80000 to 100000 miles on a 1.4 2003 Ford Fiesta too much?

steve70

Hi

I'm looking to buy a used car and my budget is tight between £1000 to £1500.

I am interested in a Ford Fiesta. The ones that I have seen for my budget are around the 2002,2003 and 2004 age range but with a high mileage of between 80000 to 100000.

How concerned should I be with such a mileage on a Ford Fiesta? I am aiming to go for ones with FSH and from reputable dealers but my worry is that with a high mileage and on a 1.4 engine , the car may pack it in quickly.

Can Ford Fiesta's from that age group and engine last those sorts of high miles without major worry?

I would really appreciate your advice. Thanks.

OddballJamie

I was recently looking for a Fiesta of similar age for my partner. For a decent one with FSH from a dealer you're going to be needing twice the budget.
Have you considered a Corsa or KA as they tend to be cheaper.

motorguy

From memory the timing belt is due at 100,000 miles, so make sure it has been done.

Its not an overly complex one to change from I think it needs a 700 lb/ft air gun to take the end nut off, which most smaller garages wont have.

Richard53

A modern car, if it has been well looked-after and serviced correctly, will do that kind of mileage without problems.

With cars of the age you are talking about, things are going to wear out and need to be replaced, and with a budget like yours there is no way round that. But the high mileage (with FSH and evidence the car has been well-treated) in itself is not a major issue.

facade

Don't buy a Ka, they are terrible cars.

Total rotboxes, too weak for a towbar (yes you might not want to tow things, but a car that is too weak to have a towbar fitted????) if a headlight goes you have to take the car apart to fit a bulb.

Corsa is a good car. Make sure it is stone cold, and start it up. If there is a rattly sound it needs a camchain and gears - these last around 60,000 miles tops, so an 80,000 miler should have had them changed.
The 3 cylinder is well underpowered, fine around town, but hard pushed to maintain 70 on an uphill stretch of motorway.

alastairq

The 3 cylinder is well underpowered, fine around town, but hard pushed to maintain 70 on an uphill stretch of motorway.

Doesn't it have a fourth gear?

bikingbarney

alastairq wrote: »

Doesn't it have a fourth gear?

I should hope so.!!:rotfl:

Mankysteve

facade wrote: »

Don't buy a Ka, they are terrible cars.

Total rotboxes, too weak for a towbar (yes you might not want to tow things, but a car that is too weak to have a towbar fitted????) if a headlight goes you have to take the car apart to fit a bulb.

Corsa is a good car. Make sure it is stone cold, and start it up. If there is a rattly sound it needs a camchain and gears - these last around 60,000 miles tops, so an 80,000 miler should have had them changed.
The 3 cylinder is well underpowered, fine around town, but hard pushed to maintain 70 on an uphill stretch of motorway.

Shouldn't need new gears when changing the timing chain on a corsa c. Usually change time according to most on the owners forum is around 80k point. Great thing about the chain is that it her noisy long before it breaks. Mine getting this point tbh at 80k with poor service history(got the car super cheap).

The main weak point on corsa c is the gear linkage but its a cheap and easy repair. Stay away from the 1lrt far too underpowered.

Done 30k in a year and half in varity of driving types never let me down had some minor work but only wear stuff.

GAZ237

alastairq wrote: »

Doesn't it have a fourth gear?

They have cylinders not 3 gears

facade

The 3 cylinder is the 1 litre

I had an early Corsa-C, the chain started rattling at about 30,000 miles. There were many service bulletins about poor gearchange (mine got a new linkage, but should have had the gears changed for ones that were actually machined properly) and a revised chain tensioner with more throw was fitted to later models, when these rattle the chain has stretched and worn the sprockets, false economy not to change them as the front of the engine has to come apart.

The thing with vauxhalls, I guess like most cars is when under warranty, keep taking it back, over and over and over again, all the service bulletins start with "In case of customer complaint......" When I bought the hookey electronic service guide off eBay and read the bulletins, I realised mine should have had the revised tensioner and decent gears in the gearbox.

However, these niggles didn't detract from the reliability, comfort, good handling and huge load space (I could just throw my mountain bike in the back behind the seats, and it carried literally mountains of soil & rubble to the tip, bagged up in rubble sacks of course). It never missed a beat in the 8 years that I had it, and only needed an exhaust and a pair of tyres over the normal service items.

alastairq

GAZ237 wrote: »

They have cylinders not 3 gears

sorry, behind the times, me....I can remember when every half-decent Ford only had 3 gears..........

However, I was responding to facade's observation about struggling to keep to 70mph uphill on a motorway.

It seemed to me modern drivers don't expect to have to change down a gear or two simply to keep up the pace [or, avoid stopping altogether] uphill?

For me, for example, when southbound on the M18, at the A1 interchange, I always drop to at least 4th to charge up the hill, especially when so many over-powered vehicles are coming off the A1!

Then, at least, I won't find myself blocked into the centre or right lanes, by faster stuff on the left...I have to option to slow, or keep up the pace.

But then, I clearly recall the struggles I had in a Mk1 Transit diesel Luton on the motorway.....overtaking was easy...getting past the cab was the hardest bit!

Even now, I tend to look for downhills on a M/way, to pass stuff...and, right-hand bends too!