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Check that the engine light isn't on, on the dashboard. It might see obvious but better to be safe than sorry. Also check the seats move forward properly and the back washer work as they seem to fail a lot.
Some1 last week asked the same question. This was my advice to him-
Have a read through this post about commom problems with these cars and things to look out for-
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=108848
Make sure the timing belt was changed around the 50, 000 milage mark. This is fairly expensive to change (£200 ish), but can cause more expensive damage if left.
Also consider how long is left before the car needs a MOT and how much tax is left on it. I got my car with a full years MOT but got stung with £150 cost to get it taxed
Hope this helps
Have a read through this post about commom problems with these cars and things to look out for-
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=108848
Make sure the timing belt was changed around the 50, 000 milage mark. This is fairly expensive to change (£200 ish), but can cause more expensive damage if left.
Also consider how long is left before the car needs a MOT and how much tax is left on it. I got my car with a full years MOT but got stung with £150 cost to get it taxed
Hope this helps
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The main issue with the rear washer is "does the spray bar rotate with the wiper arm?" it should not, the spray bar should spray vertically. When you test drive it, try to find some speed bumps, drive very slowly over them, if you get a squeaky rubbery noise then the TCA rear voided bushes are u/s, cost a bit to replace.
When i got mine the rear washer wouldn't spray but it had become disconnected under the carpet in the boot so i reconnected it and its fine but some people have had it completely break ive heard.
generally speaking, they are reliable, i had a 1.2 as my first car which was sound (until it got smacked up) and i never looked back. The stuff in the earlier thread is spot on and is sound advise.
The rear wash wipe is a very common thing and the wind noise from the mirrors will drive you crackers but you'll love the car and thats what counts (not that we are biased or nething
)if i were you go test drive the cars, i found the fiesta a tad boring in low power form
the ibiza generally is more comfy, and has more standard kit (like cd player and a/c) its also alot more fun to drive (even if it is less powerful) as the engines are revvy as hell
do your research on the fezza and i bet its got its common faults, dont get me wrong it aint a bad car, but the beezer is better
it does happen on most but there is a mod that can be done to the mirror covers to reduce it and it does work a treat.
On any low power car, to get any performance outta it, be it a ford, merc, seat etc, you will have to accelerate harder than i would for example (natural) the ibiza engines are free revving so they are easier to do so,
as long as you dont go nuts you will get good economy outta them, my old 1.2 65bhp got 320 miles to a tank (1st carm, driven hard but tru) and my 1.4 100bhp used to consistantly get 340-360 to a tank as i was gentler on the loud pedal
On any low power car, to get any performance outta it, be it a ford, merc, seat etc, you will have to accelerate harder than i would for example (natural) the ibiza engines are free revving so they are easier to do so,
as long as you dont go nuts you will get good economy outta them, my old 1.2 65bhp got 320 miles to a tank (1st carm, driven hard but tru) and my 1.4 100bhp used to consistantly get 340-360 to a tank as i was gentler on the loud pedal
First of all, you have to expect some wear on a car after 74,000 miles
I had a mk6 fiesta as a courtesy car for 5 long days. All I can say is that it was awful, worst thing about it was that driving it at 70 on the motorway was scary, blew all over the lane and couldn't make it drive in a straight line.
Value for money wise the mk4 ibiza is a good buy, nice and stable to drive, plenty of room in the front and has a good boot. Although the ride would be slightly harsher than other cars.
Just make sure you give the car a good look over before you buy it. I have found my 1.4ibiza perfectly reliable. They just have a few characteristic minor problems like the misting headlights and other minor things that can commonly happen in the car's life such as the rear wiper pipe popping off (can be easily checked). As far as fuel economy I can easily get 45 - 50 mpg from my 1.4, but depends how angry i am
The car is basically a polo in disguise with Volkswagen parts so nothing major generally goes wrong with them. Replacement parts can easily be got and arent expensive, plus this forum is brilliant, there is always loads of ppl happy to help with any problems.
