Ford Fiesta (1976 - 1982) Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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User reviews for Ford Fiesta (1976 - 1982)
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by Anonymous
May 12, 2014
This was my first new car and from Day 1 it was a nightmare: The engine stalled almost every time it rained--which happens a LOT in Maryland.
Naturally it stalled most often late at night in the middle of nowhere or on a long stretch of freeway with miles to the next exit--pretty scary for a young woman on her own. I'd just moved to Md for a new job (my first after college) and the last thing I needed was an unreliable car.
I kept taking it back to the dealer and they kept saying they couldn't find any problem. Naturally. Finally someone figured out it was a "hairline crack" in the distributor cap, but that took years to find out and by then I was so sick of the blasted car that I wanted to roll it off a cliff or set it on fire. I was lucky to sell it 4 years later when I moved overseas.
I'd been leery of getting a Ford in the first place but didn't have a lot of money. The only reason I bought it was because it was made in Germany--I thought surely that was a good thing, right? ... Nope, not necessarily; even Germans produce the occasional lemon, or at least Ford Germany did.
In the end, that car caused so much aggro and true anxiety that I'll NEVER buy another Ford. There is probably a subtype of PTSD caused wholly by the Ford Fiesta, I swear. At the time, I remember wishing for a special place in hell for the morons who built and sold it.
Which brings me to the dealership where I bought the car (Academy Ford in Laurel, Md). The level of ineptitude and disrespect they showed deserves mention. Whether or not they were any worse than other dealership at the time, I don't know. I'm sure that if I'd brought along a male family member or boyfriend I would have gotten respect and answers a lot sooner, but that wasn't an option. Since I see that Academy is still in business, I hope that means they've improved.May 12, 2014
by Anonymous
Jan 22, 2014
the car is good and fun to drive.it handle good and the acceleration is good if you know how to use the gears and if the carb is adjusted right.the brakes are not great but they are good it stop fast for having manual brakes.I felt safe driving it.I had it up to 80 mph one time.would not recommend it.it feels like its floating so bad idea.Jan 22, 2014
by Jay M
Dec 15, 2011
It's a classic car & i love them they are relieable and cheap to run. ( get the insurance from footman james they are great. ) and people love seeing them at show's and rallies (rallies like the London to Brighton Classic car run in june every year.) and more social event's like show's and owners club meetings, show's and runs.Dec 15, 2011
User rating:
by Anonymous
May 12, 2014
This was my first new car and from Day 1 it was a nightmare: The engine stalled almost every time it rained--which happens a LOT in Maryland.
Naturally it stalled most often late at night in the middle of nowhere or on a long stretch of freeway with miles to the next exit--pretty scary for a young woman on her own. I'd just moved to Md for a new job (my first after college) and the last thing I needed was an unreliable car.
I kept taking it back to the dealer and they kept saying they couldn't find any problem. Naturally. Finally someone figured out it was a "hairline crack" in the distributor cap, but that took years to find out and by then I was so sick of the blasted car that I wanted to roll it off a cliff or set it on fire. I was lucky to sell it 4 years later when I moved overseas.
I'd been leery of getting a Ford in the first place but didn't have a lot of money. The only reason I bought it was because it was made in Germany--I thought surely that was a good thing, right? ... Nope, not necessarily; even Germans produce the occasional lemon, or at least Ford Germany did.
In the end, that car caused so much aggro and true anxiety that I'll NEVER buy another Ford. There is probably a subtype of PTSD caused wholly by the Ford Fiesta, I swear. At the time, I remember wishing for a special place in hell for the morons who built and sold it.
Which brings me to the dealership where I bought the car (Academy Ford in Laurel, Md). The level of ineptitude and disrespect they showed deserves mention. Whether or not they were any worse than other dealership at the time, I don't know. I'm sure that if I'd brought along a male family member or boyfriend I would have gotten respect and answers a lot sooner, but that wasn't an option. Since I see that Academy is still in business, I hope that means they've improved.May 12, 2014
by Anonymous
Jan 22, 2014
the car is good and fun to drive.it handle good and the acceleration is good if you know how to use the gears and if the carb is adjusted right.the brakes are not great but they are good it stop fast for having manual brakes.I felt safe driving it.I had it up to 80 mph one time.would not recommend it.it feels like its floating so bad idea.Jan 22, 2014
by Jay M
Dec 15, 2011
It's a classic car & i love them they are relieable and cheap to run. ( get the insurance from footman james they are great. ) and people love seeing them at show's and rallies (rallies like the London to Brighton Classic car run in june every year.) and more social event's like show's and owners club meetings, show's and runs.Dec 15, 2011
by Grayson H
Jul 30, 2011
Super sick car. I want another one already. It was like a vw rabbit mk1 or
2. Nothing to the car at all. very simple easy to work on. fun to drive. Not
one if you want to impress with power. but girls think its cute! well. . not
my girlfriend. lolJul 30, 2011
by Andy N
Sep 04, 2010
This was my first car so I loved it like every 1 does with their first. It had a great exhaust noise that nade u feel that u were going quicker than u were, It had no mod cons with it and what I loved was the foot pump by the pedels for the windscreen washer, u dont get cars like that anymore. It wasnt too slow eather for what it was, no cat cause of its age and no rev limiter eather so it screamed in to gear and went up to 85mph but felt like 150mph, it brings back good times as any first car should.Sep 04, 2010
by Kalle J
May 06, 2010
Performance -1,1 l
Build Quality -never left me on the road
Appearance - bright red with no extras
Cost of Ownership - boght it for7000 EEK in finland
10 l/ 100 km
Fun Factor - wa the best car that a yong man cold wantMay 06, 2010
by Anonymous
Mar 13, 2010
the color will knock your socks off (lime green)-has real good pick and doesn't rust out like the newer ones do.This car is not for dating purposes!!This car will handle the snow with no problem at all up to 12 inches.Mar 13, 2010
by Anonymous
Nov 05, 2009
I bought it new in Jan. 1979, and put 44,000 miles on it without any problems at all. Excellant gas mileage @ 42mpg on the highway. I still miss that car. It was very fun to drive! Unfortunately, I wrecked it.
