I am looking to drive more cheaply, and I know this might sound utterly stupid to the experts, but my council, Lewisham, has 20mph roads all over, and you can't drive that slow in top gear in my current car, at least I can't without fretting over the gears. Sluggish is not an issue, or being slow anyway, had all my speed thrills with 14 years as a motorcyclist, going fast is less of a priority in the city, other stuff like pinch points, speed humps and parking is a more pressing thing, as is fuel consumption. If I drive to somewhere actual, like to Bristol say, then the Mondeo fuel consumption is twice as good as it is living in SE London.
Though no one bar learners and the odd granny obey the ridiculous 20mph all over limit, not even the police (without sirens on!).
I'm not saying most people don't ignore it, but a 20 limit is ridiculous on what grounds? Hit a pedestrian at 20, they're far more likely to live than if you hit them at 30. If you have a speed limit of 30, most people drive at around 35, so you need a speed limit of 20 to get them at around 25.
People get more frustrated at lower speeds and start tailgating drivers that stick to 20, start looking to overtake etc. I can certainly understand it on smaller roads, but Baring Road for example is never a 20 road and feels like you're crawling if you stick to it.
Just to be clear, it's the all over rule that I was referring to as being ridiculous. Not every road warrants a 20mph limit.
@seth plum , I may be able to offer some assistance in terms of the engine.
I've got a 64 plate Ford Focus with the ecoboost 125PS engine, which only comes in manual. Now, its probably a little different from the Fiesta purely in terms of the size and weight but negligible.
I use it as our 2nd car. The Mrs has got a SUV. I've only clocked up 7,000 miles or so in 18 months, which has mainly consisted of local runaround driving and the occasional return trip from Petts Wood to Gravesend to collect/drop off my daughter. I've only done about 10 return journeys of 100 miles, and 6-7 between 200-300.
The engine is good but the only thing that lets it down is the low torque. Once its moving, its absolutely fine but from stationary its a little slow off the mark, especially if you coast up to a junction in second with the clutch dipped as when you go to pull away, there's nothing there. Its a strange sensation really but you soon get used it. Its a case of literally putting it into 1st rather than leaving it in 2nd. It may not be the same with the Fiesta as I would have thought the car is a lot lighter and would be able to cope. Once the car is moving, its agile and there's more than enough welly under the accelerator.
Fuel economy is average I think. I've been averaging 35.7mpg overall for the 7,000 miles. I've managed to get just over 50mpg on some of the longer runs.
I really wanted an automatic but having driven both the 100 and 125ps, I knew I wanted the 125 and that didn't come in automatic so I bit the bullet. I just have to avoid the Blackwall Tunnel like the plague now as I don't want a broken clutch foot.
The car is comfortable and I'd have no issues driving it on a long journey. I like the car and it suits my purposes of a run around but I still feel like I should have bought the Focus ST I was staring at in the showroom for what felt like a lifetime but couldn't justify the extra given the very little driving I do nowadays.
Christ, I feel like I'm auditioning for a part on Top Gear!
On a different note, my Mrs test drove a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV a few weeks back. Its a plug in hybrid which allows you to run the first 35 miles on electric only. We were both impressed for the 10 mins we were in the car. They've agreed to a week demo shortly to see how the Mrs gets on with the commute to Canary Wharf before she commits.
I don't really like small cars with small engines. But some are better than others. I get to drive quite a few as rentals and the differences are remarkable. I recently had a Nissan Note and that was truly the worst car I have driven for maybe 35 years; it was a pile of crap. I was though quietly impressed with a Hyundai i10 although that may be more Ka rather than Fiesta size? Perhaps the i20 is equivalent? I liked, too the Kia Cee'd despite it's silly name. And don't forget that with the Korean jobbies you get either a 5 or 7 year warranty - a big plus if buying new or nearly new. Other small cars I have driven recently are the Fiat 500 which really disappointed me and some version of the Mini which was nothing but meh.
I was told that in terms of a Kia seven year warranty that as the years go by, more things drop off the list of what is covered. I might have been told a load of rubbish mind.
I was told that in terms of a Kia seven year warranty that as the years go by, more things drop off the list of what is covered. I might have been told a load of rubbish mind.
Stuff does, but mainly things that would wear out anyway. Here's what Kia's web site says: Some items have a natural limited life/durability and are therefore covered for less than 7 years. These items include (but are not restricted to) consumable parts such as worn windscreen wiper blades, clutch linings, etc. The car battery is warranted for 2 years, the audio system for 3 years/60,000 miles and the car paint for 5 years/100,000 miles. For all other components, the total cost of parts and labour associated with any car warranty insurance claim are covered.
