Faults:

Steering rack replaced at 40000 miles (now coming up to requiring another at 125000)

Several front lower arms.

Recently needed new bonnet latch.

Rust on front and rear valence. Also over Left side rear wheel arch and fuel filler area. Needed welding on sills for MOT recently.

General Comments:

This car is only the second I have ever owned, and it has never broken down on me.

Performance is good, but not electrifying. The Ford exhaust makes the car quite boomy inside, but the burble from the tailpipe sounds very sporty!

Handling is OK, but grip is poor in the wet/damp.

However, the car is on its original clutch, does not burn or leak any oil, always starts, is reliable, and generally turns in between 34-40mpg.

If I needed a runabout in a hurry now, I wouldn't have any hesitation in getting another 1.6S.

Faults:

Needed to get one of the brake silo pipes re-fitted after it came off - that was at 38k, but might have been as a result of rough terrain.

General Comments:

Genuine mileage as vehicle has been in family since it was three years old and no real problems - starts first time, even in winter, and doesn't need much choke either.

Fuel economy is outstanding - London to Edinburgh on a tank of petrol, and is similar on town runs.

My only complaint is insurance, but maybe that's my fault in being young!

Faults:

Since I received my car, I have had what seems to be a non-stop lineup of faults. At first I was happy with my car, being a lot bigger and more comfortable than my old Mini. I was prepared to put up with the poor road holding, rolling suspension and poor acceleration.

When I got the car, it had a very mild oil leak. I would maybe have to fill it every month or so (400 - 500 miles). Since then it has steadily increased to once a week, and a black puddle wherever it is parked. I believe it is due to the sump/engine seal and top rocker cover seal.

I have also had to replace a 2 month old set of brake pads, un-evenly worn due to corroded housing, meaning the callipers only used one break pad per disk to stop the car, resulting in poor breaking distances, and eventually worn disks.

In February, the car went through a 3 week spell of cutting out at random intervals whilst the engine was cold. It would always start and run for maybe 1 - 2 minutes, and then it would just loose power, and stop. It would not start again for anything up to an hour after that. I never did work out why this was, but the weather warmed up, and the car has behaved since.

In the Mot in January, I needed new suspension arms on the front, 4 new shocks, and 4 new tyres due to uneven wear. It is an old car, but surely that's a bit excessive. (The car has been in the family for the last 10 years, so I know it has been serviced and maintained well)

General Comments:

The car is good in that it gets me to work and back each day.

It is slow, no, sloth-like. It takes an age to reach 60. It is deafening at anything above 55mph, not helped by the 4 speed box.

Not good for town driving, as it had poor acceleration and bad breaks, and bad on the motorway, as there is NO power to overtake even a lorry.

It is not a car for passengers as the handling is greatly reduced with 3 adults in the car, and positively dangerous with 4 or more people. It sways at anything above 50, and the breaking distance more than doubles.

A curious point. The car has a spoiler on the rear. Was this a vain attempt to make the car look sportier?!?, or even to help the car hold the road? All I know is that I would never get another Fiesta.