Like any car you go and buy, do all the general checks and make sure she is running sweet first and then check for the common ibiza problems. Make sure the rear wiper washer is working, try and take her for a test drive over some bumpy roads to make sure the suspension isnt too noisey/ rattley, i would advise you to make sure the fan heater blows both hot air and cold air and that the air conditioning works. There definately should be no fault lights on the dash after starting.
I would highly recommend an ibiza, and they are worth a look at.
Good Luck
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thanks for all the advice so far. i think im reading into it much plus every car has some kind of problem now a days. this seem to have a better spec then the fiesta so all being well gonna get it tommorrow
now im taking my dad with me tommorrow to look at the car as hes an ex mechanic an know more about them then me. below is a list ive been putting toghether of what to check. .is there anything i should add to it
-check aircon
-Slight clunking on the front end when turning over a rough surface-does this mean that it needs bushes replacing?????
-Vibration noise when clutch is pressed to the floor, means it could be the release bearing.
-if it has climate controll - screen flashing on startup=???
-check for rattles, suspension, back window spray, and steamed up headlights,
-have a look at the inside edge of the front tyres for excessive wear. Could be tracking or bushes.
-check heater blows both hot air and cold air
-no fault lights on dash when starting
last thing the person said cambelt was changed at about 70k. would this make any difference as usually ive read it should be changed at around 60.
now im taking my dad with me tommorrow to look at the car as hes an ex mechanic an know more about them then me. below is a list ive been putting toghether of what to check. .is there anything i should add to it
-check aircon
-Slight clunking on the front end when turning over a rough surface-does this mean that it needs bushes replacing?????
-Vibration noise when clutch is pressed to the floor, means it could be the release bearing.
-if it has climate controll - screen flashing on startup=???
-check for rattles, suspension, back window spray, and steamed up headlights,
-have a look at the inside edge of the front tyres for excessive wear. Could be tracking or bushes.
-check heater blows both hot air and cold air
-no fault lights on dash when starting
last thing the person said cambelt was changed at about 70k. would this make any difference as usually ive read it should be changed at around 60.
One caustic comment I will offer is - this car is a Skoda with Seat trims - and after being reponsible for a Polo 9N (same car) from October 2002 until now, and having to bear the brunt of all the pain of fixing things that I would not expect to go wrong, and seeing rust appear, I would see that you should not walk into the "VW" fold blindfolded. My other car is a Passat B5 V6 4Motion, that car is, in my mine, only good as its an old Audi design - and not because its a VW. Do you see were I'm coming from - car from the top end = okay, car tarted up from the bottom end = might not be too good. Most if not all the suspension parts are made in CZ by Skoda supplier and when you come to take them apart, in my mind it shows.
On the flip side, I have been a Ford owner in the past - ie for most of my previous cars and Fiestas really do like you to dip into your pocket a little and often, but some how that seems to be okay until you do the sums at the end of ownership - and then that tells a different story.
Its the few big money hits for things that you'd expect to last for "ever" that hurts when owning VAG products. You kind of get lured into thinking that you have bought a quality car (well that is how UK folk see VAG products) - but end up with "quality" bills - just when you thoughtthat you had "bought" your way out of that.
Ford = good drive especially if you get Zetec model level, Seat = sporty VW with fragile cabin finish, VW = boring reliability in theory - but with largish wallet grabbing hits in pratice.
You pays your money and you takes your chances - but at leat with VAG you can buy VAG-COM or VCDS to help you out AND get parts listings - ie ETOS online to let you see what you might want to buy for it - with Ford, DIY diagnostics is a lot poorer and you can only ask nicely at the parts desk for "that" (pointing to the PC screen) - in my experience that normally ends up with someone not being too bothered with "boring you" wanting them to find the exact part number for a £2 part - so all you get is "not available"!
