USED Ford Fiesta Hatchback (95 - 02)

My car

I own an R reg (97) 1.3 Encore. I have had this car for nearly 3 years and had a number of problems. Firstly there was a rattle that was coming from the front passenger wheel arch along with creaking suspensions. After having these replaced at a cost of £250 the problem still persisted. After having spent £160 to have the break pads replaced the problem was sorted.

The electrics don't work properly, the inside fans only work on power setting number 4, the inside light doesn't work when opening the drive door, the rear windscreen wiper is tempremental and works only occasionally, the warning sound when you leave your lights on also doesn't work.

The boot leaks water leaving the floor mat damp, the main cabin on the driver's side flooded with water, the engine system would cut out, not stall, but cut out and occasionally re-start itself, this cost me £90 to repair.

Finally the door lock on the driver's side didn't work and cost me £57 to replace and the passenger side now has the same problem.

Personally I wouldnt buy a Fiesta again, but i would consider a Focus or Mondeo but they to seem to have common faults.

My car

I ran a Mk4 Fiesta 1.25 Ghia from September 2000 until now. Apart from small electric gremlins, I have no complaint to make.

Its 1.25 engine is realy a gem with fantastic torque. Roadholding and reliability are exceptional. No-one can ask for more from a small car.

The majority of roads near me are in poor condition and the suspension, although on the stiff side, works quite well in the vast road holes and imperfections. For a car introduced in 1996, it shames most of its more modern rivals!

In my opinion there are only three things to criticise: the steering becomes too light at high speed, the rear seat is not roomy and urban consumption is not the best.

The rest is quite good.

My car

Have my Fiesta nearly a year and a half and it has been THE best car i have owned!Beautiful perky engine and more standard equipment than my friend has in his 04 Astra! Only problem I had was a warning light but it was a fault in the sensor. Previous owner had the air con disconnected (why i dont know) but was a costly fix. The battery in the key for the central locking also went but my Ford garage tries to say the key was water damages an sell me a new key for 65 euro!robbers!

I would definately recommend this car to anyone interested, but be very wary of Ford Main Dealers

My car

I own a 99 V reg and i owned it for 3 months, its a 1.25 16v Zetec i bought the car as a cheap commutting vehicle and overall it has been good. The car is powerfull for the size and can keep up with most larger size cars! The handling and steering are great fun and the car is comfortable up front, good at long runs. 43 MPG is normal.

Build Quality is'nt good trim feels cheap and the rear seat space is useless. Look out for Rust and make sure the car has been looked after i just had to spend £200 on the Brakes!

But overall the Fiesta is being an enjoyable car to drive and good on petrol