Faults:

CV Boot, for MoT.

Lots of rust, mainly underneath and by the petrol cap, rear windscreen wipe and bonnet.

Replaced the cam belt.

Rear brake light pedal switch broke.

Interior light didn't work.

Faulty tachometer.

General Comments:

This car was seriously quick, had a new injection system put on with a boost valve, uprated HT leads, K&N induction kit, also the suspension was lowered, so she handled well!

I only got the car as I needed a cheap replacement car until I saved up enough money to get something newer (previous car got repossessed AARRGGG!!) so my mate suggested a XR2i as they are quick and have a lot of character about them... he never told me what the petrol bill would be like! That was the only reason she had to go, also a target for jealous thieves - got annoying, although they never stole anything.

I've never been a great fan of Ford cars... prefer a car with a bit of flare (hence the Punto) but this boy never let me down and I loved it when the boost kicked in, had big plans for her, but the cost of running it was a joke, £15 every two days I was putting in, and that wasn't booting it! As I have to travel quite far to work, I needed a car which was economical and attractive, I was more than happy with my Punto TD.

My best mate is well ito his Fiestas, he's a mechanic and next month he's getting a old basic Fiesta, then kitting it out with a 2 litre Mondeo lump! Crazy!!

Faults:

After spending a lot of time with various AA men and at the garage tracked a problem of the car just cutting out all the time to the carb. being full of carbon deposits from the previous owner never putting her foot down. However by this point I had:

New fuel pump.

New air, fuel, oil filters.

Fresh oil, (as it burned a bit)

New HT leads and spark plugs.

And unrelated to this problem I had:

New exhaust.

New master brake cylinder.

New thermostat.

Replacement radiator pipes.

Tape player motor packed up.

I also found I was constantly under the bonnet for something and didn't feel confident to drive a long distance without checking the car over a few times first.

Also started to see the problem of rust around the fuel cap and in the arches before I got rid of the car (which was by then in better condition, but I was about £400 lighter)

General Comments:

The Fiesta looked great for its age, mileage wasn't excessive and being a Ghia model it came loaded with extras like central locking, sunroof, electric windows etc.

The only time I ever enjoyed driving the Fiesta was on the motorway, because once up to speed it cruised very well and was very comfortable with good MPG.

If it could go wrong it did and although many parts are available from scrap yards for cheap prices the sheer volume of parts I fitted turned out almost as expensive as the car.

The final straw for me was the cars performance, although it looked good, it just didn't have the legs and when I was left trailing by every other 1ltr I finally sold the car, taking a huge loss, to a friend who needed a car then and there, (touch wood I had already fixed any problems and other than a minor crash he hasn't had any)

Faults:

The electric window switches failed, however replacements were found at a scrap yard.

I had problems with the fuel mixture, the car was running very lean, however this was easily solved after running the car on an emissions tester.

General Comments:

I have owned this car for seven months at the time of writing (September 2003), and considering that the car is 13 years old, I have been very pleased with it.

For a 1.4 engine, performance is very good, the car is nippy about town, and cruises easily at motorway speeds, even with 5 adults on board!

The engine is a little rattly, however this is a characteristic of the 1.4 engine and when driving is not really that noticeable.

Handling is superb, it holds the road very well.

A major plus point is the sheer economy of the car, for example I had to replace the exhaust system not long after I bought the car and I found that the genuine Ford Motorcraft system was cheaper than the fast fit alternative!

Parts can be found at pretty much any scrapyard and many parts are interchangeable between models, when I had to buy some replacement electric window switches, I went to the scrap yard and found that the same switch was used on the Sierra.

The car is well built and feels solid, it really is hard to believe the car is 13 years old, there are no squeaks or rattles from the interior, which has worn well. The car is comfortable for tall people, and holds 5 adults comfortably.

Bodywork wise, the car is in good condition, there is some rust on the drivers' front wing, the front valance and around the fuel filler, however this is only minor and hard to spot.

The lacquer has started to fade on the bonnet, this is not a serious problem and a good polish lessens the effect.

I have not had much contact with my Ford dealer, as I have done most of the servicing myself, an interesting point they did make however was that out of older Fiestas, Ghia models tend to be in better condition, owners tend to care for them more as it was the top of the range car.

If you can find a Fiesta with no structural rust and which is in good general condition it will be well worth buying, they are superb little cars for the money.