Your Bangernomics successes

[Deleted User]

Tip runs £20 a pop.

Eliza_2

I'm a bit nervous of joining all you knowledgeable lot but hoping for some advice.

I've bought a V reg fiesta for £250, MOT due October. I've cleaned it up using a combination of car shampoo and Wilko's own brand of T Cut and have discovered quite a bit of rust under the muck. It's otherwise pretty clean though. Tyres good, a pretty full service history (only 2 owners from new, £1k spent on it last year) It's done about 122k miles and starts when I want and stops when I want (what more is there?)

I'll be happy if it only goes till October but would like to keep it going longer than that if poss, and really don't want to break down in the middle of nowhere, so what would you say would be the key things to keep an eye on? Of course I don't want to spend any more money than I have to, bearing in mind the initial cost.

All advice gratefully received. Thanks.

xHannahx

With fiestas of that age rust is the only major issue they suffer. Sills around the fuel cap being the worst places,

[Deleted User]

Even if the Fiesta spectacularly fails the MOT in October, its still good value motoring. You'll even get some of that £250 back when you scrap it.

mcjordi

what engine is in it? the 1.3 endura is bomb proof... rust is the killer on fiestas of that age now.. everything else is peanuts to put right

Eliza_2

Thanks folks. The rust is mainly around the edges of the driver's door with a blob that looks like acne (sorry!) so seems to have come from inside, in the middle of the driver's door too. Petrol cap surround is clean.

Reg doc says fiesta lx zetec 1242 cc. Have now driven 30 trial miles in it altogether. Slight scraping sound in lower gears but good in 3/4/5. Gears seem very forgiving, I almost managed to start from stop in 5th!! Oil level fine, nothing dripping underneath. Footbrake couldn't cope with an emergency stop without advance warning unless I build up some muscles in that leg! It's stiff. Some bumping on potholes but think that's shock absorbers so can live with that.

I think on the whole it seems pretty ok. We'll see how it goes.

BeenThroughItAll

Eliza wrote: »

Thanks folks. The rust is mainly around the edges of the driver's door with a blob that looks like acne (sorry!) so seems to have come from inside, in the middle of the driver's door too. Petrol cap surround is clean.

Reg doc says fiesta lx zetec 1242 cc. Have now driven 30 trial miles in it altogether. Slight scraping sound in lower gears but good in 3/4/5. Gears seem very forgiving, I almost managed to start from stop in 5th!! Oil level fine, nothing dripping underneath. Footbrake couldn't cope with an emergency stop without advance warning unless I build up some muscles in that leg! It's stiff. Some bumping on potholes but think that's shock absorbers so can live with that.

I think on the whole it seems pretty ok. We'll see how it goes.

Trick now is to look after it yourself as cheaply as possible, and find a trustworthy local mechanic/garage who can do things outside your skillset/comfort zone. If you tell us where in the country you are, you may get some recommendations.


Otherwise, asking around local minicab drivers is often worthwhile - they can't afford their cars being off the road, and they know where to get the best value.

mcjordi

Eliza wrote: »

Thanks folks. The rust is mainly around the edges of the driver's door with a blob that looks like acne (sorry!) so seems to have come from inside, in the middle of the driver's door too. Petrol cap surround is clean.

Reg doc says fiesta lx zetec 1242 cc. Have now driven 30 trial miles in it altogether. Slight scraping sound in lower gears but good in 3/4/5. Gears seem very forgiving, I almost managed to start from stop in 5th!! Oil level fine, nothing dripping underneath. Footbrake couldn't cope with an emergency stop without advance warning unless I build up some muscles in that leg! It's stiff. Some bumping on potholes but think that's shock absorbers so can live with that.

I think on the whole it seems pretty ok. We'll see how it goes.

keep an eye on the oil level (weekly checks)
engine is cambelt driven so personally at the price you paid id drive it till it snaps (get breakdown cover just in case)
ive had several fiesta's however as im of the larger frame i wouldnt get another haha
fiestas are prone to rust around the doors and rear arches so try not to worry too much.
see what the mot throws up at the time (get it in a month before the due date then at least you have a month to fix/decide what to do)

mcpitman

mcpitman wrote: »

I've just bought (just, well Dec-14) my wife an 02 fiesta, 1.25 zetec.

83k miles from new, only 2x owners, MOT'd until April.

Cost £500, rear wiper and hazard light didn't work on purchase.

New wiper motor £125, new indicator stalk £100.

Went to the local scrap yard, both parts for £10, all in working order now.

MOT in April, will go to the local MOT only place and see what happens. If it passes this car will genuinely be kept until it dies!

Mot passed 17th April (friday), 3x minor advisories;

• Stonechip in Area A
• slight corrosion to inner and outer sills
• slight corrosion on OS front bake hose

All in all a good result and another years cheap motoring.

I will probably drop a pair of new brake hoses on and get underneath to have a look at and tidy up the sill corrosin noted.

Success! :money:

worried_jim

Fantastic news mcpitman! Another years motoring for an initial outlay of £500.

I can see your massive grin from here!