Ford Fiesta is 35 years old (likes comfortable slacks)- 56K? go make a cup of tea..

[Arragonis]

The Ford Fester has hit 35 years in production, the original Mk1 and the current Mk 7(?) have been / are sold in the US - the other ones sold elsewhere.

Mk1


Mk2


Mk3


Mk4


Mk5


Mk6


Mk7


This pic amused me - the guy looks confused. And yes tyres used to be that skinny.


There is a special edition available, a little bit like the original Mini having a 25, 30 and even a 35 special edition.

[brucepick]

Imagine how much fuel would have been saved if Ford had sold the in-between versions here in the USA. Silly Americans. Maybe we're getting smarter, I sure hope so.

[tjts1]

I'm glad they waited until the current generation to bring it back to the US. Everything between gen 1 and 7 looks awful.

[mwebb]

i had a 1979 or 1978 European ford fiesta , whichever year i had , my parents had one in the other year , with a carb and 1.6 ohv engine , it was a good little car ,
you had to adjust the valves every year ... and the cork valve cover gasket always leaked ... even when new , until i learned the proper torque spec .
i had larger wheels from a pinto ? or a bobcat ? i think , on it with 185 70 13 tires . it did get ok fuel economy but not great .... i really do not remember the exact number but i do not remember ever getting into the 40 s . at the time i never thought to correct for miles covered as opposed to miles reported , considering the larger od tires

[Arragonis]

Firsta Mk1 was sold in the US for 3 years before "Project Brenda" (the FWD Escort) was launched - Ford decided they didn't need the smaller car any more.



Mk1 and Mk2 are my favorites. A Mk1 XR2 especially. I like the reg plate on this one.

[lunarhighway]

my wife drives a mk4 fiesta like the one pictured and it's a bit of a love/hate affair (the car not the wife)

it's a nice practical little car that despite it's dog of an old diesel engine, that would be more suited in a tractor it's handling is just awsome. feels more like a go cart than a car sometimes.
with the rear seat folded flat the cargo space of the fiestas quite good too for the average shopping. i don't have much economy data from her, but for an old diesel i suppose it's average, it's fairly light but on the highway i think it's draggy shape lets it down. but as a front passenger even longer trips are quite comfortable

i recently drove a 2009 ford focus for a fair distance and handling is something ford excelles at, if you enter a curve a bit to fast it still feels like the car is on rails.
Their diesel engines have evolved quite a bit as well. so i'm sure the newer fiestas also have this trait.

On the downside from what i've seen they all seem to suffer the same poor build quality. these cars just seem to rain bits, from useless plastic end caps to radio buttons and door handles, door locks... they all seem to come of ,break or snap, also two windshields have been cracked and half the engine has to be replaced, the heater doesn't seem to work anymore and the airbag lights comes on from time to time.
whenever i think i've seen the last of it something else works its way loose...

a friend with a mk6 lost an external plastic B pillar cover on the highway, and a brand new mk7 we had at work shed it's entire rear door card as someone just tried to open the door.

despite all this mk4's and even mk3's are still a very common sight around here

i wouldn't ever get one though

[tjts1]

I like this shot.

Apparently the 3 door is too good for US consumption. Instead we get the idiotic sedan.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by mwebb

i had a 1979 or 1978 European ford fiesta , whichever year i had , my parents had one in the other year , with a carb and 1.6 ohv engine , it was a good little car ,
you had to adjust the valves every year ...

That would be the "Kent" OHV version. Later ones got the slightly modified and cheaper to make "Valencia" OHV engine with non-adjustable valves. Trouble was they would get noisier with age. The noise of an older one has been described as being like a "skeleton w@@king in a biscuit tin".

The only real "Dog" (aka Lemon or just awful) one was the Mk3 which was terrible even in RS-Turbo guise - truly awful chassis and the same Valencia engines with some very dated CVH nastiness and a couple of extra hundred KGs of weight added in. Ford were having a bad time just then though, the similar vintage Escort was equally cr@p.

The Mk4 also formed the basis for this rather nice, if quite rust prone car too.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by tjts1

Apparently the 3 door is too good for US consumption. Instead we get the idiotic sedan.

You also get the strange Yaris sedan, yes ? Thankfully we didged that one.

[lunarhighway]

skeleton w@@king in a biscuit tin

that describes it pretty well... always relieved when i hear this on a cold winter morning because that means it actually started.