Hi, My girlfriends just just gone to see about a new car for her self. - neither of us no anything about cars!
Its a Ford Classic Cabaret 1.3 CFi 5d with 29k on the clock, he is the only owner, and used it for run around town with disabled wife. he has all the MOT's, and full service history. BUT
There is some rust on the drivers side, on the rear wheel arch. - it looks like its just on the surface.
What would you all say?
Tyhanks
Ry
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hi
that car sounds good
i have a G plate Fiesta that has 28k on the clock no rust whatsoever now as the wheel arches are easily treated
what you need to do is to start the car and warm it up then get someone to stand at the rear where the tailpipe is and watch for blue smoke when you engine is revved.,
if that test appears that there is no blue smoke the engine is fine,,
then go for a test drive go through all the gears and listen for any squeeks and other noises if there is no noise apart from the norm then the gearbox and clutch are ok
next test is the brakes
with the ignition off and the car cold
press the break pedal fully and hold it then start the engine and see if it pushes you're foot up if it does then thats the vacuuum building up and thats a good thing,
keep you're foot pressed and turn everything off and press it several times and you should hear a hissing sound that means that the pressure is leaving the break system correctly,,
also as it has been only a run around check that the oil has been changed often,
thats all if the car is good and passses the tests u have a good car
James Stephenson
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Watch for rust near/around the petrol filler cap. This can be VERY expensive to sort but it is difficult to hide.
Check for white "mayonnaise" in the rocker cover/oil filler cover. Lots of it means loads of short runs/few oil changes and the pipe to the air intake is probably blocked.
madf
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Do a search on this Forum for all the problems associated with this dreadful ageing engine (search for plugs....). My advice is probably walk on by!
You do not give a price, the Zetec engine 1.25 is MUCH MUCH better... and probably worth paying the extra.
pmh (was peter)
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Also, even if you MUST have the 1.3, As a sub £500 banger, the Fiesta Classic makes sense. However, they do rust, and even later ones can look ragged.
Top whack for this car should be no more than £1200 if it is in any way rusty, £1450 fixed. Don't pay a premium for its low mileage, even though this engine doesn't take high miles well either. I personally would rather have pretty much anything else, because of the lifeless steering, saggy seats, non existent safety, rust, thrashy engine, and general unpleasantness.
I don't mind the later shape Fiesta though - it still has no space and a crap 1.3 engine, but at least it handles properly, has a decent dash layout, and doesn't rust. My mum's just traded her 98R Fiesta Encore in for a new Focus Flight. She got £1735 for it, against £9160 for the new one. (It's a low offer for a one owner, 4.5 year old car with FSH but in fairness to the dealer it does have 64k, high for a car like that, and no PAS).
I'd try for a 1.2 LX and 50k miles with power steering and electric windows for £2,200 to £3,000 (P to S reg) if you can afford it.
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Rust in the rear wheelarches is totally normal and expected even on a P plate old style Fiesta, the new shape ones should not rust as much though.
There's not really a lot I can say that hasn't already been said, I owned a similar model, except mine had the toys which made it more bearable. Cheap, basic motoring, if that's what you're after, it should be good. So long as you change the plugs REGULARLY. If you go for it, it may be a good idea to ask the owner if you can take it to a garage and change the sparks first. If they snap off then you can walk on having saved yourself some major hassle, if they don't, then the car has been looked after and should be OK.
If you can at all afford it though, buy the newer shape, it's MUCH better, alternatively, buy an Escort with a Zetec engine. Much nicer to drive than the Fiesta, my mate's old one was really sweet compared to my old style Fiesta.
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Blue Oval
Absolutely right. There is absolutely no comparison between the new shape fiesta, especially with the Zetec engine, and the older shape car. The new one rides and handles so much better. It's worth thinking about an old shape car only if it's very cheap.
Regards
John S
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Simple answer. Do not buy any P-reg car with rust showing. Many good cars are being scrapped without a hint of rust, why buy one to run that is worse than a scrapper.
Unless you are working to restoration standards (and costs!) it is nearly impossible to get rid of this type of rust for any worthwhile period.
MM
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