My 99 Sierra Turbo 2nd hand my first review

sag_kv · 21st April 2008, 20:16

Hi Guys,especially all the Sierra lovers Out there here is a review of my recently acquired possesion The TATA SIERRA TURBO 99.

Got a decent turbo for 1.3l after nearly four months of my searching and my search did not end in pain but a great possesion.

Let me tell you about the vehicle when I went out for purchasing it.
Colour: Maroon

Model : 99 turbo

owner : 3rd

KMS ; 165000

Insurance : Nil

Engine : not rebored

Tyres : 3 bridgestone desert duelers ( 1 tubeless) , I ceat Formula I Steel, 1 rethreaded JK

Rims : neo Alloys 5 ( condition not bad) the ones like on HILLRAMS black adder

under body and chassis : no rust good original company finish

outer body :
running board exellent , light dents and scratches ,roof railing good , front end the bonnet and fenders were redone and not appealing
the engine bay: had rust alond the borders and also on the dasboard side with flaking

driveability:
On starting the starter motor was spining and the engine took it up on the fourth time with a rumble and yes there was black smoke ( the owner has left it aside for a long time). took it for a drive the pick up was good than all the other turbos i drove but the cluth was very hard and the power steering was like a manual one breaking good

interiors:
has dual tone leather interiors(hard leather) red and black for the seats, all 3 doors, tinted glass, carpeted floor(damaged) pretty decent to say.The plastics all in good original condition.

ICE:
has a sony mp3 player , a sony xplod 4 channel amplifier, front 6 speaker system with 4 tweeters and 2 speakers (pioneer), rear TS series Pioneer 300w speakers 4 way and the sound effect was great.

Problems:
1.

Nitin · 21st April 2008, 20:23

Love the Sierra!
Any pics?

sag_kv · 21st April 2008, 20:29

nitin I will post them soon

toiingg · 21st April 2008, 21:33

congrats on the sierra buddy.
Just my opinion, but i think you paid too much for it. How about some pics ?

Blue Thunder · 21st April 2008, 21:55

Congrats, sag_kv, on your purchase !!! Please do post some pics. I have always liked the solid-looking Sierra : if it had been available in 4x4, I would have actively considered it (before buying my Gypsy).

Sankar · 21st April 2008, 22:39

Congrats buddy. I like the Sierra. I used to see a very nicely maintained turbo almost everyday near my home at Blore.

JayD · 21st April 2008, 23:08

Congrats on your new buy dude. But i think around 70-80k would have been a great price.

aaggoswami · 21st April 2008, 23:28

My father loves this car. It was out of our affordability when it was produced. We just had managed to buy Maruti 800 in 1992.
We went in for Baleno in 2005. Next car will be in 2013/2015 and Alto or something sort of a small car that will be less than 3.5 lakh.
Well as soon as I read more about the vehicle, I also started liking it.
It has vertain amount of charm that Sumo or Estate lacked.

kingshukt · 22nd April 2008, 09:53

Congratulations. Love this car. Had a Sierra (non Turbo) for 10 years (waiting for the Safari and some Vitamin M

).

No car like a Sierra. The suspension / seats / AC all superb. In fact with the Turbo Model TM removed the one major grouse i.e. the power.

Do get your engine checked for blowby since you mentioned that it has already clocked 160000 Km and do post some pictures of the car both exterior and interior.

A.R · 22nd April 2008, 10:34

Nice buy Dude. It's gonna rock trust me. Please post some nice pics....
Also what mods & repair work do you plan to carry out?

22nd April 2008, 14:10

Sag..Sierra is a nice possession. 1.3 L for a 99 model is a bit on the higher end. I had a 99 model sierra turbo, sold it in 2004 for 1.5 L, done 50K. Showroom condition. I left India for higher education in 2001, so it wasn’t used much, good for a bachelor, but once you start your own family getting in and out from the rear seat can be a bit of a problem.

