My question is do you guys think it has a likely chance of making it to 200,000. I need a car to be reliable for the next 5 years and I just dont know if this is it. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Maybe comment the mileage of your 2011-2019 fiesta!
Does it have a service history? If the timing belt has been done (and water pump), tranny oil, coolant, brake bleed... All the high mileage stuff, then I wouldn't hesitate to buy it
I agree with you both - for if the work has been done to service the initial Water pump/Timing Belt change issues - then it's worth it.
The biggest hurdle most of these vehicles have to face - is the swap out of the Timing Belt - Water pump pair. usually around 100,000 Miles - once that is done - it seems their "Break-in period" that was in that first 100,000 miles - is finally done.
Once the "Bugs" that pop up during that time, are addressed - they don't seem to become chronic after, so the integrity of the system, block and all - is pretty much set and good for many hundreds of thousands more miles - and these things can cruise without any true problems afterwards - even beyond 300,000 miles.
Ok, before flames erupt from "pants on fire" moment - I do have records of services provided to these vehicles and their service records on even the one I mostly drive as part of the Fleet. All of them required service of one level or another as most of them were purchased used - overall they have had very few problems and with the knowledge of what those problems are - mostly; Service the Battery, Alternator, Electrical wiring, Tires - Fluids and keep away from severely potholed roads and help to prevent the body work required because of being unable to avoid or keep distance around careless / distracted drivers - are some of the most important parts needing the most care of, in these vehicles.
If you search for my username - you'll find that more often than not, I am trying to warn others that maintenance is the biggest task you'll ever have to worry about with these vehicles. I can't stress this enough - not to intimidate you, it's just that common sense in cleaning and care goes a long way in keeping this or any other vehicle on the road - longer.
I currently own a Fiesta that only has about 39,000 miles. But I - as a driver, use Fiestas that have well over 190,000+ and some closing in on 300,000 miles in our fleet - that may drip a little oil. However, they still work and are quite reliable compared even to other Ford's we use in comparable mileage.
Now, the TCM issues and their Solenoids are a separate issue of recall but when you look at the Manual side, if the Clutch and Axles driveline seem solid when you drive it, then you're good for many more miles after. Some owners of these I meet at the various stops I make - have found theirs to be going, and doing surprisingly well, for the mileage they have on theirs. The Clutch goes out? - so what - it's like any other Manual, many a mechanic can help you fix that and to them it's easy money to do so. But - if you drive like a maniac, expect to go thru them, if you drive normally - and that means a wide range of "normal" - the clutch usually outlasts the vehicle's body.
Wheel bearings and Tie Rod and Ball joint/struts are part of a normal maintenance and most often - if treated well, don't need a lot of service nor constant check and replacement If, like any other vehicle - it has not been stressed or banged up by bad roads - you have a lot of miles before you need to give any of these parts any attention.
To ask "What's your opinion?" is very subjective and you can get a lot of negative reports, but for what that vehicle is, the only thing I'm finding out in just my ownership of one - being over 4 years old, is the Body rust - the better you take care of it, the body can last as long as the engine will - if both are taken care of - together.
I'm currently getting between 35 to 38MPG.
So to help you with that, best to make sure you get it aligned amidst keeping it in proper alignment. It's important - try to get a printout of where you start - in the recorded sheet, you keep to show alignment. Then, as you use it - if you feel the car is acting more sluggish, not as peppy or seems to have rolling issues or drift problems, then get another assessment of the alignment - then review what changed and have it addressed right away - a bad bushing can put you in a bad spot if they are not replaced - which really needs to have something really wrong happen to it to even get that to happen.
You will have to "test" that alignment - by noticing how it rolls and if you have time during your life to spend a quiet moment in an empty parking lot to do some simple tests - see how hard it is to push the car, or roll it or how long it will roll - to help you determine if tires need replacement or the struts need to be changed - many times the OEM tires are what can cause the most friction issues and rolling resistance because they tested the car that way per the engineering departments recommendations. And, as they wear, the tires develop their own wear pattern which may affect performance thru it's lifetime.
I too have had to make choices on tire selection - right now BF Goodrich brand and their Advantage series of tires has my vote for performance, wear-ability and reduced rolling resistance effects. Provided that you get it properly aligned to start with.
So there is a lot to be said about what others think about their vehicle - and when you practice the effort of maintaining and the choices of what to try or do next, you develop a pattern of experiences that can help you prolong the life of the car, so when it comes to asking us about ours, again it is subjective, and if there was a way to get some of my other previous earlier vehicles I have had thru the years of driving, back, I'd be still driving them and might not have a whole heck of a lot of time to stop into a forum to say Hello. I'd be out there - enjoying what I love.
