I am about to put a deposit on a 1994 EF Ford Fairmont, done 160, 000ks, the price is $4400... And I'm after some advice. I just got the Racv report and is as follows. The seller is providing RWC, so I imagine some of the things will have to be fixed... The car received a caution, which means "when the items reported are repaired effectively the vehicle should provide a reliable service", here is the faults found by category:


Engine:
• Coolant discoloured
• Drive belt split
• Corrosion evident to L/H headbase area
• Various areas of oil leakage to engine - clean to locate
• Rear muffler rusted/leaking
• Valve mechanism noise audible
• Noise audible to front of engine when revving - suspect timing chain
• Misfire symptoms/engine cuts out at times - Rectify.

Transmission/Driveline:
• Transmission and differential noise
• Whine noise when in top gear - suspect coming from transmission

Steering & Suspension:
• Minor fluid moisture to Power steering rack housing

Body:
• Rear discs becoming close to minimum thickness of 8.5mm (they are 9mm)

Electrical:
• Headlight lenses discoloured
• Demister not working
• Excessive A/C dye spillage to A/C compressor area


Could all of you that are probably very familar with these cars please assist me with my decision of whether to buy and potential cost of work that needs to be done?

Thanks in advance

Last edited by timmay_73 on Sat Mar 15, 2008 5:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

How many k's has it done, sound to me like its been thrashed a bit.

offer him 1500

Whoops sorry, left out a few details.

160, 000kms on the clock and its an EF.

I would steer clear of that, sounds a bit stuffed or on its way out to me. You dont want to have to replace the transmission thats for sure.

Tell him he is dreaming !

RACV report results- its worth it!

save your dough on something thats worth 4ks.

Doesnt seem to be in good shape...
The RACV reports are good, they give you the info you need to make a decision. In this case, i'd steer clear.

Geez thats rich for a EF, you can buy BA's in better condion for a few K more.

4K you should be able to get a clean EF fairmont with half those issues.

Not always. I got told the rear wheel bearings were noisy and needed replacing and ended up needing a diff rebuild due to a worn pinion and bearings.

In a whole i dont think they are that great, i didnt need a mechanic to tell me there are stone chips on the bumper and the leather is a bit worn on the steering wheel.

I rekon it would be better to take it for a VACC test or something along those lines

I'd always be getting an RAC check on any car I was buying.. that EF sounds like it hasn't been looked after especially well.

i wouldnt pay more than 2k for that if its got that many problems. 4k should get you a bit more than that!!!

Those RACV checks are f**k s**t. Good if you want to bargain down a car, if the person selling is getting it done. No good if you're the seller. They pick the most stupid things. Half of them aren't even there. Its good (as best) for a guide. But i'd go and have a look, take it for a drive, and check the fluids, etc and see for yourself exactly what its like to drive and so on.
I've never had an RACV check done, and i'm no where near the most mechanically minded person in the world. Buying cars has never come back to bite me in the a**, yet.

A BA would be awesoommeee. But I haven't seen any under 10k... someone wanna point me in the right direction?

the areas of concern are the oil leaks - they can be very tricky to fix sometimes (if its a rear main or gearbox input seal its a gearbox out job - $$$$)

timing chain noise may only be a guide, which isnt too bad but if it gets worse could get exxy $$$...

headlights / discs / AC probs are to be expected on a car this age

transmission - well they wined when they were new so may not be anything wrong really

overall if you can get him to knock it down $1000 and still provide a RWC then youll do alright

dont quote me tho