Thinking of getting a Ford Capri.. am I insane?
- Thread starter bouncer_the_dog
- Start date
bouncer_the_dog
Well-Known Member
OK... instead of the Capri where do I get one of these:
GarfieldLeChat
fucking awesome but wrong
no...
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
bouncer_the_dog said:
If you've been driving your mum's Skoda, handling a Capri, with their lively rear end, is going to seem like a special kind of hell for you for the first month or so of driving. Every time you corner at more than about 10mph you're going to be waiting for the arse to skate.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Roadkill said:
Hence the oft-heard question from other Capri-owners: "so, how many sacks of sand have you got in your boot?"
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Bear in mind that the era in which most Capri-owners learned to drive had way fewer cars on the road, and way fewer cameras to film you if you decided to cruise around the Kingston bypass at 2AM learning the foibles of your motor.bouncer_the_dog said:In theory, lets say I got one, where or how the hell would you learn to drive it? And can you tell me if there are other such dangers witha Beetle??
Beetles are only dangerous once you replace the VW Boxer engine with a Porsche Boxer engine.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Roadkill said:Of course, the way to solve the problem would be to get a 2000 Capri and swap the Pinto for a light and highly tuneable Zetec. It's the current game amongst the Escort-modifying fraternity, and apparently they can be made to go like shit off a shovel.
It used to be great fun in "the old days" mixing and matching.
Hmmm, can I get this 2000E engine in my Anglia? Ah well, it's worth a try!
subversplat
writer of wrongs
The XB Falcon was only sold in Australia IIRC, but the actual Mad Max Interceptor is in a museum in Cumbria if you fancy going and hotwiring itbouncer_the_dog said:OK... instead of the Capri where do I get one of these:
ViolentPanda said:It used to be great fun in "the old days" mixing and matching.
Hmmm, can I get this 2000E engine in my Anglia? Ah well, it's worth a try!
Apparently, every Ford engine and gearbox since the 50s have had the same bolt pattern, so if you really want you can mate a Zetec engine to an old four-speed box, via a bit of experimentation with clutches and bellhousings.
And, of course, the Capri was just a Cortina in a sharp suit and the Sierra a Cortina wearing a jelly mould, so a lot of the bits are interchangeable: the Pinto engine was used in the faster Mk1 and 2 Escorts, the Cologne V6 in the Granada and the Kent in everything from a Fiesta to a Capri: the Capri back axle fits under an Escort and the front suspension is pretty much interchangeable acorss all of them ...
You can see why old Fords are so popular with the modifying fraternity, can't you?
bouncer_the_dog
Well-Known Member
I still want one. Probably more now... I got a basic insurance quote for £800 
I got a basic insurance quote for £800 
GarfieldLeChat
fucking awesome but wrong
it's the best shot you ever took i think tbffirky said:
GarfieldLeChat
fucking awesome but wrong
what i don't understand is why they ever put xr2 wheels on it the xr2 was a festia ffs...
janeb
WW Tyrion do?
HAda capri for 3 months back in the mid 80's I think, no idea of the model but I think it was a 2l one? It was shit brown and the bodywork was held together with tar, starter motor used to jam so I got very used to rocking the damm thing before it would start, but jesus christ it was fast and fantastic to drive.
Got rid of it when the starter motor problem got too bad for me to cope with and I couldn't afford to get it fixed, and when I'd been stopped 5 times in a week to show my papers because it SO looked like it shouldn't be on the road. Probably as well, suspect I would have killed myself in it because I couldn't resist the temptation to drive it hard (I was much younger and very foolish, wouldn't do that today!)
Got rid of it when the starter motor problem got too bad for me to cope with and I couldn't afford to get it fixed, and when I'd been stopped 5 times in a week to show my papers because it SO looked like it shouldn't be on the road. Probably as well, suspect I would have killed myself in it because I couldn't resist the temptation to drive it hard (I was much younger and very foolish, wouldn't do that today!)
GarfieldLeChat said:
lol those pepper pots are a bit different to the fiesta ones
anyway fords - Fixed Or Repaired Daily
i wouldnt say no to a turbo technics conversion though
how about a volkswagen scirocco, dirt cheap, hairdresser looks, well built, fwd, leccy windows, looks nice in white
if you have a garage, go for it. if not, then......
I HEART capris to be honest.
Its right about the rust, but bits can still be had.Dont expect any mod cons with them.
The handling isnt too bad considering and if you were brought up driving FWD euroboxes, then its a learning experience - you shouldnt go racing them anyway!
for £2K, you should be looking at a good one, evgen iodf they are geting rarer.
Check for decent panels and rust in the usual places, lift the carpets and check for welding and patches, as well as damp and leaks ( common ). Lift the carpet in the boot and do tha same - lift the spare and check the space for rot - this happens lot.check for windscreen seals and make sure they havent been bodged with silicone to stop water ingress
Engine - shouldnt be any smoke and NO cam noise - a tappety cam on the OHC models means head off / new cam etc. Check to see when the cam belt was last replaced - these snap in older cars .
Seats takle a pounding cos of the height of the car and fat bastard owners, so check the are solid and not saggging or moving abouit too much.
check the fecker doesnt sit back on its haunches too much - this means back suspensionj is buggerd/worn and will cause some fun on a wet roundabout!
internal trim bits are getting harder to get hold of, so try to find one with a good set of trim - make sure you know the models sop you know a Ghia from a S trim from a Laser etc etc etc.
