[Simon_Koala]

On top of all the above which I agree with, having owned a 97 model for approx two years now, the car is basically starting to fall to bits.

The roof lining has come apart from the roof and is sagging badly.
All the plastics are starting to get brittle and/or break and/or fall out of place and will not fit back into place no matter how one tries to get them to clip/fit back into place. The motor which adjusts the drivers seat height has failed and Ford have stopped making the replacement part.

The good things I like is that it is fuel efficient, it does have a nice solid feel on the road for a car of its size (which is due to the weight of the car I suspect), the brakes feel responsive and you don't need to jump on them to make the car stop quickly, and the major components of the car (engine, gearbox, suspension, air con) are all still running well.

Its done 225k, and should anything major go wrong with it I'll be getting it towed to a wreckers yard rather than getting it repaired due to the age of the thing and the fact that its now not worth repairing any further.

They are cheap to buy nowadays, even one in good condition, but that's for a reason. They are just too old now, and they are not a car thats designed to last past approx 10 years without seemingly constant niggling maintenance and repair issues. Which I think is a shame, because they are otherwise a good solid little car for either suburban running around, or for highway cruising where the motor just loves purring at just under 3000rpm @ 110kms an hour.