Why is it so hard to buy a cheap Fiesta?
Discussion
So I'm trying to acquire a 2008 onwards Fiesta for my son so he can get mobile once he passes his test. Requirements were initially a 5 door with sensible miles (under 100k) and any engine except a 1.25. Recent experiences have cast that net wider with 3 doors considered although still not the 1.25 (insurance is ok on a 1.6). Budget is around 2-3k and we've extended the mileage to 110k ish.
So, in my search on ebay, autotrader and facebook marketplace I've found:
Cars seemingly good but turn out with cat c/d/s/n markers even though it's not listed as such (this seems to be a lot of Fiestas for some reason)
Dealers masquerading as private sellers
Cars at dealers that seem good but have 9 owners in 11 years!
Cars that have far more wear and tear than you'd expect
People that advertise cars and never respond to a request for a viewing or any other messages (par for the course on Facebook)
Sellers that say they have a full service history with receipts which turns out to be a book of dealer stamps and literally nothing else
Sellers that have owned the car for 2-3 months only
Suffice to say it's been hard work and demotivating for my son. I know I'll not get a perfect car, but some have been awful, none have been anywhere near suitable at all and would require substantial work to get to a reasonably decent standard. Having bought and sold many cars over the years, this has been by far the toughest mission.
Makes me think back to when I was 18 and looking for cars, I'd look at 2 or 3 locally and one of those would be ok. I've done 6 hpi checks, looked at 2, been ignored on 5 and still no nearer to a deal. The best one I've found so far has some bodywork damage, an oil leak and needs a cambelt (can DIY most likely) and yet it still had other issues that made me think twice.
Is the lower end of the market really that difficult these days or am I being overly fussy?
So, in my search on ebay, autotrader and facebook marketplace I've found:
Cars seemingly good but turn out with cat c/d/s/n markers even though it's not listed as such (this seems to be a lot of Fiestas for some reason)
Dealers masquerading as private sellers
Cars at dealers that seem good but have 9 owners in 11 years!
Cars that have far more wear and tear than you'd expect
People that advertise cars and never respond to a request for a viewing or any other messages (par for the course on Facebook)
Sellers that say they have a full service history with receipts which turns out to be a book of dealer stamps and literally nothing else
Sellers that have owned the car for 2-3 months only
Suffice to say it's been hard work and demotivating for my son. I know I'll not get a perfect car, but some have been awful, none have been anywhere near suitable at all and would require substantial work to get to a reasonably decent standard. Having bought and sold many cars over the years, this has been by far the toughest mission.
Makes me think back to when I was 18 and looking for cars, I'd look at 2 or 3 locally and one of those would be ok. I've done 6 hpi checks, looked at 2, been ignored on 5 and still no nearer to a deal. The best one I've found so far has some bodywork damage, an oil leak and needs a cambelt (can DIY most likely) and yet it still had other issues that made me think twice.
Is the lower end of the market really that difficult these days or am I being overly fussy?
You are not being too picky at all. I have the same attitude looking for cars even if it’s a bottom of the market vehicle. Gumtree is a good place for a fiesta and where some gems appear. Unfortunately these days it’s a patience game and waiting on the the right one. It also surprised me the amount of people who don’t reply to you.
Facebook is a waste of time. The amount of cars I looked at and the owner only had it a couple of weeks was unreal.
Facebook is a waste of time. The amount of cars I looked at and the owner only had it a couple of weeks was unreal.
You may be a little too fussy.
Fiestas are justifiably popular and, in my experience, very reliable. I wouldn't expect a fully receipted service history on a fairly old supermini -It's not a cherished piece of exotica. Many will have had multiple owners.
Buy on condition.
Ps. Why not the 1.25 engine?
Fiestas are justifiably popular and, in my experience, very reliable. I wouldn't expect a fully receipted service history on a fairly old supermini -It's not a cherished piece of exotica. Many will have had multiple owners.
Buy on condition.
Ps. Why not the 1.25 engine?
Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 8th October 07:50
MedwayMonaro said:
So I'm trying to acquire a 2008 onwards Fiesta for my son so he can get mobile once he passes his test. Requirements were initially a 5 door with sensible miles (under 100k) and any engine except a 1.25. Recent experiences have cast that net wider with 3 doors considered although still not the 1.25 (insurance is ok on a 1.6). Budget is around 2-3k and we've extended the mileage to 110k ish.
