First car opinions ('98 Fiesta 1.3)

zilog_jones

Just looked at this '98 Fiesta earlier on today - not sure what trim level it is (didn't see any badges) but it's metallic silver with body-coloured bumpers, sunroof, no central locking nor rear speakers so I have reason to believe it's an Encore...? Not an LX or Ghia anyway.

Looks pretty good - a couple of minor scratches and the front bumper looks like it was resprayed or something (everything around it looks OK though), but as it'll be my first car I'm not too bothered about them. There's a couple of specks of rust on the driver door (about an inch below the window) - could this get bad?

67,000 miles (seem pretty genuine), and it has some sort service history (mostly from Cavanagh's of Fermoy IIRC) - only saw 5 or 6 stamps in it, so I hope the oil was changed between those! Kinda forgot to check the oil...

Only thing I'm not too sure about is the engine - it's the 1.3 litre Endura-E pushrod. I know I shouldn't expect it to be much better than a 1 litre DOHC 16v engine in comparison, but anyone have experience with these? I hear mileage isn't great? One thing I was glad to find out was its lack of timing belt/chain changes (well I am a cheap-ass student! ), and it didn't sound too bad (I hear some Fiestas on the road that sound like hedge trimmers).

I've only started driving about a week ago so I only drove it down a pretty straight road (only stalled twice taking off ), but was pretty happy with it - miles better than the crappy Hyundai Atoz I've been taking lessons in in every aspect I could think of, but I haven't driven anything else to compare. And my uncle said it was more lively than his 1.6 Carina! (his is a knackered taxi though)

The dealer's asking for €2,500 (+NCT which he'll get done) - it sounds decent enough from what I've seen elsewhere. And I got a quote online from Quinn Direct for €1836 which doesn't seem too bad either (I was expecting €2k+ being a 21yo male on a provisional).

I was planning on looking for a cheaper car, but my uncle knows the dealer pretty well (some guy in Patrickswell, Co. Limerick) so I'm supposedly getting it cost price. Also, I've noticed from messing around with the online quotes with Quinn that with any car worth €2,000 or under (regardless of age) they'll slap on an extra €600-800 to the insurance, so it doesn't really sound worth getting something cheaper.

Does this car sound good? And also where else should I try for insurance?

3ps

the Fiesta 1.3 is crap.
You have to get the 1.25

I also think 2500 for a 10 year old Fiesta is bonkers!!!

eamon234

For small cars of that year the Fiesta 1.3 was probably the worst - I had one (98 too) and although it was reliable it sounded like a tractor and drank petrol - very uneconomical plus the suspension is dire - I'd shop around a bit more if I were you there are better cars with better spec out there - Renault Clio or Nissan Micra would be your best bet in my book.

eamon234

Oh and it doesn't matter how well you know a dealer - they care about one thing only - sales - 2500 is way too much for that car!

Stephen

Definately try to get yourself a 1.25 Zetec, its a far, far better engine. I had a 2000 one as my first car. Its more powerful than the 1.3 and probably more reliable given that the 1.25 Zetec is a Jap engine (Yamaha designed them). Should cost the same to insure as the 1.3.

zilog_jones

3ps: Yes it would be bonkers for a 10 year old Fiesta, but in case you didn't notice it's still 2006!

eamon234: I thought the handling is supposed to be pretty good in Mk. 4 Fiestas in comparison to similar cars from them? And from what I can see elsewhere (Buy & Sell and local paper) €2,500 is a pretty decent price, though the Zetecs aren't really much dearer.

Stephen: Yeah, I know about the 1.25 Zetec, and how it's better in nearly every way - I was kinda hoping it was one (I was told over the phone it was a "1.2") until I saw the tax disc . But it's by no means a "Jap engine" - it was only designed with help from Yamaha - it's still a Ford engine, and it's still made in Spain or wherever.

You're right about the insurance, well from Quinn Direct anyway - seems to be the same for all 1.25 and 1.3 Mk. 4 Fiestas.

stifz

Don't know much about the fiesta's.. I don't particularly like them or dislike them. I started in a micra.. drove it for a year and sold it on.. No trouble from the jap cars at all.. I'd suggest a Vw golf.. Expensive but they hold value and are extremely reliable.. The mk3 still looks well on the road. The one's closer to the end of 97 were upgraded as the newer model came in in 98. Had one of those too and they're great fun, economical and don't smell of granny!

