E30 NO BETTER THAN A FORD SIERRA IN ITS DAY

[BURNOUTBOB]

friend of mine was telling me how he used to run ford sierra's and he recons that an e30 was no better than a ford sierra in its day.
guy said there were a lot more sierras around than e30's and i must admit when i was a tool rep for a big company i used to see more fords around than e30's .
were the sierra's really better ? what are your views

[staley_turbo]

I think the sierra's are better than the 535i with full sport kit running on gas with rare towing covers.

[bab-91]

Sierra's bhp out put are quite small. I remember someone telling me the 2.9 is 150 or below.

I'd say they where a fair wack cheaper also

[BURNOUTBOB]

I think the sierra's are better than the 535i with full sport kit running on gas with rare towing covers.

yes this is what the mate who worships sierra's told me
" the 535 i sport with full sport body kit inc rare towing eye covers is a very reliable car as mine has done 260 thousand plus miles "
would a seirra do that ? although admitedly the 535 sport with sport body kit is running on gas

[BURNOUTBOB]

The Sierra was a rep mobile and the car of choice as a company car for the salesmen, if you where a manager then it was a Granada or further up a BMW.

Don't forget the BM was a premium car with a price to match.

Oh, and how many Sierra's do you still see being used as a daily car?

but how many old trumps do you see driving granadas or bmw s not many WE NO IT WAS A PREMIUM CAR but dave recons there not now and in hindsight were really no better than a sierra
think he is gelous of my 535 i sport with full kit running on gas as he always refurs to it as scrap or the tank

[b12rlw]

So where are all the sierra's? Think most of them are drain covers or lamps posts by now. They were good comfy old busses but rotboxes at that. The cologne v6 is a sound in my memory from my youth (dad had a granada ghia x) but looking back 150bhp??? Does the m20b20 not make similar power??

[scjimbo]

The Sierra was a rep mobile and the car of choice as a company car for the salesmen, if you where a manager then it was a Granada or further up a BMW.

Don't forget the BM was a premium car with a price to match.

Oh, and how many Sierra's do you still see being used as a daily car?

but how many old trumps do you see driving granadas or bmw s not many WE NO IT WAS A PREMIUM CAR but dave recons there not now and in hindsight were really no better than a sierra
think he is gelous of my 535 i sport with full kit running on gas as he always refurs to it as scrap or the tank

Is this maltit or armani b. The literary skillz are remarkably similar.

[magpie]

i loved my saph cozzy till it got me 9 points over a year

my e30 has way more character though

[bab-91]

So where are all the sierra's? Think most of them are drain covers or lamps posts by now. They were good comfy old busses but rotboxes at that. The cologne v6 is a sound in my memory from my youth (dad had a granada ghia x) but looking back 150bhp??? Does the m20b20 not make similar power??

Bit less than 150 but its shocking looking back at a 2.9 that produces 150ish bhp.

The japs and germans are getting more performance out of flea sized engines now

[jonny323i]

fords have always had the same problem they sell lots of cars cheap into the rep market which then after the first 3 years of a new car coming out runs the prices down so back in the sierra days thats why there was alot more of them about than the e30.
iv have most of the fords from those days and apart from the cossies they arent a patch on the e30

[Motorhole]

I took my E30 to a Ford motorsport specialist for it's stitch welding and cage - because they were local and well priced. The guys there had done plenty of Mk1/2/3 escorts, Sierras, Capris, Fiestas etc along with the odd something different. But they really were very impressed with the build quality of the E30 compared to the Fords. The thought that's gone into locating strut mounts, the angles of the struts, the spot welds and quality/thickness of steel. He quite happily told me the old Fords were just thrown together in comparison.

[jonny323i]

No that was just how it drove

[Morat]

Yeah the Jelly Mould - right at the start of the "Cult of the low cd". One of the reasons people started laughing at E30s was the fact that they have the aero of a barn door, but I've rather have a solid oak barn door than a plywood shed!

[BURNOUTBOB]

Yeah the Jelly Mould - right at the start of the "Cult of the low cd". One of the reasons people started laughing at E30s was the fact that they have the aero of a barn door, but I've rather have a solid oak barn door than a plywood shed!

