Looking at one whats good and bad about them 1977 model had classic cars before thinking to get back classic car clubs
yogibearz,
Sep 28, 5:34pm
I had have no recollection of huge problems with them when they were being sold. The 1600 had a variable venturi carburettor which was a bugger to set up correctly and the 2.0 didnt. There have been a few 2000E models that looked quite good crop up on here now and again and if the chance arose I would own one of those. What about a good Mk 2 GTE if you could find one .?
tmenz,
Sep 28, 6:45pm
Rust, rust, rust and more rust! Under bonnet, firewall, wings etc.
clifford54,
Sep 28, 8:26pm
Ru st does scare me had a low headlight morris minor till rust got a hold
elect70,
Sep 28, 9:38pm
Autos had a weird fault , sometimes if backed out it wouldnt engage forward when put into D . Mrs 1 did this often could be embarrassing , but told it was a common thing on them . Need to inspect for rust on a hoist , dig deep & use a weak magnet on suspect areas . But were nice car if got the Ghia model .
countrypete,
Sep 28, 9:41pm
Rear drive shaft universals tended to fail.
beetle1234,
Sep 28, 10:36pm
The Mk4 cortina is a good car,the 2000 L would blow the Ghia and the GL outta the water,basic upholstrey,but went like a shot dog,they were cheap basic hotrod,s. good for a tontwenty,just revved their nut,s off,piss all over a capri(and I know ) and give a xd 3.3 a bloody good curry up.
franc123,
Sep 28, 10:55pm
LMAO, 2.0L, GL and Ghia were all mechanically identical, there was zero performance difference between them all, either on the road or from official acceleration and top speed figures. They were indeed a pretty fast car compared to what else was available in that size at that time for the price they were sold for. The main problem these days is finding one that hasn't belonged to someone like the above poster, I can give you a pretty comprehensive list of things to look for later on if you are really keen on a Mk4 or 5.
2sheddies,
Sep 28, 11:22pm
Re #2, not sure what the OP's budget is, but these days a really good Mk2 GTE would be selling for quite a bit more coin than a Mk4 or 5. I doubt you'd get much change out of 15 or 20k for a real minter now. But what lovely old cars.
Nothing at all wrong with a nice Mk 4 though!
hamhonda,
Sep 28, 11:25pm
Didn't they also have a rubber "doughnut" front uni on them that were prone to falling apart. I had a Mk5 Sport, everyone told me it'd be hungry on fuel but out on the open road was cheaper than anything else I'd driven
beetle1234,
Sep 28, 11:31pm
The ole man sold these new and I was fortunate to drive em as a kid,for some reason the 2000L piss bowelled the rest,even gave his XD V8 Fairmont a hiding., I realize you know what you are talking about but the L just pissed all over them,don,t know why,but they just did.,wen,t like shot dog,s.
clothesline2011,
Sep 28, 11:35pm
ah i remember when you could pick up a mk4 for $50 and thrash the hell outta em chasing rabbits lol,, cringe when i see what they go for now,,
purple666,
Sep 28, 11:38pm
Tyres didn't last long on them, or at least they didn't on the near brand new rental we hired for a weekend back in the day.
franc123,
Sep 29, 12:13am
Yes they did, it paid to have a good look at it everytime it was serviced or any other time you were underneath it. I also had a Mk5 S, on long trips 32-34mpg was achievable which surprised me, it still had the factory 4 speed in it too. It only got hungry once you started using the second barrel in the carb. I bought another base model Mk5 sedan for a work car that had a smoky old 1.6 in it and a buggered diff that I put a recon 2.0 motor and 2.0 wagon diff in (which was the same ratio as those used in all 2.0 mk4) and over the next 60000km it never came close to the economy of the S. The higher diff used in the Mk5 sedans definitely made a difference.
marte,
Sep 29, 12:16am
Put in a one peice driveshaft from a MK2. Sills rust. Make sure the axles are straight. Dizzy cap can sometimes sit up on the condensor wrie and ruin the cap.
greeny,
Sep 29, 1:08am
Didnt the 2 litre used to have cam bearing issues?
ntalke,
Sep 29, 1:51am
Did have some problem chewing Cam lobes mainly due to the oil feed pipe blocking if you didn't take due care with oil changes
countrypete,
Sep 29, 2:11am
My memory is becoming faded, but I think it was one of these I was driving and the gear shift lever came out in my hand. Apparently it was common (if indeed it was a cortina).
panicky,
Sep 29, 2:19am
Yep happened to my mk3 as I was coming through Spaghetti Junction
mohaka,
Sep 29, 2:19am
Yes,done a few camshaft and oil feed changes.The usual issues with lucas starters and alternators,go bosch.
panicky,
Sep 29, 2:20am
Rear diff & arm bushes are common for failing also
2sheddies,
Sep 29, 2:43am
Haha, that makes for a funny mental image! Can imagine you in the middle of all the traffic with the broken gearlever in your hand lol!
bwg11,
Sep 29, 2:53am
Yep, my 1973 2000 did the same. one of the benefits of NZ assembly, why bother bending down lock tabs?
kevymtnz,
Sep 29, 3:23am
find over size fuels jets 175/145 i think gear stick screw is plastic wire it down reversing light plug gearbox make sure it stays on fine a complete uni drive shaft HQ holden radiator fits with some new fitted hoses and a hacksaw quarter race the cam 6deg extractors secure down air filter ream holes out on cam oil feeder line seal dizzy cap on base or install water splash plate tyres 215/60/13 air shocks for rear if you can use Datsun 180b valve seals modify alternator holding base bolts spacers reduce vibration breaks the alt casing remove factory mufflers add 2 straight through mufflers coby at end find electronic points or clean and flatten points every 1,000kms or once a month and of course RUST both front door pillers
kevymtnz,
Sep 29, 3:32am
can anyone add as if i missed anything i had 1972 MK3 GT - standing quarter 18.06 74mph 0-100 11s max 175kph 76 Mk4 83 Mk5 SW - standing quarter 18.01 76mph 0-100kms 10.5s max 188kph 32mpg
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