Do Fords actually break down that much?

Hi, as you can probably tell, I'm new to these forums although I have been browsing through it for a while. Not too sure if this thread has been done before either...

I'm interested in buying a secondhand Ford Fiesta (06 facelift LX or older Zetec, not 100%, parents want auto, i want to learn manual and get a manual). The problem is I recently went for a test drive on the weekend for an auto fiesta LX that was quite a steal I thought, but it turned out in fact that the underside of the car had excess water and mud, making it a no go zone. The mechanic then went on to recommend a Toyota (which I obviously don't want) claiming Fords always have mechanical problems. Although the problem with the Fiesta I tested was unforseeable, my mum went on to say that I wasted her day and is now pushing to get a secondhand Honda Jazz.

My question to you guys is, are there actually that many problems with Ford cars? I've always liked their European-designed cars and thought they would be very reliable too. Thanks in advance

[theboss290]

Ive havent heard of any real problems with the small cars, The Aussie built cars have there niggles as do most, Ive had a number of Fords and have had no major issues yet.

over expectation is a lot of ppls problems and the fact is that sh#t happens and things do break down, If you like a certain car you go for it and take the good with the bad ;)

[sgt_doofey]

My EL is currently out of action, but that's due to the ignition module going on it. Apart from that, I've had 10 years of trouble free motoring out of it.

[csv8]

My WP no problems over 3 years.and WQ Fez's ,10 months old,no problems to date.
2007 Fairmont GHIA 47k up, no problems so far, touch wood !!!!

[XR6WGN]

Although mine is serviced every 5000kms it has had it's fair share of "Break Downs" but I look at it in relation to the amount of KMs I do each year. My EF is 14yrs old with 327,000 kms under it's tyres (not the original set hehe) - I do about 500kms a week so yes things do wear down or break. But having said that, if I go back and look at these breakdowns, none would really be a reoccurance of an old problem so I wouldn't call mine unreliable.

I'm sure a newer car wouldn't really have the same problems but at this time I'm not really financial enough to update.

[Ghiadude]

Unfortunately the fiesta and focus havent established a large following here so its hard to tell but in europe they have a pretty good rep

[Dave_au]

I've had my work BF XR6 drop it's gearbox fluid all over my driveway at 12,000km, my sister has had about 7 warranty jobs on her Territory.

Built ford tough.

[alter_EGOXR]

i was in a similar situation as you at the end of last year. Parents have always had toyotas and say that they are reliable. Initially my parents were put off from getting me a ford, but due to the fact a basic model aurion costs around the same or more than the price of an xr6 they didnt complain. I have had my XR for around 6months and have had no mechanical problems yet...its been on a few long trips. Though i do find the build quality compared to the overseas produced cars are lacking. Havent had any problems with it mechanically, just a bit of rust in the boot which was fixed under warranty. Your going to get lemons with any car, you just have to be able to pick the peaches. That being said, if your a little worried about purchasing a ford and really want one, try to find something with a little bit of the warranty left. good luck

[calais]

If i had to choose again between a fiesta and the japanese/korean competition...... I would still take the fiesta. The first gen that we saw out here were made in germany, and it shows. My partners ghia is solid as a rock and beautiful to drive for a small car, the engine has a bit of personality to it and is really fun to drive.

As for the Swift, Yaris, Getz, Barina, Colt, and Polo competition that I also tested when we were in the market, None bar the polo drove anywhere near as well as the fiesta, that and the polo was only a 1.4 at the time when I wanted an auto, the fiesta won hands down when I looked closely at equipment vs price.

45,000km later and the Fiesta has never failed to proceed or have anything fail in any way for that matter.

Happy hunting.

I haven't really tried too many similar cars in that range. I've only tried the yaris which I found quite uninspiring and i heard its a similar experience with the hyundai and honda. It just seems the fiesta is a very underrated car that is a great drive, if only i can convince my parents one more time haha

[Iggypoppin']

If you treat a car well, the car treats you well. My XR6 has had a diff knock issue for a bit, but some better oil and replacement CV rubber fixed that. Otherwise I've had 35,000 klm of basically trouble free ford driving. All cars wear things out eventually, and general maintenance must be factored in when purchasing a car. But let's face it, ford are pretty good, sure they've had niggles with certain models(E series head gaskets anyone??) but they're a fine choice of car if you treat them well. Steer clear of toyota.. I'd rather drive something with personality, than make up the numbers..

