What do you think of this Ford Fiesta?

I've found a 2002 Ford Fiesta with 87,000 kilometres on the clock. It's a 1.2-litre engine, timing belt done, looks and drives great, it's from a garage and well looked after. It has a Donegal registration, but came from Scotland at some stage. The car will be used as a second car to do light driving. I would be grateful for your expert opinion.

Thank you

 

David Foran (Dingle)

Oct 2012 Filed under: choosing used car

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Expert answer

Hi David,

In general this Fiesta (assuming it's the shape that was launched in 2002) was quite reliable. Our standard advice is to get as detailed a service history as possible and perhaps a Cartell.ie car history check too as it was imported from the UK.

A few specific things to look for on this model include water pump or power steering noises (they both fail) and damp carpets. These can all be remedied relatively cheaply, but best to get the seller to pay!

Hope that helps.

Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Adviser
@Shane_O_D