[dailydriver]

That is a sweet deal. A low mileage car with neatly maintained interiors at 2.3 lakhs is proper value for money.

Being driven in Bengaluru, dents and scratches are a given. I suggest you wait for a few more days to let the car pick up its share of beauty spots at the new owners' hand and then give it to Trend/Sai and 3M for rejuvenation.

A seven year old car will have some internal ageing - belts, hoses, wires, pads. Take care of them and you will find the car eager to serve you for seven more years. Congrats on your pre-worshipped black beauty/beast.

[Added_flavor]

Congratulations, Abhi! A lovely car, a good find & deal and a well written post! Let's just say this car came to the owner she always deserved. Wishing you lot of safe, happy miles and a wonderful ownership ahead!

PS: I was not aware of the madam's dislike to the Alto, else wouldn't have pestered you to drive one.

[Porschefire]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

That is a sweet deal. A low mileage car with neatly maintained interiors at 2.3 lakhs is proper value for money.

Thanks! I've limited knowledge about the second hand market and ever since I bought te car, I've been asking people if it's a good price or not.

Being driven in Bengaluru, dents and scratches are a given. I suggest you wait for a few more days to let the car pick up its share of beauty spots at the new owners' hand and then give it to Trend/Sai and 3M for rejuvenation.

You're right. As it is I'm running short on Vitamin M now, might as well wait until the wife becomes fairly comfortable with the car and then go to the body shop.

A seven year old car will have some internal ageing - belts, hoses, wires, pads. Take care of them and you will find the car eager to serve you for seven more years. Congrats on your pre-worshipped black beauty/beast.

Noted. I will keep a close watch on the wear and tear. The SA did mention the brake rotors and pads will have to be changed in the future. After driving for 3 days there is a screeching noise every time I apply the brakes. Guess they have to be attended to soon.

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

Congratulations, Abhi! A lovely car, a good find & deal and a well written post! Let's just say this car came to the owner she always deserved. Wishing you lot of safe, happy miles and a wonderful ownership ahead!

PS: I was not aware of the madam's dislike to the Alto, else wouldn't have pestered you to drive one.

Thanks a lot for your kind words Suhassa!
Yes, madam dislikes the Alto but I did try convincing her for the K10 after I spoke to you.

@All, there is a hissing noise coming inside the cabin while I'm driving. Cannot understand what it is.

[KiloAlpha]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

So, my friends call me a Ford fanboy and I myself have proclaimed many a times on this thread that I am indeed a fan of the Ford DNA. So much that I went ahead and added another Ford to my garage – a pre worshipped 2010 Ford Figo Exi 1.2P.
...
- The engine!!! It is shocking to realize that it comes from the same family that consists of blockbusters like the 1.6P and the 1.5D! It is so lethargic that I feel the 1.1ltr engine on my Getz was much peppier than this! Torque spread is between 2-3k rpm and everywhere else it feels very sluggish. Constant gear change is a must to keep the engine going and any overtake has to be planned well in advance.
...

As an ex-owner of a petrol Figo who has driven the wheels off the car for 60K kms, I can tell you that you need to (and really can) thrash the engine to within an inch of its life to extract performance. The sweet spot of that engine is above 3000rpm and not 2K-3K rpm. What you are experiencing is probably good throttle response. And it is very very responsive to throttle input.

Since your car has barely been used at all for close to seven years, the engine hasn't opened up at all. 6 months of Italian tune-ups, hard running, and another service, will reveal a whole new side to this car.

PM me if you need any further information.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

A Bhpian was selling his extremely well kept Figo for a price well within my budget and I emailed him as fast as I could. Turned out, I wasn’t fast enough as he replied that there was another person who was coming over the weekend to check the car. He told me he’d keep me informed based on the proceedings but I had very less hopes because it was very well maintained at a very good price. Last I heard was he kept his decision of selling the car on hold, a good decision I must say!

