Mk 7.5 Fiesta Titanium Ecoboost - Safe to buy? Alternatives?

Original Poster

567 posts

81 months

Monday 12th November 2018

Have about another year left in a cheap lease A4 and have already made the decision that I want to go back to owning outright in order to have more disposable income by driving something that is smaller and has lesser running costs as a result.

My mind has gone between various next steps in differing levels of detail as it were and after setting out my needs and wants (and driving some "lesser" cars including spending nearly 2 weeks in a '16 Kia Picanto to work out what level I'd be comfortable moving down to), I have come to the conclusion that a Fiesta 1.0 Titanium ticks all the boxes and a colleague at work is open to selling one ('13 Ecoboost 100 Titanium, 35k miles) to me at ever so slightly above trade-in price which seems to be good value and a good way of resisting depreciation (new model has only just come out so shouldn't take another big knock in value for a few years).

However, doing my usual research has shown me that an awful lot of people have been affected by engine failure and this was previously a more massive issue until Ford publicly acknowledged it last month and are pledging to resolve out of warranty. Assuming nothing goes wrong on my colleague's car over the next year, would it be worth buying now at this point? The car has no outstanding recalls and I'd also likely be buying a third party warranty (£460/2 yrs covering engine, gearbox, clutch, electrics, turbo and more, uncapped labour rate) for extra protection and peace of mind were something to go wrong.

Alternatively, open to any alternatives that could better the Fiesta, though the value plays a big part. My requirements are:

Budget and running costs
Purchase price up to £7k including good spec (below), less than 10 years/60k miles and service history
Expected to do 10-12k miles pa for 2/3 years
Cheap to maintain and service (annual service and MOT, unlikely to throw 4 figure bill)
Not likely to heavily depreciate over 2/3 years (1k a year) and be fairly easy to sell on
Combined 35+ mpg

Equipment (in level of priority)
Good stereo/speaker set up with USB connectivity and DAB
Cruise control
70MPH = 2.5K RPM or less in top gear
Decent seats (pref heated)
Comfortable ride in most scenarios
Center armrest in front
Decent-sized boot for the class of car
Parking sensors
3 or 6 cylinder (for sound) petrol engine capable of 0-60 in 10s or thereabouts

It's also got to be decent looking and I'm not after a convertible, crossover/SUV or an estate. Coupes, B/C class hatches and saloons (up to A4 size) welcome.

Edited by mholt1995 on Monday 12th November 16:34

Codswallop

5,250 posts

194 months

Monday 12th November 2018

I am wary of the 1.0 ecoboost engine; as you say, there has been a fair old amount of them experiencing issues, and the fact that Ford kept their head in the sand for as many years as they did does not fill me with confidence that they'll actually fixing anything when it goes pop.

Personally, I'd seek out a Corsa 1.4 Turbo. SE and Excite models seem to often be fitted with heated seats and heated steering wheel, and if anything, I find them more comfortable than a Fiesta for motorway driving.

Mazda 2 would also be high on my list, though neither meets your 3 cylinder requirement.

Original Poster

567 posts

81 months

Monday 12th November 2018

Codswallop said:

Personally, I'd seek out a Corsa 1.4 Turbo. SE and Excite models seem to often be fitted with heated seats and heated steering wheel, and if anything, I find them more comfortable than a Fiesta for motorway driving.

Mazda 2 would also be high on my list, though neither meets your 3 cylinder requirement.

Funny you mention the Corsa. I had a small drive in a 1.4 (though naturally aspirated) SRI last year and didn't particularly do anything for me. Of note was that the stereo was weedy and the gearshift was less than pleasant. Additionally they seem to not have an armrest (forgot to mention- have updated op) which is quite an important one for me

SteBrown91

2,385 posts

129 months

Monday 12th November 2018

I feel there is some internet histerior about the 1.0 ecoboosts.

Ford literally sell 10s (if not hundreds) of thousands of them every year but because a few hundred people have had failures they are a bad engine.

They are fine generally - make sure it has a full ford service history and has had the relevant service bulletins completed and it will probably be okay.

My girlfriend has the 100bhp titanium on a 62 plate and it’s an absolute peach

Original Poster

567 posts

81 months

Monday 12th November 2018

SteBrown91 said:

Ordinarily I'd agree but the numbers seem to be in the thousands, but then again it has been the most sold car for the past few years.

And surely it'd have gone by now (or by this time next year) as it's the better part of 6 years since the 2013 models came out? Unless of course it transpires to be a case of if and not when. We'll see what happens between now and when I'm ready to buy!

Still open to alternatives however smile

Mazda not doing it for me- as an aside I did take a 6 estate 2.2d for about a 250 mile around trip a year ago though and it was very competent at long distance! Massive thing to park though, would also need the bose system

steve-5snwi

8,666 posts

93 months

Monday 12th November 2018

Any form of oil showing between the head and the block and walk away

ZX10R NIN

27,613 posts

125 months

Monday 12th November 2018

Original Poster

567 posts

81 months