CM ex-project cars update
Andrew Everett and Rob Hawkins have managed over 40 project cars for CM, but where are they now? Part 1 appeared in the last issue.
PART TWO
2009 FORD FIESTA 1.25 ZETEC
Now this was a very good car. Although the severe snow that winter made getting it here a bit dicey, being collected and photographed in the nick of time. PX59 YFR had done 100,000 miles and as a testament to how good Fords are these days. I collected it from MJ Motors who Rob Hawkins uses after Rob had collected it from BCA Leeds. It hummed along at 70 with typical Ford goodness. The driving position, gearchange, clutch and brakes are all spot on and it’s a nice car to drive. After 100k the Fiesta was still pretty fresh too, the Yamaha designed engine needing just an oil change, a new cambelt and water pump plus a set of new plugs to keep it running for another 100k.
We replaced the front and rear dampers, but the old ones were still fine, and they saw more use in a very leggy Fiesta Van where I believe they are still doing the job. Apart from the usual brakes, I replaced the key battery, repaired a couple of bumper scuffs and some very light surface rust at the base of the offside wing. This Fiesta was a superb small car which is why, when asked to recommend a first car, a ten-year-old 1.2 or 1.4 Fiesta is my first suggestion. It’s well built, reliable, drives very well and does everything better than a Micra or PSA product whilst being more durable than a VAG motor.
EDITOR’S COMMENT: I bought this one on the BCA description, with 99,477 miles (without any service history!). Andrew worked his
ANDREW EVERETT
magic before it headed back south. I sold the Fiesta to my ex-wife and she still drives it today. The aftermarket HID headlight kit was removed later when the intensity of the heat from the bulb distorted the lens of the nearside headlamp! Passed its latest MOT in September with nearly 121,000 miles on the clock.
2007 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI MkV
A car I picked up myself from BCA Nottingham. This 2007 Golf GTI was at the crossroads where it could be saved and turned into a decent car or become rubbish like the rest of them – and we looked at some real junk. Of course, it had rust because that’s what VAG cars of that era do best – passenger wing and the offside rear arch were both festering nicely. The ABS and traction control lights were on and that was a difficult fix as you cannot easily fit a used pump from another car – plus there are an insane number of different pumps that all need coding to the specific car spec. ECU Testing in Heanor eventually fixed that and we tried a pre-painted eBay front wing that I was not satisfied with. I did a DIY fix on the rear arch and had the kerbed alloys refurbished along with a new set of tyres. Engine wise, we did the cambelt and replaced the wear prone fuel pump lifter