Loved the vehicle though.

djbobo · 22nd April 2008, 14:24

Congrats. Have always lusted for the Sierra. Its an amazing vehicle. Would have loved to see a souped up Sierra 2.2 VTT. Maybe TATA is listening

GTO · 22nd April 2008, 17:47

The Sierra Turbo was a rockstar in its hey days; that mid-range post-2000 rpm could put many a Esteem / Zen / Cielo to shame. The unique design was a style statement, while the interiors were mighty comfortable! Too bad about the build quality and horrible handling though. We maxed out the speedometer once. IIRC, it was marked only until 160.

Congrats on the car! It takes something to buy a used Sierra Turbo in 2008. Hope the beast serves you well.

sag_kv · 22nd April 2008, 19:44

guys thank you all for your appreciation.

Myself being a tata sierra non turbo owner for nearly 5 years 1st hand(97 -2002) couldnt resist buying and possesing this beast once again, yes I know I paid little high but searching almost for 4 months I seen higher quotes for crap vehicles and non turbos really

And for the only few well maintained sierras out there, the demand is high as I have seen people are not willing sell them atleast half of them said yes first and no later (had two personal encounters myself even paid advance and later it was returned, such is the passion of the people who own them)

Tommorrow I will Post the pictures and also will complete my full review

nickatnite · 22nd April 2008, 20:09

I love the Sierra too. A perfect candidate for the program "Pimp My Ride". It plays on VH-1 in the US. Got pics?

21st April 2008, 20:16	#1
sag_kv BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Tirupati Posts: 130 Thanked: 109 Times	My 99 Sierra Turbo 2nd hand my first review Hi Guys,especially all the Sierra lovers Out there here is a review of my recently acquired possesion The TATA SIERRA TURBO 99. Got a decent turbo for 1.3l after nearly four months of my searching and my search did not end in pain but a great possesion. Let me tell you about the vehicle when I went out for purchasing it. Colour: Maroon Model : 99 turbo owner : 3rd KMS ; 165000 Insurance : Nil Engine : not rebored Tyres : 3 bridgestone desert duelers ( 1 tubeless) , I ceat Formula I Steel, 1 rethreaded JK Rims : neo Alloys 5 ( condition not bad) the ones like on HILLRAMS black adder under body and chassis : no rust good original company finish outer body : running board exellent , light dents and scratches ,roof railing good , front end the bonnet and fenders were redone and not appealing the engine bay: had rust alond the borders and also on the dasboard side with flaking driveability: On starting the starter motor was spining and the engine took it up on the fourth time with a rumble and yes there was black smoke ( the owner has left it aside for a long time). took it for a drive the pick up was good than all the other turbos i drove but the cluth was very hard and the power steering was like a manual one breaking good interiors: has dual tone leather interiors(hard leather) red and black for the seats, all 3 doors, tinted glass, carpeted floor(damaged) pretty decent to say.The plastics all in good original condition. ICE: has a sony mp3 player , a sony xplod 4 channel amplifier, front 6 speaker system with 4 tweeters and 2 speakers (pioneer), rear TS series Pioneer 300w speakers 4 way and the sound effect was great. Problems: 1.
	() Thanks

21st April 2008, 20:23	#2
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 3,294 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Love the Sierra! Any pics?
	() Thanks

21st April 2008, 20:29	#3
sag_kv BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Tirupati Posts: 130 Thanked: 109 Times	nitin I will post them soon
	() Thanks

21st April 2008, 21:33	#4
toiingg BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Calcutta Posts: 639 Thanked: 266 Times	congrats on the sierra buddy. Just my opinion, but i think you paid too much for it. How about some pics ?
	() Thanks

21st April 2008, 21:55	#5
Blue Thunder Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Right here . Posts: 1,657 Thanked: 386 Times View My Garage	Congrats, sag_kv, on your purchase !!! Please do post some pics. I have always liked the solid-looking Sierra : if it had been available in 4x4, I would have actively considered it (before buying my Gypsy).
	() Thanks

