[petrolhead_neel]

Sir, just wanted to stop by and say Hello

I have read your review at least thirty times before going ahead with our decision. You would be pleased to know that our Ford Classic 1.6 Titanium in Paprika Red has arrived day before yesterday. Any tips from you? Also, the must have accessories for a Fiesta(Ahem... Classic)?

How is the Samurai? Any upgrades of the ICE and performance?

Also, do you still work for Ford?

Cheers,
Neel

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Sir, just wanted to stop by and say Hello

I have read your review at least thirty times before going ahead with our decision. You would be pleased to know that our Ford Classic 1.6 Titanium in Paprika Red has arrived day before yesterday. Any tips from you? Also, the must have accessories for a Fiesta(Ahem... Classic)?

How is the Samurai? Any upgrades of the ICE and performance?

Also, do you still work for Ford?

Cheers,
Neel

Hello Neel, apologies for not keeping this thread alive ! But I feel really happy and nice to hear that you really liked my thread - Thank you for those nice words!

And hearty congratulations on your purchase ! Its handling will definitely remain 'Classic' for years to come. Already added the accessories to the Paprika red beauty?
Hope you are enjoying the drives in your latest pocket rocket.

I am planning to give the BlueBolt for a full service, change to Bosch wipers and upgrade the brakes at some nice external service centre here in Chennai - looking at Ignite Garage closely.

And yes, I still am working with Ford

[fiestarry]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Hello Neel, apologies for not keeping this thread alive.

I am planning to give the BlueBolt for a full service, change to Bosch wipers and upgrade the brakes at some nice external service centre here in Chennai - looking at Ignite Garage closely.

And yes, I still am working with Ford

Hi Aravind,
I have a Fiesta S and it runs wonderfully well. The only thing that is not 'great' are the brakes.
My car has done 47000 km and I had renewed the front brake pads and the rear shoes a few months ago. The AS$ assured me that the bite would come back after a few km but 5000 km later they are still not grabby enough.
But then, the Fiesta's brakes were never desirably ' grabby' in the Hyundai, Skoda manner. Reading about your planned brake upgrade has me sitting upright.
What changes, where and how much would be very useful info.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

Hi Aravind,
I have a Fiesta S and it runs wonderfully well. The only thing that is not 'great' are the brakes.
My car has done 47000 km and I had renewed the front brake pads and the rear shoes a few months ago. The AS$ assured me that the bite would come back after a few km but 5000 km later they are still not grabby enough.
But then, the Fiesta's brakes were never desirably ' grabby' in the Hyundai, Skoda manner. Reading about your planned brake upgrade has me sitting upright.
What changes, where and how much would be very useful info.

I know exactly what you mean. It was always my only gripe about the car. However, having tried this on my friend's Fiesta I can confidently say that a good set of performance brake pads and some steel-braided brake lines (for added braking feel and responsiveness) should do well enough (what kind of tyres are you running on?) and ought to be light on your pocket too

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

Hi Aravind,
Reading about your planned brake upgrade has me sitting upright.
What changes, where and how much would be very useful info.

A$$ can't do much better, as the car comes with 'not-so-grabby' brakes from the factory! I am looking at performance brake pads as the first baby step at this moment. But would like to toy with upgraded rotors / steel braided lines if budget permits.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

I know exactly what you mean. It was always my only gripe about the car. However, having tried this on my friend's Fiesta I can confidently say that a good set of performance brake pads and some steel-braided brake lines (for added braking feel and responsiveness) should do well enough (what kind of tyres are you running on?) and ought to be light on your pocket too

Hey Ishaan, can you help me with details on the steel braided lines from your friend? which brand was it? direct fit?

As this is directly involving one of the most critical parts of the car in terms of safety, I am being extra cautious with my steps.

