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Should you buy one?

Well, as we have already mentioned, this generation is an old car nowadays so don’t expect any potential purchase to be mint fresh. Youngsters tend to modify them while nire genteel owners do nothing more than pootle to church in them paying scant attention to servicing issues.

That said, there are thousands of them in active service still and the reason for this is the way Ford had a good crack at upping its game in terms of build quality. Buy wisely and take your time – if you aren’t interested in what the Jones’s think a Mk5 Fiesta can be a viable and recommended used car purchase.

Our used car expert Mike Humble says

‘With tons of them out there, parts being rock bottom cheap and a nice DIY friendly engine bay, the old Mk5 fester still has a great deal going for it. If sourced from a well-established family-owned used car dealer or a private owner who offers you tea and biscuits, you could be onto a good thing. The old 1.3 pushrod cars are laughably dreadful to pilot but a cared for 1.25 Zetec and especially the bigger 1.4 clip along at any speed quite nicely. Automatics aren’t as sophisticated as some rivals sadly and Ford never quite got the gear selection quality as good as the Polo.

‘But to summarise, a well looked after Fiesta in decent trim level is a roomy, well equipped and jolly little thing that still manages to drive rather well even by todays standards. What impresses me most though is the grown up feeling of the interior. Compared to some rivals its put together rather well, the facia feels solid while echoing certain interior design cues of bigger brother Mondeo.’