Water pump at 40k, slow power steering system leak started at 30k.
A good car with a nice smooth engine. Uses a fair bit of petrol. K&N 57i filter made a huge improvement to the sound of the car as the engine was very quiet as standard. Heavy tyre wear on drive wheels.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th June, 1999
Nothing mechanical, just 3 sets of discs and 2 sets of pads and a torn suspension bush. But that's just me kicking the crap out of the thing all the time.
I've got some grooved Tar-Ox Discs and Mintex C-Tech pads, a full 3" stainless Magnex exhaust, Alpine cd player and 6x9s, Splitefire plus, a K+N filter and 15" Zender Challenge alloys. There isn't much you can do to make them any faster, so I'll be getting a turbo in the next 6 months - 200bhp here I come.
Sound car, suspension is really stiff and free of roll.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 31st January, 1999
How much can you pick a Mondeo engine up for?
Search for Overton Dismantlers in Aberdeen Scotland And I am sure you will get mondeo engine from there, be careful though, as you will need to keep existing oil sump etc, I was £500 to get another 1.6 lump fitted and that was out of an escort, luckily enough the garage I bought the car from paid for the engine, which was another £575.
Certainly drop the mondeo beast in, and then turbo, but make sure you consider your brakes, will they stop the car at such high torque, they may be XR2I brakes as standard, but still crap ford drums on the back ;)
Catalyst/fan belt became noisy.
HT lead caused backfire, not many dealers have correct diagnostic equip as it is a rare model.
Battery needed replacing.
Feels like a larger car but has excellent performance. Tuning parts are expensive so keep it standard for a better resale value. Prices should appreciate as the Fiesta Turbo has in the last year. Only 497 ever built.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 24th January, 1999
I think that 6/10 for performance is wrong I think more like 8/10 as it is only 130 bhp and will power away from just about anything. mine is ticking over at 142bhp my god it shifts to 110mph. and have you noticed that they are very expensive to repair, but at the end of the day they are worth it as there are probably only a couple of hundred left on the road. and mine is Caymen Blue and there was only 10 of this colour ever made.
I agree the performance is more like 9/10! My RS is modified and is kicking out 152 bhp, and I have the rolling road sheet! And it shoots up to 60! A very quick car with excellent reliable zetec engine! They can take a lot!
I had a 93 nova 1.6 GSI with turbo conversion, 160 bhp. Now that was a quick old school hot hatch too; it would blow the crap out of standard ish R5 turbos!
23rd Jan 2001, 09:26
Erm ,not really, it rolls a lot really compared to a car that has been lowered, hit a roundabout at 70mph and it struggles. Don't bother with a turbo, just get a 2.0 litre Zetec out of a Mondeo, it goes straight in. 134bhp as standard and more torque.