Faults:

Nasty rust everywhere. The car was looked after and did not have this on purchase - this just happened suddenly in its last few years with me. Eventually what led to an MOT failure.

Injectors, clutch, etc. Lots of other expensive mechanical problems.

Water pump leaked.

Various other oil and coolant leaks.

Electric mirrors broke.

Interior had excessive wear.

Boot hatch would not stay open (gas struts).

General Comments:

Good points:

Good to drive (handling wise) and well equipped (Titanium model) and very economical, good MPG from diesel. Comfortable as well for a small car.

Bad points:

Everything else. The car just felt cheap and nasty. Overrated. Very slow. Too many problems. I looked after the car well but there was always something going wrong. Yes it was an older car but it had low mileage. Never again!

Faults:

Clutch, oil leaks, suspension, exhaust, ratty interior trim, windows jammed, exterior and under chassis rust, etc.

General Comments:

My first car, and what a wreck. To be fair I bought it at around 8 years old and I don't think the last owner looked after it well enough.

Not bad to drive, quiet enough and handles OK. Not that comfortable or spacious though, but it is a small car.

Very slow, and not economical either, a lot of reviews here and elsewhere claim a Fiesta with this engine should be getting 45 - 50 mpg, but the best I got was 42.

Avoid Ford main dealers, they don't want to know about cars this age. Find a friendly local mechanic to help you out. A good condition one of these cars should prove economical to run.

But an older rough example like mine? Buy it cheap, run it, then scrap it.

Faults:

So far nothing has gone wrong with the car.

The only niggles I have had are a slight squeak coming from the interior plastic on the passenger side dashboard, under the small triangular window, and a slight squeak from the driver side brakes when travelling less than 30mph. I never really notice these noises, as I normally drive with the stereo on quite loud!

General Comments:

Compared to my previous car (a '99 Vauxhall Corsa), this car is a dream to drive. The 1.6 petrol engine is very nippy, especially around 4000 rpm. My average MPG has been around 45, which I believe isn't too bad for a 1.6 petrol engine. The interior has a very modern design, and the comfort is second to none for someone of average height like myself (5'10").

The stereo system is of greater than average quality, and sounds great with a few equaliser adjustments.

There is a slightly louder than normal tyre noise when travelling at speed, but around 30 you can barely hear anything.

General Comments:

The car is great, I only paid £11000 for it after the scrappage scheme and general arguing over the price, and have all the extras like the 17" wheels, USB bluetooth, leather interior, metallic paint and some other bits. Got it brand new and have not once been disappointed with it.

Was really surprised how good it is on fuel, seeing as it's the highest BHP engine they do, getting about 38MPG.

Never had a car with low profile tires and lowered suspension before, and the first few days of having it I thought that something was wrong, as it felt very rough on some roads, but talking to friends they said it's normal, and it's just the bad roads in Cornwall. Take it on a proper tarmac road and the handling is better than my brother's Golf GTI. Never once has it under or over steered or got out of shape, but I backed off as I was to chicken to push it any harder LOL.

Acceleration is good, but it really kicks in in 3rd gear at about 4000 revs, where you feel the car just surge forward.

Brakes are perfect; went onto a quite road and did an emergency stop to see if I could feel the ABS working, not a thing!!! The car didn't even skid and I never felt the ABS working, but I knew it was as the light came on the dashboard.

The interior is good, really comfortable with the racing seats, and the stereo/phone controls are all voice activated, so no need for looking across at buttons.

The speakers in the car are very good; my last car I fully kitted out with subs and speakers with the intention of doing the same to the fiesta. There is no need unless you want to spend £1000 on your sound system; don't bother because you won't beat the quality you already have.

Boot not the biggest, but can still get a body board in the back with extra stuff, and the room for the rear passengers is surprising good from what it looks like outside. My 6'3" mate had no problem in the back when I had a car full.

The one minor thing I will say about the car is with the 17" wheels the turning circle is not the best, moving in and out of car parks and garages normally takes two shunts, but that could just be my bad driving.

All I can say is get yourself down to the Ford dealership and have a test drive and a fiddle with all the stuff on the car, and see if it is for you, but I haven't found anyone that hasn't liked it yet.

Look on youtube for Top Gear's review of it; after seeing that I got the car.