Fiesta 1.25 Zetec anyone own one.

[LipolyGone]

The wife needs a car & has had me out most of the day looking for one whilst she was at work.
She needs a small car that she can use for her new job looking after some late shops within a 25 mile radius of us. I've looked at pollo's golfs yaris's fiestas focuses ka's etc etc
I think I've narrowed it down to one of two ford fiestas ones a fiesta Zetec 1.25 the other a fiesta style 1.25 much of a muchness but one has alloys & front fog lights heated mirrors.
Anyone here own one of these cars & can tell me how well they wear & what real mpg I could expect back from them. Also anything bad about them that I need to know.

[rachel]

How old ?
Cam belt change due at ten years or 100k whichever comes first.
Lower arm bushes and antiroll bar links are the usual mot fails.

Prone to coil failures but not expensive.
In very rare cases can throw a con rod , due to lack of oil changes, so check services and last mot advises.
Generally a good car 35 mpg ish buy a rust free example any rust on rear arches or sills it's dead in two years !

Forget the KA total rust trap.

Polo is the top car but holds it's money as they are fab . Yaris also mumsy buy good.
Oh can have a heater control valve that fails so heater is stuck on or leaks not expensive. That's the fester .

Have fun :-) rach

[Darwil]

Best thing to do is look on the Honest John website at the road tests, you always get an unbiassed opinion there and all of the recalls etc are listed.
[URL]http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/search?q=Ford%20fiesta&type=model[/URL]

[KnifeEdge]

I had a t reg one. Excellent car. I did 146000 miles, I blew the engine up, put a new one in £600 from the brakers and it's still driving about 7 years later (god knows how many miles now).

I have a new one now. Both did around 35mpg.

[scoobystig]

we looked at a Fiesta, but ended up buying a Seat Ibiza 1.6sport instead, as it was larger inside the cabin and boot and basically underneath it is a VW polo, so all is well
nicer styling as in my opinion

[LipolyGone]

They had a Seat there Steve but shes not had car insurance before, both cars we had were insured through me but the new job will see her needing business use so shes had to get her own with zero no claims hence the need for a smaller engine to help with costs. There both registered in 2009.

[del19_82]

I had a fiesta as well & it was a great wee runner, most of the maintenance/servicing I did myself but as Rachel said, rust got it in the end :(

[LipolyGone]

Are the new ones as bad for rust?
I know some of the old ones were depending on where they were built.

[rachel]

[QUOTE=rcslopesurfer;765535]They had a Seat there Steve but shes not had car insurance before, both cars we had were insured through me but the new job will see her needing business use so shes had to get her own with zero no claims hence the need for a smaller engine to help with costs. There both registered in 2009.[/QUOTE]

Ah the new fester ! No probe there you just play the usual major emissions and electronics game but it's a new car so should be no probs.

It may not come with a spare wheel jack etc, if so eBay a kit around £150 .
Avoid the semi auto !!! Manual box is fine :-)

[rachel]

[QUOTE=rcslopesurfer;765546]Are the new ones as bad for rust?
I know some of the old ones were depending on where they were built.[/QUOTE]

Nope but too new to tell but I think it will be fab :-) stop worrying buy the better spec one .

[del19_82]

Mine was an older model Martin, mate has the newer one and it seems pretty good tbh

[LipolyGone]

Thanks Rach I'm back down there tomorrow to sort it out. my normal thought is to buy the best one :)But for the fact both were 09 year, ones a 58 plate 09 & the better spec the other a 2009 plated one. Bar 4k miles less on the better spec one I couldn't realy see why one was a grand cheeper.M