1990 Ford Fiesta Popular Plus review from UK and Ireland

Just the usual minor problems with this car, mostly due to the bad weather and moisture.

Eat oil for a while, replaced oil Filter with a Skoda Fabia one, and replaced the HT leads and Spark Plugs with BOSH sparks, and HIGH VOLTAGE HT leads (the leads that attach to the spark plugs)

Came with no service record as purchased at car auction, had two previous drivers both women, car was in quite good condition, some damage on passenger side from previous crash, and the usual rust around the wings, none around the Petrol cap which is unusual as it is an often reported problem with the Fiesta MK3.

Of course having an engine that looks like it would be more at home in a lawnmower wasnt a thrilling prospect, but take care of this car and replace the serviceable parts (sparks/oil/filter/air filter/ HT leads) at a cost of around 25 - 30 quid and this car will run like a beast.

Mine came with a new exhaust, and needed 2 new wheels, and a Dash unit (speedo) as the fuel meter was nackered, that cost £10 at the scrap yard (good to note that scrap yards have a large supply of Fiestas, mainly due to the popularity over the 90's)

The seats are ugly and the textured plastic dash isn't exactly eye-candy, but there are loads of kits around these days to fix up fiestas so no problem.

My car only cost £195 at the auction, mainly because it was a part exchange at a garage that they had had for a while and were hoping to get rid of fast (Garages send cars to auction with ZERO reserve)

Few things to check for when you buy a Fiesta...

Look behind the wheel at the supports for excessive wear/rust and at the rubber covers for wear and tear.

Bouncing the car is a good way to check the condition of shocks and suspension . Note if the car makes a bang and drops to pieces its best not to buy it.

Check windscreens for breakages/cracks/chips as all this can lead to expensive repairs.

The main places to check are wheel arches and wings and the areas surrounding the bumper as these rust like the dickens. The front sill is also susceptible to excessive rust as are its two side mounted covers.

(i should know I had to rip mine off and buy a new one)

You can also note that Fords are very grumpy when it hits cold weather and rain, often running like a bag of sh-t (fill the gap), the brakes are not the most impressive, no ABS, but this an old car after all. The rear brakes are DRUM Breaks (for the Handbrake) and will probably need replacing on buying the car as they tend to wear quite easily, the front are Disk Breaks and if you feel like it isn't breaking well its good to get them checked, Kwik Fit do it for free (be weary).

Two things you should always have with this car, an AA membership a tow rope, a petrol can, Jumper cables, and a mobile to phone the AA with :o)

Joking It's a great first car, buy, drive, enjoy.