Mk4/5 Fiestas
- Thread starter GeForce
- Start date
OK great, if it's not all cars then I won't bother having them changed until they fail. I assume they only fail whilst standing or during low speed driving? My 406 springs did the same thing.
Can I ask what is wrong with the 1.4?
Thanks again everyone, all your advice is really helpful
From what you're all saying it sounds like the Fiesta is a great choice for a first car, and my girlfriend likes them too, so I'll get searching for some nearby to go and view.
Last edited:
Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 4,898
Cheapest fix would probably be a recon engine. Not worth it on a £1k car.
There's nothing wrong with the 1.4 in the Mk5 - I suspect Tesla has probably just forgotten n they exist. There aren't that many around because the 1.25 was cheaper and there isn't much difference between them.
When springs fail - generally speaking nothing actually happens, it's just a section at the end breaking off / craking so not likely to be dangerous regardless of speed
I'll own up and say that yep, I did forget they exist.
I'll rephrase, avoid the diesel and 1.3petrol models in the Mk4 and Mk5.
Just checked the facts and figures and there isn't much between the 1.25, 1.4 and 1.6. Each gets about 1s faster to 60 than the last and uses a dribble more fuel per mile.
The 1.6 falls into the higher tax band on the old tax system.
The Fiesta 1.3 is a Ford Kent unit IIRC? Those things are older than most of the people here.
I think so, bloody horrific sounding when they get old.
Yep it is.
My first car was a Fiesta with the 1.1 CVH engine in. 4 speed gearbox and manual choke. Ah memories!
It was noisy as hell though, especially above 45. It was a H reg, so 15 years old when I got it (2006) with 87k miles on the clock.
a lot of great points and tips on the MK4/5 & 6 Fiesta's in this thread
I owned an 02 plate MK4/5 Fiesta for just over a year and it was a great car, very economical on fuel (37mpg on my comute to work which was mixed driving and around 42mpg on the motorway). Come MOT time for me it only failed on small things like suspension bushes (very common failure as they are poorly designed), CV & ball joints.
I can only echo who everyone else has already mentioned on here, the biggest gremlin on the MK4/5 models nowadays is rust - rear wheel arches, underneath doors, door sills, petrol filler cap & boot lids. It's really hard to spot one of these Fiesta's around now which haven't got any rust of them, whenever I see them about - they always have rust somewhere.
If you can afford to, I would highly recommend going for a MK6 instead. They are much more refined and better all around to drive compared to the MK4/5's. My mum has owned her 53 plate one since it was a year old and it's been a brilliant car and she has put 65K miles on it. The only thing mechanically that has gone wrong with it so far is one of the front springs that snapped last year. As far as I know as well, it's only failed 1 of it's previous MOT's which was on front tyres & brake pads.
As far as I am aware, the MK6 1.25/1.4 & 1.6 were ported from the MK5's and are exactly the same, except that on the MK6's they are labelled as "Duratec" and they have slightly newer other minor engine components.
Liam
I owned an 02 plate MK4/5 Fiesta for just over a year and it was a great car, very economical on fuel (37mpg on my comute to work which was mixed driving and around 42mpg on the motorway). Come MOT time for me it only failed on small things like suspension bushes (very common failure as they are poorly designed), CV & ball joints.
I can only echo who everyone else has already mentioned on here, the biggest gremlin on the MK4/5 models nowadays is rust - rear wheel arches, underneath doors, door sills, petrol filler cap & boot lids. It's really hard to spot one of these Fiesta's around now which haven't got any rust of them, whenever I see them about - they always have rust somewhere.
If you can afford to, I would highly recommend going for a MK6 instead. They are much more refined and better all around to drive compared to the MK4/5's. My mum has owned her 53 plate one since it was a year old and it's been a brilliant car and she has put 65K miles on it. The only thing mechanically that has gone wrong with it so far is one of the front springs that snapped last year. As far as I know as well, it's only failed 1 of it's previous MOT's which was on front tyres & brake pads.
As far as I am aware, the MK6 1.25/1.4 & 1.6 were ported from the MK5's and are exactly the same, except that on the MK6's they are labelled as "Duratec" and they have slightly newer other minor engine components.
Liam
I used to own a 1.25 zetec MKIV and it was a cracking engine. My mrs has a 2001 (MK4.5 if you like) 1.3 and it's a bag of the proverbial. Worst. Engine. Ever. It's utterly terrible and returns only 5mpg more than my archaic 2.8 litre BMW. It also delivers 130bhp less, has to be worked very hard to go anywhere, sounds like a bag of nails and generally sucks.
Judging by the car I owned and this one the 1.25 zetec seemed to be a nicer car in general - nicer materials on the interior (soft touch dash as opposed to scratchy plastic), quieter, seemed to handle better but that could be a mind trick.
FWIW I loved my fiesta - I had the Ghia model and it was a superb car.
Judging by the car I owned and this one the 1.25 zetec seemed to be a nicer car in general - nicer materials on the interior (soft touch dash as opposed to scratchy plastic), quieter, seemed to handle better but that could be a mind trick.
FWIW I loved my fiesta - I had the Ghia model and it was a superb car.
Thanks to everyone's advice, we picked up my girlfriend's new Mk6 1.4 Zetec today. Paid a little over budget at £2,500, but it's an excellent example with FSH and in very good condition.
It's on a 53 plate, mileage is just over 58k, with 11 months MOT and 6 months tax.
So thanks again to everyone who helped, informative and invaluable advice
It's on a 53 plate, mileage is just over 58k, with 11 months MOT and 6 months tax.
So thanks again to everyone who helped, informative and invaluable advice
