Should I buy a Mk2 Fiesta?

[Steel Fury]

Hello all

I've been thinking about buying a Mk2 Fiesta for ages but can't quite pull the trigger.  Is owning an 80s Fiesta fun, or could it just become a pain in the backside?

Appreciate hearing about your experiences of Mk2 Fiesta ownership.

Thanks

[Tiexen]

One of these perhaps -

 

But a good one will cost £10,000!

 

 

[Steel Fury]

Yeah they're nice.  But I was thinking more of a basic spec one.

[TomsFocus]

Rust is the main problem with them, if you can't weld it can get expensive paying for decent repairs.

There's not much else to go wrong with them tbf!  A local lad has had one for the last 3 or 4 years, gets to most of the local shows and he's had very few issues with it afaik.

[isetta]

what engine size are you thinking. a 1.4 could be quite nice, that has the more modern overhead cam CVH engine with electronic igntion and rubber timing belt.

The smaller engines are the ancient overhead valve engines with contact breakers. Much less refined and a noisy engine (from the manually adjustable valve clearences and a timing chain). But less to suddenly go wrong and fail without warning.

I think the 1.4 had a 5 speed box, most (perhaps all) of the smaller engines have 4 speed box.

So what sort of driving do you want to do. 4 speed will be horrible on motorway etc.

In about 2001 I had a 1984 Fiesta Mk2 1.1L. My daily drive was then (and still is) 33 miles each way to and from work, mostly motorway, fast dual carriageway.  I drove the Fiesta on that journey for 1 year. I kept a note of all the fuel and it did 47mpg which was pretty good bearing in mind the engine revs were high at speed due to 4 speed gearbox.  It did however need a gallon of oil per month. It did not look particularly smokey and had no oil leaks. It had the horrible VV (variable venturi) carb. I do not know if only certain years had that carb.

It needed a fair bit of welding (with my own Mig welder). My brother owned it after me and used for about one year and then we took it to a scrap yard and watched the big claw come down and pick it up, mangling the roof and shattering the windows. They were worth nothing back then and this one like most others were rotting away.

Apart from rust they were good simple cars that did not really go wrong

 

 

[Steel Fury]

Hiya

Looking at the 1.1 engine cars, the basic Pop Plus or L specs, though the 1.4S is nice but I don't want to spend thousands. Just intend doing short runs... into town, work, gym etc. a couple of miles each way and nothing on fast roads.

I like the simplicity of them, not that I plan on doing any mechanic stuff.  Perhaps want to relive my youth in more simple times!

[Tiexen]

Good

• 11' 8" long by 5' 2" wide and weighing from 700kg to 800kg.
• Original 1976 Fiesta facelifted in 1983 with more rounded front. 
• Low insurance groups.
• Cheap and simple. 'Valencia' pushrod engines are long-lasting so long as the cars get driven regularly.
• Spares cheap and second-hand parts plentiful.
• 957 had 40bhp; 1117 had 53bhp; 1.3 ohc CVH had 69bhp; 1392cc ohc CVH had 74bhp; 1592cc ohc CVH in XR2 had 96bhp.
• Also a 54bhp 1.6 diesel (same basic engine that lasted until 2010) and an automatic. CTX CVT auto could be reliable in '84-'89 cars. 5-speed gearboxes in some 1.4s and all XR2is. Not quite as rust-prone as 1976-1983 model.

Bad

• Still too 'light' and rust-prone, particularly front inner wings just above strut top mountings.
• A rust-weakened light car is a disaster waiting to happen, especially with young people aboard.

Watch

• Rust.
• 'Short-run syndrome', because many were used for shopping by elderly ladies and never got properly warmed up. 10 years ago a 10-year-old Fiesta with 25,000 miles was close to needing a new engine and clutch.
• On the other hand a white socks and back-to-front baseball cap XR2 might have been surprisingly well cared for apart from huge holes in the parcel shelf for oversize Speakers.
• 'Round front' 1984-89 Fiesta had improved anti-rust treatment, but all these cars are so old now they need checking carefully.
• 1.3 and 1.4 CVH engines prone to oil sludge

[tarbyonline]

Do you like rust?

Answer to your question will probably be the same 🤣

[tarbyonline]

10 hours ago, Tiexen said:

• On the other hand a white socks and back-to-front baseball cap XR2 might have been surprisingly well cared for apart from huge holes in the parcel shelf for oversize speakers.

2

6 x 9's???