Fiesta 1.6, petrol, 5 door, Ghia, manual gears

A true driver's car and a latter-day Mini Cooper 'S' but far more practical.

Sold my 3.0 Alfa 166 and began looking for a more practical car. Had read good reports of the Ford Focus so had that on my list of 'possibles'. Then spotted a seventeen-year-old Fiesta 1.6 (Duratec engine) Ghia with only 900 miles. Thought there must be a printing error. But no, the car had been mothballed by the original owner's family after he'd passed away shortly after buying. So I bought it. No regrets. It's a fun car to drive, especially around the open countryside where I live. Not too sluggish on motorways too. Feels really planted on bends with good steering response and a divine gearbox. Seems quite economical on fuel, but I suppose most cars would be after having a six pot, three litre Alfa. I presume the smaller engined Fiestas have better mpg figures, but (I again presume) they're less fun to drive. Negatives: well, some of the little plastic panels flew off on my first drive (old glue deterioration?); engine is belt cam, not chain; the dash is fairly basic compared to modern gizmo cars, but that doesn't bother me. 15000 trouble-free miles. Love it.

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