20k 1998 Festa. Good idea?

Any service history? With such low mileage it would be nice to know it's had more than a couple of oil changes.

It's entirely possible for a clutch to be on the point of failure at 20k if driven by a typical elderly driver. (OTOH, skillful older drivers may be much kinder to a car of course.)

If the tyres are original (possible), factor in the cost of a new set. I wouldn't trust a 13-year old set.

The Fiesta will be smaller than the Belmont, and might not be much better on fuel.

Chris

On Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:26:24 +0000, Chris Whelan ranted:

All true, though if it's in good nick, a fresh MOT and a good clean could see you make a fair profit on it as decent, small cars are going for silly money at the moment.

I doubt it'll be much, if any better than a 1.4 Belmont on fuel. Didn't Dervman do a load of stats on a Ford Ka with that engine, and despite his driving it only averaged 38mpg?

The old boys sister-in-law is the nearest he's got re next of kin and she's dealing with it all as she can. If there is any history she may have already found it or it might in time. It may even be in the car.

I think it was looked after at least yearly along with the MOT etc. This guy was ex MTB crew and still has his marbles if not full mobility.

Understood. (Mate looks after an old girl who uses a clutch every 6 months in her fairly new Ka. She sets the revs then manages the speed with the clutch .. ).

Good point and another £150+ if required.

Ok and thanks. On the net I saw mention of 40 ish for the Festa but I wasn't sure how realistic it was. I note Mike later mentions Dervmans measured 38 mpg it's not far off.

From memory I don't think the Ka was much better but one could be found driving it like a go-kart now and again. ;-)

No major 'keep aways' then so deserves a look at least.

Cheers, T i m

rust on the sills often finishs them off, its overdue for a cambelt kit. clutch will usually manage 65k plus, even with a bad driver. bottom arms may be due. exhaust, but they are cheap. change the brake fluid. 40mpg is possible but not guaranteed. 400 quid may be fine, but whether you will find it much improvement over what you have is debateable.

Hmm, there's a though. Or, step-daughter has an old Rover 200 bubble that's making some 'funny noises' (apparently) so we could make use of it yet.

I got the Mrs to start taking note of fuel / mileage a while ago so if I can find a batch I'll do some sums. It doesn't feel brilliant though but them I'm used to the old Rover.

The Belmont has been in our family since nearly new (Dad) and in spite of being written off once (£25 repair) and nicked / recovered a while back is still pretty tidy inside and out.

I still miss an estate and we were talking about the Fiesta diesel a while back. A mate has one and I think he said it did 60 mpg and was on the £35 TAX band?

Cheers, T i m

And would it being in a garage 6 days a week help that normally or would it make little difference (never garaged a car myself).

Oh, so not a chain job then. I wasn't sure.

Ok.

Cheap and reasonably easy?

Ok.

Ok.

Ok.

So it sounds like its could be a little earner at least if it's tidy and they (the family) just want rid but may not be worth too much effort or money for us over the Belmont.

Cheers, T i m

It's a 1.3 Endura jobbie - so chains and pushrods are the order of the day, not OHCs and belts.

I still average 50mpg in my 1998 1.3 Fiesta - I keep a spreadsheet of fuel consumption. Mine currently has these ailments, which might prove terminal in a couple of years:

- The spark plugs are rusted into the cylinder head, and would probably snap if I tried to replace them now.

- Some rust on the rear wheel arches. Rust just above the driver's wing mirror. Rust around the tailgate hinges. Also:

- Needs new exhaust components every few years.

- Needed a new clutch at 100,000 miles.

- Needed a new sump pan (due to rust) around 100,000 miles.

Apart from that, it's still very reliable and cheap to run.

On this model .

if it is 1.3 then in many ways it is better than a 1.25. Some people describe the zetec 1.25 as a 1.3, so unless you see under the bonnet........

