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        General >> Off Topic Subjects >> New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
        
(Message started by: OldTuckUnder on Apr 30^th, 2017, 9:49pm)

Title: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by OldTuckUnder on Apr 30^th, 2017, 9:49pm

Thought I'd better put up a quick message to introduce myself as the info on the website and some of the postings on the forums helped me leap the hurdle into buying one.

So yes this is my first Scorpio and believe it or not the first Ford I have owned in 44+ years of motoring! Its a Jan 98 registered but Sept 97 built (i.e. not facelift) Cosworth Ghia Estate.

Have spent the past year talking myself into, out of, back into buying one. I had been looking for an Ultima spec one, but they seem as scarce as hens teeth and from recently looking at the DVLA stats I think that's because I'd be surprised if there are much more than 25 Cosworth Estates still on the road.

So when this Ghia Estate came up I thought go for it, see if you like it, if you do you can still keep looking for an Ultima. To be honest buying a Scorpio is a bit of an experiment to see if I like it, and in particular if I like the engine which was one of the reasons I stumbled over the Scorpio in the first place.

I seem by luck/chance to have stumbled across a good one that had one major owner between July 2001 and July 2015 and came with a huge history folder detailing everything done to the car in that period. I don't know if the owner was a member of the forum? but it was a Mr or Mrs (the invoices are to both) Jacobs from Newmarket.

Have only driven it about 200 miles since purchasing, partly because I have been expecting something to fail, but mainly because I have been busy getting my Sprint/Hill Climb car ready for the season and haven't had the time to go over it thoroughly. Sorting that this coming week as its going into a friends garage and we will go over it with a fine tooth comb (greatly aided by the info on this website/forum. Hopeful its going to come out well from its history and the way it seems to drive, but not worried if the suspension/brakes need an overhaul. If it handles and stops then I'll be happy to use it.

My first impressions are good, the engine pulls like a train! and the only fault so far (which I knew about when buying) was that the screen washers didn't work, but easy to track down, and a replacement pump was a massive £8.50.

If it is as good as I hope then I don't think I'll bother looking for an Ultima spec one, but might look for an Ultima spec saloon (maybe a facelift) that is going for spares/repair and see if swaping a few bits in is feasible.

Anyone know if the wiring loom is universal to all models, but that they just didn't plug some of the bits on on the lower spec models?

Oh just as a final aside, one of the reasons for buying one was it appearing on Piston Heads as Shed of the Week last year, and seeing people dismiss what appeared to actually be a great spec car on the basis of what they thought it looked like when it came out 20+ years ago. Made me look really hard at it, and decide that I think its a great package. Of course finding one that you might want to buy was a lot harder.

I'll let you know how I get on with it, and no doubt will be back with the odd issue. But that's the joy of classic ownership, and believe me one day this will be.

Alan

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by PJDavis on Apr 30^th, 2017, 11:07pm

Hello hello and welcome to our wee family of Scorpio owners. A brilliant car that will reward you over and over again. Whether you want it as a load-lugger, or a family car, or as a budding classic, it'll do all with no-problems. The wiring is the only bug-bare, often the under-bonnet wiring gets hot and chars, this will lead to faults. It's an expensive fix if you cant do the job yourself, and as all older cars, unless you're spanner-wise, it could cost heavily if you put the car to an ignorant garage.

The cars in general are pretty hardy, and this site is fantastic for information. Please join, or if you find information invaluable then donate. You'll find us very friendly, and welcoming, the best thing to do is spend a good wee while trawling the site to get familiar. Most of us are very enthusiastic about our cars, and some if not all of us own other cars.

Peter

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by Snoopy on May 1^st, 2017, 8:27am

The only two things I will say is firstly WELCOME and secondly if you cannot find what you are looking for on the site then ASK . The owners have a wealth of information and sometimes a little tip from someone is all that is needed.
Enjoy..... I STILL miss my Scorpio but needs must.

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by OldTuckUnder on May 1^st, 2017, 12:44pm

Thank's for the welcomes. I expect to be doing my own maintenance on this one, a treat reserved for the cars I use for fun, the everyday day hacks go to friends garages for servicing!

NB. On the future classic point, I had no trouble adding it to my existing classic car policy as it is nominally 20 years old. It restricts usage to 5000 per annum, but at agreed value, fully comp, & breakdown at £120 I thought it good value.

Alan

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by Scorpio_Mike on May 1^st, 2017, 2:30pm

Insurance sounds good value - who did you get that through ?

