I was thinking of selling my 95 EF and spending the money on a 1987 XF Fairmont Ghia. Would this be a good idea?? There are a few places around to recondition the engine and transmission. What would be some of the drawbacks?It is only a thought at this stage but i like the PHAT muscle machine look of the XF.

Well, main downside i can think of is your gunna loose more money on the XF. E.g, buy EF for 8 grand, sell few years later for 6, buy XF for 2 grand, spend 4 grand reconditioning and what not, sell a few years later for 2 gran.d
But it's only money, so if it's the car you want, go for it!
I want someone to crash into my car and write it off, wanna buy a nice XC with the insurance pay otu!

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Last edited by blackjack_original on Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

yeah, i guessed about the resale value being s**t an all. just thought it might be better to have a reconditioned car rather than a new car with heaps of kays.

The E-series I6's don't mind the k's at all, sure it also deteres from resale. But honestly, the 4.0L's really don't mind high milage.

I've got an 85 GHIA if you want it. All it needs is a reco head, reco gear box, reco power steering box, XF power steering pump (i got one in there of unknown origin and it keeps throwing belts when I rev it). And a few niggly bits and pieces. They are a nice looking car. Theres a few straight mint condiditon ones in the gong and peoples jaws just hit the deck when they see them but they are difinitely not for sale. If your going to spend money on them do it for keeps.

yeah it will alst you for a lot longer than the XF will, and eventually you will have an XF with the same amount of k's ... so what do you do then? Keep your EF in good nick and it will last another decade!!! Then you won't care what it is worth!

We had a XF ghia once, we nicknamed it "The Money Pit"

Cons:
1: the EFI engines (some Ghia's came with the carby engine) have problems galore..... vacuum leaks, f**k AFM's, etc, and while they're running fine, they'll use a tank of fuel every 600km or so for highway work, but once the problems start, fuel consumption can skyrocket to as bad as 300km or less to 75L, and the AFM's for XF's are getting pretty sad.... and harder to find in good condition
2: the electric window motors/gearboxes were designed by the devil, the most common being that the plastic gear gets flogged out on the inside due to E-clips breaking/disappearing and allowing the alloy gear that drops into the platic one to 'cam" out, the only way to fix this is by filling in the gap between the plastic gear and the metal one with araldite
3: the velour trim gets very grubby and threadbare with age, and the adjustable drivers side seat base in the ghia's fails, alwing the seat to rock about like crazy
4: the dash gets more rattles over time than a billionaires baby...... something i have yet to manage to fix, especially as broken clips are VERY common
5: the cruise control systems are a bit tempremental, and if the clock/trip computer is removed or faulty, will cease to work at all
6: the suspension leaves a lot to be desired at times, with worn ball joints, front spring saddles and rearsuspension bushes being VERY common
7: the brakes are allright, although the rear discs rattle like crazy if the anti-rattle clips that hold the inner pad in place (as opposed to the ones on the caliper/bracket) are f**k or have been discarded
8: rust behind the rear wheel arches, at the base of the C-pillars, at the top of the rear window, int he bootlid, at the base of the front guards, in the plenum, and in the firewall is VERY common, and is the first thing i look for, regardless of the condition of the rest of the vehicle
9: for some demented reason, ford never offered XF's with a factory fitted V8

Pro's:
1: XF's clean up very well, and provided they're looked after, hold a fair bit of eye appeal
2: parts are available reasonably cheaply
3: V8 swaps are becoming easier as they become more widespread
4: there were a few XF Ghia's fitted with a factory 5 speed manual
5: they're a lot easier to work on than some of the later models
6: the crossflow 6's are a damned tough engine

what it all boils down to in the end is that XF's are becoming a car with 2 purposes in life, that of either a work car that gets treated worse than a stray dog till the day it eventually dies, or they're cherished as someone's pride and joy, lavished with care and attention despite the models shortcomings

you either love them or hate them, and i dont know many ex XF owners who either regret selling thier XF, or wish they could get another one when they see a well kept example

ive had both and although the xf is a tough cruiser, the e goes a 1000 times better , handles a million times better and is far more comfy. dont get me wrong, i loved my xf but the ef is the next XF of the future so to speak, and for around 5g nowadays, bui\y one and trash it and you'll love it and it will smoke most stock cars on the road...

I've also had both and i'v got too say unless you're willing to spend big bucks on the XF, keep the EF. Much, much better car stock(ish).

What a backward step, E sreies piss all over the earlier models in every department(stock), if your going to use it as a daily driver, stick to the EF.

yeah, seems like ill be sticking with the ef then. Thanks for all the feedback. Thats what i love about this site, people dont hide anything, The cons far outway the pro's. Cheers.

The only reason I bought my car was the shape. Toughtest falcon body style I've seen for a long time. Hence I pounced on the first one with a half decent body that came up for sale. The mechanicals are f**k but I intended to replace all of them when I did it up. But now I have a few financial setbacks and I can't afford to keep the car. But if I sell it then the next one i get would probably have a much rougher body then mine. Catch 22.

well your comparing cars that have a 10 year age difference!