My first car 2008 Fiesta has served me well for 4 years buying it for £1500 on gumtree but has come to its end. Looking at new fiestas... MK7 1.0 ecoboost engine I've heard is not great... or am I wrong? What is the MK8's engine like as well as overall driving experience between the two?

Mk8 is the same engine up until about 2019/2020 when it switched to the revised cam chain, there seems to be no definitive date, the only way to know for sure is looking under the bonnet. Later versions were also available as MHEV, all the MHEVs are chain driven cam.

You need to be very careful looking at the 1.0 wet belt engine in either Mk7 or Mk8. It needs to have been properly serviced and factor in a £1200-1800 bill if the car is nearing 10 years old.

For me the biggest advantage of the Mk8 is that it gets a much more modern 6 speed gearbox, over the ancient 5 speed in the Mk7 that was never designed for turbo engines and has no syncro on reverse.

7 minutes ago, Connorgrayo said:

Looking at new fiestas... MK7 1.0 ecoboost engine I've heard is not great... or am I wrong? What is the MK8's engine like

It very much depends on what budget you have, but personally I'd avoid the 1.0 engine.

Might be helpful to clarify your budget a little, as you are looking at a big range of cars between the first Mk 7 in 2008 and the last facelifted Mk 8s in 2023. 

1.0 Ecoboost is the same until around 2020 as already said, the Mk 8 6 speed is useful for cruising and a bit stronger than the earlier 5 speed which can eat synchros particularly on the 140.

Personally I always felt the Mk 7 was more fun to drive, the Mk 8 is a more civilised car.

But really, you will get more helpful advice by being more specific as to what your budget/priorities are.