The car is a Ford Fiesta. The owner got it about 2 weeks ago, but after checking the VIN number he realised that the car was produced almost a year ago (November 2003). The car had 140km on the clock when he received it, which is unusualy high. Also, the plastics on the dashboard and the doors make loud rattling sounds, which is very annoying.
But the strangest thing of all is the rust on the CVs and the half-shafts (or whatever these things are called)
Looks like a normal amount of rust for a car that has been sitting around, exposed to the elements for a year. Not dangerous, but not terribly professional for a new car.
This may or may not mean anything. Car coulod have been sold and then returned or may have just be test driven a lot.
Again may or may not mean anything. The Festiva is a low end car, things will rattle, however the car may have been repaired, and parts not reinstalled correctly causing a rattle. I would suggest a test drive in another 2004 Festiva for comparsion.
In order:
No, not in anyway.
For untreated cast iron or steel yes. I could take you under a 1 year old car that cost 2 or 3X what that Festiva does, and show you similar rust.
You can always try, but I doubt you would be sucessful even if you were here in California, home of some the most pro consumer legislation anywhere.
It’s regular rust for a one year old car and no it’s not “dangeorus”. 140KM is too little to be a take home car. It apparently took a lot of demo rides before it sold. Is it unusual or ugly (as Festivas go) in some fashion?
That’s the cleanest undercarriage I’ve ever seen on a used car. **FX45 4Ever ** spouts much wisdom in his quip–although the rusty parts you show are usually painted black, at least they aren’t greasy. Just sayin. My money says the car slammed a curb and got some new aftermarket bits (note the yellow sticker on the axle–what’s up with that?). But if the car is tracking straight and the front end isn’t vibrating I’d say the repair is a good one.
140km is like, 84k miles. Very high given the year of the car which would explain the noisy interior.
I almost made that same mistake – it’s only 140 kilometers, not kilo-kilometers.
In any case, the rust looks perfectly normal for a one-year old car. Besides, what’s the first digit of the VIN? Or rather, where’s the car made? It must have come on a boat from somewhere, since small (unprofitable) cars have a habit of being made in Mexico, South America, or India.
Thanks everybody! As Bambi pointed out, the car is a Fiesta, not a Festiva. The kilometers on the clock were 140, not 140,000! It was bought as new, so 140 km is too much I think. If it was a test-drive model they should at least tell him.
Also, he has driven other Fiestas and they don’t rattle at all, which is very strange. I’m afraid what Inigo Montoya said is correct. The car was crashed and repaired
The pics wouldn’t load for me so I may be talking out my ass. BUT it’s a big scam to resale flood damaged vehicles w/out disclosure. It always a good idea to have the vehicle’s previous location tracked. IIRC when hurricane Andrew came through Florida there were thousands of vehicle put on the market afterwards that had simple been dried out and sold as is w/out disclosure.
Again, IIRC the deal was…thousands of vehicles were “condemned” due to salt water damage from the hurricane. The insurance companies of course payed for the damages. Then they were auctioned off in lots at very cheap prices for SALVAGE. But a lot of them found their way back into the used car lots after simply being dried out and cleaned up. Problem with shorts in the electrical systems and dangerously rusted parts ensued plus many other problems as well.
I am not saying this IS your situation but with the recent floods y’all need to be careful.
Although 140 KM is a tad much, they don’t have to tell your friend anything. My friend here ordered a Mitsu Lancer. Instead of shipping the car, they drove it 500 KM to the dealer. He refused the car and they wouldn’t refund his deposit. He’s suing them to get his money back (and Mitsubishi lost a lot of creditbility in our office).
If it really want a “demo” he could have made a deal but most of the demos here have several thousand KMs.
I think you nailed it - because of over-capacity in small car manufacturing (IIRC) there are (or were) huge acreages of new cars parked waiting for a market.
Maybe the fierce Bristolian sun, beating down though the windscreen, loosened the plastic on the dash!
[QUOTE=badmana]
Although 140 KM is a tad much, they don’t have to tell your friend anything. My friend here ordered a Mitsu Lancer. Instead of shipping the car, they drove it 500 KM to the dealer. He refused the car and they wouldn’t refund his deposit. He’s suing them to get his money back (and Mitsubishi lost a lot of creditbility in our office).
[QUOTE]
If it’s a warranty thing, the dealer typically has the authority to extend it beyond the miles on the odometer. The two brand new cars I’ve bought in my life had such done. Granted neither was 500 km, but I think the Civic had 70-something (miles), and the second Bonny had 30-something (miles).
Give it 5-10 years.