[Allen]

Originally Posted by himynameisho

The mechanic then went on to recommend a Toyota (which I obviously don't want) claiming Fords always have mechanical problems.

Any mechanic that will flat out state that one particular brand always have mechanical problems, sounds very biased and unprofessional.

Every manufacturer has quality control and design flaws to some degree, and whlist some are worse that others, some manufacturers (Toyota) live off thier reputation of having perfect reliable cars.

If you really want a manual Fiesta because that is the car you want, then go for it... Just take your time, and don't rush into it. Find the best possible car in your price range.

[joolz]

My EL Fairmont Ghia over the past 7 years has only stopped me once and it was only a fuel pump.

[greenfoam]

Yes Fords do break down alot, coils, ignition module/dizzys head gaskets it's all full of fail inthe E series, I don't trust going anywhere in one of those buckets:p. But the Fiesta will be fine. I have a friend that's a mechanic at Ford and he told me they have never had one with a mechanical failure while hes been there (4 years)

[Powdered Toast Man]

I had an EA I bought with 240,000kms on the clock that did 4 years and 50,000kms of trouble free driving (apart from crap brakes that needed constant machining). And an EF which had 240,000kms on the clock when I bought it that did 3 years and 60,000kms of trouble free driving (it was a V8 so no head gasket issues). The EF went on to do another 40,000kms at that hands of my mate who didnt look after it, and still no brake downs that weren't atributed to abuse or poor maintenence which you cant blame the car for.

I have now had my BA for 3 years and 60,000kms and have only had 1 breakdown and that was due to a poor LPG installation, not the fault of the build quality or engineering in the car.

Never trust a biased mechanic IMO. But you will always get lemons no matter what brand. And if the Fiesta had water and mud related chassis/driveline issues it sounds like it was a case of abuse by the previous owner not of reliability. If you want a Fez get a Fez, it's your car.

[flappist]

Well this one is going to draw the crabs.

Over the past 10 or so years or so, all vehicles dealer serviced.
EL Fairmont, 143,000km
AU2 Ghia, 109,000km
BA GT-P, 85,000km
BA2 F6, 4,000km
BA2 F6, 105,000km

All of these vehicles had reasionably constant niggly problems some of which were never solved (F6 eats mobile phones) and quite a few MAJOR problems including clutch, gearbox, diff, ECU, paint, suspension, electronics, locks, alarm, sound system, excess oil usage (and probably more things that I have forgotten) that resulted in me paying an almost weekly visit to the dealer to get things sorted.

Current vehicle is not a Falcon. It now has 42,000km and the only problem I have had was the headlights were adjusted too high when I bought it.
I have another vehicle of the same brand but a 4WD truck that had 60,000 odd km it and also has never had a single problem.

My best mate is a holden bogan who over the same period has owned 5 holden utes, all 6cyl auto. He also has had continuous niggly and some major problems including lots of fuel pumps, auto trans, diff, suspension, oil leaks and excess usage........

But is saying this remember that a FPV GT-P and HSV GTS are only $80k whereas a Lexus ISF, BMW 335 or Merc C63 are all the best part of $150k......

[auxr]

I have driven Fords for many years, no problems whatsoever, mind you I have had each one regularly serviced - a mate has been driving a Fiesta for many years as a general run around also without a hiccup, regularly changes coolant which is a must in these. If funds allow it, I would recommend any future purchase be mechanically inspected. Good luck

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by greenfoam

Yes Fords do break down alot, coils, ignition module/dizzys head gaskets it's all full of fail inthe E series, I don't trust going anywhere in one of those buckets:p. But the Fiesta will be fine. I have a friend that's a mechanic at Ford and he told me they have never had one with a mechanical failure while hes been there (4 years)

The E series is over 10 years old now and there has been a lot of development work done since then.
In comparison to your comments regarding the E series, my EL had the head gasket go at 190,000kms, coil went at the same time so that has been replaced and the ignition module has just failed at 247,000kms. Dizzy is still fine (as far as I am aware). A guy at the cricket club had a EF XR6 which had over 300,000kms on it and not even the head gasket had failed. He traded it in on an AU XR8 last year.
All cars will have little niggly things as flappist points out. The 307 has had a couple of electrical components fail (exhaust pressure sensor and brake switch), a few rattles and so forth, but it has been very reliable mechanically.

