Well, to give me some experience for the first 6 months or so.
I know to go for a 1.25 LX or Zetec from around 1998ish, but what do I need to look out for?
Thanks,
Luke.
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Rust: rear wheel arches, under boot floor, around rear suspension. Sills. Under floor by front seat belt mountings.
Bangs and clonks from front suspension : anything from bushes to worn struts or broken springs.
Leaks from all struts.
Worn front disks.
Clutch
Oil leaks : check the plugs are not swimming in oil.
Check the oil is not 3 years old and the filter looks as if it has been changed if no SH.
(Engine bearings go if not serviced = new engine job.)
Does heater work and switch on/off .. if not new heater valve.
Check auxiliary belt. Will need a new cam belt as 10 years old if not already changed.
Exhaust system rust plus catalysts rust.
Gearbox syncromesh works OK.. especially 3 to 2. Rear window: wiper and screen heater often fail due to cables shorting.
If neglected they will go: see engine.
Buy on condition.
Engine misfire/does not run well/blue smoke: run away.
Edited by madf on 14/09/2008 at 17:12
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Have to say that's a very good list of checkpoints regardless of what model of car you're looking at at this age.
Reason I say this is that at ten years old, I wouldn't restrict myself to one type of car. Fiesta, Corsa, Micra, 106, Punto, whatever. If it's been looked after, and it has no faults and runs well, I wouldn't discount anything at this age.
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If safety is a factor then these Fiestas were one of the best small cars of the era. You might also want to look at the Peoguet 306, they are bit bigger but still very cheap to insure.
If you're looking at the Zetec make sure that 5/30 oil has been used as thicker stuff sometimes causes the valves to stick.
I would also get one with a long MOT and check the computerised MOT history online so you can see what it has failed on in the past, you might find somethings have been flagged up as an advisory each year but never been fixed, such as the brake pipes.
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We had a 1.4 Zetec on a 97P reg until last year. Brilliant car, as long as you can find one with a service history - these must be the most neglected cars on the planet. For every good car, you'll look at five total dogs.
The Zetec engine either as 1.25 or 1.4 is one of the sweetest, smoothest engines you'll find anywhere, and it's matched to a lovely, slick gearbox. Handling is fun without being intimidating for a novice, and general build quality is very good. Ours had 91k on it when we were finished with it, and it still felt taut and crisp. Rarely returned less than 40 mpg either.
Most front suspension clonks are nothing more serious than worn anti roll bar bushes - a common failure, but less than a tenner from Ford for the parts, and most people who've done them before can change them in about half an hour (there is a major shortcut from the "official" method which shaves hours from the time). The front wishbone bushes only last about two years as well, but decent pattern parts are about £50 a pair, and it's an easy job. Don't pay extra for Ford bits - they don't last any longer than a known brand aftermarket item, and cost twice as much.
Good advice above from madf and Rattle on what to check. In my experience finding a Fiesta that's even been serviced since its warranty expired takes some doing, but if you find a good one, it's a gem of a car. We eventually tracked down a genuine one owner car with a full Ford history and were delighted with it. So much better to drive than a Polo or Corsa of the same age. If it hadn't been useless for two kids, we would have kept it.
Cheers
DP
Edited by DP on 14/09/2008 at 21:21
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Ok, how about this spec of car: 1997 R Reg FORD FIESTA 1.25 Flight 3dr
What price is it worth? It says it has a service history, but doesn't state whether full or not.
Thanks,
Luke.
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The problem with a car of that age is that its price is very very dependant on condition and its service history.
I've seen enough cars advertised with "FSH" that have had a several year gap in the history to not believe what's in the advert. If you're in contact with the seller by email then ask them to list the service dates and mileages.
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I'm going to see it tomorrow with a friend (as I'm on provisional licence at the mo). Is it worth getting the AA or RAC to do a full check?
I've done the RAC data check and everything looks fine so far, just need to update it with the VIN and do a MOT check, which I can do from my phone tomorrow.
Thanks,
Luke.
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Ok, just got back from seeing the 1997 Fiesta. The car wasn't on the guy's forecourt, he just said "do you want the keys?" and passed them over, we went around the corner to another forecourt and there it was.
Here's what we found:
A few spots of rust showing through on the sills mainly.
VIN's matched up.
Service history in glovebox, totally forgot to go through it :/
When I finally managed to open the car (by fob, not key, doh!), couldn't open the passenger door (this only opens from inside).
Missing knob from passenger seat rack mechanism.
Couldn't start it cos the steering lock was on, only the master key could unlock that (dunno if that's standard).
Took ages to locate the release for the bonnet, oil was brownish, not black or gunky (friend said that was fine), engine looked clean (possibly steam cleaned).
All lights worked.
Windscreen wipers worked.
No passenger wing mirror glass.
Guy said he wasn't prepared to sort these problems out, offered £500, he refused, offered £550, refused stating "he" probably would go for about £650 but that would be it, didn't ask the guy any more questions at that point. But it does sound like he's selling it for somebody else.
Luke.
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Couldn't start it cos the steering lock was on only the master key could unlock that (dunno if that's standard).
Well, nobody's going to buy a car they can't even hear running. Crazy!
These cars have a transponder immobiliser which consists of a chip in the key, which communicates with a receiver on the steering column. The steering lock is a conventional item just as found on 99.9% of other cars.
There is a master key, but it's only used to program new keys to the car after you get a new key cut. You should be able to start the car with either this master key, or one of the (two) standard black keys that come with the car. There is also an emergency "T" key which unlocks the doors and switches on the ignition, but won't start the car.
If the key you had couldn't work the steering lock, that means it's either got a broken steering lock, or more likely has been stolen at some point and has had either the door or steering locks changed.
Sounds like a heap. Walk away.
Cheers
DP
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There 3 keys, red master, black and 1 small silver key (glovebox?)
Only the master would release the steering lock, the black key could start it though.
No T key.
Oh, and did I say that the passenger window also wouldn't open :)
The RAC check stated it hadn't been reported stolen, does that just mean, not stolen now or does that include past thefts?
Yeah, I already told him I wasn't going to go for it.
Luke.
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And...this is the car: cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2202...8
Listed as £790 in AutoTrader and shown as £995 in the window when we got there.
Luke.
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Plenty more - move on. Find a private seller who has had it for at least three years and is over 25 years old!
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Plenty more - move on. Find a private seller who has had it for at least three years and is over 25 years old!
The car or the seller? :D
Luke.
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For £500 you should be able to get something with a years' MOT, and some tax too.
Look on Autotrader, search options = anything near your post code, private seller, any make/model/type/mileage/fuel type, up to £500, any age/colour/number of doors/manual transmission, keywords MOT tax, and see what comes up.
When you see the thing, if it doesn't sound awful, doesn't burn oil (observe, ask), isn't filthy or rotten, and hasn't had the engine taken to bits and been mended or modified, and it's got reasonable tyres, and everything works, and also assuming the vendor/location doesn't look iffy, vendor doesn't refuse a test drive, vendor doesn't stand obstinately in front of some part of the car when you're looking at it, just buy the thing!
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