RIP Fiesta

[bigstraight6]

I’ve never owned a Fiesta but driven plenty, I learned to drive in a MK1 Ghia and have sampled a MK1 1300S, MK1 and 2 XR2’s, MK3 R/S turbo and many lesser models. The last 4 years holidaying in Cyprus has been with a rented Fiesta as will this September’s holiday, in my opinion the MK1 was the best to drive and was a brilliant little car in its day and it’s a shame the name has to be dropped.

[Eyersey1234]

My mum learned to drive in my grandads Mk1, CAD 613T

[Eyersey1234]

Other Fiestas we have had as a family include A278 MWT, H608 UWU, N145 EAT, W929 JCP, YA55 GPZ, Y485 JAT plus various others

[Spiny Norman]

I passed my test in a terracotta Mk1 1100L in 1982, and that was the last time I drove one. I've been in a few but I honestly can't remember ever driving one as a full licence holder.

[grogee]

9 hours ago, 155V6 said:

I've nearly got two 😂

What's going on with the Puma roof? Is that a factory darker panel? 

[Metal Guru]

I bought a brand new 1.1L in 1982. Baltic Blue.Soon as it’s 12 month warranty was up, it refused to start if the temperature was below 10C or there was a hint of moisture in the air. Can’t say I’m their biggest fan.

Traded it in for the then new Orion (1.6GL), which I kept for 7 years and 180 000 miles.

[grogee]

I will miss it. There's been several in my life, like many other shiters. I worked at Ford in the late 90s and one of my projects was the Ikon, a booted mk 4.5 Fiesta for India with the 1.8 diesel wheezebox. 

At the time I had a comedy mk1 1.1 in orangey-red (terracotta?) which I quite liked just because it was so basic and analogue. I think I bought and sold it for £200 having used it for a couple of years. 

Fond memories from my days as a motoring scribe, and two cars stand out  as being so much fun to drive: both mk4. 5 with the 1.6 petrol. A Zetec-S three door that I drove around Surrey lanes like it was a rally car. And a five-door Ghia that happily sat at an indicated 105mph on the A303. 

Both of those were memorable enough that 20 years later I sought out a cheap Puma and fixed it up expensively. 

My sister had a doom blue 1.1L mk2 with moss growing on the windows, and my auntie had a beige 1.1L mk1 which never ran right until my uncle fished out a rogue bolt that was rolling around inside the carb (as supplied by the factory). 

Best of all, my Dad had a black with lime green stripe 1.3S, cool car. 

[DVee8]

I passed my test in a 1987 1.6d,, and i think that's the last time i was in one.

A mate has a 16plate ST  with 360bhp.

 

[Peter C]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-63410377

[Dobloseven]

I've owned two Fiestas. A Vreg 1.3 Finesse, the facelifted model with the Focus style front.Aquired from an old boy down the road who'd ran it without oil or water. Managed to get it running again. Sills were a mass of Mot patches and rust. Cut them out and did a "proper job".Got used as a spare car in the family for many years. Last year bought an 05 reg 1.4 something or other from neighbour. Drove it round the block, hated it. Sold it to a lad down the road who's a bit of a closet Autoshiter,he thinks it's great. I think if Ford had joined forces with another maker sooner, the Fiesta could have lived on, platform sharing with perhaps the Polo, Fabia, A1 etc.

[willswitchengage]

Just read the Focus is going too in two years, and the Galaxy, Smack and Mondeo have already gone. So what's actually left?! The company says it wants to focus (but not Ford Focus) on EVs but its first - the Mustang thing - has been a wacky giant crossover disaster. Bizarre.

[155V6]

1 hour ago, grogee said:

What's going on with the Puma roof? Is that a factory darker panel? 

No,it's just a wrap.I had it done as the silver paint had faded under the laquer.

[loserone]

6 minutes ago, willswitchengage said:

what's actually left?

 

[grogee]

12 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

No,it's just a wrap.I had it done as the silver paint had faded under the laquer.

I like it. I thought it was a glass panel at first. 

Might get a vinyl roof for mine...

[sierraman]

I mean how many different segments do you need to compete in? They have the Puma, there will be an electric based thing replacing the Focus platform, there’s the Kuga and probably another SUV type thing coming plus the Mach E. It’s just straightforward business rationalisation. 

[Datsuncog]

Ran this absolute nail for two and a half years in the early 2000s - a 1986 1.1 Ghia.

Don't let the cheap blowover in Mistral Blue fool you, it was pretty rotten. The rear arches were mainly filler but it only cost me £120 and it never let me down, bar a leaking water pump which cost me £16 and an afternoon to fix.

I bought it in desperation as I needed a cheap car, but grew unexpectedly fond of it. It was an ex-Guernsey hire car and only had 21k on the clock, and I soon more than doubled the mileage hammering the length and breadth of the country.

Despite plenty of arts and crafts with Isopon, rust inevitably got it in the end. It was basic, noisy and the boot tended to fill with water - but it was a great An Car. Good memories.

This example's currently rotting away at the end of my street, too:

Apparently a genuine RS Turbo.

