Potentially Buying A New Fiesta

[zebra]

Hi,

I'm after a bit of advice, and some opinions in general.

My current car is an 03 fiesta ghia, so nearly 10. I was told at last service that there is a leak on a gasket in the gear box, which i have delayed getting done as the quote was £500+, also I reckon the cam belt will need replacing this year as the car is currently at 90000 miles.

I have been saving for a new car and was going to wait until next year when I have the funds to cover it, however given the fact i am considering changing it I dont really want to spend the money on a big service, cam belt and gear box this year.

So I guess my questions are

- should i just take the plunge and buy now and maybe have to have some form of finance.

-Is there a face lift due any time soon on the fiesta? if so I could wait and buy the current model when they are selling them off.

-I have also considered buying a preregistered car as these are sometimes cheaper

-I had also though about upgrading to a focus, although am a little worried about how much this will increase my insurance and tax as this has to be considered – any opinions on this.

The basics I’m looking for are min 1.4 engine, 5 doors and remote central locking. Im not sure I want to give up my aircon and heated windscreen but other than that im not fussy.

Any ideas??

Thank you :)

[jimrex]

Might be worth taking the plunge sooner rather than later, I was faced with head gasket issues on my old Punto and it was near to death, like you I had been saving up to replace it so just went for it before the car let me down.

I bought my Fiesta in 2009 on quite a good finance package with the dealer. Dealers aren't always the cheapest though, it's worth shopping around. I've heard positive reviews about Deal Drivers http://www.dealdrivers.co.uk/ , I believe they compare deals across the country so it's worth a look.

Ex-demo's represent great value, my Focus was and has some nice optional extras on it. It had a list price of £20000 and I got it at 4 months old with 3k miles on for around £15k. Have a look at Ford Direct cars as well, these come from Ford and could have been demos or ex-Ford company cars.

With regards to an increase in insurance etc upgrading from Fiesta to Focus, I went from a 2009 1.25 Fiesta to a 2011 1.6TDCI Focus and my insurance actually went down. Tax went from £110 to £20 and, for me, the benefits of going to diesel means I'm spending less on fuel. You do have to look at the figures though as a petrol Fiesta might work out cheaper, it depends on what your car spends it's time doing.

You'll find pretty much all Fiesta's and Focus' come with decent kit if you avoid the base ones (though, going for a Zetec usually represents a nice blend of equipment and cost).

Trying to find a new car is always exciting though, good luck!

[Stoney871]

Definitely look at demonstrators, for a car that's a couple of months old and avoiding the "drive away depreciation" you can get some cracking deals.

Some buyers will be so fixated on the (in my opinion) pointless fuss of clamouring to buy the newest car on the forecourt and miss the bargains that can be had.

Often the cars are parked in depots for ages before being bought so it's entirely likely a demo car may be actually newer than the ones in the showroom.

Why pay thousands more for a numberplate?

Also the way things are right now in the car trade, you can haggle your way to extras and more toys.

Always worth being a bit cheeky if you fancy a good deal.

[MRC89]

Facelift Fiesta is due last quarter of 2012 I believe, although the Fiesta ST has been delayed til 2013.

A Fiesta Zetec/Titanium would get you 5 doors, 1.4-1.6 petrol/1.6 diesel, heated windscreen and air con.

You'll probably find your tax & insurance will be lower with a new fiesta. Cleaner engines and higher safety ratings help bring running costs down.

Ford Fiesta Info: http://www.carpages....iesta-guide.asp

Ford Focus Info: http://www.carpages....focus-guide.asp (sort of incomplete in parts)

Fiesta Features and specs: http://www.ford.co.u...dspecifications

p.s bank loans are usually less interest than finance. I currently pay £190 per month for my Zetec S, which I picked up with 6,000 miles on the clock (£10,000 total value) Had I lent the money directly from my bank, I'd be paying even less

[jimrex]

Also the way things are right now in the car trade, you can haggle your way to extras and more toys.

Always worth being a bit cheeky if you fancy a good deal.

