Ford Fiesta Mk5 1.25 Zetec 16v

I've been driving for just shy of a year now and have owned this car for about as long (I bought it just after passing my theory test) it's a snappy little quirky car, has a few age related issues (rust and other paintwork issues) but to be fair for a 14 year old car it's in cracking shape, with the fact that when it was produced mass of them ended up in England so if you are shy of a part or two just pop down to your local breakers yard and there will be plenty of fiesta's to pick from.

It's a brilliant car all round for a young first time driver, cheap to insure and cheap to run.

Before I oficially bought my car I asked a local ford mechanic what I should look at for and even after I bought it I slipped it down to him so he could give it a once over to point things out that may be advisory to sort out.

In short, the Ford Fiesta MK5 is an exelent first car for anyone, cheap to pick up, cheap to run (around £30 to fill up the 1.25L from less than 1/4 of a tank of fuel and with insurance coming in at just over £1000 with a black box it's cheap to insure. Much to my parents disapproval there have been a few little niggles with the car including the wheel size because they are so interchangeable.

It is a brilliant car to start off in

I have now had my 02-plate Fiesta Freestyle for one month and am thrilled to bits with it. With a low mileage, it is in excellent condition, gleaming inside and out as if fresh off the forecourt. It is compact, manoeuvrable and characterful (much more exciting than the dull-as-dirt Corsa). But most of all, it is a hoot to drive - thoroughly engaging, composed and lusty off the mark. With a budget of under £1,000, look no further. The Fiesta 1.25 Freestyle oozes charm and, being cheap to run and insure, it is a very appealing ownership package. Hats off,Ford!

i got a lovely little fiesta and runs like a dream but been having trouble locating rear speaker wires can anyone help

This is my first car and comparing it to other cars my friends have it is really good- reasonably cheap to buy, insure and just lovely looking.

I feel like it has a lot of personality aswell and I am one of 'those' people who has named my lil car.

Nice to drive, good car to get to A-B, reliable and cheap to fix if something does go wrong.

Fiestas have always been good cars, but when they brought out the mark 5 they broke the mould. It is stylish yet sophisticated, it is very easy on the eyes and alloy wheels come as standard. Right performance, that's what everyone wants to know, the 0-60 is around 14 seconds and will reach a top speed of about 113 that's not too bad for a car that's only got 1.25 litres. Straight line isn't its specialty though, its in the corners that the fiesta comes into its own, it really is smooth when cornering with minimal understeer and is very balanced and firm when cornering. The brakes are very good, discs on the back drums on the rear. This brings us nicely to insurance, the mark 5 is a group 6 insurance which for a small car is quite high especially for youngsters. Having said this, if you can afford the more sporty zetec s which is a 1.6 and the insurance group is 8 then I strongly recommend it. The interior is very modern in the fiesta and it also has a very big boot space for a small car.

So overall the fiesta zetec mark 5 is a decent car performance wise and incredibly practical. I give this car a rating of 4.5 / 5.

I bought my 1.25 LX Ford Fiesta in 1999 - it was nearly new at the time with around 3,000 miles on the clock.

I've only recently sold it and the reason for selling was simply that we have a baby on the way and felt that we'd need a car with a bit more boot space (pushchairs take up an incredible amount of room). I was sad to see the Fiesta go - it had been an incredibly good car for me over a 10 year period.

Pros: Nippy around town; reliable; cheap spare parts

Cons: It's obviously a small car, but then I knew that when I bought it. As you might expect, slightly limited in terms of boot space and leg room for passengers in the rear seats.

I own a 1.25 Zetec Ford Fiesta it is a great car to drive, cheap to run and cheap to ensure as a young driver. :) *****

Bought my Fiesta 1.25 Frestyle new in 2002, just as they were phasing out the Mk5. It was phenominal value for money compared with rivals at the time & came with with alloys, air-con, electric windows, central locking & power steering, all for under £8,000.

68,000 miles later, it is still on its original exhaust, brakes & battery. Fron tyres lasted 47500 miles & the rears 66,000. I now use it in motorsport, (AutoSolos) handling is spot on and as long as you appreciate it was sold as a small car, it is plenty big enough for two people with young kids. An excellent car for the money. Highly recommended, it does everything I expected & more.

Ive had two of these Ford Fiesta Mk5 1.25 Zetec 16v's now, they are just easy to drive and when needs to be very nippy cars. would highly recommend them to anyone.

The Ford Fiesta Mk5 1.25 Zetec 16v is good overall, quite quick, engaging enough to keep boredom away whilst driving. Although I have personally experienced a few problems I am the fourth owner and so would probably have experienced them with any car from any manufacturer. Much better looking than mk4 fiesta. I particularly like the gear change and layout of cabin as it is simple yet seems to have everything you require and not too much as to cause clutter. Would like more torque but the model I drive (1.25 16v) has obviously been tuned for nippiness not flat out speed, have acheived 115-120 though! Overall would recommed to anybody looking for moderately cheap thrills paired with decent economy and reasonable comfort.