Faults:

The only thing that has gone wrong with my car is a radiator fan relay, which was sticking when I switched the car off, causing the radiator fan to remain on when the car was turned off. Fixed myself for $25. Only other things are standard such as replaced a battery, and a few globes have blown which I replaced myself, and tyres.

General Comments:

Comfortable, great handling. Takes corners very well. Traction control. Short first gear, but that's good for hill starts, but means taking off at lights is not going to be startling. It has surprising power for what it is. Overtaking, even at 100km/h is more than adequate, even in 5th gear thanks to the diesel engine.

Great stock speakers, cruise control. Everything works well. I even routinely tow a small trailer (300kg).

Fuel economy great, it is extremely cheap to drive around in.

Only criticism I have is that on my model I cannot connect my phone through Bluetooth audio. But hey, there's a headphone jack.

Faults:

95,000km - Transmission (automatic clutch part) replaced at 95,000km. This is a well documented issue if you search "fiesta transmission issues" and was covered under warranty. *WARRANTY - No cost*

140,000km - Transmission came back. This time they replaced the automatic clutch with an updated part. Drives better than before - I have confidence that this time it is fixed for good, but we will see. *WARRANTY - No cost*.

155,000km - Radiator fan shorted out and was smoking. Replaced radiator fan assembly at the dealership. *Cost was $750.00 total*

Other than that - just standard maintenance (brakes/tires/oil and a turn signal bulb).

General Comments:

Fun car to drive. Has been fairly reliable - and very cheap to run. Good on gas - it only costs me $35 to fill up the tank!

Driving and performance:

Transmission was a little jerky at first - after being replaced under the powertrain warranty (which Ford extended to 160,000km) things work a lot smoother now - but still an occasional jerk here and there.

Technology:

Stereo sounds great (6 speakers - 75W I believe), the bluetooth works very well also. Menu options are basic, but everything you would expect is there. I like the "auto 3 flashes" feature on the turn signals - which makes lane changes easier (it can be turned on or off). No auto feature on the headlights - I have drained the battery down twice already and had to get boosted because I left the lights on! (my fault of course - my last 2 cars had auto-headlights).

Reliability:

The car has been fairly reliable. The only time I've ever been stranded was when I drained the battery by leaving the headlights on - and when the radiator fan died I got it towed. No big deal as it happened close to home and I have CAA. The cheap cost to run the car has made up for these minor annoyances.

Faults:

The driver's side window (electric) got stuck once. Fixed it under warranty.

Outside of that, there hasn't been a single issue in 40K miles, and I give her the beans.

General Comments:

I'm not kidding when I say, for me, the Ford Fiesta may be the greatest car ever made, for its rare combination of attributes.

Firstly, it is very fun to drive.

Secondly, you can fit a dresser drawer in it.

Thirdly, I average better than 40 MPG in the summer on straight gas. Best tank ever was 45.3 (hypermiled).

With this last one comes the only trade off in this car. The engine is what you might call "rubber band". The fun is to be had in braking and cornering (very light and poised, great steering feel); not so much in exiting the corner. But I'm very happy breaking late and pulling some g's without using any extra fuel at all. The manual transmission obviously helps with this as well (but sticks are just inherently more fun to drive -- do people still know this?).

That said, looking forward to my next car, the 3-cylinder turbo Fiesta. Said to provide quite a bit more thump, AND improve the economy (I guess then technically that makes that car the best ever).

Assorted notes: the car is a bit stiffer than most of the boats on American roads, though not terrible; the seats are super comfy except for the headrests, which jut like a half-inch too far forward; finally, not a deal-breaker, but it would be super fantastic if the seats folded flat (it's a lot to ask for such a cheap car I suppose). Das ist alles!

I hope I've talked you into it; if you value the characteristics I listed above, you will love this car. There just aren't too many autos, in this country at least, that tick off as many boxes as this one does.