5th gear in the Lasers is weak but IIRC the sierras have the same Gbox ( dont quote me on that, but think its right ).
brakes are rubbish, wheel bearings wear, UJ in the prop can bang about in higher mileage models, air filer never sits correctly on the engine and poor airflow is common.But everything is fixeable in an old style propa garage ( rather than with a modern dealers " technical area" ) - and not too expensive either.
if its not immaculatem, then as soon as you get it , repalce all the ignigion electrics Rotor/cap/Leads/Plugs immediatly - and if its got it, the coil - wont cost much over about £40, but will help avoid about 85% of Capris problems you could face .
I have just realised I sound like a capri dweeb. Im not really, just a bastard for old Fords
theyse great and you will get more respect in one than the other wankers in £40K BMs, Boxters and TVRs - seriously!
I HEART capris to be honest.
Its right about the rust, but bits can still be had.Dont expect any mod cons with them.
The handling isnt too bad considering and if you were brought up driving FWD euroboxes, then its a learning experience - you shouldnt go racing them anyway!
for £2K, you should be looking at a good one, evgen iodf they are geting rarer.
Check for decent panels and rust in the usual places, lift the carpets and check for welding and patches, as well as damp and leaks ( common ). Lift the carpet in the boot and do tha same - lift the spare and check the space for rot - this happens lot.check for windscreen seals and make sure they havent been bodged with silicone to stop water ingress
Engine - shouldnt be any smoke and NO cam noise - a tappety cam on the OHC models means head off / new cam etc. Check to see when the cam belt was last replaced - these snap in older cars
. Seats takle a pounding cos of the height of the car and fat bastard owners, so check the are solid and not saggging or moving abouit too much.
check the fecker doesnt sit back on its haunches too much - this means back suspensionj is buggerd/worn and will cause some fun on a wet roundabout!
internal trim bits are getting harder to get hold of, so try to find one with a good set of trim - make sure you know the models sop you know a Ghia from a S trim from a Laser etc etc etc.
5th gear in the Lasers is weak but IIRC the sierras have the same Gbox ( dont quote me on that, but think its right ).
brakes are rubbish, wheel bearings wear, UJ in the prop can bang about in higher mileage models, air filer never sits correctly on the engine and poor airflow is common.But everything is fixeable in an old style propa garage ( rather than with a modern dealers " technical area" ) - and not too expensive either.
if its not immaculatem, then as soon as you get it , repalce all the ignigion electrics Rotor/cap/Leads/Plugs immediatly - and if its got it, the coil - wont cost much over about £40, but will help avoid about 85% of Capris problems you could face .
I have just realised I sound like a capri dweeb. Im not really, just a bastard for old Fords
theyse great and you will get more respect in one than the other wankers in £40K BMs, Boxters and TVRs - seriously!
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
Dunno if anyones mentioned this but the 4-cyl OHC engines in the capris have an extra bearing on the crankshaft (5) compared to the seemingly identical cortina lump (4) - probably in anticipation of the total thrashing they got.
Being a Kentish lad I have a few capri experiences - I can vivdly recall the feeling of trying to pull out of a narrow side street in the knowledge that the front of the bonnet arrives in the traffic flow two days before the rest of the car. I think Capris are really overrated shit tbh, they were shit in the 70's and 80's and were one of the few cars that handled as badly as the Morris Marina. The Mk1 is a pretty car but 2s and 3s are not a patch on the Mk1+2 Escort or Mk1 Fiesta imho.
Being a Kentish lad I have a few capri experiences - I can vivdly recall the feeling of trying to pull out of a narrow side street in the knowledge that the front of the bonnet arrives in the traffic flow two days before the rest of the car. I think Capris are really overrated shit tbh, they were shit in the 70's and 80's and were one of the few cars that handled as badly as the Morris Marina. The Mk1 is a pretty car but 2s and 3s are not a patch on the Mk1+2 Escort or Mk1 Fiesta imho.
bouncer_the_dog
Well-Known Member
Wilson said:how about a volkswagen scirocco, dirt cheap, hairdresser looks, well built, fwd, leccy windows, looks nice in white
My research tells me the VW scirocco features in 'Dawn of the Dead' which wieghs in its favour.. I will research it as an alternative..
I don't have a Garage.. I never really thought why I would need one...
geminisnake
a complex mass of conflicting ideas
bouncer_the_dog said:OK... instead of the Capri where do I get one of these:
Tell you what, if you DO get one I wanna shot
That's soooooo but I want one without the sticky out thing on the engine.
longdog
What is it you can't face?
I love the look of the MK1 Capri, I think they went down hill after that. The only ones I really have any time for are the 3 litre but they all handle like a sack of shit. Too heavy at the front and too light at the back.
Like others have said, if you're not use to a rear wheel drive there's a very good chance that you'll end up rolling it in to a ball if you get a bit over enthusiastic in the wet.
Nice looking cars but I'd give it a miss to be honest.*
*unless someone offers you an RS3100 for two grand, if they do, snap their hand off
Like others have said, if you're not use to a rear wheel drive there's a very good chance that you'll end up rolling it in to a ball if you get a bit over enthusiastic in the wet.
Nice looking cars but I'd give it a miss to be honest.*
*unless someone offers you an RS3100 for two grand, if they do, snap their hand off
bouncer_the_dog
Well-Known Member
Sciroccos seem to be around £800... which is encouraging...
My brother loves Sciroccos and has owned a few of them. You can get good ones for under a grand, though the GTi versions are scarcer and more expensive. Again, depending on where you live insurance might be a problem.
They're not as cheap and easy to fix as a Ford, although they're probably more reliable and don't rust as much.
They're not as cheap and easy to fix as a Ford, although they're probably more reliable and don't rust as much.
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