So, in my search on ebay, autotrader and facebook marketplace I've found:
Cars seemingly good but turn out with cat c/d/s/n markers even though it's not listed as such (this seems to be a lot of Fiestas for some reason)
Dealers masquerading as private sellers
Cars at dealers that seem good but have 9 owners in 11 years!
Cars that have far more wear and tear than you'd expect
People that advertise cars and never respond to a request for a viewing or any other messages (par for the course on Facebook)
Sellers that say they have a full service history with receipts which turns out to be a book of dealer stamps and literally nothing else
Sellers that have owned the car for 2-3 months only
Suffice to say it's been hard work and demotivating for my son. I know I'll not get a perfect car, but some have been awful, none have been anywhere near suitable at all and would require substantial work to get to a reasonably decent standard. Having bought and sold many cars over the years, this has been by far the toughest mission.
Makes me think back to when I was 18 and looking for cars, I'd look at 2 or 3 locally and one of those would be ok. I've done 6 hpi checks, looked at 2, been ignored on 5 and still no nearer to a deal. The best one I've found so far has some bodywork damage, an oil leak and needs a cambelt (can DIY most likely) and yet it still had other issues that made me think twice.
Is the lower end of the market really that difficult these days or am I being overly fussy?
The issue is your looking for a cheap car in the climate when all used car prices have gone crazy, and also your looking at a portion of the market when lots of people want cheap small cars as run arounds. So, in my search on ebay, autotrader and facebook marketplace I've found:
Cars seemingly good but turn out with cat c/d/s/n markers even though it's not listed as such (this seems to be a lot of Fiestas for some reason)
Dealers masquerading as private sellers
Cars at dealers that seem good but have 9 owners in 11 years!
Cars that have far more wear and tear than you'd expect
People that advertise cars and never respond to a request for a viewing or any other messages (par for the course on Facebook)
Sellers that say they have a full service history with receipts which turns out to be a book of dealer stamps and literally nothing else
Sellers that have owned the car for 2-3 months only
Suffice to say it's been hard work and demotivating for my son. I know I'll not get a perfect car, but some have been awful, none have been anywhere near suitable at all and would require substantial work to get to a reasonably decent standard. Having bought and sold many cars over the years, this has been by far the toughest mission.
Makes me think back to when I was 18 and looking for cars, I'd look at 2 or 3 locally and one of those would be ok. I've done 6 hpi checks, looked at 2, been ignored on 5 and still no nearer to a deal. The best one I've found so far has some bodywork damage, an oil leak and needs a cambelt (can DIY most likely) and yet it still had other issues that made me think twice.
Is the lower end of the market really that difficult these days or am I being overly fussy?
These cars where bought and run by the masses, so finding low owners, full serviced cars will be like finding a needle in a haystack. They are white goods to people so often they won’t be very well looked after.
The good thing is they sold by the truck load so plenty of examples to look at. There will be good examples out there, you will just need to wade through the s
t. Have you looked at other brands / models? Might give you more options to choose from.MedwayMonaro said:
Sellers that say they have a full service history with receipts which turns out to be a book of dealer stamps and literally nothing else
To be fair, this is how servicing works these days. Even the service book is becoming a thing of the past with the computer storing the service history.Last time I went to a dealer to get a service done, it was all programmed into the iDrive as expected and they gave me a strange look when I asked for an invoice showing what was done.
A service book or computer will show exactly what has been done, or should anyway. That is full service history regardless of physical paperwork.
Both our cars have minimal paperwork, literally the log books and the paper versions of the service history as I specifically ask for them otherwise it would probably just be the log book and MOT certificates.
A MK7 will be more modern, obviously. But a MK6 is still a really good car. I had a 1.25 version of one for a week or two and loved it. I've kept my eye out for one ever since, whenever I've needed a small car.
They don't seem too bad for rust, no worse than similar cars that age actually. Mechanically very robust and cheap to run and more importantly, fix!
But yes, I can understand why you'd prefer a MK7.
The 1.25 engine is absolutely fine though, quite peppy.
Good luck!
They don't seem too bad for rust, no worse than similar cars that age actually. Mechanically very robust and cheap to run and more importantly, fix!
But yes, I can understand why you'd prefer a MK7.
The 1.25 engine is absolutely fine though, quite peppy.
