Ford Fiesta Usados en Venta en Lehighton, PA

I purchased this car for economic reasons - gas prices in 2011 were outrageous. I traded in a mini van for this vehicle. I immediately was blown away by the gas mileage. At first I thought the electronic reader was wrong - the estimated miles per gallon reader - I actually took pictures of it and pasted it on my dealer's Facebook to show them the mileage I was getting. The vehicle itself is slimlined - and what I mean is that I believe the engineer designed this to glide through air without you feeling a damn thing. Except for potholes, large cracks, ripples and speedbumps. Any compact car does poorly going across those. But after four years, this little Fiesta still has not suffered any issues from hitting any bumps.

Overall, this is a wonderful car for its compact size. It combines a nice look, excellent fuel economy, comfortable interior, and lots of electronic features. But while it excels in those, it unfortunately falls short in its mechanical performance. Fuel Economy This is probably the best thing about it, at times averaging 38-42 miles per gallon. You'd be hard-pressed to find that much in anything other than an electric or hybrid. There is a fuel economy meter which is important many times to visually see how your driving or vehicle health are impacting your gas mileage. Engine It's a small engine (1.6L) so obviously don't expect it to go terribly fast. However, because of its smaller size it can be quite a zippy little thing. Handling Great handling and braking. Always felt safe driving it when it was in good mechanical order. Interior The inside is comfortable and cozy, due to its smaller, more intimate feel. However, if you need more room for storage it's not ideal. The back seats do fold down to allow more trunk room into the vehicle. Electronics The stereo was great with built-in CD, MP3, audio input jack, satellite radio capability, smart phone pairing and Ford SYNC features. There are a LOT of buttons to get used to and there's a bit of a learning curve. There are a lot of nice features for controlling aspects of the vehicle from the menu. Mechanical The downside to this vehicle is its poor durability and design flaws. This model is notorious for the bad electronically shifted transaxle design that Ford implemented. We were not alone in experiencing poor shifting and loud clacking noises, and have needed it serviced under warranty three times for transaxle failures. A rear wheel hub also failed and was replaced, a front outer tie rod end failed and needed to be replaced, the carrier bearing for the axle failed and needed to be replaced. These all occurred before there were even 50,000 miles on this car. Granted, Minnesota is full of rough roads and potholes from harsh winters, but that should factor into your decision about whether this vehicle is capable of handling the environment it needs to drive in. Rough roads... I'd suggest looking at something else.