2002 Ford Fiesta 1.4L Petrol · GL02 KBU

A twenty-four-year-old Ford Fiesta carrying a recorded 130,561 miles presents a roadworthiness record that is largely settled but not without its telling advisories, most recently evidenced by a clean pass on 1 May 2026 with no defects recorded. Across the five tests on file, only one failure appears, dated 24 April 2023, and it was relatively minor in nature: an inoperative nearside front position lamp and an illegible rear registration plate inscription, both routine items easily remedied. The intervening and subsequent tests passed without comment, including the 2024 and 2025 entries, which suggests the underlying structure and core safety systems have held up consistently. However, the 2025 advisory list is worth weighing carefully, as it flagged an oil leak that was deemed not excessive, an offside rear tyre worn close to the legal limit and on its edge, and play detected in both offside and nearside front steering rack inner joints. These items were not severe enough to fail at that point, but they represent wear points that, on a car of this age and mileage, can progress between annual tests and warrant close physical inspection before purchase. With 130,561 miles spread over twenty-four years, the Fiesta averages roughly 5,440 miles annually, a notably low figure that could reflect either genuinely light private use or extended periods of inactivity. The MOT history itself shows regular annual testing with no multi-year gaps, indicating the vehicle has remained on the road and in use throughout the recorded period rather than being laid up. Low annual mileage of this nature typically reduces wear on high-mileage items such as the clutch, gearbox internals and engine bottom-end components, but it can simultaneously accelerate age-related deterioration in rubber and plastic components, including steering rack boots, suspension bushes, coolant hoses and brake flex lines. The fact that steering rack inner joint play has been recorded at the front axle is consistent with this age-related rather than mileage-related wear pattern, and the buyer should be mindful that further deterioration in those joints, or in associated mounting bushes, is plausible even if the test at presentation passed without comment. The steering rack inner joint advisories on both sides are the most mechanically significant items in the recent record and deserve direct attention during any inspection. On a test drive, listen for clonking or knocking from the front end, particularly over speed bumps, potholes or when turning the lock from straight ahead, as worn inner tie-rod or rack mounts commonly produce such symptoms. Check for uneven or feathered wear across the front tyres, as free play in the steering assembly tends to scrub rubber inconsistently, and feel for any vagueness, wander or delayed response in the steering, which would suggest the joints have loosened further since the 2025 advisory. The 2025 oil leak advisory, classed as not excessive, points to a weeping component somewhere in the engine or gearbox sealing area; on inspection, look for fresh oil residue on the underside of the engine, around the sump gasket, valve cover gasket or, on automatic variants, the transmission pans, and sniff for any burnt oil smell under bonnet after a warm run. Tyre condition should also be verified directly, as the offside rear was flagged as edge-worn; uneven shoulder wear on a single rear tyre can indicate alignment or suspension geometry issues that may not yet have manifested as a test failure. Beyond the flagged items, the buyer should approach a 2002 Fiesta with awareness of its age cohort's typical vulnerabilities, particularly around corrosion and the durability of flexible components. Examine the rear subframe mounting points, the inner wheel arches, the sill seams and the suspension strut tops for any surface rust or structural corrosion, as these areas on early-2000s Fiestas are known to deteriorate even on lightly used examples. Inspect the brake discs and pads for lipping and low pad material, and check that the handbrake holds effectively on an incline, given that rear drum or caliper mechanisms of this era can bind or seize with age. Finally, confirm that all exterior lamps illuminate correctly, including the position lamp that previously failed, and that the rear number plate remains legible, as these were the specific items that caused the only recorded failure. A pre-purchase inspection on a ramp, combined with attentive listening and feeling on the road, will allow a buyer to gauge whether the documented advisories have remained stable or progressed since the May 2026 pass.