My new Fiesta one month on - report

Or better still a Mercedes 2.5D 190E

 

It does drive, but I over estimated my fuel and it was on mininum on the way to the petrol station it started being lumpy in 3rd I assumed it was the clutch but it now seems it is a fuel delivery issue, it idles and fine and does drive apart from the lumpynes. I realise cars need a lot of money spending on it, but I know there are issues, the brakes do make a noise though are sharp and don't lock or pull, there is a clonk from the back which I suspect is a drop link bush, it is all fairly easy and cheap stuff labour wise but it all adds up. I reckon I need to spend another £300 on getting my car running properly so I have still not decided what to do.

The only pluses are really that the engine seems good, it dosn't smoke and dosn't use oil and it was easy to drive when it was running properly.

There is nothing wrong with my cylinder head, and will only need to have that messed about with if the infamous plugs get stuck.

 

Ah well. These are all lessons aren't they. As time goes on and you go through a few cars you'll know what to look for. I bought a couple of cars that afterwards I realised I shouldn't have touched with a barge pole. There are plenty of cheap cars out there that will last a good couple of years before you are told you have to spend £500 on it to get it welded or fixed somehow. At that point its off to the scrappy and time to move on.

Lessons I've learnt.

Always go for something with at least a few months MOT so at least you don't have to get something done to actually keep it on the road.
Judge the car on how trustworthy the owner seems.
Don't go for something that already has a list of jobs you can see needs doing. After all, who wants to buy something then go home and start fixing it. It should just drive without needing to get your hands dirty.

I'm driving a P reg Golf currently. Bombproof diesel engine. No problems. 55mpg. Cost me £850. New wheelbearing and a couple of tyres is the most its needed....so far. Once it needs anything major I'll weigh it up based on the likelyhood of something else going wrong. If it has a list of things going wrong, that list is likely to continue. If its just the odd thing. No worries. Get it done, drive it til it dies.

 

Yep I knew when I bought it would need some money spending on it. I knew one of the tyres was cracking so budgeted for that, then checked the spare it was bald. And the spare wheel is a good lesson I have learnt.

If the car has a bald and ilegal tyre and it shows that corners have been cut in the maintance regeme. When I had the oil change done on my car my mechanic said the older filter had actually rusted onto the engine block and was a bit difficult to remove.

My dad has maintained his to half decent standard, e.g the wishbones, pads and other stuff were all sorted well befor the MOT.

I once asked Isaac why he wasn't worried about taking his car for the MOT, he replied "because I always get things fixed before the MOT" and I think that is a very good way of doing things. Too many people drive with a cracked coil thinking it will wait till the MOT, and even bald tyres!

I know Micras are decent cars but the older ones suffer rust problems just like the Fords, if you look round you will see plenty of less than ten year old Micras with new sills, and the insurance comapnies also rate them as dangerious in a crash where as the Fiesta does pretty well (for a 13 year old supermini).

I was thinking this car could be my project, if I SORNed it I could dimantle and keep the MAF sensors, Lamdba etc as spares and sell things like the tailgate then just pay to have ti collected.I woudl learn a lot about spanners and mechanics as I am currently too scared todo much work in case I brake something.

I will do the fuel filter though, as that cures the running problem the clutch is fairly minor.

Remember my dads Escort? It was using too much fuel I posted a lot of things about that circa 3 years ago, I kept telling him its time to get rid, he didn't and in the past year what was a very reliable and trouble free car just had one bill after another.

My major lesson though is even if the seller seems genuine and trustworthy they may well be, but may also be ignorant to the faults with the car. So they may sell a car they think is fine but the clutch is actually slipping.

 

Dude

You probably already know this but....

Lesson 1. You very rarely get something for nothing, every now and then you may get a 500 quid car that runs for a couple of years and needs nothing done. This won't happen very often. '13 year old fiesta needs some work to pass MOT'; not exactly a newspaper headline is it?

FWIW I'd have taken the micra every time. Forget that crash rating, unless your planning on smashing it up every week it isn't going to matter is it. Do you honestly think you'll walk away from your first kerbing at 70mph thinking 'I 'm glad I got the festa, it felt really solid'? It won't matter much on your insurance either. Also, I haven't seen any 10 year old micra's with rusty sills but I will look out now you mention it. BTW they're built in Sunderland, not Japan where they don't salt the roads so they shouldn't be too bad for rust. Okay; it isn't the best looking car, but lets face it, that fiesta isn't a styled by Pininfarina either.

