Faults:

The cam belt snapped a week after getting the van, costing more to repair than the I paid for it.

Various electrical faults.

Perished fuel line.

New battery.

General Comments:

Since getting the car I have spent near 2k getting it fixed, but since has not let me down for almost 2 years.

The diesel engine is not going to rival anything faster than a disability cart, but is amazing on fuel. The car will do 400 miles on one tank. The interior is not bad, but does leave a lot to be desired and the interior electrics have been a nightmare, with almost everything inside needing attention at some point.

The only other issue I have with the car is rust, with all the arches and most of the bottom of the car rotting quite badly now, but then it has had a lot of hammer in its time.

If you are looking for a good workhorse in a small van, then this is for you.

Faults:

Wishbone Rubbers

Sump Rotted

Exhaust Rot

Radiator Leak

Radio Light

Dashboard lights on heating controls

Battery Replaced.

General Comments:

Seats hard-ish and could be better.

Wishbone rubbers not replaceable - you have to replace the whole wishbone.

1.1 is sluggish.

Engine rattly since new.

Duet model has no intermittent windscreen wiper.

Duet model has no cover on glove compartment i.e. it's just an open shelf.

Faults:

The rear brake pads have worn out quickly, and I believe the front disks are doing the same. Perhaps I am too hard on them, but I never had this problem in my Renault 5.

The handbrake cable recently perished to one wheel, still holding the other, MUST get this sorted soon! Didn't notice until I had the car up on the jack looking at the brakes and I tried to put the handbrake on when it was already on!

I consider it a problem that the fiesta uses a lot of oil. I have to put a couple of liters in every month or so, I'm sure its not burning oil, and I can find no leaks - where's it all going?

Idle problem. I've read about this on some other reviews. It only started quite recently, the revs will sometimes rise to 2-3000 rpm, and then fluctuate all over the place! This is quite embarrassing whilst sitting alongside traffic. It will accelerate itself, which I consider dangerous. However, some days it will be fine, and some days the opposite will be true, I will have to rev the engine to keep it going! The weather doesn't seem to affect it.

General Comments:

Despite the fairly lengthy complaints above, the fiesta isn't bad. Its quiet (inside!), comfortable and generally reliable. However, I am still young (19), and to me, this car has no character, it goes and stops (most of the time), but it completely dull to drive. It's also very, very slow. I know it's only a 1.1 but I have driven other cars with similar outputs and they seem much quicker. My old Renault 5 1.2 definitely had more pull, and at the time I thought that was bad! When you eventually get up to speed, you have to hang on round corners, the steering is vague, and the ride harsh. I hate having to rev the engine as it sounds like its in pain at anything above 2500rpm. Typical push-rod rattles I suppose. It just likes to go in a straight line. Slowly. I really have to accelerate hard when joining a fast road, for fear of the lorries behind crushing me! And overtaking is almost impossible. Saying that, it goes quite fast downhill, and I have reached 104mph, which must be some kind of record, surely!

I am getting an average 46MPG from a mixture of town, motorway driving. It doesn't change much though, on a recent steady run into Scotland it only rose to 49MPG, which I think is poor, considering I was being very gentle with it for once. Again, the Renault was better in this respect.

I have mentioned its drinking problem - it has a huge thirst for oil! This could just be a trait of the engine, I'm not sure.

The idle control problem is annoying. Does anyone have any ideas for a quick fix? Also, does anyone know how much it might be to fix it?

Overall, this car is OK. I bought it quite cheaply from a friend, and it is is good condition for the age. However, it's just too slow and ordinary for me. I really need a car that goes and looks better than this. I like the look of 106 Quicksilvers! For looks, performance, and costs (insurance/fuel), they seem to have a lot going for them.

I'll have this car for a few months yet, and I'll update these comments if anything important happens!

Hello to all slow Fiesta owners out there!

Matt.