Faults:

As with all Fiestas built before 1993, rust is a problem, though not as bad as many. Troublespots include the rear wheel arches and overhanging lip of the bonnet between the headlamps.

General Comments:

As my first car, my Fiesta Mark 2 is wonderful. It's still quite stylish - despite its age, and the 'Ghia' trim adds many extras that even brand new Fiestas in 2001 didn't have - e.g. velour seats; sunroof etc. Other 'Ghia' refinements include metallic paint which improve the looks, exclusive wheel trims and a rev-counter as well as 4-speaker stereo-cassette.

The downside is that as a 1.1 engine it is only a 4-speed, but the performance is remarkable - easily keeping up with and beating other motorway traffic. It can get noisy at speed, and don't rev it too much as it can be quite deafening.

Comfort is great, and touch wood, it's never let me down - despite being used daily. Build quality externally is poor if you take into account the rust protection (or lack of it) and general flimsiness of the bumpers and plastic trim. However, internally, the trim and fittings are holding up well and feel quite sturdy. The styling is quite dull inside, but my Fiesta was one of the last made before the Mark 2 range was replaced the same year by the more pleasingly looking Mark 3.

My advice to anyone buying a Mark 2 Fiesta - i.e. pre-1989 - is to get the top spec 'Ghia' model or even an 'XR2' as these have the extras you would probably take for granted - e.g. rear wash/wipe; sunroof; full sized headrests and radio.

Faults:

The gearbox needing replacing once it reached 80,000 miles.

The oil needing regular topping up.

Engine takes an eternity to warm up on a cold winters day, then takes ages to cool down after a hot summer day drive.

Thermostat needing replacing.

Lock connectors were worn, needing replacing. Seat adjuster cables snapped.

General Comments:

This is an absolutely great runaround and costs very little to maintain and run.

Not particularly good for long journeys or high speeds. Car tends to struggle up hills and when there is a heavy load.

Perhaps an easy target for thieves, older Ford's are literally gone in 60 seconds.

Faults:

The only real main problem I had, is when I shattered two pistons and cracked a third all in one go at 11000 miles! Maybe this car ain't built for 90mph + motorway stints? oops.

I had the engine rebuilt...WHY?

Constantly had brake trouble, which was never resolved properly.

And a mysterious oil leak that I never did manage to trace.

General Comments:

It's definately a good runner, but unless all you do is drive to the shops, then don't bother.

Sparse interior, though the factory fitted stereo system was surprisingly powerful.

Very cheap to run, unless you blow the engine!

I'd recomend it as a first car, but you'll soon get bored and frustrated when tractors overtake you.

Fun for a throw about, but that's about it.

Faults:

Engine recently blew! Had it repaired.

It now smokes a lot! Though it was my fault.

Everything else is OK, but sometimes the wipers have gone funny.

General Comments:

Very nippy, engine is really lively.

It could do with a fifth gear.

Seats are comfy. Cabin is OK.

Rear space limited, but it is to be expected in a small car.

Readily available cheap spare parts.

Faults:

One of the front suspension coil springs was broken when I bought it so it tilted to one side. It needed a mechanic to take it apart and fix it, but wasn't expensive to do so.

The rear suspension was shot in that you could move the wheels laterally by pushing and pulling at them. Needed a bush replaced - wasn't difficult.

The rear de-mister doesn't work. The light comes on in the dashboard, but nothing happens back there.

Rust doesn't even begin to describe the bodywork problems, but with a little filler, some spray paint and a wire brush, I'll have it looking as good as new.

General Comments:

This car was bought for the sole purpose of doing a lot of miles to get to and from work. It serves its purpose well. It does 90 miles a day, and hasn't given me any problems yet.

The fuel economy on this is unbelievable. It does about 550 miles on one tank of diesel. I still can't get over it. It does tend to drink a little of you thrash it, so keep it at half gas and you'll be OK.

The performance on this thing is shockingly poor. Not that I expected too much, but you really have to push it to get up a hill of any description, and there is really no point in having the 5th gear. It will hold a reasonable speed (60-80mph) on a flat, but I'd hate to be stuck behind it.