On the flip side, I have been a Ford owner in the past - ie for most of my previous cars and Fiestas really do like you to dip into your pocket a little and often, but some how that seems to be okay until you do the sums at the end of ownership - and then that tells a different story.
Its the few big money hits for things that you'd expect to last for "ever" that hurts when owning VAG products. You kind of get lured into thinking that you have bought a quality car (well that is how UK folk see VAG products) - but end up with "quality" bills - just when you thoughtthat you had "bought" your way out of that.
Ford = good drive especially if you get Zetec model level, Seat = sporty VW with fragile cabin finish, VW = boring reliability in theory - but with largish wallet grabbing hits in pratice.
You pays your money and you takes your chances - but at leat with VAG you can buy VAG-COM or VCDS to help you out AND get parts listings - ie ETOS online to let you see what you might want to buy for it - with Ford, DIY diagnostics is a lot poorer and you can only ask nicely at the parts desk for "that" (pointing to the PC screen) - in my experience that normally ends up with someone not being too bothered with "boring you" wanting them to find the exact part number for a £2 part - so all you get is "not available"!
Not really, you should look on this as a "plus" as its 10K newer than it might have been, previous owner took the risk waiting another 10K miles - that is all, that risk has now gone.
One thing about buying VAG cars, I encouraged my older daughter to buy a 6K Ibiza (previous model) back in 2004, and I'm not sure if that was a good idea, as that model was an eye opener after her using her mother's old 1994 1.6Si Fiesta - but it worked out okay as her first car (luckily) and she has moved on a new Ibiza 1.4 SC.
The reason that I suggested that she bought the old Ibiza was because it was in her price range and I had the tools and parts list to support that marque - as I would be asked to do that!
When my wife needed a new car back in 2002, it was she that wanted a VW - not me, I would have just grabbed another nearly new Fiesta for her - instead we saved some money by importing a brand new Polo (1.4 Polo = 75PS 1.6 Fiesta = 90PS Polo was a bit heavier and its engine is not grunty like the Fiesta - she still misses the power over 7 years on!).
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most of the manuals will tell you it's an initial 60k change then check every 20k after and replace as required
as long as it's recorded as done then i wouldn't worry too much about it being changed late - just look for the bill and the service history properly to see if it was changed as maintenance or had a whole list of engine parts at the same time because it was changed due it snapping.
either way isn't really an issue but may give you a better insight into how the car had been looked after
I think you should take both out to be honest.
It was less than two days ago that I drove a friends MK6 Fiesta.
I found the gearbox quite clunky but other than that its a very well built and functional car.
However its such a "Functional car" it looses its spirit.
The Ibiza's have their niggles which can drive some insane but their less common on the roads and more fun to drive.
Fixed Or Repaired Daily
Just kidding, the fiesta is a good car, i looked at the Fiesta ST, very nice. However, there is no room for you clutch foot, and my leg kept catching of the centre console sides. The engine isnt up to much either, its not revvy like the 2.0 clio or civ type r engine, but neither is it torquey like the 1.8t in the ibiza cupra.
All cars will have problems, and usually the rule is, if it doesnt go wrong very often its usually expensive when it does. Except French and Itialian cars that fall apart and cost a fortune to stick back together.
Fix It Again Terry
Oh and you have not know car sorrow till you have owned a Rover.
Just kidding, the fiesta is a good car, i looked at the Fiesta ST, very nice. However, there is no room for you clutch foot, and my leg kept catching of the centre console sides. The engine isnt up to much either, its not revvy like the 2.0 clio or civ type r engine, but neither is it torquey like the 1.8t in the ibiza cupra.
All cars will have problems, and usually the rule is, if it doesnt go wrong very often its usually expensive when it does. Except French and Itialian cars that fall apart and cost a fortune to stick back together.
Fix It Again Terry
Oh and you have not know car sorrow till you have owned a Rover.
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