Very true! A colleague of mine used to work in the motor trade and he reckons the best deals are had towards the end of the month (so targets can be hit) and also when a new number plate is out (because as you say, people must have the current one rather than the last one!). You might get some cracking 61-plate cars now :)

[zebra]

Hi Guys,

thanks for the info and opinions! This is a really hard decision for me as its a lot of money and i keep thinking should i just repair my current car while its till (for its age) relativley problem free – my previous cars have been hand me downs so I haven’t had to make the hard choices my parents did all that!

Thanks for the demonstration car suggestion, just looked at some ford dealers and this might well be a good option for me, are these ones used for test drives? Gadgets also aren’t a huge issue like i said remote central locking and aircon are the 2 things i want to keep.

The newest number plate is not my motivation for a new car – its more to know its history and whos had it before me and its been driven and looked after...

I have also done a bit of basic research on compare sites for insurance, and unfortunately it seems mine will almost double with either a fiesta or focus :( However it does seem my tax may go down a band.

I would probably go for petrol as I only do 12000, mainly motorway miles, but some pottering to shops etc, so I don’t think a diesel would be that beneficial.

I might go and have a look in some dealers to get a better idea of prices etc.

The face lift may come a little late for me then as service etc due in august.

Thank you

[zebra]

sorry something i forgot to ask, i'm intending on part-exing the car, how much (ball park) could i expect to get for my car (03 ghia, 90000 miles) its in good condition a few scratches. Being female it will be quite easy to be taken for a ride...

Thanks

[Stoney871]

To check the value you should expect try a text check, they value the car for private and p/x sale and are a good guideline.

http://www.cartextcheck.co.uk/

[zebra]

Hi well i popped into a local ford dealer this morning, and an ex demonstrator fiesta edge with less than 5000 mile is advertised at 9,490 and a zetec at 10990. Are these good deals?? - i think around 6 months old. He said 11k for a new one discounted apprently.

They offered 1200 for my car part ex, could do better if i sold it privately but not sure if its worth the hassel. and i have nowhere to store a second car.

[zebra]

To check the value you should expect try a text check, they value the car for private and p/x sale and are a good guideline.

http://www.cartextcheck.co.uk/

Thanks, but im not sure about that as whenever i put my number plate into a search it can never be found... so i dont fancy forking out money to be told cant find you.

Any other ways to find out??

[iNath]

Thanks, but im not sure about that as whenever i put my number plate into a search it can never be found... so i dont fancy forking out money to be told cant find you.

Any other ways to find out??

http://www.vauxhall.co.uk/offers-finance/value-my-car.html

[zebra]

thank you, its worth a try.

I also tested out that webuyanycar.com offered £1390, but having read up on them, i think £390 would be good from them.

[zebra]

Hi, to update I took the plunge and ended up buying a new 12 plate zetec. (the demo one i wanted was sold), for about 500 more than the demo one, and got 1400 on the part ex for my old car.

Another question, I know in the past you have to break a new car, and I have read on the internet that you are not supposed to stick to a constant speed for too long for the 1st 1k miles. HOw critical is this?

I should collect my new car next week and at the weekend I have a 200 mile round trip (over 2 days) which is mainly on the mway, and then some a road driving. is this going to kill off the engine before I've started??

forgive me another daft question, but I haven't bought from new before. And the salesman will probably just tell me what I want to hear.

Thanks

[lodav2011]

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT BUY THE 1.4 i have so much hate for this engine its unreal i have the 1.4 2009 titanium its rubbish on fuel its a joke your better off with the 1.6 for sure

[iNath]

Another question, I know in the past you have to break a new car, and I have read on the internet that you are not supposed to stick to a constant speed for too long for the 1st 1k miles. HOw critical is this?

Not critical at all tbh. The engines are designed to work with certain tolerances and it's the reason they have a rev limiter. They will also have been tested in the factory, most likely to the red line. It still would be worth taking it easy whilst you adapt the the new car though.

[zebra]

Not critical at all tbh. The engines are designed to work with certain tolerances and it's the reason they have a rev limiter. They will also have been tested in the factory, most likely to the red line. It still would be worth taking it easy whilst you adapt the the new car though.

Thanks for that, i do a lot of mway driving, but I try to stick to the speed limits so hopefully my engine shouldnt be killed off in the first few weeks.