Buying a Ford MK3 MK4 or Mk5 (Cortina 80) Cortina

The Ford Cortina was in production for 19 years and for much of tha time was Britains best selling car.

Around 4 million were sold and they are still popular with enthusiasts today

If you are thinking of buying there are some points you may like to consider before buying - do this and you should get years of enjoyable classic motoring

The last Cortina was made in 1982 so the youngest is 3 decades old

They were reliable and pretty economical (at least in servicing costs) in comparision with similar cars of the time

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING

Mechanically these cars are extremely simple and easy to repair that's why mechanics lliked them so much, the 1300  engine is rare now as they were only in early models, there were a few 2.3 V6 engines but  most models will either have a 1600 or 2000 OHC Pinto engine - these are pretty reliable so long as you change the engne oil every 6 months or 6000 miles- whichever comes first -change the cambelt as recommended (extremely easy unlike modern cars) and you should have no problems- BTW this must be the easiest cambelt to change - easily done within an hour with  a bit of practce

Nothing else has any inherent problems clutch and gearbox last ages with care just watch out for leaking wheel bearing in the back axle  as they can be expensive to replace as a press is required

The suspension is also not prone to any faults but the rear void bushes do wear quite quickly but are cheap and easy to replace

The thing to watch for is rust - like most cars of the era they all rusted in several places - places to check in particular outer sills,innner sills,doorstep,boot floor,floor pan, front inner wings and the box chassis along  the entire length of the car.

If these haven't been repaired it's likely you'll need to learn how to weld (MIG welding is easy with practice) or have deep pockets!

Get one where the rust is under control and the mechanics are in decent shape and youll have a practial reliable car which will give you years of motoring pleasure