[IshaanIan]

Folks! I have some news: my family is interested in buying a new small car to put our beloved WagonR out to pasture. Other cars in the family will take care of higher demands so much is not going to be expected out of this car other than it ought to be a reliable, safe-ish petrol (family has always owned petrol cars and we don't see that changing anytime soon).

Dad and I discussed various options just this afternoon (I always love talking cars hangover be dammed).
Started by dismissing Maruti for their lackluster styling (i prefer the old simple non-pretentious looks of the SS80, WagonR that we own, jellybean zen, old alto to their newer offerings in that space) , modern characterless K-series motors and nervous ride when it comes to their small cars. I was very intrigued by the Renault Kwid, and what started as a discussion on Renault's upcoming wonder hatch for the masses, eventually ran through cars like the Swift/Brio/Micra/Etios Liva, and ended up with me suggesting we look for a good offer on a 1.6 Fiesta Classic that might still be in stock somewhere Immediately called a few dealers and stumbled upon what might be the very last 1.6 Fiesta Classic for sale in Bangalore; a white top-end titanium which the sales rep promised to drive down and let me inspect after college tomorrow.

As you all can probably guess, I for one, am extremely excited about this option . All I need to know from owners, is whether there are any major reliability concerns particular to this car (which may just be the only reason to strike this otherwise more-than-satisfying car, off the list) and what I ought to lookout for; other than worn out rubber parts and brake rotors considering this car would have been lying around for around 6 months, when I check it out tomorrow. If everyone is a GO about this, then also do let me know how much I ought to haggle with the dealer. What should be a good discount? Am I way off the mark to expect atleast 1.5lakhs off?

Further inputs like how Ford dealers are across the country and in Bangalore specifically, are welcome
Thanks

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Hey Ishaan, can you help me with details on the steel braided lines from your friend? which brand was it? direct fit?

As this is directly involving one of the most critical parts of the car in terms of safety, I am being extra cautious with my steps.

I don't remember exact details of what we ended up fitting, my friend who owns that car would know better. He is currently very busy but I will make sure I ask him when I meet him soon and let you know.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

All I need to know from owners, is whether there are any major reliability concerns particular to this car (which may just be the only reason to strike this otherwise more-than-satisfying car, off the list) and what I ought to lookout for; other than worn out rubber parts and brake rotors considering this car would have been lying around for around 6 months, when I check it out tomorrow. If everyone is a GO about this, then also do let me know how much I ought to haggle with the dealer. What should be a good discount? Am I way off the mark to expect atleast 1.5lakhs off?

The Fiesta has been selling for almost a decade now, and the reliability of this motor has not created headlines very often. A simple, robust and powerful motors like these are not going to create much trouble. But you cannot expect it to run close with the modern tech laden engines for fuel efficiency.

As for the car itself, if the decade old interiors ( but I must admit that it still is very handsome ) is not much of a bother, then the Fiesta will definitely keep you happy !

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

The Fiesta has been selling for almost a decade now, and the reliability of this motor has not created headlines very often. A simple, robust and powerful motors like these are not going to create much trouble. But you cannot expect it to run close with the modern tech laden engines for fuel efficiency.

As for the car itself, if the decade old interiors ( but I must admit that it still is very handsome ) is not much of a bother, then the Fiesta will definitely keep you happy !

Like I said, this will be replacing the duties of the WagonR and our demands from the car are just to be a reliable, safe, petrol. That's it. As long as it starts whenever asked to, goes about its duties as a small sedan zipping through traffic, and ages well, we will be happy. The fact that it is good fun to drive just happens to be an added bonus It is going up against smaller cheaper cars in our list so old interiors are not a problem and I believe 10kmpl in the city and 13-14kmpl on the highway isn't too bad for a NA 1.6 lump.

Just wanted to know if there were any particular things that niggle the Fiesta and also what kind of discount should I haggle for?

Thanks

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Just wanted to know if there were any particular things that niggle the Fiesta and also what kind of discount should I haggle for?

