Faults:

There were several gearbox oil leaks during my ownership that really never got fixed properly. Firstly the front gearbox seal leaked at about 60k miles. This was fixed at a local LR specialist (not main dealer) and luckily the leak wasn't too bad and the clutch didn't need replacing. The second leak that kept re-occurring was a leak from the transfer box into the transmission brake housing; this meant that the handbrake would generally not work too well as it had oil contamination on the shoes. I had this seal done a few times, wasn't too expensive, but after the second time I just 'lived with the leak', and as the transmission brake passed the MOT, it didn't really matter, clearly the leak was only minor.

Second gear synchro was replaced at about 5k miles, there had been a replacement fitted to the 200tdi in the last few months of manufacture, mine just missed this and was fixed by the main dealer - no cost to me.

All other replacements over the 14 odd years in my ownership were just normal wear and tear items, one exhaust (cheap as chips), brake pads etc.

At about 20k miles I filled the fuel tank with unleaded fuel, rather than diesel, and my wife drove another 40 miles to work. Thankfully it didn't start when she tried it, towed away and drained. No damage to the injector pump and all was well after that - I don't think I'd get away so lightly these days with injector pumps that are made to even tighter tolerances.

Oh yes, as a parting thought... this car was so much more reliable than my Audi 100 quattro 2.8 litre estate!! The Audi was one of the most unreliable cars, and by far the most expensive to fix, that I've owned.

General Comments:

It seems such a long time ago now, but this was the first new car we had, it only came with a one year warranty and took 5 years to pay for outright, so we took a risk!

I used it for towing a small caravan, which it did with ease. We used farmers field sites in the UK and caravanned all year round; the 4x4 was great for this and dragged the caravan off a site after 2 feet of snow fell when we were there. The best investment I made during my ownership was to fit some BF Goodrich AT 235/70 tyres; they made a huge difference in the mud and snow.

Rust was starting to be a problem in the end, although I rust proofed the car and cavity sealed it, the under boot floor paneling was corroding badly and the lower door edges (where bonding between aluminium and steel skins) were a problem area, although not too bad.

One of the benefits of a car like this, being a bit agricultural, is that when someone runs up your rear, you walk away with a dent and some paint on your bumper; the Fiesta was written off!

Overall we really liked the car, it took us on many fantastic caravan holidays and was always dependable.

Faults:

Wheel bearing failed.

Clutch master cylinder failed.

Hand brake gave trouble until I had it repaired properly.

Other problems have been through neglect by previous owners.

General Comments:

As usual I dived in and bought the first one I looked at, it has proved to be reliable mechanically, but rust has got hold. I replaced the rear body crossmember and I am in the process of replacing the driver side sill.

I bought it to use as an every day car, but it was not as economical as I thought it would be.

I now use it for RTV trial events and it has stood up well to the abuse I now give it.