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-   -   Fiesta 1.6 SXI with ABS - 163,500 kms and 9 years with the family! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/10490-fiesta-1-6-sxi-abs-163-500-kms-9-years-family-8.html)

BHPians,

Finally found this thread, Suman sorry for that private message(please ignore my PM), I think i have the answer to my questions on this board.

Fiesta or Skoda 1.9TD(second hand), budgetwise both are almost the same, both cars handle well. Then there is a question of running cost, which i think would be almost the same when compared to high maintenance cost of Skoda. (Thanks Suman for informing general public that if you plan right, maintenance cost @ ford can be as low as 15pisa/KM. ).

I just wanted to know has any one checked out the resale prices of 1.6 Fiesta? How does it fare in the resale market? Also has anyone gone for wider tyres and performance filters? Does it affect the mileage badly? I've heard AirFilters like Green/K&N improve power and mileage.

I think I will go for Fiesta, unless I fall for Optra Magnum which's just launched.

Thank you guys, this's been an amazing forum. Especially just when i am planning to get a new 1.6, I have a long term review from the owners/users themselves.

Cheers!
Anoop

Drive Safe.

Hey Anoop, no sweat, in fact I was going to reply to you with this link but you found it for yourself!

Regarding resale, not sure why a Fiesta 1.6 owner would want to sell his car so soon:D, so no idea mate. About the performance filters, do drive the car without any of that, will give you enough of an adrenalin rush by itself. I don't like the ZV2K tyres though & I did see a thread this morning about one of our Fiesta owners upgrading to Michelins, he seems real happy! Check out this thread -
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...helin-pp1.html

Wow Suman, that was quick!

agree: I think you are quite right about the performance filters! maybe i should only think of those once i have the car in my garrage and have some km under mybelt.

Yeah the stock tyres can't handle the power that this car generates. I was planning to upgrade to 195/r14. Thanks for the link to the thread :) .

Goodday.
Anoop

No Anoop, that they handle pretty OK. What I'm dissatisfied about is - I thought the ZVTS gave a better ride and the wear & tear showed up less at this mileage (my first set of ZVTS on my Ikon 1.6 lasted 45k kms and I still had one of them as the stepney when I sold the car - can't see the ZV2K go anywhere near that, but maybe it was the Ikon's suspension as well?)

Off topic !
Well I am not a fan of MRF tyres. They last long really long, but the problem is with their grip, same is the case with JK tyres. The softer rubber compound you have better the grip and lesser the tyre lasts. Especially during rains you need softer compound to keep you on road. I think the ABS that you have on SXI does back up for some of the lousy grip that these(MRF) tyres provide. Michelin Pilot Preceda by far is one of the best tyres that I've used. With almost 4.5k for each tyre this can be termed as costly in some books.

Have a good weekend!
-A

Yesterday I got to drive my Fiesta with the new Michelin Preceda in water logged roads after a good spell of rain.
I have used only MRFs throughout my driving & I was astonished when there was absolutely no sense of hitting a wall & sudden deceleration with the Michelins, which I was used to on the MRF.
I am glad I got them.

As on date, she's crossed 46k and continues to go about doing her job silently & admirably. I can't believe that almost two years have gone by (Jan 2006 was the month of purchase). She shows her spirit & gives me my adrenalin highs on my weekend drives with her, I just wish I could somehow find time for an outstation trip but constraints at home make it unlikely for quite some time ahead.

Updates?

Well, the 40k service was done a couple of months ago (I was late in getting that done, mileage was 41732 kms) and it cost me Rs 2,240 - Paid service labour was Rs 875 plus taxes & material (power steering fluid, engine oil, oil filter & air filter) was Rs 1,067 plus taxes. The total maintenance costs now stand at Rs 7k, which is still 15 paise per km.

