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New here

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Columbia, IL, USA
#1
Hey I’m Seth, I’m new here and don’t currently own a fiesta st however once I get back from boot camp in November I will be looking for one to buy. Any tips or pointers would be appreciated and if anyone can help me look for the right one when I am ready that would be great!
 


XR650R

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Eerie
#7
Hey I’m Seth, I’m new here and don’t currently own a fiesta st however once I get back from boot camp in November I will be looking for one to buy. Any tips or pointers would be appreciated and if anyone can help me look for the right one when I am ready that would be great!
Sorry I didn't respond with a longer post before.
Get the latest year you can find with low miles. Something that hasn't been beat to death. The paint on these is not very good, so look around all the seams and such for potential rust. The antenna mount likes to bubble up. Mine is. Gonna have to fix that, eventually.
Change the tranny fluid with 2 liters of synthetic (I used Ravenol, but some people like Motul 300). Use great oil, and change it every 5000 miles.
The link I posted talks about some other stuff.
For the most part, these cars are reliable. The engine and tranny are used in much bigger vehicles with no issues.
 


OP
S
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Location
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Thread Starter #8
Sorry I didn't respond with a longer post before.
Get the latest year you can find with low miles. Something that hasn't been beat to death. The paint on these is not very good, so look around all the seams and such for potential rust. The antenna mount likes to bubble up. Mine is. Gonna have to fix that, eventually.
Change the tranny fluid with 2 liters of synthetic (I used Ravenol, but some people like Motul 300). Use great oil, and change it every 5000 miles.
The link I posted talks about some other stuff.
For the most part, these cars are reliable. The engine and tranny are used in much bigger vehicles with no issues.
Thank you very much! I have a buddy who has a professional paint booth so whenever it comes time to re paint I’m gonna be going with molten orange. Will definitely come back to this post once it’s time to buy as well.
 


kivnul

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#9
It would be wise to check for modifications already performed on the car. Depending on what was done, it can either:

a) Save you money since the mods were tastefully done and match the level of modifications you were already going to do (things like a rear motor mount, new springs/shocks)
b) Be a warning sign that the car Might have been abused (new intake, downpipe, hacksawed exhaust, slamed to the ground with short short lowering springs)

If you suspect B, its great if you can talk to the actual seller / previous driver since you can actually ask them what they did with the car. They might have actually babied the heck out of it and modified it tastefully. If you are buying it heavily modified from a used car lot, I would stay away since there is a good chance the seller dumped the car due to something being wrong with it. My car is heavily modified and if I saw it on a dealer lot I would run away quick =)
 


dhminer

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#10
It would be wise to check for modifications already performed on the car. Depending on what was done, it can either:

a) Save you money since the mods were tastefully done and match the level of modifications you were already going to do (things like a rear motor mount, new springs/shocks)
b) Be a warning sign that the car Might have been abused (new intake, downpipe, hacksawed exhaust, slamed to the ground with short short lowering springs)

If you suspect B, its great if you can talk to the actual seller / previous driver since you can actually ask them what they did with the car. They might have actually babied the heck out of it and modified it tastefully. If you are buying it heavily modified from a used car lot, I would stay away since there is a good chance the seller dumped the car due to something being wrong with it. My car is heavily modified and if I saw it on a dealer lot I would run away quick =)
Couldn’t agree more. I’d never buy a modified car unless I knew who I was buying from and knew them to not be an idiot.
 


OP
S
Messages
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Location
Columbia, IL, USA
Thread Starter #11
It would be wise to check for modifications already performed on the car. Depending on what was done, it can either:

a) Save you money since the mods were tastefully done and match the level of modifications you were already going to do (things like a rear motor mount, new springs/shocks)
b) Be a warning sign that the car Might have been abused (new intake, downpipe, hacksawed exhaust, slamed to the ground with short short lowering springs)

If you suspect B, its great if you can talk to the actual seller / previous driver since you can actually ask them what they did with the car. They might have actually babied the heck out of it and modified it tastefully. If you are buying it heavily modified from a used car lot, I would stay away since there is a good chance the seller dumped the car due to something being wrong with it. My car is heavily modified and if I saw it on a dealer lot I would run away quick =)
Yeah I was already planning on making sure it was babied and either stock or minor modifications. Thank you for the reply though!
 


Capri to ST

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#12
Welcome, and good luck with boot camp. I agree with the advice above to get the newest year you can find. Specifically I would at least get one from '16 on. The reason is that some '14s and '15s were recalled for a defect in the head which could lead to coolant leaks and overheating. The fix is somewhat of a Band-Aid, a sensor and a few other things, but it doesn't replace the head. It has been reported that the model years from '16 on have a new head with a different part number. Other than that the cars have been quite reliable, with the other main issue being blend door actuators that sometimes start clicking and drive you crazy until you replace them. The engines were used for years in the Formula Ford racing series, which is obviously a good sign for the durability of the car.
One way to tell if a car has been modified with a tune and then returned to stock is to have your PPI done at a Ford dealer. I have read that they can check and see how many times the car has been started since the ECU was reflashed. If that number is out of line with the age of the car, this could tell you the car was tuned. At least I would want to know what other reason there was for the ECU being reflashed. You can also check a specific VIN number to see if it's subject to the recall.
Hang around on this forum and you'll pick up a lot of good information, there are some knowledgeable and helpful people on here.
 


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