Thanks

You can look into my long term ownership thread for details of niggles. As far as I remember, they were not many, and comprise of:

1. AC fan motor conking off in the 25th month. Replaced under EW.
2. Power steering hose developing a leak in the 5th year. Replaced free by Ford as a goodwill gesture.
3. AC evaporator coil developing a leak after 8 years 2 months. Replaced at an FNG for Rs 7700.

Do take EW for 2 years, if they are still offering it. And change the tyres to Michelins/ Contis/ Yokos on day 1.


I wish you many happy miles on the new car. I am sure you'll be smiling every time you drive it.

[fiestarry]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Just wanted to know if there were any particular things that niggle the Fiesta and also what kind of discount should I haggle for?

Thanks

The Fiesta 1.6 is a reliable car. My Fiesta S is 7 years old and runs like a dream. Had a rear shocker changed under warranty and the washer fluid bottle holed in these years.

Buy it !

[Moody]

Hey Guys,

I am in the market for a new nice handling/fun ride. I have personally not driven a fiesta 1.6s but it seems to be an icon in this forum. I have tried to locate a used one in the NCR region but it is an elusive beast. Personally I would like to buy a Abarth Punto but the moolah aspect is not my favor.

So my question to you guys is is there something I can look for in the price range of <5L which can be compared to the Fiesta 1.6s

Cheers!

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by Moody

Hey Guys,

I am in the market for a new nice handling/fun ride. I have personally not driven a fiesta 1.6s but it seems to be an icon in this forum. I have tried to locate a used one in the NCR region but it is an elusive beast. Personally I would like to buy a Abarth Punto but the moolah aspect is not my favor.

So my question to you guys is is there something I can look for in the price range of <5L which can be compared to the Fiesta 1.6s

Cheers!

A petrol Fiesta 1.6 would be the closest thing to a Fiesta 1.6s The Palio GTX and S10 are other great options as long as you are okay with the kind of maintenance that would be required as well as the slightly odd driving ergos, Ikon Rocam 1.6 is also brilliant but would require more maintenance. A well kept Mondeo petrol would be amazing but parts can be a bit expensive

[aravind.anand]

A credible update on BlueBolt after ages!

Got the alloys and the ORVM painted to matte gun metal shade. This has been on the cards for a very long time, and finally pulled my socks up to go get this done.

So the end result now is like this... You can compare it with my display picture for a comparison.



This is how the car looked prior to this update ( wasn't able to locate a less-processed picture, sorry )



And these are after the painting exercise



I quite like how this has come out. Good quality workmanship from H2O Spa in Ahmedabad. Expensive, but worth it.



The lighting was not quite suitable for a shot from this angle - but I was too lazy to go find a different place ( I was on my way to office while taking these pics )



Almost 4 years now, and you keep me happy and excited like you always have. Got a shampoo and polishing job done too, and it shows doesn't it?




PS: Its my 1000th post, and I wanted my graduation into 'Senior BHP-ian' to be a special post. Hence restrained from posting on any other thread for the last 2 weeks

[NiXTriX2004]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

A credible update on BlueBolt after ages!

Got the alloys and the ORVM painted to matte gun metal shade. This has been on the cards for a very long time, and finally pulled my socks up to go get this done.

So the end result now is like this... You can compare it with my display picture for a comparison.
:

The car looks smashing with the gun metal color alloys. Can you please share how much it cost you? Also, did you get it powder coated?
I have recently acquired a pre owned Fiesta S in Panther Black and was looking to do something similar.

[DRIVE_ADDICT]

I had taken a break from TBHP for a while, so missed few updates in your thread. I was a silent follower of your thread.

These gun metal alloys make your car drool worthy!

Regarding your ICE upgrade, how did it go?

Fiesta/Figo OEM ICE is far superior than many OEM's for sure. Even a speaker upgrade will make it sound better. The setup in my Figo gave many after market units a run for their money. Front components and a sub woofer in the trunk with 4 channel amp driving both and no damping done.