QUALITY

[BURNOUTBOB]

The Sierra was a rep mobile and the car of choice as a company car for the salesmen, if you where a manager then it was a Granada or further up a BMW.

Don't forget the BM was a premium car with a price to match.

Oh, and how many Sierra's do you still see being used as a daily car?

but how many old trumps do you see driving granadas or bmw s not many WE NO IT WAS A PREMIUM CAR but dave recons there not now and in hindsight were really no better than a sierra
think he is gelous of my 535 i sport with full kit running on gas as he always refurs to it as scrap or the tank

Is this maltit or armani b. The literary skillz are remarkably similar.

[BURNOUTBOB]

but how many old trumps do you see driving granadas or bmw s not many WE NO IT WAS A PREMIUM CAR but dave recons there not now and in hindsight were really no better than a sierra
think he is gelous of my 535 i sport with full kit running on gas as he always refurs to it as scrap or the tank

Is this maltit or armani b. The literary skillz are remarkably similar.

not being funny but it is LITERACY NOT LITERARY "MR"

[scjimbo]

literary
adjective

Definition
connected with literature
a literary critic
literary prizes
a literary style
(Definition of literary adjective from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

or

literacy
noun /ˈlɪt.É™r.É™.si//ˈlɪt”†Ì¬.Éš-/

Definition
Ӣ the ability to read and write
Far more resources are needed to improve adult literacy.
Ӣ knowledge of a particular subject, or a particular type of knowledge
Computer literacy is becoming as essential as the ability to drive a car.
(Definition of literacy noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)


Literacy skills doesn't exactly make sense does it "MR"

[zaust]

All you have to do is look and see hoe many are left of each now days. Proofs in the pudding.

[Rancid]

Is this maltit or armani b. The literary skillz are remarkably similar.

not being funny but it is LITERACY NOT LITERARY "MR"

Literary is a word. Go back to school.

[Andyboy]

Sierras weren't bad cars when they were new. They were built well enough to do a lot of miles in the first 3-5 years and a Pinto engined Sierra could do 150'000 miles in 3 years as well as an E30. They drove well with good handling and ride, went well enough and had decent economy. The interiors were lousy.

But. They were bloody horrible after 5 years. They quickly became stonechipped saggy old shitboxes as the vinyl peeled away from the cardboard dash and doortrims, water leaks, condensation, rubbish door locks and all the usual Ford crap.
Early E30's also had a reputation for rust however - whilst most were okay, there were a few around in the late eighties that were looking a bit ropey. But the car itself would do 250'000 miles and all he bits would still work.

[stew72]

friend of mine was telling me how he used to run ford sierra's and he recons that an e30 was no better than a ford sierra in its day.
guy said there were a lot more sierras around than e30's and i must admit i am a tool, i used to see more fords around than e30's .
were the sierra's really better ? what are your views

No.

[polsta]

. But they really were very impressed with the build quality of the E30 compared to the Fords

this has happened to be a few times when tinkering with things on e30 and people commenting on the build quality

remember its a BMW not a ford, fords were cheap bmw were not, hence being loads more fords, sierras being better than e30s....some 20 years later whats stood the test of time !!!! how many base model/poverty spec sierras do you see around these days....

[Speedtouch]

The 2.8 Sierra XR4i put out the same power (150bhp) as the 323i, but with slightly more torque.

However, the 323i was a bit quicker.

[Silverfang]

My dad had a 1989 1.8 Sierra, and it ended up doing just shy of 200k.
By that time it'd been through an engine (cam-belt let go at 80mph on the M1, cue spectacular!) regular servicing and such, but it showed it badly by that time, the paint was flat, the ride had gone soft and rode like a american 70's car, and the gearbox which was still original was buzzing away like a horde of angry bees.

So far my E30's just clicked 150k and running sweet as

[dowot]

my sierra managed 354k before it died, 280k ish on the 8 v twinky it came with, the rest with a 2.9 24v lump. the engine still lives on running about 220 horses through a rwd box, where in mine it was 4x4.

the cologne 2.9 in the sierra was used to run the 4x4 system so horsepower wasn't that important , more the torque was.. some of the other engines were a bit of a joke..as for build quality.......... well that was typical ford , quite a hit or miss thing . some were good some were friggin crap , but all were tin worn friendly.


as for better than an e30?? well that depends on what you want, up to 400miles to a tank. 0-60 in 6.92 and loads of space inside, well that suited me . now i have a 330i for motorway driving . a 318is e36 to play with and an e30 to repair the change to bmw was easy because at the end of the day "its a bmw" with the e30 being the best shape/ all round performer imho.

