Looking at a car today (update)

"Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell." (oppisitelock)
05/13/2016 at 13:10 • Filed to: None

Edit: Expected it to be a little rough at such a low price but the thing well surpassed rough, it was trashed. Damage everywhere and sooo much filler. Didnt even bother getting the keys. Its a £500 car at best.

I said yesterday I was considering a focus for my dad, but I found a good deal on its younger brother. 06 Fiesta with the 1.4 and 60k miles for £1100. The catch is its a previous cat D write off in 2012. In the photos I notice the front bumper is slightly misaligned so hopefully it was just a mild bump. I’ll be inspecting it really in depth when I go to view it but if it was just panel damage it’s a good deal. We had one of our cars declared cat C for a dented door and wing with no structural damage so write offs don’t always have to be scary provided you know what to check on before buying one.

DISCUSSION (25)

Cé hé sin > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 09:40

Seems a good deal. Most buyers wouldn’t need a 1.4 on a car this size but at the price you can’t go too far wrong.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Cé hé sin
05/13/2016 at 09:44

The 1.4 is still pretty reasonable running costs wise even compared to the little 1.25 and like you say it’s very cheap.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 09:45

While it looks to be a nice deal, be sure to check or have it checked mechanically, because 1100 pounds sounds a bit low for a Fiesta MK6.5.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
05/13/2016 at 09:48

It’s priced low because of the cat D status and having two tyres in need of replacement so hopefully nothing too worrying. However if the accident it had was bad enough to cause structural problems or set off the airbags I’ll walk away.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 09:54

Ah I see, we really need such a status over here, because there is no way to keep track of past damages/rebuilds over here IIRC. Hope it’s nice, because this would be a nice replacement for the Micra.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
05/13/2016 at 09:56

Ah here we have category A-D. A it has to be crushed, B parts can be sold then has to be crushed, C repairable but repair cost exceeds the cars value, D repair doesn’t exceed cars value. I think that’s it at least. Some cat D cars are dogs but some have had very mild damage even just a couple dents.

Yeah it’s be a hell of an upgrade over the Micra.

KirkyV > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 09:57

Seems like a good buy as long as the accident damage is as minor as you suspect. They give out Cat Ds for tiny little bumps sometimes, and Mark 6 Fiestas are supposed to be pretty solid, generally.

Kinja'd!!!

I’ve always fancied the Mk6 ST - supermini with a 2 litre Mondeo engine’s just a novel concept - but with the Zetec S wheels; the ST alloys look nice, but the consensus seems to be that they’re so big that they throw off the handling balance somewhat. I actually kinda prefer the Zetec alloys, anyway:

Kinja'd!!!

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 10:04

Good candidate for a 1 liter ecoboost swap.

Cé hé sin > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
05/13/2016 at 10:09

...unless you’re buying it for an impecunious parent who has no interest in more power. I doubt that the 1.0 turbo is much more powerful than the 1.4 anyway.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Cé hé sin
05/13/2016 at 10:27

It makes 123 hp opposed to 89.

Cé hé sin > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
05/13/2016 at 10:35

(checks brochure)

Indeed it does if you pay enough. Interestingly a 100 hp Fiesta with the DCT box is about 15% thirstier than the 125 hp manual. So much for efficient twin clutch designs.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Cé hé sin
05/13/2016 at 10:50

Interesting.

MUSASHI66 > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 13:26

Man you guys get some cheap cars in the UK. 1100 pounds is just under $1600. Here is what $1500-1800 buys you in Denver

http://denver.craigslist.org/search/cta?min…

Laurence > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 13:31

For £1100, you can get nicer mk6s than that, but bear in mind that’d despite being cheap, they’ll run forever with only really basic maintenance. My mums had one for what seems like forever, and has only had to replace wear parts and a cheapish exhaust part in the years she’s owned it for. I know these cars sorta well, so if you've got any questions, I can try to help :P

Steve in Manhattan > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 13:49

Cat D?

Cé hé sin > Steve in Manhattan
05/13/2016 at 15:23

See above. One of four insurance write off categories.

Cé hé sin > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 15:24

Oh well, back to Focus drawing board...

Steve in Manhattan > Cé hé sin
05/13/2016 at 15:53

Surely that is better than the way we do it. You have a dent fixed here and never disclose it.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Cé hé sin
05/13/2016 at 16:39

Agreed, or maybe a Fiesta that isn’t a total dog.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Steve in Manhattan
05/13/2016 at 16:40

As Ce he sin said just a way of classifying damaged vehicles.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > KirkyV
05/13/2016 at 16:41

Im glad I’m not alone in thinking the zetec s is more handsome than the ST. Unfortunately though this Fiesta had had more than a little bump. Whole side of the car had damage.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Laurence
05/13/2016 at 16:42

Thanks this one was a dog but I’m still hunting for a nice Fiesta. What sort of mileage did she do in hers, do you reckon getting one with 90k miles or more would be safe?

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > MUSASHI66
05/13/2016 at 16:46

To be fair some of that stuff isn’t so bad but yeah our prices are very low. Because we’re a small market and drive on the opposite side of the road to our neighbours prices stay low.

Laurence > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 17:12

It’s got somewhere between 70 and 80 thousand on it last time I checked; I’d say that you could go for one with 90k, since I’ve heard of ones run for well above that, but at the same time, there’s so much choice, and low mileage (60k and below) pre facelift models have started falling below £1000. Plus, I’m aware there is a head gasket issue that these cars can get; although I’ve only heard of that happening to people on the Internet, never to anyone I know.

Also, a few things worth noting; these cars are generally pretty good in the rust department (likely a relief after all your micras), so one with visible paint bubbling is a sign it hasn’t been looked after, or has lived a tough life. I’d also recommend getting one with a black interior; the light grey cloth they used on a lot of them stains really easy, and is such a pain to keep clean

Laurence > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
05/13/2016 at 17:17

Also; one more thing I forgot to add; unless you want a diesel, try to look for cars with the 1.25 engine