21st April 2008, 22:39	#6
Sankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Location Posts: 5,766 Thanked: 9,054 Times	Congrats buddy. I like the Sierra. I used to see a very nicely maintained turbo almost everyday near my home at Blore.
	() Thanks

21st April 2008, 23:08	#7
JayD Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cochin! At last Posts: 3,236 Thanked: 2,568 Times View My Garage	Congrats on your new buy dude. But i think around 70-80k would have been a great price.
	() Thanks

21st April 2008, 23:28	#8
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,982 Thanked: 2,931 Times	Great Vehicle My father loves this car. It was out of our affordability when it was produced. We just had managed to buy Maruti 800 in 1992. We went in for Baleno in 2005. Next car will be in 2013/2015 and Alto or something sort of a small car that will be less than 3.5 lakh. Well as soon as I read more about the vehicle, I also started liking it. It has vertain amount of charm that Sumo or Estate lacked.
	() Thanks

22nd April 2008, 09:53	#9
kingshukt BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 451 Thanked: 10 Times	Congratulations. Love this car. Had a Sierra (non Turbo) for 10 years (waiting for the Safari and some Vitamin M). No car like a Sierra. The suspension / seats / AC all superb. In fact with the Turbo Model TM removed the one major grouse i.e. the power. Do get your engine checked for blowby since you mentioned that it has already clocked 160000 Km and do post some pictures of the car both exterior and interior.
	() Thanks

22nd April 2008, 10:34	#10
A.R BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 151 Thanked: 11 Times	Nice buy Dude. It's gonna rock trust me. Please post some nice pics.... Also what mods & repair work do you plan to carry out?
	() Thanks

22nd April 2008, 14:10	#11
ajibba Posts: n/a	Sag..Sierra is a nice possession. 1.3 L for a 99 model is a bit on the higher end. I had a 99 model sierra turbo, sold it in 2004 for 1.5 L, done 50K. Showroom condition. I left India for higher education in 2001, so it wasn’t used much, good for a bachelor, but once you start your own family getting in and out from the rear seat can be a bit of a problem. Loved the vehicle though.
	() Thanks

22nd April 2008, 14:24	#12
djbobo BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Delhi Posts: 91 Thanked: 0 Times	Congrats. Have always lusted for the Sierra. Its an amazing vehicle. Would have loved to see a souped up Sierra 2.2 VTT. Maybe TATA is listening
	() Thanks

22nd April 2008, 17:47	#13
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,546 Thanked: 300,781 Times View My Garage	The Sierra Turbo was a rockstar in its hey days; that mid-range post-2000 rpm could put many a Esteem / Zen / Cielo to shame. The unique design was a style statement, while the interiors were mighty comfortable! Too bad about the build quality and horrible handling though. We maxed out the speedometer once. IIRC, it was marked only until 160. Congrats on the car! It takes something to buy a used Sierra Turbo in 2008. Hope the beast serves you well.
	() Thanks

22nd April 2008, 19:44	#14
sag_kv BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Tirupati Posts: 130 Thanked: 109 Times	guys thank you all for your appreciation. Myself being a tata sierra non turbo owner for nearly 5 years 1st hand(97 -2002) couldnt resist buying and possesing this beast once again, yes I know I paid little high but searching almost for 4 months I seen higher quotes for crap vehicles and non turbos really And for the only few well maintained sierras out there, the demand is high as I have seen people are not willing sell them atleast half of them said yes first and no later (had two personal encounters myself even paid advance and later it was returned, such is the passion of the people who own them) Tommorrow I will Post the pictures and also will complete my full review
	() Thanks

22nd April 2008, 20:09	#15
nickatnite Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NYC/MAA Posts: 1,430 Thanked: 603 Times	I love the Sierra too. A perfect candidate for the program "Pimp My Ride". It plays on VH-1 in the US. Got pics?
	() Thanks