Lesson 2. Next time make a big long checklist of things, (including all MOT check items) and work your way round the prospective car from outside in, back to front or vice versa. Remember to check things like Oil + other levels before you start it. Make sure you get under it, (ideally on a ramp / set of ramps), poke around, get a torch in under the wheel arches and underneath it at least. You can get a good feeling for wear from doing this, you'll spot any leaks or the need for new bushes pretty quickly too. Take your time, if nothing else you will look like you know what you are doing and may be in a stronger position when it comes to saving yourself a tenner on the price because the spare tyre is bald etc.

Test drive it, ALWAYS. Give it as much of a going over as you can with the owner sitting next to you / behind you, don't let them talk, sit them down and listen. Check everything you can on drivetrain, gears up / down, reverse. Braking into tight bends left / right. Find a car park, nearby and do some sharp figures of 8 to test full lock, listen for noise. Rev through the range in each gear, don't have to red line it, but get close. Change from 5 to 2 and other changes. See where the biting point is and how big it is too. Check the brakes, no starsky and hutch stuff but make sure you do it properly, feel for resistance and 'bumpiness'. Make sure all pedals return when you release the pressure. Don't forget to do heater / air con, radio, internal lights, mirrors while on the go either. When you park it back up check for excessive moisture at the exhaust and flip the bonnet. Any major issues / leaks should be obvious now.

If you don't know how to check or what to look for then make friends with a mechanic. Or do some reading.

Lesson 3. Once you've bought it:

1. Buy a drip tray / tank and learn how to change the oil and filter. It is a piece of piss on most vehicles. Do this every 5000 miles.

2. Use some of that fuel cleaner every now and then too.

3. Buy a plug spanner and change them when you do the oil.

4. Check all the MOT items before you send it. Wipers, Lights, Seatbelts can mostly be sorted yourself without paying somebody else 30 - whatever quid an hour for it.

5. Accept that certain bits are just going to wear out. Distributor caps, pumps, other high friction parts, exhausts etc will all go at some point. It is just a matter of time.

Okay, this won't catch everything but will keep the catastrophic engine failure wolf from the door.

Lesson 4. I'd ditch it, sounds like a dog and it won't be worth what you've spent on it when the work is done. Sell it to a scrappy for 100 quid and save for a couple of weeks to buy something else with the 300+you've saved on repairs.

Good luck, and remember a car isn't just for Christmas.

 

I've already been offered for £200 for it, but as I have already spent £200 on repairs inc two brand new tyres it seems hard to swallow such a bit loss still paying the insurance on it etc.

I am still not decided what to do at all, I hate it as I am 50% sell it, then I look at it and its in fairly good condition it seems too good to get rid off, but then I think it might be nothing but trouble.

My uncle knows quite a bit of about cars so I might ask him to give it a check over and see what he thinks. I have also got some pics of the chasis and its not actually bad underneath better than the new sills would suggest.

I will drive it round the block tomorrow and see how it runs.

Thanks btw for the interesting reading

 

Class, just need the driving gloves and a flat cap.

I've looked for one of these the last 2 times I changed my car, hard to find a nice one at a decent price though. Even on Mercs I get nervous when the mileage is 150,000+

 

"Okay; it isn't the best looking car, but lets face it,"

I'm with at on this one.

I wouldn't be seen dead in one.

 

Nah

J ust nicely run in.

Parts costs are going to be dear though....when you need them.


Scott that was a well written note imo.

AT, you couild do worse than compile a check list of things to look for on a car....could be based on Scotts post.

If you've been offered 200 for it I'd go for it. Sounds like you have a few bits to do on it yet. You've paid out 200 on it now.....thats no big deal.

Cut your losses!?

Go for the merc!

 

I would love a big old german barge, sadly my insurance would cost so much I could get a brand new car for the same price. My Fiesta is costing me nearly £900 a year to insure, and most my quotes were over £1500.

The problem is what ever I buy ot will need work. However I am looking at upto 1.6 barges. I can just about afford to insure a 1.6 Mondeo/Primera that kind of thing. After Christmas I will decide what to do for certain. I am going for a short local drive in the car tomorrow just to see how bad the fuel problem is.

 

AT,

Not being funny you don't seem to be having much luck.

My mate at work usually buys cheapies, mots if you like. He just took out a bit of a bank loan and bagged a very nice 3/4 year old focus.....and very nice it is too.

Not meaning to get you into bad habits of borrowing money.....but may be its a point......get you out of this rut of spending time/money on stuff thats hard work to keep going. I wonder now especially as the market is so depressed.

I'm sure you couild sort out a good deal with 1000/2000?

