Is the Ford Fiesta the Very Best First Car?

Is the Ford Fiesta the Very Best First Car?

Your first car will always have a special place in your heart, whether it’s a shiny new set of wheels courtesy of your parents, or a bucket of rust that barely passed its MOT. When it comes to picking it though, it is a good idea to do a bit of research beforehand to avoid ending up with something that really isn’t going to do the job. Fortunately, we think we can save you that hassle – quite simply, you can’t go wrong with a Ford Fiesta. It’s the most popular car in the UK for good reason.

The Fiesta has been around for a very long time now (since 1976 in fact), going through multiple changes in appearance and engineering, but it’s always been considered one of the better cars in its class. Decent build quality and reliability, decent equipment and styling, and crucially, good to drive. This is something Ford is known for. The latest Fiesta is so good in fact, that it’s actually being sold in the United States, where superminis do not traditionally do very well. Impressive indeed.

What makes it perfect as a first car is that you can pick them up for a reasonable amount of money, repair bills won’t cost the earth, and provided you don’t choose an ST, insurance will be more than reasonable too. Now you might think that this goes for a lot of other superminis such as the Corsa or Polo. True, they can be insured cheaply, but they don’t quite match the all-roundedness of the Ford, which is what makes it so good.

Now, there are a lot of variations to choose from depending on your budget. There’s not a lot to think about other than the total cost of the car and insurance, but there are a couple of pointers. Firstly, avoid the early 1.8 diesel; it’s just not very good. You also want to avoid the Zetec-S and ST models as they really will cost you a lot in insurance. Outside of that, you don’t really need to worry too much; even the smallest 1.25 engines are good to drive, unlike some of the base 1.0-litres you’ll find in rivals.

So there you have it. If you don’t want the hassle of researching a good first car, just try to find the best Fiesta you can afford. Reasonable mileage and history and you shouldn’t have many problems.