Why I Love My Ford Fiesta!

In 2005 at the age of eighteen I teetered in my ridiculously high heels, peroxide blonde hair, and a fresh sunbed tan with my chihuahua puppy under my arm to the Evans Halshaw Ford Milton Keynes Kingston dealership to buy a new car. I had a bit of a bad track record with crashing cars since passing my driving test the year beforehand, and I managed to transform a Toyota Yaris and Rover 25 into metal-recyclings within a matter of months; considering I had just written off my latest car I was out for an afternoon of lunch and a spot of car shopping.

A giant inflatable monkey floating above the dealership caught my attention from the side of the road and I thought my dog might like to go and see it so we pulled onto the forecourt to take a look. There were hundreds of various gleaming Ford cars in every colour imaginable lining our path as the staff came out to greet us. At eighteen I knew (and arguably still know) very little about cars. At the time I was a student and made a fifty mile round trip each day to college and back and I vaguely remembered my parents advising me to mention “fuel-efficient” and “low insurance” when choosing my next victim/car. And I remember telling the salesperson with great fondness that I wanted something “shiny” and “black please” which is when I was taken across to what is today my Ford Fiesta and it was love at first sight.

It was just beautiful in black, super insanely shiny and it smelled of a new car; linen and polish. The salesman opened the door and I sat in the drivers seat with the beautiful summer sun shining through the window and the smooth steering wheel welcoming my touch; it was surprisingly spacious, elegantly modern and seemed to have loads of cool gadgets and buttons and lights everywhere, I literally couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. Within less than five minutes I stepped into the office to sign for the paperwork and take my new baby home. And I gave the attentive staff an hour or so of light entertainment when my chihuahua decided to clumsily run into a pane of the glass wall thinking that he could bounce outside. With my annual car insurance policy costing just over £4,000 and in the process of settling my latest write-off closure I had no idea that I needed temporary insurance to take my car home, or that I might need to bring proof of identity and my drivers license with me. But the staff were highly efficient (and patient) and talked me through it all making the entire process effortless, although at the time I was far too excited about my latest purchase for it all to sink in, and we arranged to return in a day or so’s time to collect the keys and finalise the paperwork.

As the car was just over two years old at the time of purchase it had a couple of stone chips on the bonnet which they arranged to have painted, remote central locking didn’t come as standard so I asked for them to have it fitted, as well as installing a touch screen stereo (which involved removing the existing built in stereo and adding in a new box and fascia), 12 disc CD-changer, car mats and organising GAP insurance should I crash my car again and it was all ready and in the diary for my next visit.

I took a very small and pixelated picture of the car on my Sony Ericsson t68 mobile with camera attachment and showed my parents when I retuned home that evening. They were delighted that I’d been wise enough to buy a diesel and thought that my choice of black was more fitting after my past ones were green, red and silver and I may have jinxed myself if I chose the same colour car that I’d already had an accident in.

At the following visit I returned with my chihuahua, lipgloss and an envelope of cash and paid for my new several-thousand-pound toy! A short while later after signing the papers and having a demonstration of where the reverse was and how to find the boot release I drove off to the city to go shopping and it was the most enjoyable ride ever. The steering was smooth, soft, swift and comfortable and a complete joy to drive. The fuel economy is amazing and I hardly ever have to go to petrol stations. I chose my Ford Fiesta as a simple-minded teenager eight years ago, and to this day, thankfully it has somehow been the best purchase I have ever made.

Now, looking back I have made some very pointless and silly purchases and wasted a lot of money on random things over the years, but I am genuinely shocked to have made such a brilliant choice of car at such a young age and should I find myself buying a car today, several years on, I would still choose a Fiesta with pride. I look at drivers on the road who have the same car as me and I realise that it’s not limited to just one kind of custom, whether it be teenagers, families or the elderly, because EVERYBODY drives my car. And it speaks volumes for its likability and performance as it really is a car that can take you from start to finish, not only in your daily travels but in maturity through life.

