Faults:

Some surface rust under the front bumper and rear wheel arch showing it's age, now tended to.

Split CV gaitor when first bought.

Sometimes difficult to engage first gear - I think this is a common problem on Fiestas.

Tappet noise, fixed by adjusting valve clearances.

General Comments:

I think this is an excellent cheap car. You don't buy a 1.1 Fiesta for hot-rod performance, and whilst acceleration is quite slow, the super-economic 1.1 engine makes up for it, easily delivering over 50mpg.

The little car faithfully keeps on going and has never let me down yet, easily coping with long motorway journeys with heavy luggage.

It has a comfortable, bright interior, is easy to work on and pleasant to drive. It's 100% reliable and always starts first time.

Special edition means I have also have a sunroof, RDS stereo and metallic paint!

Faults:

Indicator/wiper/lights multiswitch.

Driveshafts are worn.

General Comments:

My first car, it is easy to drive and feels quite solid for a small cheap car.

It has always drunk oil and rust has now started to form on wheel arches. Never buy a red Ford, they fade and turn matt.

In general a reliable and economical (50 mpg) car which can actually be fun to drive if a bit slow.

Faults:

Fan switch, overboost protection, steering rack and springs.

General Comments:

Getting into a Fiesta turbo from a Nova is a big step. I've owned the car for over a year now and after being very impressed with the speed at the start, I quickly got bored and started modifying the car.

Performance wise, on its own the car is fast low down up until 4th gear, then you notice its losing a little bit of power although it's still fast. In standard form they will just lose out to Renault 5 GT Turbo's but stick a chip in and you'll be laughing.

They are fairly reliable, some more than others if treated well, and I haven't had too many problems. Classic faults that will occur on nearly all of them is rust around the filler cap and sometimes the doors, and a crack in the centre of the bonnet from 'Enthusiastic' driving. Turbo and gearbox failing are other faults that occur from hard driven models. Much more reliable than the Renault 5 or other similar rivals and looks very nice.

Ride is OK, seats very supportive but once lowered it corners like a dream. Traction is a problem on the standard 14" wheels which is why most of them have 15".

Doesn't feel that safe or comfortable at 70-80 on the motorway and this is where the car is let down.

For low down acceleration and looks there isn't a better car. Cheap to modify and keeps you happy (for a while).

Ford are useless with this car and in most cases they can't help you with most engine problems.

I'm now selling mine for a faster car cos this car has now got me addicted to speed. The 1.6 engine is just that little bit too slow for me at high speeds so I'm looking for a 2.0 turbo.

A first time buyer will not be disappointed.

Faults:

In the first month I had the car, the driveshaft needed changing and it developed a serious oil leak caused by blocked breather hoses. Both were fixed by the dealer (a Citroen dealer, not Ford) free of charge. Since then, the only things that have gone wrong are what you would expect from a car of its age:

- Thermostat jammed shut, causing overheating

- Alternator belt needed changing

- Battery died

- Entire exhaust system needed changing (caused by previous owner using it for town driving - many cold starts, which corroded it)

- HT leads needed changing

There are a number of small niggles that aren't worth fixing:

- Blower doesn't work on slowest speed

- Temperamental rear wiper and remote boot release switch

- Splutters and stalls on startup in cold weather, but is fine once it's running

- Occasionally misfires on acceleration after long journeys

- Rev counter registers much higher than it should when the battery is on load (eg. with lights and rear demister on)

- Central locking sometimes goes haywire

General Comments:

A really nice little car with extras that you wouldn't expect in a Fiesta, like central locking and electric windows. The above may seem like a catalogue of faults, but most are minor niggles that you would expect to happen with an eight year old car. Fuel economy has improved from less than 30mpg when I first bought it, to 44mpg now, following nice long runs (a 50-mile commute to work every day) and decent high-quality oil. Accelerates smartly, and cruises quite happily at motorway speeds.