Mk4 Fiesta - What to look for?

PiKe

PiKe

PiKe

Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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When buying a second hand one, what typical problems should you be looking for with these cars? It's an S reg 1.3 that's done 88k.
 
The main problem is the ancient, underpowered and dog rough 1.3 8v engine that should be avoided in favour of the 1.25L Zetec engine.
 
Yep - avoid the 1.3, its bloody awful.

Also, check the wishbones have been done/are in good condition, they're known to fail around this age/milage.
 
Rust!

You will be hard pushed to find any fiesta that hasn't got a little bit of rust, but watch out for key places like arches, sills and door edges that could get worse between now and the next MOT.
 
sills were replaced on my old one due to rust

check the suspension brackets in the engine bay

also see how clean the oil cap is - they are very prone to clogging up and

also - might be worth seeing when the cambelt is due on them too
 
Well it's to replace my Grandads Rover 100 that's blown it's head gasket, so we're not after performance here :p
 
Clarkey said:
because its true, they are hateful cheaply built econo-boxes with no real redeeming features.
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not really. good revised chassis it shares with the puma (enough said), zetec engines you can rev all day, fairly nippy and reliable?

its a cheap fun car. its a fiesta. what more are you expecting? :confused:

Sone said:
Merits of the 1.5 Mitsubishi Colt.........................
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indeed.

edit: also to note, the cambelts are due every 100k by fords standards, haynes says the typical 40k... IMO make sure its had one by 70k. avoid the 1.4s as their bottom ends are known to go from oil starvation. the 1.25 is the one to go for basically. loved mine. check rear arches for rust and all the other obvious spots, also you can pick up a decent mileage Ghia spec MK4 for under a grand and theres loads about, so look around!
 
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Clarkey said:
because its true, they are hateful cheaply built econo-boxes with no real redeeming features.
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Who told you that? Or have you driven one extensively to find out for yourself?

Personally I found them to be an excellent town car, not too bad on the motorway either. Excellent engine too.

There's a reason you see a lot more Fiestas than Colts around.... ;)
 
-westy- said:
There's a reason you see a lot more Fiestas than Colts around.... ;)
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sure is, because fiestas are cheap and colts are not. Mine is a 1.6 btw, don't try to **** something off when you don't even know what it is, it's embarrassing.

I have had the misfortune to have driven a mk5 fiesta and it was awful, horrible interior with uncomfortable seats. Poor engine, poor handling, very poor looks, poor build, poor everything. It was a 1.25 too, so god knows how bad the 1.3 must be. The colt is better in every way. I would sooner walk than drive a fiesta.
 
I find the seats in mine comfortable, it handles relatively well for what it is. Build quality is ok...sure it's a bit cheap and plasticky, but solid enough.
 
The 1.3 I believe is a bored out version of my 1.1 (older MK fiesta).

It is a terribly rattley, tappety and unrefined engine. Awful noise etc. However, they go and go and go, even when they're broken, they keep on going :p
For example, I drove the 164miles back from Loughborough Uni with a broken valve, so was effectively running on 3 cylinders. I did have to replace the engine about 6months after that though for the emissions at bang on 100k miles.

I get a bit over 40mpgand I rag the **** off it.


In essence, they're simple engines, cheap to fix, plentiful parts and cheap to run.

Check it gets up to temperature when you drive it. The old engine had a thermostat which was stuck open, so it took ages to warm up.
 
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