Bought a new car

Thanks Issac, the great thing now is providing the car works ok I am no longer in a rush, and I can now complete these weeks jobs without relying on lifts all the time. In that regard I am just treating it like a cheap hire car and insurance is cheap.

When I drove it kept shooting forward, so I had to drive to a very quiet road to get the hang of the clutch, only took me about a minute and that should be sorted now.

The lack of power steering may well be an issue, I have to be aware if I need to make tight turns in traffic to slow right down and put more steering on than normal, the turning circle seems to be like a 1930's double decker bus .

 

AT
Please post details of your usual route around South Manchester.

Get the tracking checked. Lack of power steering shouldn't be an issue in a car that small. Christ I spent most of my driving years without power steering!

 

I drove on an empty road and drove in a straight line with my hands of the wheel, it didn't move to the left or right, I suspect there may be a little bit of play though its only done 500 miles since the last MOT and no mention of steering - my dad did the test drive and it was fine then.

The tryes are also all even but then they have all done less than 5k so that might be why.

the seller also drove back on the motorway as I asked him to bring the car to mine, if he knew the steering was dodghy he would not have done 80mph on the M60.

My mahcnaic said he will check it over for free on Saturday, then if he thinks its worth doing he will do the oil change, tappets and check the steering out. He reckons it was just because neither me or my dad are used to none PAS cars. The car weighs around 900kg.

The brakes are very good, lots of feeling and sharp when you need it, gentle when you don't.

Bob avoid these areas and you will be fine:-
Chorlton
Didsbury
Stretford
Urmston
Sale
Wilmslow
Old Trafford
Manchester
Withington
Fallowfield

I will drive it roudn my block again till I get used to it, then after saturday when i get the all clear on safety side of things go further in it.

In the meantime I will spend a little bit of time on the cosmetic issues, t-cut etc.

 

my rear drive chevette didn't have it
nor my mk1 astra (FWD)

Any thing over 25/30mph there was no problem but there was usually some pushing and pulling in tight car park spaces....not helped by a completely cr*p steering lock.

The pay off for the non/pas was LOTS of feel and communication through the wheel.

I rolled the AStra, then Dad passed his old audi onto me at that point. Power everything....fantastic in car parks.....but no feel what so ever. (I still miss that 5 cyl burble+ the torque thouigh )

Interesting the lock on the Audi (a B plated coupe) was fantastic...especially for a largish car.




My dad once had a mk 2 Cortina. Most of those in those days ( late 60's early 70's) were 1.3s. My Dad had a (rare) 1.6 estate because he was often towing a caravan for family holidays. This DIDN'T have power steering and the extra weight of the 1.6 made it (apparantly) incredibly heavy on the arms. My Mum just couldn't deal with it so the car as gone with a year.

AS I think Bob said there really shouldn't be an issue with a Fiesta.

 

1.3 and 1.6 in a Mk2 Cortina weigh the same.

Paul

 

It's entirely dependant on the small car, I drove a 1.0 Metro years ago and reverse parking that was a nightmare, it also had a horrific steering lock, the 1.0 Panda and 1.0 Micra were much better but still hard work if you'd ever driven PAS as your body adapts to not having it.

Sounds like an OK motor that AT, I've never liked the Ford 1.3 in any form to be honest but it seems to be a reliable lump and that's all you need

 

AT
so basically I've got to stay out of the proposed congestion charge area!

 

A young man should not have any problems driving a car without PAS, just make sure you have the tyres inflated to the correct pressure.

 

....ok, possibly....same pushrod kent engine...ok


So I can only presume the steering was heavy on the 1.3 too.

 

yep

you might just notice it in car parks....thats all

it'll stop you scrubbbing the tyes as much(!)

 

Preasures like fine but I will check them before I drive it today. Its only done 100 miles since the last MOT so unless something has happened since I would be surprised if there was a fault, it needed quite a bit doing to it too so I am sure the MOT was genuine.

Driving to PCWORLD today so will have a better idea of the steering then, it is at very low speeds it feels heavy, but where I live you have to turn into corners at 5-10mph as there they are so tight and there is so much traffic around.

The engine is a horrible out dated lump but its simple and at this money I think simplicity is important. It is not a miler cruncher but then it was never designed to be. It was designed as cheap city transport that the home machanic could fix when it goes wrong - until the plugs rust into the cylinder head :d

 

Congratulations AT!

Enjoy and be safe!

 

Well no, in the same way a young man should have no problem carrying four bags of shopping home, possible, but still not easy or fun

 

I have owned many cars with no power steering - still do!
Mk2 Escort with a 2.0 engine, no PAS
Mk1 Orion with 1.6 engine, no PAS
Mk1 and then Mk2 Fiestas, no PAS
Mk1 and Mk2 CRX (both 1.6s), no PAS
Currently the NSX - no PAS (engine size irrelevent as it isn't sat above the steering wheels)
When the rack is appropriate, not an issue having a manual rack. IMO in general cars under 1,100kgs really don't need PAS.
However IF the car is fitted with PAS and it fails - that is REALLY hard to steer - much worse than non PAS.
I did drive a non PAS equiped Micra for a collegue to see if there was something wrong with the car (she was looking to buy a first car and wanted it checking) - that was hideously heavy and so I suspect something was wrong. Never investigated further as there were too many other faults I spotted.

 

Yep, nobody's saying any different, it's when it isn't that it becomes a problem - anyway this simple opinion seems to be rattling some cages as per usual on forums so best left alone I think.

 

Checked the trye preasures, the two front ones were 20psi, pumped them up to 32psi and its a lot lighter now. The brakes work fine but the car was standing for 3 months with very little use before I bought it so I will ask my machanic to double check them.

Done 5 miles in it, no smoke, no unusual noises, temp gauge move slightly past N postion where L is in the red.

I have discovered a couple of other niggles but its stuff I have fixed on my dads Escort so should be easy (door lock problems).

 

True

 

Nobody said driving a N reg fiesta was fun

 

:lol: That's cruel

 

It is a fact AT, I always kept a check on the astras tyre pressures as it did get horrendous if they dropped a bit.

Its puts lots of strain on everything too.

The Audi was just as bad in its own way....as you could never feel if they had dropped at all.





(In fact...remembering...I use to chuck in an extra couple of psi.....i think we all did )