Hi guys this is my first post, so im sorry if i say something wrong or have posted this in the wrong place :D

So i am about to buy my first car a Ford Fiesta, i have £1500 to play with and have seen some older MK6 Fiesta going from around this much, but i was wondering what are the common faults/things to look out for when buying a Fiesta.

For example, I know in the 3 door versions the handle that you pull to get into the back breaks easily... But thats all i know tbh. So if you guys have any advice for what to look out for would be much appreciated :D

Thanks in Advance

Harbz

I would say keep your eye on the service history, and look for one that has had its water pump replaced. That was the main problem I had when I owned one.

Moving you to to the Fiesta section...

Ahh ok, most i have seen dont say they have had the Pump changed.

How much would it cost to get a water pump kit, and how hard is fitting one? I know a few mechanics who could do it, but id like to have a crack at it myself :), only way id learn anything lol

and thanks for moving the thread :D

As for the water pump, I am not sure, it went back for repair under extended warranty a few times as for the kit, I couldnt really advise, maybe one of the other folks can help :)

I had a mk6 fiesta and the water pump went, had it done at my local garage for around 180 or 200, cant remember exact figure lol

I can't tell you what to look for, but we have owned 2004 1.25 Finesse for 4 years and had little trouble with it. It was serviced by Ford up until 2010; after that I've serviced it myself. It has been reliable - I've had to re-glue a couple of bits of trim back on the pillar, but the only mechanical fault we have had was the clutch master cylinder. Timing Belts intervals probably vary by engine - on the 1.25 Duratec, it's 100k/ 10 years - look for evidence of a timing belt change, or whether the vehicle you are looking at is due to have it changed.

OK thanks a lot guys :D, i will check if the Belt has been changed, servicing wise, i think first few times Ford can do it, then once i get used to the car ill do it myself.

Clutch master cylinder sounds like a tedious, and expensive job. How much cash did you spend on that?

Clutch master cylinder was actually quite cheap - I think the part was around £37. Fitting it was awkward - it's connected directly to the clutch pedal on the cabin side of the bulkhead. So - not expensive - it took me 1-2 hours, but I'm guessing an experienced mechanic could do it in an hour.

I'm 99% sure that's the only mechanical failure we've had. Everything else has been normal service parts. I had to do the front discs/pads earlier in the year (at c50K miles) - because the discs had warped, not because of wear.

We intend to hold on to ours as long as we can. I like to describe it as 'fit for purpose'. I have driven it on a 700 mile business trip around Holland and Germany, and although it didn't skip a beat, it does get noisy at around 80mph, so it wouldn't be my first choice if I was doing a lot of motorway mileage, but it is economical at motorway speeds.

Watch out for the gear linkage, mine after driving about 20 mins when everything was warmed up when changing gear became very hard and cost £120 to repair which again is a common fault.