To put this into perspective, let me demonstrate how my relationship with my Fiesta has flourished over the years. As a student it got me safely to college and back daily at very little cost in fuel and thanks to having a TrafficMaster tracker fitted it took my insurance down to £1,200 within the first year (following my young age and previous crash history) to just over £300 this year at the ripe old age of twenty-five with eight years no claims bonus. Since purchasing my Fiesta I have never had another crash, despite my write-off spree with cars at the time and inexperience at driving, as it’s so wonderful to handle, it holds the roads and laughs in the face of bad weather conditions and snow whilst all of the other cars wheel spin and skid into ditches.

After leaving college it served at driving me to and from work on a daily fifty-five mile round trip, parking in tight spaces and mastering a three-point-turn on the size of a penny, there really is no challenge that my Fiesta can’t beat!

When I became a mother my Fiesta gallantly welcomed the addition of children’s car seats, pushchairs, shopping bags and baby paraphernalia with plenty of space for it all and then some, cup holders for bottles and door and seat pockets for colouring books. A four-hour road trip is more comfortable and spacious for leg room than an Easyjet flight to Spain.

When I moved home there is not much that I didn’t transport to my new house via my Fiesta; my washing machine, fridge, cooker, bunk beds, double bed, wardrobes, chest of drawers, french dresser, sofa, dining table and six chairs, artificial tree, mountains of boxes and bags and guinea pigs and rabbits with hutches and play cages. As the back seats flip up and fold down the boot becomes insanely massive with the capability of making a van blush despite it pretending to be a petite hatchback, it literally is a tardis inside and I’ve put all of the other non-Fiesta drivers in my family to shame with its ever-growing portfolio of accomplishments.

And when my annual MOT reminder comes in I never bat an eyelid because it passes with flying colours every time with only the odd new tyre needed or bulb light replacing over the years. The road tax had always been around £100.00 each year and a service and car wax every now and then keeps it looking as beautiful as the day I first bought it. When the RAC and AA salespeople in town stop shoppers with offers of their latest breakdown cover and roadside assistance I glide straight past with a smile on my face as I’ve never had it, never needed it and don’t want it, because my car is eleven years old this year and has never broken down. My Fiesta is more reliable than the sun.

My parents neighbour is a lovely elderly gentleman who has not long celebrated his 90th birthday and when visiting them last week we exchanged brilliant smiles as we both pulled up to the close at the same time in our matching Ford Fiesta’s and I gestured him to go ahead and park first. And it gives me great assurance that should I find myself living to a ripe old age of ninety-something that my beloved Fiesta will still purr like a pussycat beneath my cushioned heels and soft hands.

For those of you who like to purchase a car based on actual facts and figures, take a look through these!
General Production: 05 Apr 2002 – 04 Oct 2005
Dimensions: Length-3916mm Width-1905mm Height-1463mm Weight-1111 kg

Fuel Delivery: Multi point fuel injection
Transmission: Manual
Gears: 5 Speed

MPG: 43
Insurance Group: 10
Euro Emissions Standard: 4
CO2 Emissions: 154 g/km
VED Band: G

Performance: Engine Size-1388 cc
Cylinders: 4
0-60 mph: 12.3 secs
Top Speed: 104 mph (Would it be illegal to disagree with this? *cough*115*cough*)
Power Output: 78 bhp
Valves: 16
Torque: 124 Nm 91 lb-ft

Wheelbase: 2486 mm
Luggage Capacity: 284 litres
Fuel Capacity: 45 litres
Turning Circle: 9 m
Braked Towing Weight: 900 kg

And that is why I adore my Ford Fiesta, because to me it is not just a car, it is a companion, protector and friend. It has stood beside me through massive changes in my life over the years, carried my children and never let me down, remaining as reliable now as the day I first bought it. The Ford is a true masterpiece and something I will always be in awe of. So if you are thinking of buying a car, you know where to go!