SamanthaNov 05, 2009
by Elisa E
Oct 27, 2009
Did not like the damp, she was a beast I loved her boxey shape.
She had issues with the clutch, I remember some plastic cog thing behind the pedal.
I owned 2 Fiesta's, my first car which was white got stolen and then I had one in midnight blue, I loved them despite their issues!
Oct 27, 2009
by Brian D
Oct 20, 2009
Performance acceleration on 12 inch wheels was not quite TRX circa 1982. Braking was easily overtaxed with H20'ed catamaran tows. Build quality was par as replacing cooling tube brass plating bonnet side. The cooling tube was pitted flow side.Oct 20, 2009
by Sam D
Sep 27, 2009
Car belongs to my Dad, I first learnt to drive in her. Bought by my dad approx 5 years ago of eBay of all places! Used to belong to an ex-RAF mechanic who never took anywhere! When we picked it up it was still rolling on the original '81 tyres! No visible signs of rust, car used to be waxoiled regularly.
Originally produced in 1977 the Fiesta was Fords first front wheel drive and was built in response to a fuel crisis. Therefore ecomy on the car is fantastic! This Fiesta was built in the Spanish factory as opposed to Dagenham, meaning the bodywork is less prone to rust.
Sep 27, 2009
by Stuart P
Sep 23, 2009
1980 ford fiesta supersport, there was only 3000 made between 1980-1982, as a pilot for the xr2, the supersport is a 1300 engine, and the xr2 is 1600! there aint many about as good as this! its with me to the grave!Sep 23, 2009
by Anonymous
Jun 16, 2009
It was my first car. Bought it used with 30,000 miles on
it. Drove it all through high school. All the boys
commented on my car. The paint eventually faded and
the brakes kept leaking fluid into the floor board when I
finally let her go. Looking forward to the new one coming
in 2010.Jun 16, 2009
by Trevor J
Mar 10, 2009
Not much to say about this car, it went like a one legged
rat up a slippery pipe. But the Gas mileage was awesome,
it not only took me from work and back more often than
not without pushing, but I landed dates with this
car...retro is cool...hahahahaMar 10, 2009
by Anonymous
Jan 19, 2009
I first saw the Fiesta when I was stationed in Germany in 1978 and bought my 1598cc US Spec Fiesta new in September 1980, when I was transferred stateside to Ft. Polk, LA. She was bare bones, with an AM/FM radio and a sunroof. At Ft. Polk it gained the nickname "Fiesty" and I drove it back and forth from Indiana to Fort Polk and all over Louisiana and East Texas until '82 and then daily to school and then daily to my cushy government job. At 89,000 miles I converted her into an SCCA ITC racer in 1986. In that first race I came from way back and lost by only 3 feet. We ended up taking a win, 3 more 2nd places and 2 4th places. I never raced her again, but have driven her on the street occasionally since. I went on to work full in racing, but just about everywhere I have gone I took my Fiesty. She is in the garage right now, waiting for a some much needed bodywork.Jan 19, 2009
by Stephanie M
Jan 19, 2009
well this was my first car... i dont no what it is but when iv had a newer car yes a few things are much better than the cars b 4 it but i think i like the old cars the 1's that arnt perfect... they have history n are querky so give me n old classic car any time...i loved this car we shared many gd memories, even took me to 1 end of the country n back n she didnt even moan..rip lil 1..just remamber u made a girl happy n she thanked u cause she didnt have to walk or catch the bus any more!!Jan 19, 2009
by Anonymous
Jan 14, 2009
A Yellow 79 was my first car bought for $900 w/ 88 thousand on the clock in 1985. I was 16 and hard on it. the only time it failed me was my fault for running out of gas. In stop light races I never lost to a Rabbit (the HOT car to have @ my HS). I added a sunroof myself, learned how to replace brakes,put ghia interior in, and drove it for 3 years. My dad took it over when I replaced it and he drove it as a second car untill it finally died w/nearly 180 thousand miles on it by then in 1991/2. He sold it for parts for $350. I miss it to this day. Cheap, fun, quick, reliable, great MPG. Jan 14, 2009
by Marc N
Dec 30, 2008
It was a cute car and two of my brothers had one with great success, however the one I purchased was yellow for a reason. It was fun to drive but I went through two engines. Then one day I crashed it and can still hear the ringing from the tin it was made from.Dec 30, 2008
by Keith G
Nov 17, 2008
best little car i had, had loads of rattles mauve in colour very fast for size of car. the ecceration was good for a small car it only cost 3000 at the time.it was very fun to drive.it was very relaible and never let me down all the time i had the car.Nov 17, 2008
by Sam B
Oct 15, 2008
It was so crap it was great... mrk1 fiesta had no power for pulling away but it got faster as it went along up to about a top speed of 80. Admitedly with 4 gears it was never going to be the fastest car in the fleet but it had... character!Oct 15, 2008
by James V
Aug 20, 2008
This car was super sweet, it was lime green and had a fake carbon fiber hood.