Try a broker for your insurance quote, i use insure .ie and save about 500-600..

goodluck!

bazz26

stifz wrote:

Don't know much about the fiesta's.. I don't particularly like them or dislike them. I started in a micra.. drove it for a year and sold it on.. No trouble from the jap cars at all.. I'd suggest a Vw golf.. Expensive but they hold value and are extremely reliable.. The mk3 still looks well on the road. The one's closer to the end of 97 were upgraded as the newer model came in in 98. Had one of those too and they're great fun, economical and don't smell of granny!

Try a broker for your insurance quote, i use insure .ie and save about 500-600..

goodluck!

The OP is looking at cars the size of a Fiesta and worth around €2500. The Golf is 1.4 and the only one you'll get for that money is one that lost a fight with a truck. 98 Golfs are still terribly over priced also for what you get. The Fiesta 1.25/1.3 is also classed by insurance companies as the same as a 1.0 Micra, etc. A 1.4 Golf will be more expensive to insure as it is a class bigger.

To the OP, keep looking for a 1.25 litre Fiesta, it is a cracking little engine and light years ahead of the old 1.3 litre unit, there are plenty of them around still. Don't buy the first car you see, you may end up regreting it later.

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=446718

3ps

2500 for a 9 year old Fiesta is still crazy!!! By the time you buy it and get fed up with it it'll be 10 years old and worth €500.
Seriously... at this price range you need to stay away from dealers.

And don't mind what prices you see in carzone or b&s... everybody overprices their car looking for a sucker!!!

Have a look in the sub 2000 prices range in b&s and you might pick up something very nice for <1500.

I've spent <1200 on all my last cars and I've had 3 years trouble free motoring... and the 3 cars are still on road without problem with their new owners.

zilog_jones

stifz: I'll try insure.ie - cheers!

bazz26 wrote:

The OP is looking at cars the size of a Fiesta and worth around €2500...98 Golfs are still terribly over priced also for what you get.

Yeah VW's in general seem to overpriced, which is why I'm not going to bother looking at Polos (especially when the Seat Ibiza is pretty much the same car). I found Quinn Direct are charging the same insurance (just under €2k) for a 1.3 Starlet and a 1.3 Corolla saloon, which does raise the question of whether going for a bigger car with a 1.3 (like a Corolla or Mazda 323) will cost that much more to run than a 1.3 supermini?

...keep looking for a 1.25 litre Fiesta, it is a cracking little engine and light years ahead of the old 1.3 litre unit, there are plenty of them around still. Don't buy the first car you see, you may end up regreting it later.

Yeah, it's just everything else about the car was good, and I can't find any similar Fiestas around here for that price with a similar mileage - then again it's probably better to get a 1.25 with over around 70k as the timing belt will (hopefully!) be changed.

3ps wrote:

2500 for a 9 year old Fiesta is still crazy!!! By the time you buy it and get fed up with it it'll be 10 years old and worth €500.

Bollox! For starters, you still can't count - 1998 was EIGHT years ago, and a 10-year-old Fiesta will still go for well over a grand depending on the condition. I'd love it if good 10yo cars (that aren't Fiats or Daewoos) went for €500, but that's just not true.

Have a look in the sub 2000 prices range in b&s and you might pick up something very nice for <1500.

Yeah but Quinn Direct are anything to go by, I'll be screwed by insurance with something under 2 grand. Either that or Quinn are just jerks.

unkel

By all means, the 1.25 16V Zetec engine is modern and powerful. The 1.3 8V is based on a design that is decades old. I would certainly not dismiss the 1.3 though

That generation Fiestas are great drivers' cars even with the 1.3 engine, which produces 60BHP, which is more than average for the class for its year. The engine is still being sold in brand new cars

As bazz26 said, the insurance for both is similar to other cars with 1.0l engines. The tax for the 1.25 and 1.3 is the same

The 1.25 is more expensive to buy. Official petrol consumption is the same for both, unless you drive the 1.25 like it wants you to - then you will use a lot more petrol

Finally most people interested in buying an 8 year old Fiesta wouldn't notice, know or care about the difference if it shaves several hundred bucks off the asking price compared to a 1.25

The Fiesta and the Nissan Micra are the best learner driver cars for most people imho. The Fiesta is the better driver, the Micra is overall cheaper to own and more reliable

BTW I have an immaculate '99 Fiesta for sale with 36k miles. Coming to adverts.ie soon. And, you guessed it, it's a 1.3

ninty9er

I drove a 1.25 when I was buying. I eventually went over budget to get a 1.0 Corsa which woeful slow, but a great car. It's 00 and i could have gotten a Viva for 3.5k but the sunroof CD player, e/w and e/m(Godsend) made me plumb for the Swing at €5k, they wanted €6k.

