6th Sep 2001, 14:51

How can you not blame Ford, they made the car, the engine etc, therfore it was their fault... Although it does seem as though they can't make good cars.

9th Jan 2002, 16:46

In response to the comment of 13 Dec 2000 : -

- You criticise the fact that there is not much scope for modifying - tell me this, why should a manufacturer design cars to allow for loads of modifying?? Modified cars are very much in the minority when compared to the number of cars on the road in general. Most people don't care about modifying. You can hardly blame Ford for the lack of modifying parts; have you tried specialists such as Demon Tweeks (try doing an internet search). You should be able to come up with something.

- I am sorry to here that you Fiesta is heavy on petrol, but have you thought that it might be out of tune? E.g. running rich (does it smoke at all??). You may also be driving it too hard.

- I agree that poor performance is a problem, I own a 1.1 LX myself and yes, they are slow, but they are no worse than a 1.2 Corsa.

- I also agree that a car with only 45k on the clock should be better than this, but have you thought that a previous owner may have neglected the car, e.g. missed services etc. This could explain many of the problems you have mentioned. It's not necessarily Ford's fault that the car is bad, as in my experience Fiestas, and indeed Fords in general are good cars.

3rd Feb 2001: -

- Your problems may also have been caused by neglect in the past.

- Rust around the fuel cap is a common fault on this shape of Fiesta. It's caused by fuel dripping from the nozzles of petrol pumps. Try wiping the area around the cap after you fill up - it won't sort out what's already there, but it should cut down the potential for future rust.

6th Sep 2001: -

- Again, have you considered neglect by previous owners as being a cause of any problems??

- I don't agree with your view that Ford build bad cars. Most Fords I have known have been well built and reliable; add to this their recent products such as the Focus and Puma, and you have a company that is well respected by many.

1st Apr 2003, 09:16

- I own an 89 LX which hasn't given me any trouble for years. It's just clocked 90,000 and the engine is running sweet as a nut. Admittedly it is slow, but if I wanted speed I would buy an XR2I.

-I have seen a lot of this age fiesta with rust around the fuel cap, and wheel arches, but mine hasn't. I suppose just simple maintenance such as cleaning out the road dirt that collects around the wheel arches helps to keep this car looking good.

-Generally a very pleasant car to drive, will definitely buy from this manufacturer again.

17th Mar 2006, 10:15

I have a 1.4i 1989 Fiesta LX and it goes like hell. 0-60 in practically nothing and 125+mph max speed.

You guys obviously bought ones without an engine included.