fiesta 1.25

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mjt

mjt

mjt

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i know there are loads of thread about these, but i don't really have to time to trawl through every single one ;)

anyway, my sister needs a car, and i recommeded a fiesta 1.25 is it's a popular choice here
we're off to see this one this evening..
it's a nasty colour, and it's been slightly modified (badly), by the previous owner, and his mum used it before he did or something

anyway, there's loads of info on honestjohn, but is there anything that i need to look out for that isn't there?

also, any other sensible options for cars? (small, max £1500, petrol)

also, is it worth doing an AA inspection on it? its £185, which is a lot compared to the value of the car..
 
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Beware of the death like handling - my friend has written off two of these because of the extreme understeer in the wet.

I'm currently driving the older model and I have to say it's one of the worst cars I've had the pleasure(?) of driving.
 
I've written one off in the wet, held up pretty well but i did love the car :)

I had the MK5, pretty solid and its only small, niggly things that seem to go wrong on them.

MAF or ICV is one of them, causes irratic revs at idle, and often stalls when coming up to junctions, cured by either replacing or cleaning the MAF/ICV. Rust on inner sills is another one, lift the door rubbers and have a look underneath for rust. Rear window bolts often rust, but thats easy fixed too.
 
I had a 1996 1.25lx in red that had 48,000 on the clock when I bought it. I stuck another 120,000 on it over 4 years with barely any love,care,attention or stealer services. It NEVER broke down and I only ever stalled the engine once in reverse up a steep slope.

Still miss my festa - so easy to drive (thrash).
 
Great car, i recently bought a 1.25 in Blue with 100k on the clock. Loverly/easy to drive imo, so far not a single problem.

The main issue i was told about is rust on the sills, so open the doors and check them out. Only other thing i still need to find out is when the last cambelt change was done / a bush on the suspension on the front wheel (knocks when going over bumps)
 
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mjt said:
she's looking at mk4s btw..
altho she prefers mk3s, because the mk4 is "ugly" :p
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MK4/5's are the ones to get, the MK5 is a sharpened up MK4.

Do not even think about the MK3, the engines are poor and they suffer from chronic rust.
 
These are great little first cars when they are looked after properly.

There are a few common things to look out for, rust on the rear wheel arches, leaking from the heater/ventilation system, check that the engine revs and idles properly as there can be problems with this.

Oh and problems with the rear suspension can be quite common as well.

But if you find a well looked after one, it will last a long time.
 
Get a mk3 Fiesta si!! Briliant car :D
The mk4 is pretty ugly my gf had one though, drove it like hell, and the head gasket went on it lol other than that was trouble free motoring! oh and its a bit of a pig to work on at times
 
MrSix said:
Beware of the death like handling - my friend has written off two of these because of the extreme understeer in the wet.

I'm currently driving the older model and I have to say it's one of the worst cars I've had the pleasure(?) of driving.
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driving like a tool might be the issue?
 
Naaaaaa they are pretty bad for handling, if you look at one theres soooooooooooooooooooooo much space between the tyre and the wheel arch so the suspension has a lot of travel so it leans a lot lol, and bicyle tyres too! but as you say its a fiesta what do you expect lol
 
the size of the wheel/tyre has nothing to do with suspension travel or body roll. they don't handle poorly and they are not dangerous, they are average.

My escort has the same wheels/tyres as the fiesta and the only limitation on handling is the grip, you will get less grip with a skinny tyre so you are more prone to understeer when you drive like an idiot.
 
aye superb car.

mk4 is the best one out there :D chasis shared with the puma, big japanese influence, generally very solid bar the rust issue.

avoid the 1.3 enduras, and the 1.4 zetecs. you can easily get a ghia spec with 50-60k on the clock for less than 1.5k.

mine did 30k without a single problem either. My sis now has it, up to 100k now and still no problems with it mechanically. solid.
 
They are fine, I have had 3. One took a hit at NSL bouncing through a fence and I walked away, it even started first time when they took it away!
Next one suffered a bit of retarded theft where the guy bent the steering column trying to get the steering lock off.
And my most recent one has been good except for a bit of rust on the driver rear wheel arch. Also check the sills as has been mentioned.

//edit

Have you found out what is covered in the AA check? Is there anything you could not do yourself in it?
 
Overlag said:
driving like a tool might be the issue?
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I can't comment for sure on his driving, but he's always very sensible when I'm in the car with him.
I can comment on my experiences, which involve driing around medium sized roundabouts at 20-25mph in the wet and having the car understeer in to the next lane. It really shook me up first time because I wasn't expecting it at all, I wasn't pushing the car or consciously trying to drive fast, but the front end let go. I suppose it's because I've come from a Golf with good 215 width tyres that wouldn't have even flinched at those speeds, it's just scary at how incompetant they are in the wet!
 
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