Oops! I had no idea you were in a hurry to get a second car, else would have done my bit faster. (I am still deciding on a good car that can keep me satisfied like the Figo, add to that the reluctance to sell off this car as you will get to know as you add on miles)
I was actually happy when you enquired since I wanted the car to go to a fellow enthusiast and a Team-Bhp member at that.
Anyway Congrats on the Figo and that is a right deal for a stock ,hardy run car.

Originally Posted by Porschefire

- The engine!!! It is shocking to realize that it comes from the same family that consists of blockbusters like the 1.6P and the 1.5D! It is so lethargic that I feel the 1.1ltr engine on my Getz was much peppier than this! Torque spread is between 2-3k rpm and everywhere else it feels very sluggish. Constant gear change is a must to keep the engine going and any overtake has to be planned well in advance.

The engine as you drive more, you will figure out how to squeeze the power out of it. It is a car that I feel makes you work for the fun it will return.
But do note, on a highway with the car loaded and the AC on, just cruise at the ton
In the city, keep the index finger ready to turn off the AC button , this is easy since you have to lift the finger when your hand is on the gear when in third and floor it. The car will grow on you and that is what has happened to me and finding it difficult to part with it.
As Kiloalpha mentioned, the more you pile the miles, the more smoother and responsive the engine gets.

Member Deetjohn had summed up the engine perfectly in another thread;

Figo 1.2 is an underrated car. It shines in the city - that Duratec has tremendous drivability and is smooth to rev - not to forget the brilliant steering and the rewarding suspension. And if you have made peace with the lack of outright acceleration from the motor, it is very difficult to move on from it.

Originally Posted by Porschefire

PPS: Does the 1.2P Figo deserve the ‘Fast Ford’ tag you ask me? Well, just for the taut chassis, capable suspension and precise steering, I do believe this will be extremely agile around the corners just like its elder sibling so yeah, I will call this a Fast Ford.

Oh yes, keep the pedal at the same position as you were on a straight and take the corner, you will be plastered with a smile

Edit: Regarding the hissing, is it when the AC is on ? Normally there is a slight hissing sound when the AC is just turned on and when the steering is on full lock.
I also noticed the dent below the right tail lamp. Do check for water seepage through the gap. Inside the boot, when you lift the padding right behind that dent on the inside, there is box shape compartment which can collect water and lead to rusting.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

So, my friends call me a Ford fanboy and I myself have proclaimed many a times on this thread that I am indeed a fan of the Ford DNA. So much that I went ahead and added another Ford to my garage – a pre worshipped 2010 Ford Figo Exi 1.2P.

Congrats Abhi boy on your latest acquisition, looks sweet in that shade bro

I am glad that you actually found one since you really were very particular about the first-gen Figo. Black is a very tough shade to maintain in Bangalore, but you diligent cleaning can easily take care of this.

Seems like not a lot separates my 'Fast VW' and your 'Fast Ford', when it comes to the registration number at least:





Wish you guys a happy and fuss free motoring.

Drive safe.

[Porschefire]

Originally Posted by tharian

Oops! I had no idea you were in a hurry to get a second car, else would have done my bit faster.
I was actually happy when you enquired since I wanted the car to go to a fellow enthusiast and a Team-Bhp member at that.
Anyway Congrats on the Figo and that is a right deal for a stock ,hardy run car.

Thanks mate! I was not in a hurry to buy the car, happened to chance upon the black one, liked it, bought it. I would've loved to have a look at your Figo and probably own it too. Kudos on the immaculate maintenance and awesome modifications.

Regarding the hissing, is it when the AC is on ? Normally there is a slight hissing sound when the AC is just turned on and when the steering is on full lock.

The hissing noise is easily noticeable while just driving the car. I do not know if it's the AC, will check it today on my way back from work.

I also noticed the dent below the right tail lamp. Do check for water seepage through the gap. Inside the boot, when you lift the padding right behind that dent on the inside, there is box shape compartment which can collect water and lead to rusting.

Thanks for this! I had already read about it on your thread and will get it sorted first thing next month.