 

Yep it is something I am considering doing, I need to find time to actually visit a few dealers. I have about £700 remaining on my interest free credit card (bought a clients computer with it, as I had problems with my bank at the - admin error now sorted). but paying that off at at a quick rate. My tax bill is now paid and I have a few hundered pounds worth of cheques to clear, so money wise despite having paid out nearly £600 on my Fiesta so far (inc the car) I might be able to afford a 2k car but even if its in good shape I would still need money for suspension, tyres, exhausts cam belts and the rest of it. However with my low milleage as longs as all the rubber bits are fairly new when I buy it, they should last a few before needing replacing.

I would love a Focus but they always seem a bit over priced for what they actualy are. I would also really only be able to afford the slightly underpowered detuned Zetec-S but then that is a Yamaha unit and very reliable.

The problem is the newer the car the more expensive the car is, as if I have finance oweing on the car fully comp would be essential.

And David you have a point about time, I am up late at night wondering whatthe best way out is, it does affect my work. Having to get the bus to my job tomorrow which means getting up early, I don't trust the car as I have to cross a major dual carraige way and sods law means the clutch will slip at that those lights.

I don't feel that safe in my Fiesta even though its 3 star NCAP which is as good as it got back then, so a 2 star Micra which is also on the high death rate list on HJ will scare me. My grandad had the first of the MK2s on a K reg, engine 140k but the chasis just rusted it always felt a bit tinny.

So I need something:-
Fairly safe, ABS is a bonus but I shouldn't really need to use it.
Cheap to insure
Will last in terms of bodywork rather than milleage and this would really point to a new higher milleage car probably. Maybe something five years old with 100k motorway miles on the clock, chasis would be completly rot free for another 10 years hopefully.

The car also has to be simply though and give no nasty surprises, the Fiesta is good at this, because even major mechanical problems are cheap to fix. I couldn't live with say a french car which cost £100 in labour just to change a head lamp.

And yep Scott's post is very useful I think where I go wrong is I see the car driving perfectly in the test drive, then buy it thinking its only £400, but then I forget if I have to spend £200 on fixing basic faults, then for a major fault to develop I have lost all my money. Unlike some people I just cannot ignore things like dangerious tyres and for this reason bangers may be unsuited ot me, as to keep them going cheaply there is always a bit of a safety compromise, nothing ever seems to be fixed until the MOT. Then you get an advisory which owners seem to think means it might need doing for the next MOT.

I've always said if I owned a car from new, it would last 30 years.

 

Cobblers!

Parts for a 190 (or a W124 E class) are going to cost very little more than those for most other cars. My dad can run one and he's on state pension!

And the insurance will be good because they're seen as a low risk car to own (ie old, safe, drivers have them).

If you're looking for bomb-proof and <1.6l, I'd look for a Skoda Octavia or Fabia or a Seat Leon / Ibiza which will have all of the reliability of VW / Audi but without the cost.

A couple of years ago, I would have also suggested a BMW E30 318i (Lux spec) but TBH, they're either all knackered scuffers now or expensive good examples.

 

Got the car into good running order again.

I went for a ride in about 2 minutes, then let the engine warm up a bit. I then reved the pants out of it, drove a further 20 miles (just round the block in case I broke down) no misfire, no lumpyness no nothing. So I think it was because I let the car run so low of fuel there was some crap in the tank.

I will see how it goes. Also I made a very concious effort to not ride the clutch at lights, and as a result it did not slip once so I may get away with it. I then went to my mechanics and he removed the offending spare wheel tray (didn't charge) and he also insisted he has inspected the brakes and they are fine.

I also checked the smoke after the journey and there was nothing at all coming out the back so it seems all my car needs is a bit of TLC.

So a combination of the tray falling down, and overheating the clutch as a result, crap in the fuel etc may have caused this.

 

Not bloody likely. If the clutch has really started to slip, it will get worse in hurry, whatever the cause (worn clutch plate, or oil from knackered main bearing seal). Put the money aside now for the necessary fix.

 

yeah, I had to replace mine recently and the main fault was the lack of acceleration - not good when going to work and there are some junctions where you simply have to put your foot down...!

 

Yeah I have the money ready for if it needs doing, the main thing is though as its not slipping atm, I can continue to drive it (locally) to make sure the lumpy problem is cured once and for all, then get the clutch done. Today there wasn't really evidence at all that there is a clutch problem.

 

when you're out - accelerate hard from a standstill...if it's the clutch, then ime you'll feel it slip...

 

Yep, I can't really see how could have been anything else, I was pulling out of a petrol station at the time, the car hardly moved and I smelt some friction smell, now the smell may have been something else, and I may have just had really bad clutch control as a woman was waiting behind me so I was panicy a bit.

I am guessing if its the clutch the and I accelerate hard there will be lots of revs but the car won't move any quicker than normal?

 

Which you can start by not revving the nuts off it until it's been fully warmed up for 10 minutes or so.....