[LTDterri]

I have driven Fords most of my driving history and can say they have been quite good until I got the BA and Territory, BA is now gone, Territory cost me heaps to buy has lost a heap and therefore not an option to get rid of. I love the Territory its a great car but it's issues really get me down, As mentioned above if the Fiesta is the car you want then go for it.

Originally Posted by NJXR6

Steer clear of toyota.. I'd rather drive something with personality, than make up the numbers..

Amen to that, I feel that way about the Honda Jazz to a lesser extent

Originally Posted by auxr

If funds allow it, I would recommend any future purchase be mechanically inspected. Good luck

Yeah I will always bring it to a mechanic before purchasing the car, but it would be the "biased" mechanic since my parents have been servicing with him for quite a long time so he's deemed "trustworthy"

[Withnail]

What is your parents' problem? And specifically, your mother's?

Seriously, how you "wasted her day" because you got a car checked out, that turned out not to be the right one, is beyond me.

Ask her, when your parents bought their home, did they consider going to a house inspection where they found the house unsuitable, a wasted day?

Of course not! It is all part of finding what is right for you. You will rarely find that the first thing you look at is the right one, especially with a big purchase like a car.

Do your research, ask other mechanics, and learn to look after yourself.

Please don't take offence, I don't mean any to you or your parents, I'm just being honest.

[Withnail]

I just realised I will probably get flamed for the above post, not least because I didn't answer the OPs original question. Do Fords really break down that much?

All cars will break down if not serviced or looked after. And all makes will have some examples that are "lemons". Fords are no different, but I reckon they generally make good cars that go well.

That said, the Fiesta has a good rep and are a good car. Just find the one that is right for you.

[sd1800]

I purchased my EB2 Fairmont in Feb 2006 with 209,000kms. It now has 257,000kms and the only time it has left me stranded is when the starter motor failed. It has needed a few things changed in its time(alternator, coil, power steering switch) but for a 17 year old car with that many k's on the original engine, gearbox and diff, I would say it has been extremely reliable and my next car I can say comfortably will be a Ford.

Any manufacturer is going to have a few niggling issues, I guess some more than others, but any mechanic can work on a ford and parts are cheap as chips. If you maintain it well and have a preventative maintenance attitude it will go forever.

[steamin63]

the two best cars i have owned were a nissan bluebird trx. 287,000 km's before the head gasket went and a kj laser 235,000 km's and i just got the cv's replaced [both from new].
the two worst were an xf wagon [total bucket of poo]. it cost me over $4000 just to keep it going and i sold it for $1000 with 145,000 km's and straight as a die. the worst was an eb2 fairmont . the only part of that car i didn't have to repair was the "short motor". brakes,suspension,heads[x2],electrical,ecu,fuel pump,rust,etc,etc.i wrecked it and sold all of the near new parts for $3500.

[snappy]

If i was a betting man i would say chances are the toyota would have less problems. But i would still not buy one the yaris is a horrible car.
If i remember correctly feista is made in germany and as far as engineers go there the best in the world . So as long as you get it checked over by a mechanic and he gives it the thumbs up i say go for it.
Unless your mums paying if she is just take what ever you can get.

[ReVd_uP]

Just sold my wifes Fiesta this weekend gone, had it since new, around 80,000kms on it with zero problems in 5 years,.... I work for a Dealer as a Tech and see very very few Fiesta with problems, to be honest they are probably the most trouble free model in Fords line-up

[Dave R]

We can't really compare a European imported Ford to an Aussie made Ford in terms of quality/reliability, particularly E-Series Falcons from back in the '90s. The imported Euro Fords will have better quality than the lower volume Aussie built Falcons/Territories.

You really should ask the guys in the Fiesta/Focus section about how reliable these cars are. They are not built or designed by Ford Australia.

Originally Posted by Withnail

What is your parents' problem? And specifically, your mother's?

Seriously, how you "wasted her day" because you got a car checked out, that turned out not to be the right one, is beyond me.

Ask her, when your parents bought their home, did they consider going to a house inspection where they found the house unsuitable, a wasted day?

Of course not! It is all part of finding what is right for you. You will rarely find that the first thing you look at is the right one, especially with a big purchase like a car.

Do your research, ask other mechanics, and learn to look after yourself.

Please don't take offence, I don't mean any to you or your parents, I'm just being honest.

Haha no hard feelings dude, I was absolutely furious when my mum went off at me, shes just like that. She just seems to trust other people that know less than me, because.. they're older