Originally Posted by tharian

It is a car that I feel makes you work for the fun it will return.

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

As an ex-owner of a petrol Figo who has driven the wheels off the car for 60K kms, I can tell you that you need to (and really can) thrash the engine to within an inch of its life to extract performance. The sweet spot of that engine is above 3000rpm and not 2K-3K rpm. What you are experiencing is probably good throttle response. And it is very very responsive to throttle input.

Since your car has barely been used at all for close to seven years, the engine hasn't opened up at all. 6 months of Italian tune-ups, hard running, and another service, will reveal a whole new side to this car.

I usually take the office cab to work but after reading your replies yesterday, decided that I will 'Figo' to work today, starting a bit earlier than usual - 6:15am when most of the ORR will be to myself. At the end of the drive, my reaction was --> !

Let me tell you where I come from. I am by no means an aggressive driver nor do I like driving fast. I like to baby the engine most of the times and gives the beans when I really have to or in the mood for some fun. Coasting or cruising is my thing.

Getz - Peppy performance within the city from the 1.1 but hated to be trashed. Decent response between 2-3k rpm so never had to really work the car.

Fiesta - The 1.5 is no scorcher. It has linear power delivery and has a strong mid range which aids in driving the car smoothly. Very rarely do I go beyond 3k rpm as the meat of the torque is available below it. I love this engine as it cruises comfortably. Power is abundant when I want to have fun in the twisties.

Ninja - A high revving 250cc parallel twin which means there is absolutely no power when riding in the city. It is cumbersome but the positive is that it is very gentle below 8k and fueling is precise so you can easily keep up with the Splendors and the Star Citys. It is on the highway, above 8k where this thing comes alive all the way till 14k rpm!!!

So, you can understand the way I'd have driven the Figo for the first 4 days I've had it. I took both of your advice today and started working the engine and boy oh boy what fun it was!!! This engine is very restless if you drive it sedately, I was probably driving it like how I'd drive the Fiesta. No, you need to rev the engine, take it to 3k rpm if not beyond and it works like a charm. I need to work a bit harder, drink 5 shots of espresso and be yapping like a puppy myself because this is like a puppy on a sugar rush! It is buzzy and alive, reminds me of the 200/390 Dukes. Working the engine was an absolute delight thanks to the wonderful gearbox and the responsive clutch. I needn't say anything about the steering and the suspension.

The question is, do I like it? Well, it is the total opposite of me as a driver and probably disliked me as well when I first drove it. Today's drive was an eye opener as well as good lessons learnt on how to drive the car. I may take some time to get used to it but was it fun? 100% yes it was!!!
I'm glad I've the more mature Fiesta and the puppy dog Figo now!!!

[Porschefire]

Travel has been a part of my work life over the past 6 years and it has taken me to quite a few countries in the run. But let me tell you that most of it has been me waking up in the morning, getting ready, going to work, come back, eat, sleep and repeat the same next day! While it all seems “wow” to my family and friends, truth is, travel on work is pretty mundane and border line boring. But hey, I’m not complaining as it does have its perks which, surprisingly, is not always - money.

This trip had me traveling here for the very first time in my life -


Source: Google

Too many things to report but all I’ll say is, it was one of the most exciting, extremely terrifying and the longest 6 days of my life! Once aboard the platform, all you deal with is - time. Sometimes you have bundles of it and many a times, none of it! For me it was the former as I was only instructed to provide cover for the Resident Engineer who was on leave and baby sit the system. Icing on what was an interesting but not so delicious cake was the vessel to take me onshore being canceled due to bad weather! Perfect then!