Good luck!
We have a 56 reg 1.4 Zetec. It is a brilliant car that handles really well, has a responsive engine, just keeps on going and has cost us peanuts to run. They don't typically rust.
There are large numbers of these cars still on the road -I suspect that people do often keep hold of them as we have.
I don't believe that there is much performance difference between the 1.25 and 1.4.
There are large numbers of these cars still on the road -I suspect that people do often keep hold of them as we have.
I don't believe that there is much performance difference between the 1.25 and 1.4.
Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 8th October 08:49
MC Bodge said:
We have a 56 reg 1.4 Zetec. It is a brilliant car that handles really well, has a responsive engine, just keeps on going and has cost us peanuts to run. There are large numbers of these cars still on the road -I suspect that people do often keep hold of them as we have.
I don't believe that there is much performance difference between the 1.25 and 1.4.
bro inlaw is a ford mech...said the 1.4 is the best oneI don't believe that there is much performance difference between the 1.25 and 1.4.
Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 8th October 08:48
The 1.25 is a great engine. It was pretty nippy in the Fiesta from 1995-2002 but then started to feel a bit.....meh....performance wise.
My step mam has a 2014 1.25 Fiesta and it's an absolute delight to drive. the 1.25 is slow....but then thats the fun, working the car hard.
Anyway...sorry about that.....as you were.
My step mam has a 2014 1.25 Fiesta and it's an absolute delight to drive. the 1.25 is slow....but then thats the fun, working the car hard.
Anyway...sorry about that.....as you were.
You are being too fussy given that you are at what is (at present) pretty much the bottom end of the market for anything vaguely decent. Stuff like number of owners, having lots of receipts, short ownership periods - don't worry about it. I couldn't tell you how many owners our Yaris runabout had before us, and I don't recall ever having seen a receipt for anything that was done prior to our ownership. It was a ten year old cheap car so all I cared about was if it looked right, if it sounded right, and if it went right. Three years and 30,000 miles later nothing whatsoever has gone wrong with it. Maybe I've been lucky, but even if something does go wrong it's unlikely to cost enough to make it worth faffing around for weeks looking for something close to perfection (that could still go wrong anyway).
With the current inflated prices £2k is definitely Mk6 02 - 08 shape if you want something that you could call at all nice. Early Mk7s with low mileage are anything up to £5k at dealers. Had literally 100s of them of all ages bought and sold. Very rare to see any significant problems. The 1.25 is a good as the rest but you do notice it doesn't really have the legs for higher speed motorway work so would seek a 1.4 if that's something you need it to do.
I wouldn't rule out a cat N given your budget. Probably quite a few around as panels for a popular car like the Fiesta are cheap its just the labour cost that sometimes causes insurance to write them off. There's a guy on YouTube - Chops Garage that often has cars around the £2-3k price bracket that are cat N and most had very minor damage that he got good back into good enough shape for the price range.
I've just been through the same process and had to start considering other makes/model of cars to find good examples. It became clear after a month or two of that there is pretty much only poor cars in this price range and we upped the budget.
Even then, the same thing happens often. I went to a Vauxhall dealer for a Corsa that was low mileage and in good condition, but it had zero service history, not even the book, and they expected me to buy it for over £4k! There still isn't that much good choice, but there is more.
The other crucial thing, that made the most difference, was that you have to be very quick to see the new cars come on the market, as the first or second viewer often buys the best cars at full price. Basically, have your alerts setup well on all the selling sites and be prepared to ring the dealer/seller, as so many don't respond to emails/texts now.
Even then, the same thing happens often. I went to a Vauxhall dealer for a Corsa that was low mileage and in good condition, but it had zero service history, not even the book, and they expected me to buy it for over £4k! There still isn't that much good choice, but there is more.
The other crucial thing, that made the most difference, was that you have to be very quick to see the new cars come on the market, as the first or second viewer often buys the best cars at full price. Basically, have your alerts setup well on all the selling sites and be prepared to ring the dealer/seller, as so many don't respond to emails/texts now.
MuscleSedan said:
The 1.25 is a good as the rest but you do notice it doesn't really have the legs for higher speed motorway work so would seek a 1.4 if that's something you need it to do.
They go pretty well if you rev the nuts off them. They’ll still do 90 at about 3500 rpm which is bearable.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff