1995 Ford Fiesta Sapphire review from UK and Ireland

Radiator, sprung a leak, but used a sealant to repair it. Apparently a new one is £70, which is very reasonable, but as the sealant is holding this can wait.

New exhaust fitted. The one taken off was the original, as it had done 79000 miles you can't complain. Put both the front and back sections on while I was at it and got both bits for £50. Bargain!

This is a very comfortable car, even on long journeys. The seats are quite supportive and the driving position is good for such a small car. Visibility

is great as is the instrument lay out.

Performance is not very good (try walking it's faster!), but once up to speed it happily sits there. Going up and down the gears is a bit sticky and you sometimes have to use gentle persuasion for 1st gear and reverse.

Fuel economy is excellent. I am currently returning just over 50 miles per gallon.

I bought this car in December 2004 as a run around for £600. Having spent about £200 on parts, oil and paint (lots of anti-rust paint required) I have to say it was a bargain. I was only going to use it for a few months, but now I have decided to keep it and see how long it will last for. If nothing else it gives me something to do on my days off, finding more rust, rubbing it down and respraying.

As a comment to anyone else who has this car or has just bought one. Clean the tappets and the cover, adjust the tappets to the correct clearance. Change the oil and filter, use a good fuel system cleaner. As these cars are often used as a run around they are not always well looked after. A few hours sorting these few things out will give the car a new lease of life and very cheap practical motoring in the long run.