Anyway, ‘time’ provided me an idea to plan a small getaway with the wife (who was also having a pretty hard time at work). Good Friday weekend was chosen and all we had to do was decide on a place. One thing was guaranteed, every place within the 300-400km radius of Bangalore would be crowded to the brim owing to the ongoing summer holidays for the kids and a long weekend for the parents. So, Goa would be perfect then - off season, comparatively less crowded (not Baga/Calangute/Vagator but Arpora/Ashwem/ Palolem and the likes) and relatively cheaper accommodation rates. I’ve been to Goa in April many a times and have had a jolly good time. But the wife was not convinced with the idea since we’d just driven to Goa last December to bring in 2017 and also because I’ve plans of riding there in July. So, it was decided that we go to a place which was 200-300kms from Bangalore and find accommodation away from all the hustles and bustles of the city. I gave her the options of Wayanad and Coonoor and she was happy with the latter.

Immediately I hooked myself onto TripAdvisor and MMT to find a place to stay. It wasn’t looking good though, as most of the nice places were either sold out or the prices were insanely high. But I soldiered on and after much browsing, sweat and tears, found a place called Bella Vista Stay atop a hill called Mount Pleasant in Coonoor. It was MMT certified, pictures looked promising and the asking price was INR 2700/- per night for the last room available. Without second thoughts, booked it immediately for 3 nights. Unsure about the place or my booking, I ended up calling the homestay thrice before the trip to confirm. But this proved to be one of the best places I’ve stayed in terms of the location, rooms, cleanliness and food, vis a vis the price. The property caretakers, Mohammed and Josephine were wonderful, soft spoken hosts who catered to every need of ours. I would highly recommend this homestay to anyone heading to Ooty/Coonoor.









The agenda for this trip was to relax, look at the various sceneries on offer and spend money on the best possible culinary treats available. So, as has become our custom, we headed to a restaurant called ‘The Culinarium’ which provides delicious English-American cuisine. We’d been there a couple of years back and loved the place. The place hadn’t changed much although there were a lot more people this time around. We managed to find a table near the mocktail/fresh fruit/wine counter (not to our liking) and the next 3 hrs spent was nothing short of a gastronomical festival!




Source: Google


Couple of years back

Post lunch, we decided to visit a place called ‘La Bella Vie’ which was about 4-5 kms from Sims Park. I was informed by the wife that this is where the Bollywood movie ‘Kapoor and Sons’ was shot. It is a huge property supposedly owned by a French couple (I’m not sure), now turned into a restaurant. The villa was magnificent to say the least with huge open gardens and a breath taking view! Although the food did not look promising, we still reserved a table for lunch the next day. Met some really nice people, clicked their pictures on request with the condition they click ours as well, spent some alone time and left the place. I must also mention ‘TANTEA’, a small chai shop run by the government, near the property which offers different types of teas with the scenic view offered complimentary.



The next day, we decided to skip La Bella Vie, instead visit a café called Café Diem. Google maps informed us it to be on the Kotagiri road from Coonoor but I missed a turn and ended up going further 5-10kms. Called the owner who directed us to the destination and what a destination it was!!! So, the owner is a lady who has started the café in her own backyard, attached to her mansion of a house. Trust me, the location of the house cum café was so beautiful that I was envious of the lady and her family! To be able to live on a hill and wake up to the view that was outside, it was a serious case of ‘pichle janm ka punya’ (they must’ve made so many good deeds in their previous incarnation)!
I must mention the rain which made the experience all the more delightful. At one point, it was raining hailstones and I was seriously worried for my car!




Source: Google







The café serves only vegan food and the cuisine is mainly Italian and Lebanese. We treated ourselves to the yummiest of tomato/pumpkin soups, pita with hummus and baba ganoush, nicoise salad and a ratatouille pizza. Food was fresh and prepared on demand, none of the canned nonsense here. We were more than satisfied with the place and would highly recommend it. It also features in our Top 10 All-time favorite restaurants.

After satisfying our taste buds, we decided to go on a leisure drive to Kotagiri and meet my friend and a fellow Bhpian, Added_Flavor who was holidaying there with his family and friends. Unfortunately, due to the limited network availability, I could neither contact him nor was I able to locate the resort he was staying in, on Google Maps. But the drive was truly magnificent. What roads, what view, I could see myself living and driving in these mountains for the rest of my life!



