I am about to buy a shed to get me to and from work until my insurance claim is sorted out.

It's a 1998 Fiesta diesel with 140k miles on the clock(:eek: )

No body work issues, and a ream of receipts including a new clutch and cam belt done 2 months ago. 4 good tyres and a new back box plus 12 months ticket.

At

If our neighbour's '97 one is anything to go by, they go on for ever and ever with very little going wrong.

This page might be useful to you

Chris

If our neighbour's '97 one is anything to go by, they go on for ever and ever with very little going wrong.

This page might be useful to you

Chris

Thanks for that:thumbup:

It's just had new front suspension bushes as well, and it's a 3 door, so that bades well.

The only thing that concerned me was that it's uncommonly quiet for a diesel:confused: Is this normal for a high mileage non-turbo non-pas lump of pig iron?

My mates one died of cambelt failure, so if its been done then thats a good sign.

They understeer like buggery, so I'd want some decent tyres on the front.

Check for rust along the sills and the rear arches, see how much welding has been done to it. A little scabby is fine and normal imho, but if its been welded to a poor standard i.e. oversills etc I'd be walking away. Strut top mounts (especially rears) are prone to rot too. Just get underneath and have a good look. Corroded brake pipes are another common failure.

Other than the bodywork/corrosion issues, they are pretty bulletproof, and if looked after should last forever. Look at all the escort vans on the road with intergalactic mileages on the same engine

I hope it has PAS too!

You are CONCERNED about it being quiet? Eh? I'd say that was a sign of regular oil changes. It will be a rattly bag of ****e on cold start up mind! They aren't so bad tbh, and its all pretty basic stuff should anything go wrong.

Nothing electrical on it to go wrong:rofl:

Keep fit windows, central unlocking ( you can reach the passenger door from the drivers seat:D )

And best of all...keep fit steering:rolleyes:

Nothing electrical on it to go wrong:rofl:

Keep fit windows, central unlocking ( you can reach the passenger door from the drivers seat:D )

And best of all...keep fit steering:rolleyes:

He he. You will soooo understeer into a tree and die! The 1.8D weighs a tonne, and handling is diabolical.

HTH.

A good cheap runner though by the sounds of it!

The ford fiesta rear wheel arches rust through at an alarming rate and it is very easy to repair this with fiberglass and filler. It will all reappear 3 months down the line. :(

The endura engine is usually noisey as anything, so i would be a little concerned as to why it was quite so quiet, but not overly so. I would check that the oil is not really thick or really thin and have a look at the exhaust pipe to see quite how filthy it is. A sooty pipe is fine and oily pipe is obviously bad.

Tom has most of the other stuff covered, although IIRC there was some problem with fuel pumps on this engine.

Also check that the boot is dry and that the spare wheel well is clean dry and rust free. Rear suspension and front should be checked but sounds ok.

There are a few electrical issues if you have managed to find one with leccy windows, and also make sure the heater works. It is quite common for the heater matrix to leak (as it was on MK III) and this wil show as a puddle in one of the footwells or a damp patch on the tunnel behind the gearstick area.

They are cheap to run, but make sure the brakes have been serviced, esp the rear drums as they drag. Front disk caliper drag also isn't unknown as the caliper is pretty exposed on that car.

IMHO I think £500 would be a fairer price.

As Tom said, keep the tyres good, i wouldn't go below 3mm, and the car will roll and understeer lots. Is fine as a run around though, and infact one i did up for not much is still going 5 years later with nothing major.

It's a bloke at work that's flogging it and he swears it's sound ( he wouldn't dare stitch me up, I could make his life a misery:rofl: )

It has no rust spots anywhere, and hasn't been blogged up ( it's metallic burgundy, so it would show.) The brakes have just been fettled for the mot.

At most it's got to last me 'till the insurers either source me another car ( could take 2 months ) or pay up, in which case I will be in an 07 plate whatever.

So if it lasts me 5 months and dies, it's done its job:D

And I look at it that every day it takes me to work, it earns me

I'd be concerned about that engine being quiet. About the only quiet (and even then not by common rail standards of quiet) diesels that age are the PSA XUD ones.

Doesn't your insurance have to supply you with a hire car until they make you an acceptable offer then?

I'd be concerned about that engine being quiet. About the only quiet (and even then not by common rail standards of quiet) diesels that age are the PSA XUD ones.

Doesn't your insurance have to supply you with a hire car until they make you an acceptable offer then?

Ermm ,no!

Silly me never ticked the box that said 'hire car' on the on-line insurance form thingy.

( note to self.......stay sober when filling in online documents, and ask the wife to double check, if she can be awoken from alohol induced coma.)

( Next note to self, try to cut down on alcohol intake.)

note to self, try to cut down on alcohol intake

wtf you feeling ok mate:rofl:

thought you bought a felicia? Am I missing something here?... :confused:

the tight ar$e wants a diesal.

thought you bought a felicia? :confused:

He should do - a nice red one springs to mind.

C'mon Loz - he's your dad - sort him out!

alternators can go faulty , iirc charging controlled by a module

keep the front tyre pressures up , i think the diesel without power steering had higher pressures

heater valve can/will go faulty , meaning it could be stuck on cold or hot , easy to replace though

sounds like everything else i was going to mention has been done , so should be a good buy for the winter months then get a new car in the spring

When i was at uni one of the lads i lived with was mad on fords, all his family have escort dieslis, a couple of them have seen 300,000 miles, and been pretty much mechanically sound after some real abuse, so it would sound like a good run around to me!!

However if it rattles all over the place walk away cause that can't be fixed.

Thanks for that:thumbup:

It's just had new front suspension bushes as well, and it's a 3 door, so that bades well.

The only thing that concerned me was that it's uncommonly quiet for a diesel:confused: Is this normal for a high mileage non-turbo non-pas lump of pig iron?

if looked after yes. prob had new injectors fitted .. check oil make sure it hasnt been gunked to quieten engine