[Speedtouch]

My dad had one of the first Sierras, a 1.6 E-max on the A-plate (1984), in Sunburst Red.

It seemed very advanced compared to the old crocks he'd had previously - Morris Marina estate, Renault 12, VW Fastback, etc.

He complained it was rather lacking in torque though, due to the lean burn engine.

He only had to endure it for three years before the company gave him a D-reg Montego 1.6L.

[capnmchl]

When I think of old fords, I think of saggy velour seats, heavy yet numb controls, the sound of cheap plastic rattling around and squeaking, and rust.

When I drive my E30, I'm amazed how quiet it is at 70mph for such an old car. I've even come to the conclusion that E36's are nowhere near the build quality of E30's.

[redcar]

E30 aero isn't as bad as you might think, especially the m3!

[law99]

I had a Sierra. It was a 2ltr. It was also a piece of shit. Very comfortable though, I'll give it that! Certainly not a car I can see myself aspiring to. A Capri maybe. But there is another car with awful performance from a large engine.

[aimlessrock]

Ive too had my fair share of fords, the last being a 2000 Mondeo (glorified sierra) that I purchased as a fill in whilst my e30 was mid resto and the 190's were being painted. I only owned this mondeo for about 6 months at most but was most unimpressed about how soft the metal was and how poorly designed it was, and this was a car that had been cherished by the former owner (no idea why).

I never owned a sierra but if the build quality of its successor is anything to go by i would choose my 1988 E30 every day of the week and twice on sundays!

[Speedtouch]

Some Sierras were, of course, built in Germany or Belgium, so had pretty good build quality.

The only Ford I've ever owned, despite admiring the classic Escort Mk1s, Capris, etc., was a 1992 Ford Orion 1.6iLX, the first of the Zetec models. It was a very humdrum machine indeed, with wallowy suspension, rubbery gearchange, etc., and you had to rev it quite hard so it never averaged more than about 30 mpg. It suffered the typical faults of dodgy solder joints in the fusebox, and wouldn't start one day when I had to take my girlfiend to a job interview, so she was not amused!

All in all, pretty uninspiring, and not a patch on the E30s or a Merc 190E that I'd owned previously in terms of reliability, build quality or driver satisfaction. I sold it to my brother, and the gearbox packed up shortly afterwards!

[jmc330i]

Ive too had my fair share of fords, the last being a 2000 Mondeo (glorified sierra) that I purchased as a fill in whilst my e30 was mid resto and the 190's were being painted. I only owned this mondeo for about 6 months at most but was most unimpressed about how soft the metal was

The Mk1 and Mk2 Mondeo (up to 2000) is one one of the hardest cars on the road, (aside from the crumple zones). Everything from the bulkhead back is designed to protect the occupants, and it does it very well. Take one door for example, there are layers of frames/construction with everything welded to each other for strength and rigidity, even the outer skin (the only bit we need) is effectively in 2 layers and they are joined together in places and to the inner most door frame. The roof, rear quarters, everything is the same. We strip the outer skin to use as a bodyshell and it takes 2-3 days. In comparison, a Sierra takes a day at most, with a pub lunch halfway through!

Mondeos are used a lot in banger racing for a reason - they don't bend! They will snap when enough is enough, but I've seen a lone Mk1 V6 Mondeo take on a field of Jags, Volvo 240s, Granadas etc for an end of meeting destruction derby, and the last car moving was the Ford. It was used at the next meeting also


I know I'd rather have an accident in a Mondeo than a Sierra. The E30 is pretty crap in that respect, but I'd rather drive it everyday over the other two. Although, I can imagine a V6'd Sierra being great fun in the wet


The only Ford I've owned for road use was an early mk4 Xr3i. Made of paper, but with enough power to be right giggle. I was a kid when they were new, but I could see why so many were written off - fuckin brilliant cars!