Faults:

Replaced alternator.

Replaced brakes.

Replaced exhaust.

Emission control design.

Replaced sump.

Engine wears easily and quickly.

Clutch was replaced.

Gearbox needed a new reverse gear.

General Comments:

The engine has worn which causes oil to enter the carb and stall the engine. This took several mechanics and a long time to identify.

The rear arch next to the fuel line is also rusted badly.

Faults:

I bought the car without any real inspection as it was being bought from a friend. It was bought to be a cheap first car for me.

I took the car to my local mechanic after the car just spontaneously cut-out on the motorway out of Belfast! It turned out that the engine was probably replaced at some stage and a cheap electric pump was fitted because a mechanical pump could not be fitted. I had a universal fuel pump fitted and it's never broke down since.

I have had the clutch replaced as it was getting quite long. It judders now, probably because it has not been fitted 100% correctly by the mechanic.

I've also had the tappets replaced/adjusted along with an engine tune-up. This was done because the engine was particularly noisy.

I've replaced all four tyres from the supplied remoulds to Firestones as the front tyres had to be replaced due to wheel mis-alignment causing substantial uneven wear, so I decided to replace all four.

There are two oil-leaks (one at the gearbox and one at the sump) still unfixed.

Brakes are fine, but squeal when applied at certain pressures.

General Comments:

The car has been a great car for me to have as a first-time car. It has served me well. The recorded mileage couldn't possibly be right, it must have gone round the clock to that figure. approx 30000 miles on an 11 year old car? I don't think so!

On the plus side, it's reliable and starts first time every time (even in cold weather).

The interior of the car has been well looked after and is quite roomy and comfortable. The bodywork is good, no real rust problems.

On the downside, the car is quite noisy (I think all the old Fiesta's of this age are) and it only has 4 gears which makes the engine noise greater at higher speeds. Performance seems non-existent, 65mph seems the absolute maximum without feeling like you are really pushing it beyond its limits and getting to that speed seems like an eternity. The car is also very rattly, lots of noises come from the dashboard (rattles and squeaks).

Overall, the Ford Fiesta (1990 model) is a decent reliable car which is great as a no-frills run-about car, but it suffers from lots of little problems which might put off most people. It's been great as a first time car, but I have been searching for a new car since. My brand new Fiesta 1.25 Zetec will be delivered soon which seems like a lightyear ahead of this model!

Faults:

Nothing to note, usual faults on a car of this age. Sump needed replacing at 68500 miles.

Brakes (New Disc's & Pads) £50

New Sump / Sump Gasket £45

Tyres (Pirelli P3000) £20-30 each.

General Comments:

I don't like the white wheel trims, but that's a matter of personal opinion!

0-60 seems to take an age, however, what can one expect from a 999cc engine.

This car is reasonably loud, both road noise and engine noise (no / little soundproofing)

Very cheap to run, fuel consumption is not as good as a 1.1, but returns a respectable 40mpg+

Tyres are cheap too! An ideal thing in a college car-park where putting nails in tyres are commonplace. Cheap tyres can be had for about £15, but if you look around you can find Dunlop/Michelin/Pirelli tyres for not much more. The tyre size on my car is 135/80 T 13.

A cute little runaround, that's great fun, not very nice on motorways though! It will happily cruise at 70mph, and more than that and it's a wee bit unsettled.

The Bonus II did not come with a nearside mirror, it's advisable to get one of these!!

Overall, an ideal car for students and older people. Will do me for 12 months or so.