Faults:

Engine problems before the car was purchased.

Engine was a pain to remove.

Problems with Camm shaft including the loss of a Camm follower.

Causing the small metal parts to go through the filter and also ofcourse into the sub.

Engine was therefore scrapped and replaced with the better 2001 Ford Ka 1.3 engine, runs perfectly.

General Comments:

Good little car, runs clean and tidy all round, nice interior.

Faults:

Water leak suspected to originate from aerial into interior light assembly.

Sunroof retainer screw threaded.

General Comments:

Overall in the time I've had the car I've been very impressed with the package.

Being a Ghia model it looks the part outside with alloys, front fogs and body-colour bumpers and door mirrors and, although the beigey interior is light and airy, the 'wood' trim on the dash looks wrong.

The car has everything you need including leccy windows and mirrors, PAS and remote locking, although on a top spec model, air and a CD would have been a bonus - Ford charge £400 plus for a CD changer, although the quality of the existing unit is rather good.

The 1.25 motor, whilst nippy around town, feels a little out of its depth on the motorway. It cruises well enough and is reasonably economical, if not superb, but the pick-up in 5th is sluggish, especially compared to the 1.4 model.

A rather firm ride is the pay-off for superb handling, especially shod with the low-profile 185-55s that come with the optional alloys. It also feels very stable at speed, although sometimes is vulnerable to being blown around at speed by trucks.

Overall, a very nice little car that can still cut the mustard even against today's opposition.

I don't suppose anyone else has suffered from a similar leak have they?

Faults:

My Ford Fiesta Classic Cabaret, as much a lovely car as it is, when I bought it I found out that it did need a new battery (£49) Which I didn't mind paying as the car was a beautiful runner. I have also had to put a new wheel on and have a tyre change. Also the brake pads/discs needed replacing. I still have the car and it's running absolutely fine.

General Comments:

A surprisingly nifty 1.3 hatchback that can do as good as 90 MPH on the motorway and is extremely cheap to run.

It's also a great 'around town car' as due to it's size and compactability with a nice fuel economy of 40 MPG.

At it's best, this car is a lovely, comfortable drive that should last years if kept properly.

Faults:

There were a few minor faults that were all covered by the garage's warranty, most of these were due to the garage not spending the proper time preparing the car, and not faults with the car itself.

The tachometer started giving erratic readings (e.g. 4500 rpm when it was idling, I hope not!)

Two tyres have needed replacing.

The boot leaks slightly.

I am beginning to see rust under the arches (5 year old car, surely not?!)

It very occasionally pops out of first and reverse gear, and reverse gear is sometimes difficult to engage.

I suspect a small oil leak, but haven't been able to trace it as yet.

Also the engine (tappets?) is fairly noisy, especially compared to a friend's car which is almost identical but two years older.

General Comments:

I like this car.

Although the steering is sometimes heavy, especially when parking, the wheel is perfectly sized.

The one thing that bothers me is the noise of the engine, and I seriously think I'm going to need to get somebody to check the tappets.

It cruises happily at 80 on a motorway, however, and isn't particularly thirsty. I have a fairly heavy foot and manage about 35 to the gallon, nearly 40 on a run.

It isn't a high performance car, but then it isn't designed to be. It does the job of simple transportation, and does that job well.

I find it fairly comfortable, and whilst it isn't fun to drive like my last car (a Volvo 440 1.7), it costs a whole lot less to run, and doesn't need to visit the doctor half as often.