with a dogleg first and the driving gears in an H the way they should be, making fifth a driving gear with the right rear axle ratio....
I do believe you mean the proper sporting gearbox PU, shame on you...
Of course this is just flimflam, don't think I've even been in such a BMW but I have heard of them...
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Sorry PU, I meant westpig, but I still don't know what I'm talking about really really...
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had a nissan with a dogleg first........ lud
cant remember what it was
will go for a 180b triple z?coupe?
nice car shame about the rot
straight 6
apparently came from a wagon
first designed in the 2nd world war for the (can i say it? nips)
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Lud,
It might be an Auto but its properly sporting :-(
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Oldman,that triple Z was a triple S,a moniker that is still used by Nissan in Japan today.
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Turbo Technics have just announced a Cossie with just under 900 hp.
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