quattro

I guess it is worth buying for £400 sticking an MOT on it and then selling it on when I'm bored with it. I recognise your sig from somewhere, are you on a Merc forum?

I can probably get it for about £400 so it seems like a good deal. As for what shape it is it was first reg' in 1989 if that gives you a clue. I have no idea about Escorts, they have never really interested me but I saw this and since it looks so immaculate and original I thought it would look cool next to my Capri. £400 isn't bad. Might end up costing me a £100 to get the thing MOT'd and sell it on when I'm bored with it for a little bit extra! Thanks people.

Hi all, I know it isn't OSF motoring but I know a guy who is selling a MK4 Escort XR3i with 49k on the clock. 3 owners from new one of which is dagenham ford. Completely original nothing has been modified at all. Finished in white and it really looks amazing. Very little surface rust around the arches. not mot or tax but drives, steers and stops okay. I just have not got a clue what it I should offer him for it. Is it worth £200 or £1200. What would it be worth after I put mot on it? Thanks folks! Need a fast answer on this one, so I'm counting on you people!

Yeah probably.... Lets just concentrate on getting the feck'in pictures!

I agree with you completely. I personally feel much safer driving in Germany than I do driving in the UK. I've done probably half of all my mileage abroad and I have only ever seen 1 accident, which as it happens was caused by a blowout. However in the UK I see about an accident a week usually on the M25 because someone just pulled out on someone, or because people panic brake everytime they see something slightly reflective like a royal mail van. Driving in the UK I am extremely cautious of the other drivers as no one seems to pay attention. I watched a Police car on the motorway get stuck behind a Discovery who would not move out of lane 3, how the hell can anyone not notice a white volvo with umpteen strobes and leds flashing away, oh and a loud siren... People really are shit at driving. Slipstreaming also makes it a bit quiter, wind and road noise at 130mph plus can get a little on the loud side, slipstreaming helps tone it down a bit.

I want that Capri 2.8i Looks pretty good. Clock says 50k miles without actually seeing the car and any history that could be 50k or 150k.

I struggle to get the back to even step out in the dry, however in the wet it is comedy! Winter is coming so hopefully a few wet roads to play with.

You're have a giraffe!! 140mph at 6" distance isn't dangerous?? You can't be serious!! The unlimited German autobahns have some of the most horrific high speed smashes in the world! Here, I'll give you two good reasons why it's extremely dangerous 1) Reaction times at 140mph are long enough to close that 6" gap from 6" to about minus 60" in a instant. Hence M5 driving twits engine and front wheels are now somewhere on my back seat! 2) If I'm not dead from the high speed rear shunt that's just occured at 1, then I'm highly likely to get out of my car very very angry and insert my fist so far down the offending sausage munchers throat that i can pull out his giblets and insert them up his ass! 1) They look much further ahead, so they actually have longer to react. Other drivers are much more aware of what is coming up behind them, since there is a constant threat of 180mph 911s belting up behind you, it makes you think twice about pulling out when you see some xenons coming up behind you. They all drive very consideratly for example if you are in lane 2 with trucks in lane 1 and faster traffic in lan3, and your are approaching a vehicle going slower than you. As you glance in your mirrors and reach for your indicator the chap in lane 3 has already dropped back a few metres and had flashed you to say there is enough room to get in. As soon as you can pull back in, you pull back in. Then lane 3 zooms off again. There is no risk unless something unexpected happens like some British fuckwit in an old Rover dithers off a sliproad straight into lane 3 doing 80mph. 2) Then don't brake randomly. In Germany its viewed as your fault if you get rear ended on the autobahn. You should not brake unless you absolutely have too, you should get out of that lane and make room for faster traffic, or just speed up. I think what car you are driving might have something to do with how safe you feel. If you car has crap brakes then don't try and do 140mph up the arse of someone else. Just sit in the inside lanes and keep it below the ton. Another common misconception is people tend to think they are being tailgated, when actually the car behind is just slip streaming you to save fuel. I once on my way back from Stuttgart in an A8 4.2 sat with 6 other cars doing 155mph for about 30 mins on the A5 Autobahn on the derestricted 3 lane bit south of Frankfurt. Anyway... It's not that important I just feel very strongly about the standard of driving in this country. Where's these pictures then???