It didn’t take long for me snap out of my dream with the thought of this -


Source: Google

We also visited the Highfield Tea Factory on our way back. My wife who has basically lived most of her life in Mumbai and Singapore was truly amazed in this trip and understood why India can match any European country in terms of any landscape that you wish to see! It was truly one of the most satisfying trip for the both of us and we cannot wait to revisit all these places.

Both the onward and return journey was through Mysore Road and surprisingly was pleasant on both the occasions. Surprising because I hate the commute on this highway. Yes, you do not cruise on this highway, you just commute!!!

The Car

The Ford completed 46000 kms on this trip and the odo currently stands at 465xx kms. I was initially tempted to take the Figo but decided against it because –

- It is still a relatively unknown car, history wise. Didn’t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere if at all a problem arose.

- I’m a sucker for wheel balancing and monitoring tyre pressure, I just do not get comfortable with any vehicle if they’re not up to date. I still have to take the Figo for wheel balancing. Also, the front right tyre seems to be losing psi quickly so possibly a crack or a puncture.

- With an awesome city mileage of 7kmpl, I’d have to fill the tank 3-4 times to make this trip and would’ve cost me a bomb!

So, the Fiesta it was then. Nothing new to add here as the car performed flawlessly as usual. One of the key highlight was I did the entire trip, 730 kms on a single tank of diesel. Filled at Shell, Whitefield before the trip and refueled at Shell, JP Nagar after the trip. The overall mileage was around 18.5 kmpl which was fantastic given the journey included Mysore Road, single lane roads after Gundlupet, numerous speed breakers in Bandipur/Madhumalai and the hilly twisty roads in Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

But I soldiered on and after much browsing, sweat and tears, found a place called Bella Vista Stay atop a hill called Mount Pleasant in Coonoor.

Thanks a lot for this summary and awesome find. Stayed at Bella Vista on Thursday and Friday last week. Heavenly place with superb weather and the property is very well maintained. Though the rooms are a bit small, for the price, they offer really good value and they are very clean as well. We enjoyed our stay there and since we were there for one night only, we opted for the food there. Very homely food for both dinner and breakfast. Great place and me and wife also played badminton there for sometime.

[Porschefire]

It has been more than a year since the last update and the odo, which is currently at 51xxx kms made me realize that the Fiesta has run barely 5k kms in the last 1 year!!! Wow, this, after completing 46k kms in 2.5 years, is disappointing to say the least.

There are a couple of reasons for the low mileage –

I am content with my Figo for daily city duties and very rarely drive the Fiesta, except when I do outstation trips.

My father was earlier posted in Mysore so he used to drive there in the Fiesta at least twice a week. He has since been transferred to Bangalore and is happy using the Metro for the office commute.

A couple of weeks back, we went to Chikmagalur for a summer break and it was then I realized how much I had missed driving the Fiesta! I have mentioned many times in the thread that it is the most fun to drive car in the segment and I will refrain from doing it again. I will let the pictures do the talking.


Somewhere in Chikmagalur. With 4 passengers on board and their weekend luggage, note the clearance between the rear tyre and the wheel well!





We had booked our stay at Pavanaganga Homestay. The last 5-6kms to the stay was completely broken and took me nearly 1.5hrs to cover the stretch! At some places, I had to ask my co passengers to walk to prevent the engine guard plate to hit the ground below!



On the way to the homestay.



My co-passengers walking. Trust me, the pictures do not tell the complete story of how bad the whole stretch was.



Underbody damage.



I was really tensed for the MC5s, the main reason that I was going at a snail's pace to avoid them getting punctured or tearing the sidewalls. Thankfully, they performed really well with no damage on all 4.



I heaved a sigh of relief once we reached the homestay. It was shortlived though as I had to encounter the same stretch on our way back. Is it just me or do you also notice that the rear wheel looks smaller than the front?



A much needed rest at the homestay.



