Faults:

Both rear brake cylinders have exploded and become buckled.

Numerous simple oil leaks, through lack of maintenance.

Electrical fault in indicator/lights column control box.

A bit Smokey on startup (worn valve stem seals)

General Comments:

This car seems to be a compromise between many different worlds, the hot hatch, the shopping trolley and the sensible commuter.

It's not as quick or as 'raw' as my previous XR2's (both mk1 and mk2 variants) but it shares the mk2 XR2's engine, the mk3 XR2i's suspension and running gear and the basic mk3 Fiesta interior.

I bought the car because its cheap to insure, in fact its HALF the price of even the ancient mk1 XR2 but posses virtually identical power and performance.

Sadly the raw soil-yourself handling that was present in the previous XR2's has been lost, also the power of the newer XR2i's hasn't been achieved.

Luckily, being as though this is based on a now 20 yr old lump of an engine its really reliable. Brakes and other 'consumable' bits are cheap and easy to replace and its not too unrefined if its been well looked after.

In short, if you want a cheap, bullet-proof reliable car that you can drive like a nut case, but still sit in for hundreds of miles without any aches or pains this is it!

I did a 2000 mile tour of Ireland in mine with no sore backs or dead legs!

I bought mine for around 400 UK pounds, you can get em for half that now - that's the price of a mangy metro!

Faults:

Alternator failed and needed replacing.

Thermostat got stuck shut causing over heating after 2 minutes of idle.

Valve stem oil seals needed replacing.

Rust, rust everywhere!

General Comments:

I owned my XR2i for just over two years, in which time it was broken into or molested in some way 4 times. Being a hot hatch it was a target for thieves which lost me over a thousand pounds worth of stereo equipment in one incident alone.

A side this though, it was generally very reliable and hugely fun to drive. I even found it to be marginally quicker than my friends Nova GSis and a like. I especially liked the admiring looks I got while driving it, albeit only from other boy racers.

The exhaust had a nice bassy tone to it, but was let down by the engine that sounded like a bag of bolts being dragged down a cobbled path.

I was very sad to see her go, but she was getting on a bit and I was ready for a new car, in step a Toyota MR2!

Faults:

Not much really since I bought it.

The starter motor jammed about 2 days after I bought it, but before I bought it it was standing in a garage for nearly a year and was very sludged up!

A good thrashing down the motorway sorted that out!

General Comments:

Needs serious working to reach respectable speeds.

I've managed to hit 105mph, not bad considering the cars nearly done 150,000 miles!

Boring to drive in a straight line, fun when taking corners at speed though!

Starts well even in cold and hot weather.

Average comfort, especially if your tall.

Watch out for rust!

Faults:

As with all Fiestas built before 1993, rust is a problem, though not as bad as many. Troublespots include the rear wheel arches and overhanging lip of the bonnet between the headlamps.

General Comments:

As my first car, my Fiesta Mark 2 is wonderful. It's still quite stylish - despite its age, and the 'Ghia' trim adds many extras that even brand new Fiestas in 2001 didn't have - e.g. velour seats; sunroof etc. Other 'Ghia' refinements include metallic paint which improve the looks, exclusive wheel trims and a rev-counter as well as 4-speaker stereo-cassette.

The downside is that as a 1.1 engine it is only a 4-speed, but the performance is remarkable - easily keeping up with and beating other motorway traffic. It can get noisy at speed, and don't rev it too much as it can be quite deafening.

Comfort is great, and touch wood, it's never let me down - despite being used daily. Build quality externally is poor if you take into account the rust protection (or lack of it) and general flimsiness of the bumpers and plastic trim. However, internally, the trim and fittings are holding up well and feel quite sturdy. The styling is quite dull inside, but my Fiesta was one of the last made before the Mark 2 range was replaced the same year by the more pleasingly looking Mark 3.

My advice to anyone buying a Mark 2 Fiesta - i.e. pre-1989 - is to get the top spec 'Ghia' model or even an 'XR2' as these have the extras you would probably take for granted - e.g. rear wash/wipe; sunroof; full sized headrests and radio.