If buying from a dealer you will have a comeback and my dealer fixed it up and put it through the NCT re-test after it failed on emissions, (he's my aunt's husband so would have gotten an earbashing if he didn't anyway).

I get 400 odd miles out of a tank (€48 to fill from red light yesterday) depending on where i'm driving it.

end of rant

The Fiesta is way over-rated. of all the 6 cars I drove it was the only one I didn't take to. It was by no means the slowest, but it was just awkward as i'm 6'2" (the corsa isn't great on headroom either)

Just go for something with the best spec you can find in reasonable condition. at €2k you are not going to get a "mint" car.

Get something with electric mirrors if not electric windows too (polo maybe) They are a Godsend for parallel parking

zilog_jones

unkel wrote:

The Fiesta and the Nissan Micra are the best learner driver cars for most people imho. The Fiesta is the better driver, the Micra is overall cheaper to own and more reliable

Yeah, I was mainly thinking either a Fiesta or a Starlet (I know they go for more, but I'm not too bothered about paying the same for a '96/'97), or maybe a Suzuki Swift or Daihatsu Charade (not a lot around though). I'm not sure I like the Micra/March - I've been in a few but found the Fiesta a lot more comfortable inside, and it's a bit less girly lookin'

Still can't decide whether to go for this or look around for Zetec Fiestas - it'll be a pain in the hole trying to actually find out which engine they have without seeing it personally though - most the ad's I've seen are pretty vague on the matter and I'm sure a lot of people don't know the difference...

Got 2 quotes from insure.ie (for the 1.3 Fiesta, one from Hibernian and another from someone else), but they were both insane! €2400-2800 :eek:

3ps

I though the ad said 1997... anyway......

If you want to spend 2500 on a 8 9 or 10 year old car then go ahead...........

I always assume that a car will only last 10 years, especially little 1.0 (or 1.3) tinboxes driving on Irish roads with little care or servicing. In your case you could be spending €2500 for the privilege of driving one of the worst cars of the 90's for about €1250 per year.

BTW Daihatsu Charades are unrefined pieces of junk. You will not be able to hear the radio while driving at 130 on the motorway!

Age doesn't matter at that year, it's condition that counts so you shouldn't worry about the year.....

from a 1 minute scan of the B&S:

Seat Ibiza 1.0L petrol 1997, Leinster Co. Dublin €800.00
100k mls, 3 dr, NCT 11/06, silver, a/b, alarm, alloys, CD, c/l, p/s, great car for 1st time driver. 087-6439463 [save ad]

Renault Clio 1.2L petrol 1996, Leinster Dublin 22 €999.00
68k mls, 5 dr, h/b, manual, met, red, colour coded, f/s, s/r, 087-7661119 [save ad]


Toyota Corolla 1.3L petrol 1995, Munster Cork €1700.00
115k mls, 4 dr, saloon, manual, NCT 04/07, grey vgc, tax for 3mths, Cork. 087-6250543 [save ad]

Hyundai Accent 1.3L petrol , Leinster Kildare €1100.00
89k mls, 4 dr, saloon, manual, NCT 03/07, purple Kildare. 087-2362949 [save ad]

Nissan Micra 1996, Leinster Co. Dublin €1250.00
100k mls, 5 dr taxed 10/06, good cond, pmo, NCT 1 yr, Tax 10/06, quick sale, 085-7611585 [save ad]

Mazda 121 1.3L petrol 1997, Leinster Wexford €1800.00
63k mls, 2 dr, h/b, manual, NCT 04/08, met, navy, a/b, f/s, new tyres. 087-9043128 [save ad]

Fiat Punto 1.2L petrol 1999, Leinster Offaly €1900.00
61k mls, 5 dr, manual, NCT 08/07, met, black, a/b, CD, c/l, e/w, f/s, p/s, tax 12/06, ex cond. Midlands. 087-2440294 [save ad]

Renault Clio RN 1.2L 1997, Munster Waterford €1500.00
86k mls, 5 dr, green, a/b, alloys, c/l, hands free kit, immob, p/s, NCT 08, great car, no crashes, first to see will buy. e-mail [save ad]