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by OldTuckUnder on May 1^st, 2017, 4:49pm

I have other cars insured through a TR Register Scheme, but its not restricted to Triumphs. The back end insurer is actually KGM who a lot of the classic scheme brokers use. And its really KGM who decide who, what, where and how much.
Alan

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by rich1 on May 4^th, 2017, 6:28pm

You will not regret owning a scorpio . The best ford ever imo , i still miss mine big time , as comfortable a car you will ever own . Good luck with it

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by Glyn on May 5^th, 2017, 1:35am

A hearty welcome both to Scorpio ownership and to this site.
They are the best cars I have owned (I have 3 ) and the most comfortable by far, and very advanced in it's day.
As stated by others this site is a mine of information, much, much better than the workshop manual !!
Don't be afraid to ask for help, the members are very friendly . I have asked "stupid " questions and never been ridiculed (except by myself!).
So again welcome and enjoy your Scorpio, I am sure you will
and thanks to you all out there who continue to help me and have taught me so much.
Glyn

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by OldTuckUnder on May 8^th, 2017, 6:50pm

Well a bit late reporting back, but spent an hour at a friends MOT garage last week with the Scorpio up on the ramps to see what's what, and pleasantly surprised by results. Everything was very good apart from the following advisories

OSR lower shocker bush showing signs of fatigue
All the metal brake pipes and fuel pipes could do with a good clean and coating before they degrade anymore
Exhaust system corroded in rear pipes and boxes but not holed yet!

And the following that would have been failures

OS Head light aimed too low (and the adjusters don't work)
NS Front Wheel Bearing worn/rumbling
And finally and most annoying we managed to poke a couple of holes in both sills.

The final one is annoying but only in the fact that it means the major owner between 2001-2015 was ripped off in 2013. There is a bill from a body shop for replacing both sills and rear wheel arches and subsequent painting, and the invoice clearly shows that new panels were charged for. However these sills have never been off, all they did was patch them up and hide it with shiny new paint.

Anyway heaving pulling etc on all the normal suspect points highlighted by the excellent information on this web site revealed nothing else amiss.

There is a bit more oil around the side of the block near the filter housing than I would like, but as I have no idea if its ever been cleaned at all it may just be 120K's worth. I'll drop the undertray and give it all a good clean and see if there is any obvious leek.

If anyone knows of a pair of sills for sale, let me know, but on inspection as they are sound above the crease line, and the bottom edges are solid, at worst we can just cut out the lower section on both sides and let in a full length fillet.

Apart from that the body work underneath was good, there's a few places I'd like to clean up and treat before too long, and the rear suspension mounts that were redone in 2012 were done well and properly.

So a couple of minor things to sort before driving, and some welding before its due its MOT in July but so far I'm pleased.

Alan

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by Scorpio_Mike on May 8^th, 2017, 8:57pm

Fairly sure Mk3 Granada sills are the same ;)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Granada-Scorpio-ULTIMA-Full-SILL-SILLS-1-x-Pair-94-98-fits-Saloon-Estate-/371754068401?hash=item568e44e9b1:g:M0kAAOSwgQ9VpOT4

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by Nunnspoet on May 9^th, 2017, 8:49am

Good morning Alan (and everybody else) and welcome.

Just a little input: The exhaust systems on my Cossie Estates are still the original factory fitted. On "The Beast", N Reg with nearly 160.000 miles on the clock whilst it looks pretty tatty and rusty is still doing a good job. The P reg Estate exhaust looks in pretty good nick and she has done nearly 143,000 miles.

Re the sills, there are various peoples on here that have had their sills replaced and hopefully they will have some advice for you. The Sills on my cars are pretty poor and I am considering having them done locally in the Crewkerne area....i'm still cogitating on that.

Good luck

Mike 8)

Title: Re: New owner Scorpio Cosworth Estate
Post by OldTuckUnder on May 11^th, 2017, 11:09am

on 05/08/17 at 20:57:06, Scorpio_Mike wrote:

Fairly sure Mk3 Granada sills are the same ;)

Hi Mike
Thanks for the link, I ordered a pair. Not sure if I will use full sill or just cut out below crease line and use lower section of new sills, will have to wait until I clean them back to bare metal and see what is there, but anyway with a pair of sills I have some options. If it wasn't for the flaired section that meets the front wing it would be an easy section to make a repair panel for.

New wheel bearing kit coming, so hopefully get the few odd jobs done, give it a service and then try it on more than short local trips.

PS. if anyone has or knows of an Estate Dog Guard for sale let me know, its a condition of service from SWMBO :)

Alan