Son been offered this by trusted acquaintance. Neither knowledgeable on motors. Have looked at c by c breakdown but would appreciate help in identifying this particular one.
Price 800. Looks good and cared for , believe has FSH.
Can you good lads and lasses tell me please
General reaction to this offer
Any specifics to be wary of
What is mpg like - pretty important as he and family live in the sticks and it's to do about 200 a week to and from work
does that little 'i' in the title mean nasty things like high insurance, big expensive tyres, exhausts etc.
Any sort of comment about it would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards Colin S
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The Si was probably the best early model Fiesta made as it had a more modern engine compared to the rubbish that the vast majority of the old ones have under the bonnet.
The MPG shouldn't be too bad on a run, and it will have plenty of power to get him through the country roads (if he uses them that is) My previous Fiesta just didn't have the guts to do it, and even my current one is only just adequate for the really twisty stuff.
The major thing with this model Fiesta is rust, the whelarches especially seem to disappear. However, this model has the nice proper front bumper so you don't need to worry about the front valance rotting. :)
The insurance is a group 7, I know it sounds high for a small car, but my 1.3 Fiesta was a group 6, and i would have been more than happy to pay the extra £50 a year to have the comfort and nicer engine that the Si has.
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Mpg: should average 40 overall. umnless lots of town.right foot driving.
Rust as above: should be obvious. PLus check bonnet front and battery tray under engine. If bad then could affect more.
Front suspension bushes: if it clonks on corners or reversing round corners or from reverse to 1st.
Check cambelt - should be good for 80k.
Oil should use Ford 5/30 and Ford filters.. if it has not been changed for a while oil light may not go out at once on starting.. Check colour. Any rattles on startup? AVOID.
Check exhaust.. if it is far gone could need new catalyst.. if MOT has little to run and a rusty exhaust new cat may be needed .. £250 ?
Also any misfiring from cold. Early Zetec engines suffered from sticking valves, use of wrong oil made it worse. If it misfires, AVOID.
If it looks clean and well care for should be a good buy. HPI check it of course..
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1.4 is CVH not Zetec;doesn't need 5w/30 either.
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BTW tyres are cheap.. you can get each for under £25..
Disks at front often wear so check them visually - plenty of pads left ? Grooves on disks? (check when cool - you can usually feel them through the wheels.)
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The best way to check tyre costs is to ask what the wheel/tyre size is and ring your local tyre place. Many Fiesta Si models have had alloys added which pushes up the cost a little bit. However, bear in mind that the bigger and slightly more expensive tyres (say £40 a shot) give far better performance than the smaller ones, at least this is what I found with my old Fiesta. Worth the extra £15 per wheel if it helps you stop more safely, as mine did...
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All your information was most helpful in enabling me to assemble sensible advice for my son in his examination of the FIESTA 1.4SI.
But I wonder why we dads bother. The day after the last reply, he went out and bought a K Corsa 1.5 diesel. Ah well.
Thanks anyway fellas. Colin S
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Oh no. Still, what he saves in petrol costs he'll be able to put towards fixing it... :)
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