Why does driving a nice car make you a wanker? (Assuming a BMW M3 is a nice car - well a new one anyway).
I have always driven what would be called nice cars because I have a real interest in cars.
Some people don't care about a bit of metal on wheels and that's fine too. Each to their own.
I think people think 'wanker' of someone who implies there's something special about them because of the car they bought, or the 'phone, or the trainers, or whatever. Did you design that car? Did you invent that 'phone? No, you just spent your money on it. That doesn't make you better than anyone else.
I am looking to drive more cheaply, and I know this might sound utterly stupid to the experts, but my council, Lewisham, has 20mph roads all over, and you can't drive that slow in top gear in my current car, at least I can't without fretting over the gears. Sluggish is not an issue, or being slow anyway, had all my speed thrills with 14 years as a motorcyclist, going fast is less of a priority in the city, other stuff like pinch points, speed humps and parking is a more pressing thing, as is fuel consumption. If I drive to somewhere actual, like to Bristol say, then the Mondeo fuel consumption is twice as good as it is living in SE London.
Though no one bar learners and the odd granny obey the ridiculous 20mph all over limit, not even the police (without sirens on!).
I'm not saying most people don't ignore it, but a 20 limit is ridiculous on what grounds? Hit a pedestrian at 20, they're far more likely to live than if you hit them at 30. If you have a speed limit of 30, most people drive at around 35, so you need a speed limit of 20 to get them at around 25.
People get more frustrated at lower speeds and start tailgating drivers that stick to 20, start looking to overtake etc. I can certainly understand it on smaller roads, but Baring Road for example is never a 20 road and feels like you're crawling if you stick to it.
Just to be clear, it's the all over rule that I was referring to as being ridiculous. Not every road warrants a 20mph limit.
Incidentally I drive a 1.6 2002 Ford Focus, which I bought when 9 months old! A lovely car, still works a treat, and not worth changing as my mileage is so low, 3-4000 a year, as I use public transport for my day to day commuting. Only replaced the original front tyres last year!
I have 15 year old Mondeo estate. I love it, it is battered and the central locking plays roulette with opening the doors every time you get in it but I love it more than any other car I have had, save my first, a Vauxhall Viva (triple hand in 1980). When I was in business I had a new car every other year on the company and I drove some great cars but this Mondeo is the dogs danglies. There, I am a Mondeo man.
Have to say that sort of echoes my sentiments on cars these days. I have driven some very nice and quick cars, but these days I get around in a beaten up old wipe-your-feet-on-the-way-out X trail. I never have to worry if it's been nicked, scratched or dented, and it was last cleaned by the rain Care free motoring
That's my worry with a new car, so I get that. Some people have no respect for other people's property. For me, it was about having something that was reliable, I don't live close to the train station.
Manual gears in town plays havoc with my knees and ankles so for us in our advanced years I would suggest an automatic.
One strategy is buy an old luxury car (e.g BMW 5 Series) that's hit the bottom with no more depreciation to worry about. Price benchmark is a figure equal to the depreciation you will suffer over three years for a younger model, and run it into the ground.
I drive a manual m-sport 2005 BMW 5 series with a 3.0l Turbo-Diesel which produces 231bhp and a healthy 155mph. Has done 100,000 miles
Bought it for £6k. Full leather, sat navigation, f+b parking sensors, climate control.
Drive a lot through work and couldn't see the point in driving something newer (and shitter) which cost more. Car does ~43mph on motorways, ~34mpg otherwise.
Only indication of my impending bankruptcy was the recent requirement for a new battery which cost £125.
One of my motivations is wanting a car physically smaller than a Mondeo. I don't have a drive, and mainly do city driving. A lot of stop start and speed restrictions and narrow roads and stuff.
Incidentally I drive a 1.6 2002 Ford Focus, which I bought when 9 months old! A lovely car, still works a treat, and not worth changing as my mileage is so low, 3-4000 a year, as I use public transport for my day to day commuting. Only replaced the original front tyres last year!
Your post suggests you bought the car when you were very, very, very young and you are now about 14 years old. ;-)
I drive a manual m-sport 2005 BMW 5 series with a 3.0l Turbo-Diesel which produces 231bhp and a healthy 155mph. Has done 100,000 miles
Bought it for £6k. Full leather, sat navigation, f+b parking sensors, climate control.