[Dobloseven]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

I mean how many different segments do you need to compete in? They have the Puma, there will be an electric based thing replacing the Focus platform, there’s the Kuga and probably another SUV type thing coming plus the Mach E. It’s just straightforward business rationalisation. 

Ford have said they're not interested in making lots of cars any more. Rather cars that'll put smiles on peoples faces. Citing the £50kplus Mustang Mach E. Reading a Car mag a while back and the one they drove was over £70k.Interestingly,nowhere on it was a Ford badge. Perhaps the future is a Mustang sub brand with Ford reserved for vans and pick ups. The Transits and Rangers seem to do well. 

[willswitchengage]

Wonder if the Ka will continue, it's basically a 'free car' for them now as they just stole the F500 platform and churn them out for peanuts in Poland. Puma is also a cheaply made car from Romania and confession time I actually quite liked driving it when I had one as a hire car.

I can see why any family car like the Mondeo or Smack has gone now as the standard family car is now just an SUV. Sad times.

[EyesWeldedShut]

2 minutes ago, willswitchengage said:

Wonder if the Ka will continue, it's basically a 'free car' for them now as they just stole the F500 platform and churn them out for peanuts in Poland. Puma is also a cheaply made car from Romania and confession time I actually quite liked driving it when I had one as a hire car.

I can see why any family car like the Mondeo or Smack has gone now as the standard family car is now just an SUV. Sad times.

Mondeo licker near me now has a top of the range Focus which would seem to be Ford's substitute? They don't fancy an SUV but, I'm with you, that style of car is the mainstay of the market now.
Ka they'll keep making as there's money to be had there even if they declare that they're only making smiley cars (not Transits  ) these days.

[Richard_FM]

This was my Mum's daily driver from 1995 to 2005, when it was replaced by an 05 one which is now owned by my step niece.

[Rustybullethole]

Never owned one myself though have driven a fair few. Most notably mums mk2 pop. I knew just how many clicks the seat was set at and made sure it came back with about the same amount of fuel. How i never for nicked or more so she never noticed the increasing hight of the handbrake ill never know.

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, Dobloseven said:

Ford have said they're not interested in making lots of cars any more. Rather cars that'll put smiles on peoples faces. Citing the £50kplus Mustang Mach E. Reading a Car mag a while back and the one they drove was over £70k.Interestingly,nowhere on it was a Ford badge. Perhaps the future is a Mustang sub brand with Ford reserved for vans and pick ups. The Transits and Rangers seem to do well. 

It’s interesting because that was always their mainstay but I think they’re coming to conclusion that there’s much more margin in a Puma than a Fiesta. 

[Dobloseven]

1 hour ago, willswitchengage said:

Wonder if the Ka will continue, it's basically a 'free car' for them now as they just stole the F500 platform and churn them out for peanuts in Poland. Puma is also a cheaply made car from Romania and confession time I actually quite liked driving it when I had one as a hire car.

I can see why any family car like the Mondeo or Smack has gone now as the standard family car is now just an SUV. Sad times.

Keep up at the back!The 500 based Ka2 was replaced by the four door Ka+ in 2016,which ceased production a while back. 

[DSdriver]

We had a Mk1 van as a company runabout, it would reach a higher top speed on the motorway with the windows open a couple of inches.

A helpful tip to others if there are any still in existence 

[UltraWomble]

I stopped at the Mk 3

 

[Alusilber]

My old man's last car was a red Mk4 1.25 Encore. I only drove it once to get it MoT'd before selling it after he popped his clogs. Seemed pleasant enough to drive but then the MoT garage was only 5 minutes away. Sold it to someone from Aberdeenshire. Looking at the DVLA data, it made it to 13 years old, I suppose not bad going for a Ford that far north.

[GregZX]

Had a couple. A 1.1 Popular Plus MK3 H129JSJ which blew its head gasket and a brand new 1.25 Zetec P994UHN in bright blue which was a revelation in comparison with that little Yamaha engine. Had that wee car up at 115 on the A9 once! Kept that until ‘02 when I wrote it off. Valencia built the rear arches were already going and there was a big bubble on the sill. 

[rantingYoof]

 

Will people be as likely to fondly remember this unnecessarily cheerful-faced gurning lump of crossover in 30 years?




Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

[loserone]

Well that's quite a different question, but will anyone ever look back fondly at any of the current generation of highly stressed small engined shite?

I guess it's better than 10 years ago as generally the weights have come down again a bit?

[Metal Guru]

On 08/07/2023 at 10:27, willswitchengage said:

Wonder if the Ka will continue, it's basically a 'free car' for them now as they just stole the F500 platform and churn them out for peanuts in Poland. Puma is also a cheaply made car from Romania and confession time I actually quite liked driving it when I had one as a hire car.

I can see why any family car like the Mondeo or Smack has gone now as the standard family car is now just an SUV. Sad times.

Is the Ka+ still made? I had one as a hire car about 3 years ago ( never knew  it existed before , was a “Fiesta or equivalent), and I’ve only seen one other since.