Skoda Fabia 1.3L petrol 1997, Leinster Dublin 7 €1800.00
64k kms, 3 dr, manual, NCT 04/08, dark, red, ABS, a/c, c/l, f/s, lady owner, very clean. 086-1941348 [save ad]

Fiat Punto 1.2L petrol 1998, Leinster Dublin 12 €1800.00
48kk mls, 5 dr, h/b, manual, NCT 06/08, black, p/s, perfect starter car. 086-3153178 [save ad]

Seat Arosa Under 1L petrol 1998, Munster Waterford €1700.00
88k mls, 3 dr, estate, met, alloys, f/s, immob, p/s, 2 yrs NCT. 086-3056488 [save ad]

Fiat Punto elx 1.2L petrol 2001, Leinster Dublin 14 €2800.00
52k mls, 2 dr, h/b, manual, NCT 01/07, met, blue, ABS, a/b, alarm, alloys, c/l, e/m, e/w, immob, p/s, 085-1367020 [save ad]

Suzuki Swift 1.1L 1999, Connaught Roscommon €1800.00
69k kms, 3 dr, manual, NCT 03/08, met, green, alarm, CD, c/l, e/m, e/w, immob, p/s, 086-0878676 [save ad]

3ps

these people will be desperate enough to sell their cars and you can knock 300-600 off those prices.

zilog_jones

3ps wrote:

I though the ad said 1997...

I wrote '98 - twice - and there was no "ad"

I always assume that a car will only last 10 years, especially little 1.0 (or 1.3) tinboxes driving on Irish roads with little care or servicing.

Guess you haven't seen my friend's '83 Fiesta, or the scary amount of Mk. III Starlets ('84-'90) still on the roads...

In your case you could be spending €2500 for the privilege of driving one of the worst cars of the 90's for about €1250 per year.

Oh it's one of the worst cars now just because it's got a pushrod engine? I suppose the Ka (which mostly only had this engine) is a complete POS too? I wouldn't be buying it because it's got a great engine - I'd be buying it because I have comeback since it's from a dealer, it's got a FSH, it's allegedly safe (3-star Euro NCAP), reliable and has good handling for its class, it has been recommended to me by several people, I'll have 2 years' NCT, insurance is bearable and it's got a cheap engine.


from a 1 minute scan of the B&S:

Seat Ibiza 1.0L petrol 1997

I hear Ibizas ain't great now, and it's possible it has the crap old 45ps engine (wasn't replaced in the Polo till some time in 1997). Also, I'm not going to Dublin to buy a car!

Renault Clio 1.2L petrol 1996

Again, not going to Dublin.

Toyota Corolla 1.3L petrol 1995, Munster Cork...

Not going to Cork either! There's enough used cars around here for me to not have to waste my time looking at private sales more than 20km away. Also, insurance on a Corolla will be at least €200 more, not to mention higher running costs.

Hyundai Accent 1.3L petrol , Leinster Kildare €1100.00
89k mls, 4 dr, saloon, manual, NCT 03/07, purple Kildare. 087-2362949

I'd rather stick to what I know - I've heard mixed experience with them - some going as far as calling it a "Hyundai Accident". And again, Kildare!

Nissan Micra 1996, Leinster Co. Dublin €1250.00

Doesn't say what engine, DUBLIN, could be a March which may = higher insurance.

Mazda 121 1.3L petrol 1997, Leinster Wexford €1800.00

HA! Same car, same Endura-E pushrod engine! But 200km further away, possibly no FSH, only 3 doors...

Fiat Punto 1.2L petrol 1999, Leinster Offaly €1900.00

Again, too far away, and again I'll stick to what I know aobut (too many mixed opinions on Fiats)

Renault Clio RN 1.2L 1997, Munster Waterford €1500.00
86k mls, 5 dr, green, a/b, alloys, c/l, hands free kit, immob, p/s, NCT 08, great car, no crashes, first to see will buy.

"Alloys" on a bogger spec RN + "no crashes" = dubious.

Skoda Fabia 1.3L petrol 1997

Fabia didn't exist in 1997 - they can naff off if they don't even know what car they have :rolleyes: Also, guess what? 1.3 Skoda Felicias have PUSHROD ENGINES!!

Seat Arosa Under 1L petrol 1998, Munster Waterford €1700.00
88k mls, 3 dr, estate, met, alloys, f/s, immob, p/s, 2 yrs

Smaller car, non-existant "estate" , alloys on such a small car!?