Drive a lot through work and couldn't see the point in driving something newer (and shitter) which cost more. Car does ~43mph on motorways, ~34mpg otherwise.
Only indication of my impending bankruptcy was the recent requirement for a new battery which cost £125.
There you go, see - you bought a cheap BMW and got a broken one. New from the factory all BMWs have a motorway speed limiter that keeps the car above 90 mph at all times.
Why does driving a nice car make you a wanker? (Assuming a BMW M3 is a nice car - well a new one anyway).
I have always driven what would be called nice cars because I have a real interest in cars.
Some people don't care about a bit of metal on wheels and that's fine too. Each to their own.
Whatever you do, in whatever facet of life, someone, somewhere will think you're a wanker for doing it.
I was just tongue-in-cheek hypothesising that more people would consider M3 drivers wankers than people would consider small engined super-mini drivers wankers. And we all know BMW drivers have a stereotype attached to them.
I have 15 year old Mondeo estate. I love it, it is battered and the central locking plays roulette with opening the doors every time you get in it but I love it more than any other car I have had, save my first, a Vauxhall Viva (triple hand in 1980). When I was in business I had a new car every other year on the company and I drove some great cars but this Mondeo is the dogs danglies. There, I am a Mondeo man.
I bought a 10 year old MK 2 Mondeo for £100 and it belted up and down the M6, M5 and M4 for 5 years with hardly anything needing doing to it. Just shy of 180,000 miles it wouldn't come out of 2nd gear coming off a roundabout and wasn't worth replacing clutch and gearbox.
My partner refused to get in it eventually after the rear seats began to rot because I let my dog get in the back when he was wet and muddy. The bumpers were held together with gaffer tape and it was hysterical to see the look on the faces of boy racers in drop chassis Golfs as I accelerated past them going uphill.
I have 15 year old Mondeo estate. I love it, it is battered and the central locking plays roulette with opening the doors every time you get in it but I love it more than any other car I have had, save my first, a Vauxhall Viva (triple hand in 1980). When I was in business I had a new car every other year on the company and I drove some great cars but this Mondeo is the dogs danglies. There, I am a Mondeo man.
I bought a 10 year old MK 2 Mondeo for £100 and it belted up and down the M6, M5 and M4 for 5 years with hardly anything needing doing to it. Just shy of 180,000 miles it wouldn't come out of 2nd gear coming off a roundabout and wasn't worth replacing clutch and gearbox.
My partner refused to get in it eventually after the rear seats began to rot because I let my dog get in the back when he was wet and muddy. The bumpers were held together with gaffer tape and it was hysterical to see the look on the faces of boy racers in drop chassis Golfs as I accelerated past them going uphill.
Great car.
We've got a Polo that my wife bought new in 1996 that we use as a runabout. Hasn't done a huge mileage but in 21 years the only thing that's ever gone wrong with it is the water pump. We don't really need it (we've got 3 cars between us and only do about 5-6k miles in total a year) but it costs peanuts to run.
Incidentally I drive a 1.6 2002 Ford Focus, which I bought when 9 months old! A lovely car, still works a treat, and not worth changing as my mileage is so low, 3-4000 a year, as I use public transport for my day to day commuting. Only replaced the original front tyres last year!
Your post suggests you bought the car when you were very, very, very young and you are now about 14 years old. ;-)
Well that's the age I give when buying Charlton tickets
To quote Jeremy Clarkson - It is more fun driving a slow car fast than a fast car slowly.
My first car, a 1984 1.3 Astra that had been converted to run on unleaded instead of 4 Star, and in the process lost about 30% of its power, was easily to most fun of the cars I have owned. 4 speed manual with skinny tyres. You had to rag the ****out of it to get anywhere and even going around a roundabout at normal speeds felt like you were on the ragged edge. Probably helped that I was 18, but I had some great fun driving that car.
To quote Jeremy Clarkson - It is more fun driving a slow car fast than a fast car slowly.
My first car, a 1984 1.3 Astra that had been converted to run on unleaded instead of 4 Star, and in the process lost about 30% of its power, was easily to most fun of the cars I have owned. 4 speed manual with skinny tyres. You had to rag the ****out of it to get anywhere and even going around a roundabout at normal speeds felt like you were on the ragged edge. Probably helped that I was 18, but I had some great fun driving that car.
