By EWAN KENNEDY
6 February 2006

A small to medium four-cylinder car heavily based on the Mazda 323, Ford's Laser was introduced to Australia in 1981. As is often the way, it increased in size with each new model. The older ones are starting to fade away through old age so we will concentrate on those from the 1991 series until the car’s eventual end in 2002.

The Laser was one of the big players in Australia for many years and was actually built in Sydney until 1994, but faded in the sales race during the late 1990s because the fall of the Australian dollar against the Japanese yen made it pretty expensive. It was pulled off the market altogether in 2002, to be replaced by the European designed Ford Focus.

There are still plenty of Lasers to chose from on the used-car scene. It’s well regarded and certainly worth considering.

The Ford Laser is easy to drive and park so is particularly popular in suburban use. Refinement, particularly from the 1994 model, is very good for a car of this type, meaning the Laser can be used as a small family car if you want a Ford but don’t want to go all the way up to a Telstar, Mondeo or Falcon.

Body types are many and varied so there’s something for just about everyone. You can choose from three and five-door hatches, a three-door coupe (the latter tagged as the Laser Lynx, and only sold from 1994 until 1996), four-door sedans and five-door station wagons.

Interior room is fine in the front seats. The back seat is good for two adults if they are not too tall. That’s in the standard cars, the sporty models are a little tighter inside.

Handling and ride are good in most circumstances, though late-model Lasers don't cope as well on rough bush roads as older ones. Try the car for yourself if you are planning to do a fair bit of country running.

Engines are all four-cylinder units with sizes of 1.6 or 1.8 litres. A hot DOHC turbocharged version of the 1.6 was offered until the 1994 model change.

Five-speed manual are available in just about every model. Automatic transmissions had three ratios until 1994 and four from then onwards. Most Lasers use front wheel drive, but some high-performance 4WD models were imported until 1993.

Spare parts, servicing and repairs are generally reasonable in price. The Ford dealer network is one of the largest in Australia so it’s unusual to strike major problems in getting bits. Quite a few components, particularly those under the skin, are interchangeable with those of the Mazda 323 so it may be worth your while searching between the two marques in case on is cheaper than the other.

Insurance costs are generally low except for the high-performance XR3 and the Lynx. Check the prices before becoming too committed if you are in the young-or-inexperienced category.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Lasers built in Sydney until 1994 were finished to an above average standard for local cars. While not as good as fully imported versions they are generally trouble free if looked after properly.

Check for smoke from the exhaust when the engine is first started and also when it has been idling and is then accelerated hard. If the engine has done more than about 100,000 kilometres it is wise to have a compression check.

An automatic transmission which is slow to go into gear or which changes too often, or doesn’t downchange when it should, could be due for a major overhaul.

Manual gearboxes seldom give trouble. Try some fast downshifts from third to second and listen and feel for problems.

Drive the car with the steering turned on full lock in one direction and then the other and listen for clicking sounds at the front wheels that indicate worn universal joints.

Rust is not usual in later Lasers but some older ones do have problems. Check the lower areas of the body, particularly the door sills, hatch lower corners and the front-lower edges of the doors.

Look over the condition of the paint on the horizontal areas as long-term exposure to strong sunlight can cause it to fade.

CAR BUYING TIP
When the same car is sold by two different makers it’s worthwhile looking at both as there can be differences in standard equipment as well as in quality of finish.

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