Suzuki Swift 1.1L 1999, Connaught Roscommon

Wouldn't even know how to go to Roscommon tbh.

See, thing is I'd prefer to spend more than 1 minute looking for a car, and not spend €100+ on travel expenses just to look at the bloody thing.

Stark

The good thing about that Fiesta is it would have power steering with isn't common with cars that age. The Clio definitely wouldn't have it anyway.

overdriver

The sister-in-law has a '98 one and its nothing but trouble, mostly electrical. It locks her in the car, out of the car, refusues to start, the indicators flash at will, the interior lights come on on their own, the cd player comes on on its own, and the passenger door won't open a lot of the time

Stay well away. Besides which, why are you buying a 1.3 when it's your first car? Get a quote for a 1 litre Micra and see how much cheaper it will be to insure what is a better car for your purposes.

ETA: You're mad to buy from a dealer with that budget too. Bring a friend to look at some privately, you'll end up with a better car. I think a warrantly at that money won't be worth a damn.

Stark

Mine sprung a radiator leak after I bought it. The dealer replaced the radiator free of charge.

unkel

I enjoyed reading your last reply up, zilog_jones

alias no.9

The girlfriend has a ka and the 1.3 is plenty powerful for it. The fiesta isn't that much heavier so it should be adequate. This engine isn't fitted to new cars anymore Unkle (not in europe anyway), ford have replaced it in the Ka with a 1.3 ohv unit sourced from south africa.

The op wants a cheap reliable car so this will fit the bill nicely. I wouldn't worry too much about fuel consumption unless you're doing high mileage a difference of a few mpg doesn't mean much. Since costs are a concern, if you're planning to do your own maintenance, i.e. oil changes, be warned that the oil filter is mounted low down, behind the block, i.e. can only be accessed from underneath so budget for a good set of axel stands.

Having said all of this, it does seem very pricy, I'd try haggling a little more.

3ps

You can be pedantic if you want. I'm only skimming the posts here and if I said "ad" instead of "posting" then sorry!

If you want me to scan in all B&S ads and create a table sorted by distance from whatever bogger town you live in then just say so!

My point is that there are alot of perfectly acceptable cars "out there" for alot less money.

Considering this is your first car then

1) I think you are mad to spend 2500
2) If you are going to spend 2500 then don't buy a 1998 Fiesta 1.3 from a dealer

If you don't care about cars then go and buy it. I'm sure it will get you from A-B.

gyppo

Zilog,

You have a good point there - you could spend days/weeks/€€€'s going around the country looking at piles of muck that are advertised as spotless etc..

If you like the car, its local, and the dealer is giving you some sort of warranty for a few months, save yourself a lot of grief.


However, as others have said, its no bargain at €2,500. I'd be inclined to bring €2k in cash to the garage, wave it under the salemans nose, demand a full service and the NCT, and ask him whether or not its a deal. Walk away if he says no.................. I'd be suprised if he doesnt call you back as you're leaving the garage.:D

unkel

alias no.9 wrote:

This engine isn't fitted to new cars anymore Unkle (not in europe anyway), ford have replaced it in the Ka with a 1.3 ohv unit sourced from south africa

I'm confused now. Ford seem to call two different 1.3 8v engines both duratec now. One of them is the old Kent engine and the other is probably the one you are referring to. Both are still for sale according to this:

wiki wrote:

The Duratec 8v name is currently used on two totally different engines in the European Ford Ka and the 2003 Ford Fiesta:
The 60 PS (59 hp/44 kW) 1.3 L (1299 cc) Duratec 8V is a renamed archaic Endura-E engine
The 70 PS (69 hp/51 kW) 1.3 L (1297 cc) and 95 PS (94 hp/70 kW) 1.6 L (1597 cc) Duratec 8V is the Brazilian-built Zetec-Rocam engine

Link

Stky10

@OP, you sound like you have a good knowledge and have done your homework , so you just need to ask yourself two questions

- Is the price quoted the going rate for the car?
- Can you comfortably afford the cost, plus insurance, tax, maintenance + Petrol (No car is worth getting in to a financial hole for, especially an 8 year old fiesta).