My first car was an '84 Fiesta 1.1 Ghia. I loved that car and wish I had it now. They've started to crop up at classic car shows now and their prices are on the up. Was tempted by an immaculate XR2 a few years ago that was up for sale, which I'd bought it now.
I had an old Fiat Panda and if you got it to 80 on the motorway it shook and rattled and felt like you were breaking the sound barrier. I loved it though! You could arrange the front seats and turn it into a bed.......I'll stop there!
I had an old Fiat Panda and if you got it to 80 on the motorway it shook and rattled and felt like you were breaking the sound barrier. I loved it though! You could arrange the front seats and turn it into a bed.......I'll stop there!
My dad had one of those as a 2nd car years ago, I used to love driving it.
Comments
Just to be clear, it's the all over rule that I was referring to as being ridiculous. Not every road warrants a 20mph limit.
I've got a 64 plate Ford Focus with the ecoboost 125PS engine, which only comes in manual.
Now, its probably a little different from the Fiesta purely in terms of the size and weight but negligible.
I use it as our 2nd car. The Mrs has got a SUV. I've only clocked up 7,000 miles or so in 18 months, which has mainly consisted of local runaround driving and the occasional return trip from Petts Wood to Gravesend to collect/drop off my daughter. I've only done about 10 return journeys of 100 miles, and 6-7 between 200-300.
The engine is good but the only thing that lets it down is the low torque. Once its moving, its absolutely fine but from stationary its a little slow off the mark, especially if you coast up to a junction in second with the clutch dipped as when you go to pull away, there's nothing there. Its a strange sensation really but you soon get used it. Its a case of literally putting it into 1st rather than leaving it in 2nd. It may not be the same with the Fiesta as I would have thought the car is a lot lighter and would be able to cope. Once the car is moving, its agile and there's more than enough welly under the accelerator.
Fuel economy is average I think. I've been averaging 35.7mpg overall for the 7,000 miles. I've managed to get just over 50mpg on some of the longer runs.
I really wanted an automatic but having driven both the 100 and 125ps, I knew I wanted the 125 and that didn't come in automatic so I bit the bullet. I just have to avoid the Blackwall Tunnel like the plague now as I don't want a broken clutch foot.
The car is comfortable and I'd have no issues driving it on a long journey.
I like the car and it suits my purposes of a run around but I still feel like I should have bought the Focus ST I was staring at in the showroom for what felt like a lifetime but couldn't justify the extra given the very little driving I do nowadays.
Christ, I feel like I'm auditioning for a part on Top Gear!
On a different note, my Mrs test drove a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV a few weeks back. Its a plug in hybrid which allows you to run the first 35 miles on electric only. We were both impressed for the 10 mins we were in the car. They've agreed to a week demo shortly to see how the Mrs gets on with the commute to Canary Wharf before she commits.
I recently had a Nissan Note and that was truly the worst car I have driven for maybe 35 years; it was a pile of crap. I was though quietly impressed with a Hyundai i10 although that may be more Ka rather than Fiesta size? Perhaps the i20 is equivalent?
I liked, too the Kia Cee'd despite it's silly name. And don't forget that with the Korean jobbies you get either a 5 or 7 year warranty - a big plus if buying new or nearly new.
Other small cars I have driven recently are the Fiat 500 which really disappointed me and some version of the Mini which was nothing but meh.
That said, I drive a
Corsa 1.3l Diesel 'EcoFlex'tampon on wheelsOne strategy is buy an old luxury car (e.g BMW 5 Series) that's hit the bottom with no more depreciation to worry about. Price benchmark is a figure equal to the depreciation you will suffer over three years for a younger model, and run it into the ground.
I drive a manual m-sport 2005 BMW 5 series with a 3.0l Turbo-Diesel which produces 231bhp and a healthy 155mph. Has done 100,000 miles
Bought it for £6k. Full leather, sat navigation, f+b parking sensors, climate control.
Drive a lot through work and couldn't see the point in driving something newer (and shitter) which cost more. Car does ~43mph on motorways, ~34mpg otherwise.
Only indication of my impending bankruptcy was the recent requirement for a new battery which cost £125.
I was just tongue-in-cheek hypothesising that more people would consider M3 drivers wankers than people would consider small engined super-mini drivers wankers. And we all know BMW drivers have a stereotype attached to them.
My partner refused to get in it eventually after the rear seats began to rot because I let my dog get in the back when he was wet and muddy. The bumpers were held together with gaffer tape and it was hysterical to see the look on the faces of boy racers in drop chassis Golfs as I accelerated past them going uphill.
Great car.