I think I had RX-7 seats in it but only a front drivers side seat. I had a great time in this car but it only had a 4 speed so it only got like 24 miles to the gallon so I couldn't afford to drive it to work. Aug 20, 2008
by Pete G
Apr 29, 2008
quick agile and gutsy even pretty good to look at in my own opinion the mk1 xr2 was the best of the xr2 series and i've tried the others too but the mk1 still comes out on top for meApr 29, 2008
by Ben W
Apr 14, 2008
great maneuverabilty fun car to driveApr 14, 2008
by Suzi D
Apr 12, 2008
A great classic, now. Was my first car so it has to be be brill.Apr 12, 2008
by Steve H
Mar 31, 2008
This was my friend David's first car, which I had to drive to the hospital once when his girlfriend had a medical emergency. It had a 0.75l engine so obviously there wasn't much acceleration to speak of and from what I recall you had to stamp your foot on the brake pedal as hard as possible in order to get it to slow down slightly!, OK that's a bit of an exaggeration but I seriously thought the brakes didn't work at first lolMar 31, 2008
by Dominic R
Mar 19, 2008
I bought it when I was 15 and never drove it on the roads. Real bag of crapMar 19, 2008
by Richard D
Mar 12, 2008
Awesome car, used to call it 'the roller skate', it looked cool, was low to the floor (so it seemed like you were going faster than you really are, lol), fast accelerating (for a 957cc lol), shame it rusted away.Mar 12, 2008
by Phil W
Feb 22, 2008
Better than a poloFeb 22, 2008
by Joe S
Jan 18, 2008
It was my first car and I drove the heck out of it.
However, the paint on the wings faded, the driveshaft went (twice), the clutch went, brakes were poor quality as was the interior.
Generally naff!Jan 18, 2008
by Ben T
Jan 13, 2008
My first proper car on the road a MK1 fiesta popular plus 957cc.
Had all the mod cons,like windows,seats and even a fuel gauge.
A great little car,but liked to chew up front tryes every few monthsJan 13, 2008
by Jude H
Jan 10, 2008
Mine had a fast road engine which caused it to pop a drive shaft regularly which wasn't good!!Jan 10, 2008
by Kerri T
Jan 09, 2008
As this was my first car and given to me I had no complaints as didnt have anything to compare it with. It got me from A to B reliably most of the time, had some little hiccups but then the car was nearly vintage!! She didnt like the cold so had to put a blanket under the bonnet on very cold nights.Jan 09, 2008
by Katie H
Jan 08, 2008
Rust bucket on wheels not worth the insurance money-only 1 break working rolled backwards with handbrake on- super!Jan 08, 2008
by Caroline E
Jan 06, 2008
It was alright for a 1st carJan 06, 2008
by Colin R
Jan 01, 2008
This Fiesta Supersport was my first growd up car! Ford produced less than 3000 of these beauties and I was really lucky to get hold of one as nice as this. It had a 1300 Kent engine with Big Weber carb and K&N filter - sounded great. Best bit was the RS four-spoke alloys - loved'em.
Drove it for a few years, and then managed to pass it on for more than I originally paid for it - can't be bad!Jan 01, 2008
by Simon H
Dec 30, 2007
First car! 1.1 Pop Plus, Terracotta red (thats orange) with florescent mudflaps that could be seen half a mile away...Dec 30, 2007
by Kristian H
Dec 30, 2007
This car was given to me for free by a friend and other than bein brown was a brilliant car. It took me and seven other people in it once with the only problem being the exhaust scraped on the road slightly! If I hadn't of messed up replacing the points I would've kept it for a lot longerDec 30, 2007
by Wayne D
Dec 22, 2007
I drove this thing up from FL to IL in 1986. It overheated in GA, and I was stuck in Forsyth for 3-4 days while the engine was replaced. When I got up to IL, the transaxle went out. fell out actually.Dec 22, 2007
by Steven J
Dec 20, 2007
too bad its so hard to find another oneDec 20, 2007
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