1986 Ford Fiesta Reviews - Page 2 of 2

With present one, nothing, it's been as good as gold - but this is probably because I picked it up for £200 from a 66 year old man who had owned it from new, but was giving up driving so it had been sat in his garage for 7 months. When he took it for an MOT IT FAILED on some holes in the floorpans - so he sold it with a box of service history and an engine that sounded and looked like it had only done a 1/4 of the 192,000 miles it had done. Excellent and it's got another 100,000 in it yet.

Good fast fun.

I've owned four of these and one of them was a complete load of rubbish due to neglect: smoking exhaust, oil leaking from rocker cover and head gasket, lack of power, starter motor broke - the list goes on.

But if you can find one that's been well looked after it will last for ever - but watch out for that rust?

I change my oil and filter every 4000 miles and you can't hear the tappets or nasty sounds. And it still pulls 125mph on the motorway - Ford said it could only do 110mph - must have been drunk.

SERVICE IT REGULARLY AND YOU'LL HAVE NO PROBLEMS. YOU PEOPLE WITH PROBLEMS EITHER ABUSE IT OR BOUGHT AN ABUSED ONE.

Exhaust fell off.

Battery died.

Good first car.

Hates to be pushed to hard.

Watch out for rust on old Fiesta's.

Brake servo.

Rear cylinders.

Hydraulic lifters.

Head gasket.

Various other bits for general maintenance - if you get the tuning and the services right they can be very nippy, reliable little cars!

I bought my first XR2 when I was 18 and got the insurance paid for my Birthday. When I went to look at the car it was a wreck - rust everywhere! You name where it goes on a Fiesta and this one was worse! To cut a long story short I just wanted it so I bought it and drove it into the ground. I learnt from buying a rusty heap but I was impressed with the way it drove so I went out and found another one in the best condition possible which is my current car.

I have done 20k miles in 14 months of owning it and although I have had to spend money on it, I don't think that 600 quid for 20k miles is bad for a C-reg!

Excellent predictable handling on pepperpots but beware when you put bigger wheels on it with lower profile tyres without lowering it - dangerous in the rain but excellent in the dry!

Head gasket.

Exhaust.

Distributor cap.

Rotor arm.

Excellent value for money, cheap to repair and cheap insurance for an XR Ford.

No rust anywhere on mine, and all this for only £200!!!

When I got it, it needed a new camshaft as it would only run on 3 cylinders. Extensive welding to the sill areas was required, wish bone rubbers to front suspension, ball joints to both sides and watch out if the lead which controls the electric choke comes off the alternator as it will run on full choke all the time.

I have a 1.3 Ghia as well and have also owned a 1.0 Mk1 and 1.1L. These Fiestas are magic and I think they are the best small car for any one on a tight budget and can be repaired by the DIY mechanic very easily and cheaply.

Exhaust manifold.

Door pins.

Wings.

Cheap to repair, nippy, quiet engine.

The original paint job had an "orange peel" surface. The choke mechanism disintegrated but it's easy to fit a manual one.

It goes like a rollerskate on wheels. The car handles well and it has been very

reliable. The tyres are expensive but the running costs are low. If Ford manufactured an XR2 (same shape as 1986 model) I would definitely buy one. Insurance companies don't like them.