Well done then. The amount of people who tend to really freak out when they get to their first roundabout in Calais and just have some sort of break down is bizzare. Glad you had a good time out there... All this talk of abroad has got me thinking, would there be a market for a a OSF Nurburgring Weekend? If enough people are interested I'm quite happy to put together a few numbers, I'm quite family with the area out there and know a couple really nice places to stay + eat.

Try driving in Germany, that is great fun. Even at 140mph, you will still have an M5 6 inches from your rear bumper. It feels very dangerous at first, but there is no danger. As drivers over there are very aware of their surroundings and will predict upcoming events and will back off just enough room to let you in. I probably do more miles going to and from Germany than I do in the UK and I got used to it. But I can understand how some people may find it uncomfortable, I think the fact that I have been driving abroad since 2 months after I passed my test might have something to do with it!

The European style of driving is far better than here in the UK.

Hi Guys. I shall try and get there, assuming my Capri behaves itself and does not do anything annoying. I work in Cranleigh until 6pm so I will quickly wizz home get changed and find my way to the BP garage. I'll be in my beige Mk3 Crapi. It looks a right mess, I promise to park it in a unlit corner of the car park. Is anyone else coming from Cranleigh area?

We think its a condenser even though it is only a week old! And of course I won't be able to get a replacement until Tuesday. Kind of ruined my weekend, I was looking forward to driving it around a lot!

Okay mate. Might not be able to make it in the Capri now as it is leaking water from the rad and running like a bag of shit even though everything appears to be working fine. Grr!

What time do you think you'll be passing Clacket Lane services?

The engine and gearbox from a Skoda Fabia vRS would be pretty awesome in an OSF. They are circa 130bhp standard with more torque than a Boxter, they are chipable to 180bhp and if you put the larger turbo on it, you can boost power to about 220-240bhp. Got me thinking now.... Would love the torque of a powerful diesel in a Capper!

Maybe we should all meet somewhere first then? I'll be coming up the M23, M25 and then on the A127 if anyone is coming from my way.

I was going to go see a friend tommorow night in Chavland, er I mean Southend anyway. I guess I could take the Capri instead! Count me in!

If my Capri is functioning I will attend!

Let us know how you get on.

Might need to try lift off oversteer, works on some cars better than others. Go into the corner fast (almost too fast), aim to hit just before the apex, then left off and turn in a bit sharper as if you hit the apex, and then boot it. It should kick out then. But then you have got the problem of trying to keep the back out or it will just go into a spin... I don't recomend trying this own a public road though, if you get it wrong you will most likely understeer into a ditch. You should maybe invest in some track time to see how the car responds on the traction limit with your driving style. Hope this helps, I'm not very good at explaining myself!

Thanks for the numbers Jason, will give them a try today. I'm now starting to think it might be a water pump, I did loads of miles in it last night (about 70 miles) and temperatue flucuates quite a lot. Some times it was even running very cold, then very hot, then cold again. It has also developed a really awful squeeking noise that is linked into engine speed, it was dark but I can only presume it has something to do with water pump. Thanks for your help guys!

Take pictures of your wifes car now with no damage showing straight away. Make sure the pictures have a date on them, if she bought anything with a debit card while she was out get a bank statement to show where she was at the time.

Yeah the rad looks really old and corroded. I will check the waterpump in the morning. Cranleigh is only 2 miles away from me, so I might just give them a call in the morning PMA also in Cranleigh can do me a thermostat for next to nothing. I presume I can get waterpumps easy enough.

Hi, Does anyone in Sussex/Surrey area have a radiator for a 2.0 S MK3 Capri I could buy! I'm desperate to get the car working for the weekend but it keeps overheating randomly!! Arrrgh!