Hey guys just need your input for a first car. so I've been looking on a couple of fiestas especially the mk6 zetec s which I've loved for that past year or 2. I've done all my research and everything, the one thing that bugs me the most is the insurance. I've had a look on the 1.4 standard fiesta, which I would have just bought the zs rear & front bumper etc which would roughly cost 3 - 4 hundred pounds. So would have just done a replica of the zs. But I'm not sure can someone help me out please? As I have no idea what to do.

Modifying the 1.4 to look like a 1.6 Zetec will likely cost you more to insure than the Zetec.

You forgot one key part... when you tell your insurance that you essentially have a bodykit fitted, it will cost way more than a zetec-s. There's more to a Zetec-S than the bumpers though.

The 1.4 is a nice car.  Its got enough shove to keep you with the traffic, will do 50% over the legal limit, can give decent economy numbers, and is very smooth and free revving.  For a first car you'd not be at all hard done by to get a nice clean 1.4 Zetec or Ghia.  Christ, I've been driving 33 years and wouldn't turn up my nose to a nice clean mk6.5 5 door with a 1.4.

How much more was insurance comparing the 1.4 and 1.6 engine? Might be good to bite the bullet and get the zetec s if insurance is affordable. With me I started off with a 1 litre Peugeot 107 which I had for 2 years before getting my 1.6 diesel fiesta zetec s. After the first year of driving your insurance goes down by half. 

I think aswell you should check insurance in the 1.6 diesel if you haven't already as I think its in a lower insurance group compared to the petrol. 

The insurance for a 1.4 is inbetween £1500 - 1600. The zetec s is £1700- 1800. 

15 minutes ago, Shan_11 said:

The insurance for a 1.4 is inbetween £1500 - 1600. The zetec s is £1700- 1800. 

That's not too bad. When I was looking to get a zetec s I just looked at insurance between the 1.4 and 1.6 engines and there was a hundred pounds difference. I paid £2080 for insurance for my first car which only had a 1 litre petrol engine. Your getting a cheaper quote for a 1.6 so I'd say go for the zetec s. Engine choice comes down to you, I got the 1.6 diesel as road tax is only £30 and I'm getting around 50mpg from it plus its faster than the 1.4.

Depends on the motoring the OP has planned.  The 1.4 is a second slower to 60 than the diesel, but is a beautifully smooth revver and is much quieter and more civilised at 70 on the motorway.

The 1400 petrol is also the most robust of the engine options available, cheaper to repair, more tolerant of abuse and slack maintenance, and is probably a safer proposition second hand.  Remember, the newest 6.5s are a decade old now, and the OP doesn't want someone else's used hand grenade.

None of the options are remotely performance oriented (Sanitary Towel excepted), so that's probably the last criteria to consider.

The tax on the diesel is £30...at the moment.  Punitive taxation increases on diesels over a decade old seem likely, as are being banned from some urban areas.  If he OP lived in London, for example, he'd get reamed extra hard financially for the diesel. The cost of the fuel is also rising compared to petrol at an unprecedented rate compared to petrol as demand falls.

I'm not saying don't do it, but the benefits aren't clear cut and you've a much greater chance of being saddled with a wrong 'un.

Hi,

Please feel free to give us a try for insurance if you like.

Regards,

Dan.