1988 Ford Fiesta Van review from UK and Ireland

For the MOT, all that was required was a small amount of welding to one of the chassis rails.

Front end of exhaust broke at manifold joint.

Sills need welding for next MOT.

For the price I paid for my 1988 Fiesta Van, I didn't expect too much from it. However, when I bought it, I drove it 180 miles home with no problems whatsoever.

The MOT was about to expire though, hence the small amount of work required as mentioned above.

I use the van every day for my work, and it has never let me down.

It is very economical on petrol, easy and cheap to service, and extremely reliable. It is also very solid for a van of its age and although not immaculate, is it very reasonable cosmetically.

I have owned several Fiestas in the past, including the 1988 Fiesta 1.1L van reviewed previously on this site. (I would still have this van today had it not been stolen and classed as an insurance write off... it took me 18 months to find this latest van to replace it).

In my experience, Fiestas are excellent little cars (my wife also has one,and it too is a cracking little car) and are only a problem if neglected or abused. Find a (reasonably) good one to start with, service it properly, deal with any bodywork issues promptly, and it will serve you well.