1.3 is cheaper to maintain in that there is no belt, plus water pump is easy to change. 1.3 also has the old clutch release mechanism which again is cheap to change. if it needs to come apart again everything is simple and cheap. but the 1.25 is a much more modern engine and goes better. 1.3 does not usually have power steering, while the 1.25 does.

that sort of age fiesta seems to rot while you wait whether it is in a garage or not. unless a garage is airy and or heated then it may rust worse in a garage rather than in the open air.

if you open the garage and an immaculate fiesta is in there then grab it, there is a good market for them. if it is an auto then be very afraid.

Ah, that's quite promising then.

Coppa slip every year I think (if the same as the Ka)?

That's the sort of thing that finished the Sierra (well, after I'd had it 23 years mind) and ignoring the rear chassis member I rebuilt from a grizzly mess, when I stripped it pre scrapping I was very surprised how clean / solid most of it was underneath.

It's only CAT bits that frighten me. ;-(

Pretty good going.

Oooerr. ;-)

Hmm, well I guess even if somewhere between 38 and 50 that feels better than the Belmont, and it's 5 years newer and done 100k less miles.

It's just the devil you know, big boot on the Belmont ...

Cheers, T i m

I have the reg and when I did an online insurance check it told me it was a 'Ford Fiesta 1.3i (98-02) Finesse SD 1299cc 5DR' if that helps?

Is it the old Kent lump then, as in my MkII Escort based kitcar, just transversed and injected etc?

Ah, as opposed to an 'all in one' job (as on the Ka? I think my mate in the garage mentioned).

Gdgd

Ok.

Ah, well I know 'she' enjoys the PS on the Belmont and with her arthritis in her hands that could be a biggie (so thanks). [1]

Hehe.

I've heard that, wasn't sure if it was an urban myth etc. No, std garage block round the back sorta thing.

Right.

I wondered that, him being an 'old boy' but I think he liked his cars once upon a time so there's hope it's not. Mind you, we had a Mk1 1300 Auto Escort for a while and that was quite 'interesting'. ;-)

I'm going to try to get a look at it in the next couple of days.

Cheers, T i m

[1] She's very sad as she feels she's going to have to give up her XV750 Yamaha this year as her arthritic hands my not be considered safe on a bike any more. Still manages 12hr shifts as a carer in an old folks home and she's not that much younger than some of the residents. ;-)

cats are cheap these days, about 60 quid for a fiesta one. Fiesta 1.3 also has that horrible quadrant auto adjuster on the clutch mechanism (not on the 1.25).

Sorry, nearly missed this, ah so not based on the Kent lump then (or is it but just called summat different in this form)?

Cheers, T i m

One of my elderly customers has a 1.3 fiesta, he has terrible arthritis and finds the steering very difficult, I put 40 psi in the standard thin tyres but it only helps a little, so that could well be a deciding factor if it does not have ps.

The engine is similar to a kent lump in appearance, but many things have actually changed. Regular oil changes are the thing to keep them healthy and quiet.

The auto escort mk1 and 2 used a proper gearbox, the fiesta uses something the devil spawned on a bad day, two different types and both are rubbish and not easily fixable (at all?)

it is called the HCS engine, valve config and plug angles are different to the kent, but it is visually very similar.

1.3's manuelle only.

Probably will be suffering bucket wear unless its had yearly servicing. = new cam and followers.

Wont be more economical on fuel than a 1.4 belmont.

Tim.

Ahhh, the Spanish variant.

its called Valencia see

-

Ah that's another thing that went wrong about a year ago. The catalytic convertor was so rusty that it completely separated from the rest of the exhaust system. I had to pay about £250 to have a new cat fitted, because on my Fiesta the cat is sort of permanently crimped onto the exhaust manifold, which had to be replaced too. I couldn't find anywhere that could replace the cat without replacing the exhaust manifold. I think this expensive type of cat was only used on a limited number of Fiestas.

Apart from that, I've found Fiesta parts to be quite cheap.