Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCI
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Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCI
I've only just caught on these are £30 a year road tax, do stupid miles to the gallon and being a Ford should be cheap to maintain.
Are they still Dagenham dustbins (looking at an '07) or are these good little cars now?
This would be to replace my beloved Passat 1.9 Sport tdi estate which is now only being used around town/school run and therefore not doing great mpg and a waste of a big comfy car and costing me to run it when I could have something far cheaper to run.
The Passat is now in tip top mechanical condition after spending £600 getting everything done and would be pushed to get more than £3300 for it (my03) and would need another £1k to spend on getting the Fiesta.
Heart says keep the Passat but head says the Fiesta (on paper) is stupidly cheap to run.
Oh and then there is the insurance, the Mrs isn't currently insured on a car in her name as both are in my name and I think the Passat will be a whack to put in her name where as the Fiesta will be cheaper than what i'm paying for myself on the Passat. Got to put one car in her name before she loses her NCD.
Are they still Dagenham dustbins (looking at an '07) or are these good little cars now?
This would be to replace my beloved Passat 1.9 Sport tdi estate which is now only being used around town/school run and therefore not doing great mpg and a waste of a big comfy car and costing me to run it when I could have something far cheaper to run.
The Passat is now in tip top mechanical condition after spending £600 getting everything done and would be pushed to get more than £3300 for it (my03) and would need another £1k to spend on getting the Fiesta.
Heart says keep the Passat but head says the Fiesta (on paper) is stupidly cheap to run.
Oh and then there is the insurance, the Mrs isn't currently insured on a car in her name as both are in my name and I think the Passat will be a whack to put in her name where as the Fiesta will be cheaper than what i'm paying for myself on the Passat. Got to put one car in her name before she loses her NCD.
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From: Pot Belly HQ
The new Focus was released a couple of weeks ago - the VED on the new range has dropped to £20 on some models.
As I'm soon to be needing an estate, mainly for hauling around a big dog, I was looking at the Ford diesels, pretty much for the same reasons you mentioned - cheap to maintain, cheap parts etc.
There are some good deals out there on the Mk2 Focus, now the Mk3 is available, however, I noticed that the Mondeo was available for similar prices, although 1.6 and above rather than 1.4.
In my experience of using the Focus as a response car, they do pretty well and do take some hammering and don't fall apart unless they have been really abused. I've also got nothing but praise for the new Fiesta which I've been running since it was released to the market ob the 58 plates. Another solid car which has given me absolutely no problems and really does feel nice to drive (though it's a 1.6 petrol Zetec-S).
As I'm soon to be needing an estate, mainly for hauling around a big dog, I was looking at the Ford diesels, pretty much for the same reasons you mentioned - cheap to maintain, cheap parts etc.
There are some good deals out there on the Mk2 Focus, now the Mk3 is available, however, I noticed that the Mondeo was available for similar prices, although 1.6 and above rather than 1.4.
In my experience of using the Focus as a response car, they do pretty well and do take some hammering and don't fall apart unless they have been really abused. I've also got nothing but praise for the new Fiesta which I've been running since it was released to the market ob the 58 plates. Another solid car which has given me absolutely no problems and really does feel nice to drive (though it's a 1.6 petrol Zetec-S).
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From: The hell where youth and laughter go
Personally I found the 70ps 1.4 engine (same as found in 1.4HDi Pugs, Citroens and Mazdas) to be inadequate in anything except city driving.
Had a few as a hire car (as well as pug 207s with the same engine) and due to it doing mostly open road driving it was worse on fuel than the 1.6HDI engined Pugs/Focus/mazda 3s we usually had (all had the same engine and so had the same mpg) mainly due to having to work it harder through the gears.
So if its being used in city rush hour traffic and nothing else, it makes sense. But as soon as speeds get above 30mph its MPG is worse than the 1.6 version.
Rust should only effect the old pre 2002 chassis Fiestas which essentially dated back to 1990, and like its Escort/KA/Puma cousins (same chassis) terribly prone to rust.
The MK5 Chassis is a new design so should be better with the rust - put it this way you'll see plenty of structurally rotting pre MY2002 Fiestas but I'm yet to see a obviously rusty post 2002 cars (except from stone chip damage or from scraping opening doors over high curbs etc).