I used to do this on my 1:18s and 1:24s. Here's the 1:1 scale model.



Interiors have held up really well after almost 4 years of abuse. The quality of materials used may be questionable but everything is bolted well to last the lifetime of the car.



The business end of the car. People sitting here are the happiest compared to the ones sitting behind.





Pavanaganga Homestay -

Avoid.

Although situated in a beautiful location, in the middle of nowhere, with no sense of time, traffic and the daily hustle-bustle of the city life to disturb you, getting to the place in a hatchback or a sedan is a real pain. Once we were there, the reception from the staff was less than satisfactory. The main issue was the numerous power outage which used to happen more often than not. Food was nothing to write about. The owners, husband and wife (they were not present in the homestay) were quite helpful most of the times and were apologetic when I complained about certain things that really pissed me off. But, they need to improve a lot on their communication with the customers.
In the end, what was meant to be a relaxing holiday turned out to be quite stressful for all of us.
I will not be going there again.


Meanwhile, the Figo was doing its share of outstation duties elsewhere.



A host of modifications planned in the coming months for this fun little hatchback. Watch out for this space!

[Porschefire]

Reading the opening post of this thread again was quite nostalgic.

The humble Fiesta will turn 9 in a month's time and continues to perform its duties without any complaints. Ford leaving India hasn't caused much issues as most spares are available over the counter and the basic service cost remains affordable (~ INR 5000) even today.
I describe the car as humble because it is fairly outdated in terms of technology and equipment who you compare it with the cars of today. But, I doubt if any of them can match its ride & handling prowess + the frugal 1.5 TDCi gem of an engine.










The Continental MC5s served well for about 55k kms and I replaced them with the UC6s. Completely satisfied with both sets.




@ ~99k kms as I pen this and will be the first car in the family to cross 1L kms. Every km has been memorable

The car is primarily used by my parents and I intend to replace it with a crossover for their easy ingress/egress and an automatic for the ease of driving. Replacing the Fiesta will be tough as I need something simple, reliable and safe within the 20L budget and I'm not a big fan of most of the available options. Well, that's a problem for another day, for now, the Fiesta it is.

[PratikPatel]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Reading the opening post of this thread again was quite nostalgic.

I describe the car as humble because it is fairly outdated in terms of technology and equipment who you compare it with the cars of today. But, I doubt if any of them can match its ride & handling prowess + the frugal 1.5 TDCi gem of an engine.
.

This car was a hidden gem. Mine is now 8 years old and it’s solid build still makes it as strong a runner as it was when new. Engine is just as smooth, fuel efficiency is still great and it does enough to keep me content. My wife keeps telling me we need a new car to replace my 2010 Fiesta which will reach its end of life soon. However, there is nothing out there to match the dynamics of Ford at this price point.

[eccentric]

The car feels so pristine. Do not let it go! No matter how many cars you are about to purchase, let this serve as a constant reminder of the nostalgic memories created throughout these years.

[DocwithFiesta]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

The humble Fiesta will turn 9 in a month's time and continues to perform its duties without any complaints. Ford leaving India hasn't caused much issues as most spares are available over the counter and the basic service cost remains affordable (~ INR 5000) even today.

She looks absolutely gorgeous even after 9 long years! Kudos to you for maintaining the car in this absolute pristine condition. Nowadays, we rarely see such well maintained Global Fiestas, and hence, your post was a refreshing treat to the eyes!

If possible, keep the car, it's just too good.

Originally Posted by PratikPatel

However, there is nothing out there to match the dynamics of Ford at this price point.

+1
The modern sedans may be fast, but can never match the dynamics of a Ford, crazy!


My love: 13 years, 90k kms young!

[AutoYogi]

Ford cars have excellent dynamics along with powerful AC units. The tdci is a gem especially after remap. Ford should have launched the second gen fiesta as a premium hatchback and that would have been awesome. I love ford cars as they are truly driver oriented along with solid build quality (especially the cars that were built on global platforms).