Looking at buying my brother his first car. 

I own a Mk6, so know all the quirks and quibbles of that model. 

But found a nice Mk7 (2011, 1.25l, 100k, Petrol, £3k). Know nothing about this model though. 

What are the potential issues that I should look out for with this car?

I know the following -

Spark plug services are important - so check in history these have been done. I will change plugs when I’ve bought the car.

Should probably replace battery.

Check front rotors for excessive corrosion.

Check it has a spare wheel. 

Possible heater motor issues. 

Subframe bushes on front.

Clutch judder = new clutch and trimmings.

Anything else to look out for? TIA. 

Never owned one but I believe they can suffer with core plug leaks in the head like the mk6 do but the core plugs are threaded making them difficult to remove sometimes.👍

The 1.25 engine wasn't really changed for the Mk7, so your Mk6 experience can be used for that.  Solid engine tbh.  The cambelt is overdue so has hopefully been done already.

Snapped springs are common.  Would also check AC & cooling fan.  And check the wheels are round...no, really.   Fiesta alloys seem to be particularly weak and prone to bending.

£3k sounds quite a lot for a 2011 (pre facelift) with 100k.  Which spec is it?  I know prices are daft at the minute, and being ULEZ compliant will make them more desirable in London, but I'd see if you can get a facelift for not much more...  Facelift 1.25s are only £30 to tax, whereas PFL 1.25s are ~£150 to tax.

Just seen this online for timing belt changes....change the km to miles 160km is like 90.4 miles or 100 miles basically 🙂 or 8 years whatever comes sooner

Ford Fiesta 1.25 44 kW = 160 000 Kilometres or after a maximum of 8 years.

Ford Fiesta 1.25 60 kW = 160 000 Kilometres or after a maximum of 8 years.

Do you really need to buy a car right now. Prices are high as mentioned above.  Unless you really need it now I would wait. If car manufacturers get the chip supply problem and all those outstanding orders are fulfilled then there will be a load of 2nd cars on the market and the people who buy those then sell their cars and so on and prices shouldn’t be so high

4 hours ago, isetta said:

Do you really need to buy a car right now. Prices are high as mentioned above.  Unless you really need it now I would wait. If car manufacturers get the chip supply problem and all those outstanding orders are fulfilled then there will be a load of 2nd cars on the market and the people who buy those then sell their cars and so on and prices shouldn’t be so high

Yeah. I totally understand that. 

The need is not urgent. But will eventually need to resolved.

I will keep an eye on the market, but won’t hold my breath. 

Aircon should come on automatic/immediately when blowers are set to windscreen. Aircon fan is quite nosiey on operation and operates in short periods 10-15 seconds. You should hear it clicking on and off

Check blowers work on all blower settings as well as 1-4 blower strength 

Check steering lock to lock for no notcheyness/clunks

Front suspension arms are also a weak point. Springs are prone to cracking too

Check CD player works correctly, most don't. Common failure for CD players

Check boot for water/damp/leak

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's a lot of money, for an 11 plate 100K 1.2L, in my opinion.  However, if your location is correct, then you'll pay over the odds anyway buying locally.

As has already been mentioned by @TomsFocus above, car prices are all over the place currently.  If you are just looking locally, it might be worth broadening your search area.