Although, I have to say the pre 2002 fiestas wouldn't rust anywhere near as badly if the owners washed the salt and muck off the sills and wheel arch lips every few weeks during winter, and caught any rust early by treating it and protecting it with the waxoyl (like I did on my 1992 Escort...it was rust free whilst many newer Escorts and Fiestas were total rot boxes).
Oh yes, they tend to snap coil springs (common thing on many modern cars these days). No big issue. Again, its mostly due to not washing the salt off within the wheelarches combined with potholed roads and bouncing up and down curbs
.
Had a few as a hire car (as well as pug 207s with the same engine) and due to it doing mostly open road driving it was worse on fuel than the 1.6HDI engined Pugs/Focus/mazda 3s we usually had (all had the same engine and so had the same mpg) mainly due to having to work it harder through the gears.
So if its being used in city rush hour traffic and nothing else, it makes sense. But as soon as speeds get above 30mph its MPG is worse than the 1.6 version.
Rust should only effect the old pre 2002 chassis Fiestas which essentially dated back to 1990, and like its Escort/KA/Puma cousins (same chassis) terribly prone to rust.
The MK5 Chassis is a new design so should be better with the rust - put it this way you'll see plenty of structurally rotting pre MY2002 Fiestas but I'm yet to see a obviously rusty post 2002 cars (except from stone chip damage or from scraping opening doors over high curbs etc).
Although, I have to say the pre 2002 fiestas wouldn't rust anywhere near as badly if the owners washed the salt and muck off the sills and wheel arch lips every few weeks during winter, and caught any rust early by treating it and protecting it with the waxoyl (like I did on my 1992 Escort...it was rust free whilst many newer Escorts and Fiestas were total rot boxes).
Oh yes, they tend to snap coil springs (common thing on many modern cars these days). No big issue. Again, its mostly due to not washing the salt off within the wheelarches combined with potholed roads and bouncing up and down curbs
.
Last edited by ALi-B; Mar 21, 2011 at 12:50 PM.
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Cheers Ali 
The car will be for popping into town and the school run as the family car is the Pathfinder which is the only reason I could stomach that appalling low powered engine in the Fiesta (my motorbikes had more than double that). I can't remeber when we last all went in the Passat (so tight for a baby seat and 2 boosters in the back) so it really is a waste of a good car being used as a shopping trolley and school taxi. It needs to be out of town and motorways doing what it does best and munching miles cheaply and it no longer gets used for that. So it really needs to be a small cheap to run diesel.
The car will be for popping into town and the school run as the family car is the Pathfinder which is the only reason I could stomach that appalling low powered engine in the Fiesta (my motorbikes had more than double that). I can't remeber when we last all went in the Passat (so tight for a baby seat and 2 boosters in the back) so it really is a waste of a good car being used as a shopping trolley and school taxi. It needs to be out of town and motorways doing what it does best and munching miles cheaply and it no longer gets used for that. So it really needs to be a small cheap to run diesel.
Last edited by Bravo2zero_sps; Mar 21, 2011 at 12:13 PM.
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From: East Yorkshire
Got a 55 plate - does the job and hasn't fallen to bits yet and doesn't appear to be either. MPG wise, it dropped to about 54mpg in winter, but is now creeping back up again. Tend to get about 60 in summer.
It's basic, it's not german (well it might be, but you know what I mean) but as a cheap car, I'd have one before a Clio and Corsa which I also looked at before handing over the dosh.
It's basic, it's not german (well it might be, but you know what I mean) but as a cheap car, I'd have one before a Clio and Corsa which I also looked at before handing over the dosh.
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im a new car sales executive at evans halshaw ford
the fiesta 1.4tdci's are really good for MPH and city driving also once upto speed are very good on a run, this is what i drive when im at work, highly recomend one for saving the monieessss
the fiesta 1.4tdci's are really good for MPH and city driving also once upto speed are very good on a run, this is what i drive when im at work, highly recomend one for saving the monieessss
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From: East Yorkshire
Might be in the market for a new one soon, so could be in touch.
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