One-owner-since-'99 Fiesta Ghia X (Mk4) for sale
Foolishly, nobody thought good Escorts and the like would be worth saving - what about old Fiestas?
Without wishing to sound like a jilted ex, it’s still hard to get over there not being a Ford Fiesta on sale anymore. It was such a constant in all our lives, with Fiestas new and old serving first drivers, school-run parents and retirees equally well. Not having them factory-fresh in showrooms or available to configure is strange. Of course, plenty of nearly new ones exist, but it’s not the same. Thank goodness for the Focus ST and Mustang still being on sale - make the most of them while you can.
Anyway, that’s a distraction. There’s really never an inopportune moment to be looking at old Fiestas, but with another Festival of the Unexceptional having taken place over the weekend, it seemed a better time than ever. The demand for cars with XR or RS on their boots remains strong, which means it can be easy to forget that the Mk4 - the car that, with the Mondeo, really kicked off Ford’s 90s revolution - is now approaching 30 years old. It’s the classic Fiesta now, and a really good one as well.
Because it was so long ago, it can be easy to forget what an impact the 1995 Fiesta had. The previous car wasn’t very good, really, so considerable effort went into making the replacement much better. With some new engines, overhauled underpinnings and a fresh look, the Mk4 was much more the ticket. Cars like this, the Puma and the first Focus forged Ford’s reputation as a maker of great-driving fast Fords. How this chassis never received more power from the factory than the later, 1.6-litre Zetec S will always be a mystery, but it means that even today an old Fiesta should be good fun to drive.
This one is a real rarity. It’s a top-of-the-range Ghia X for starters, complete with wood trim, which was surely seldom specced given the Fiesta was typically a cheap and cheerful choice. It’s a 1.4-litre five-door, too, so somebody really splashed out. Having been a dealer demo early in its life, this Fiesta was then driven by one lady owner. For 25 years.
They barely used it, either, covering just 47,000 miles since 1999, so the old thing looks fabulous. There can’t have been many purple Fiestas back in the day, and that only adds to the appeal. The alloys are pristine, the interior smart and the engine bay spotless. There was some rust mentioned in February’s MOT, but when it comes to Fords of this era that discovery is like finding sand at the beach - it’s always going to be there. Probably worth tackling sooner rather than later, though.
Otherwise, the Ghia X ought to be like a Fiesta always was to run: not very much money to keep, and always a joy to drive. At £5k it’s obviously the most expensive of the era, but once upon a time there had to be low mileage, one-owner Escorts and Cortinas that were more than all the rest. And that turned out pretty well both for those who wanted to drive them and collectors. Might the same be true one day for the Fiesta?
£5k is a lot of money for a 25 year old Fiesta. You'd have to really want one to pay that and then once the novelty wears off, you've got a car that'll be worth scrap in a few years if you use it, or a £5k paperweight that has no guarantee of keeping its value.
Whilst it drove really nicely, there were a few reliability niggles and it was replaced after 18 months by a MK2 Fiat Punto ELX. The Fiat was a much better looking car, reliable and more roomy.
It was her 18th birthday present and she rolled it onto it's side a few months later avoiding an oncoming drunk driver.
To be fair, it was on grass and once tipped back there was hardly any damage bar a broken wing mirror and scuffed paintwork, easily sorted.
I remember at the time the engine being nicely revvy.
Number plate was 778 BJ which got a lot of attention...
A guy came to the scrapyard asking for a rear light for his fiesta, there was one where the lights were pristine but I couldn’t open the boot as we lost the keys. I asked the chap if he could lend me the keys to his fiesta, and I opened the other fiesta’s boot with it. He got his rear light but wasn’t very impressed 😂
Would I pay £5,000 for it? No, but I could imagine a Ford collector doing so, for the simple novelty value of something once so common, and now quite rare.
We have a 99/00 Odyssey as our runabout in Spain, inherited from an Uncle who had it from new. It’s the mk4 facelift, sometimes referred to as a mk5, with the updated wheels that I like.
Whilst I have nice cars in the UK, there is nothing like tearing around the perfect Spanish mountain roads in this.
It’s light, there’s no power steering, no aircon, it loves to rev out to 7k. It can sit on the autovia at 140kph all day long.
If someone offered me €5k for it I’d politely decline!
After the.Ghia followed a D reg XR2 which was an ex Ford demonstrater, & before was a V reg 1.1 L , never drove that was too young but did the others particularly the 1.3 Ghia.
This in the article is a belter but think £5 grand is a bit rich.
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