If the answer to both is yes, then go and get it. Prevaricating over what might become available isn't going to get you very far. Just get someone you trust to go with you and give it a good going over to look for rust and shoddy repairs before you put down the money. As long as its been treated and serviced reasonably well, you should have a car thats reliable and won't leave you in the poor house. And in a year or two when you're a more confident driver with a ncb you can sell it to somebody else for 80-90% of what you paid for it (as long as you haven't boy racer'd it or wrapped it around a pole). There should be no problems getting spare parts for it (especially in scrapyards) and every mechanic in the country will have worked on the model at one time or another.

alias no.9

unkel wrote:

I'm confused now. Ford seem to call two different 1.3 8v engines both duratec now. One of them is the old Kent engine and the other is probably the one you are referring to. Both are still for sale according to this:

It seems they are. I thought ford ditched the pushrod when they launched the sohc in order to keep porduction costs down by using a single engine (I know the 1.6 in the sport ka is there too, but it's small volume and not as cost sensitive). The 1950's live on and they're badged as a ford.

Nom-IzZ

try get your self a 1.25 zetec engine over a duratec engine, better engine regardless of who made it,


but to be quite honest i would not go for a fiesta, i have owned both engines and they are both 2 engineering pieces of crap!!

I have been very involved in uk fiesta sites( since there is nothing here)

Common probs include left tail light not working,faulty rear wiper due to dodgy rubber seals and most of all heat control vavle been designed by a 2 year old!!!!


my advice, if you are testing one, put the heater on fully cold(full left), put the fan on full max and take here for a spin down the motor way!!!! if she heats up( watch the temp gauge) then walk away!

they also like to drink oil so look at oil sump!

zilog_jones

overdriver wrote:

The sister-in-law has a '98 one and its nothing but trouble, mostly electrical. It locks her in the car, out of the car, refusues to start, the indicators flash at will, the interior lights come on on their own, the cd player comes on on its own, and the passenger door won't open a lot of the time...

Lucky the one I'm looking at doesn't have central locking, CD player, or many electrics at all then. Not really bothered about not having that stuff anyway.

Besides which, why are you buying a 1.3 when it's your first car? Get a quote for a 1 litre Micra and see how much cheaper it will be to insure what is a better car for your purposes.

There's not much of a difference really. It's a 1.3 pushrod so it only outputs about 60bhp, which is the same as the later 1 litre Micras. And I've seen some insurers charge like €400 more for a March than a Micra, which I would prefer (easier to get ones with ABS, dual airbags, etc.).

3ps wrote:

If you want me to scan in all B&S ads and create a table sorted by distance from whatever bogger town you live in then just say so!

Your observation skills seem to be questionable, so I will have to decline your offer. Note how my location is shown on the side of every post I make. Note how it says Limerick. "Bogger town", eh?

My point is that there are alot of perfectly acceptable cars "out there" for alot less money.

Your point was apparently that older cars and cars with higher depreciation are worth less. I kinda knew that already. Fiestas hold their value, and most people aren't even aware of the engine differences so that won't really affect the price when I come to selling it.

Thanks for the advice everyone else. I went to see the car with my uncle who's bought a lot of used cars before (he's a taxi driver), and he was happy with it. I'll check the heater, other electrics and oil the next time I'm there though.

unkel: AFAIK they don't sell that engine here any more. The Zetec-Rocam is a SOHC 8v version of the Sigma, i.e. the 1.25 "Zetec" in the Fiesta.

unkel

zilog_jones wrote:

unkel: AFAIK they don't sell that engine here any more. The Zetec-Rocam is a SOHC 8v version of the Sigma, i.e. the 1.25 "Zetec" in the Fiesta.

You might very well be right, but even in that link it indicates 1299cc instead of 1297cc for the cam engine. Not the first time wiki contradicts itself all over the shop

overdriver

Did you actually get a quote for the Micra? Not all insurers base the quote on bhp.

cwynnes

My first car was a 1.3 1990 Starlet...that was a great little car, loved it....never had any trouble with it...and was really lively also...never short on power just when ya needed it

The next one was a 1996 fiesta...1.3....and to be honest...it didnt have a patch on the Starlet....it had no power...was just dead compared....in fairness it always started on the key...never gave trouble...except for the dreaded ford locks...figity s h i t e....had to replace the whole mechanism on the passenger door and still it failed after a few months......the drivers door was s h i t e too...sometimes i cudnt lock the door at all....i was the happiest guy in the world the day i sold that :)

Now im drivin an Almera hatchback...in my opinion the best out of them all....but for some strange reason it doesnt quite have the power of the starlet...

My advice.....for a first car...go Jap or German....ya cant go wrong