One major s***w-up happened at the shop where I get the wheel alignment & balancing done. I've been using this guy for quite a few years now & there's one employee of his who is an expert so he's the one who normally attends my car. Now, when my driver went there (sometime after 30k when it was due), that guy was absent - I would have probably come away but my driver made the mistake of asking one of the other guys to do the work. Lol, that was the beginning of disaster! Mr Smarty pants RIPPED OFF ALL THE WEIGHTS on all the alloy wheels and started afresh! His logic was - Aisa hi hota hai! By the time my driver reacted, it was too late, he was busy adding on fresh weights based on the machine reading. Now, while theoretically this may sound OK, in practical life, i don't think it is because you are not supposed to rip out all the factory settings/fittings, you are just supposed to compensate what may have dropped off/gone along the way. As a result of this, all my alloy wheel balancing went haywire & it took two subsequent visits to get it somewhat right but nowhere near what it was. At the end, I still felt it wasn't right & neither was the alignment - I also noticed that my tyres were suddenly showing signs of more disproportionate wear than they were at 30k:Frustrati .

I decided to change the shop & went to one near Chanakya (based on inputs from the HF workshop) & the alignment feels OK now but I think some damage has already been done on the balancing front! Tyre experts in Delhi, if you know of a RELIABLE shop that does alignment & balancing well for ALLOY WHEELS, please PM me.

Front brake discs were replaced last week under warranty (what is it with me & brake discs on both my vehicles:p) - a shudder in the steering wheel was becoming apparent on braking so they were changed & she's as good as new. As mentioned in my earlier update, the Multi Information Display was also changed shortly after the 30k service.

She continues to bring out the devil in me whenever I get behind the wheel but that's nothing new. Some time back, I was returning from the club late in the eveningwhen a Black SX4 zipped past from the left (I was peacefully cruising) and then slowed down for a speed breaker. So, as usual, yours truly couldn't resist - at the speed breaker, change to first, pop the clutch, wheelspin, leave some rubber on the road, change from first to second, wheelspin, more rubber on the road and bingo - "where have all the men gone"? "Nowhere, just fallen behind that's all!"

Future plans?

Nothing major but I do think I will be going in for new tyres. The current crop are still good for a few thousand kms more but what with the wear & tear thanks to that idiot at the shop, I probably will look at it in a couple of months or so. I'm thinking of a tyre upsize so the tyre experts will need to roll out their fundas.

Long overdue & MUST-DO

And Benny's going to hammer me on this one - need to take some time out on a weekend and get some decent snaps of her. Yes, the photo gallery needs to be started soon. I promise to do it before the year ends. In the meantime, Cheers guys & Happy Motoring!!

thats a lot of driving in less than 2 years. but why do you drive her only in the weekends?

Aah.. so you remember. Still waiting.

@ Blackpearl : He drives the Safari on weekdays, so Fiesta is for weekends. On weekdays it transports his kids to school and back.

During the week, it caters to my wife & kids & I drive the Safari. Friday/Saturday evenings is when she keeps me company (when I want to spread my wings & drive something quick & light so to speak:) )

Both the cars do about 100-110 kms a day; I know, I know - why don't I get another diesel! Nah, I need that occasional SURGE that she gives me!

EDIT: Thanks Benny, didn't see your post before I hit "send":p - I do drive them to school in the mornings though in the Safari......

Excellent Report Suman. Seems ur truly enjoying ur Fiesta! Gr8!

Elito

Great report, Suman! I liked that portion where the men fell behind!
Keep enjoying your babe, as I'm enjoying mine.

HEY guys can some one help me .i own a fiesta 1.4zxi and i would like to upgrade to alloy and get a better tyre for it and the size would be 15" and i have searched the market for alloys it's hard to find a good looking wheel in 108pcd. somebody help

Congrats Suman, she sure is serving you well, 46k in almost 2 yrs, thats a lot of driving, its been 4 months for me and she is just 5k old :Frustrati. as i just use it on weekends.


Loved to read this part of your review.

Im with benny, please post some pics

I think we need to replace the 'Men are Back' slogan with 'Men are at my back' !