SHIFT WORKERS

It was on sale for nearly a decade and the variety is huge, from bowls-club specials to boy racer hot hatches. Over three series, there were three and five-door hatches and an unloved sedan, with diesel, petrol or turbo petrol power.

There wasn’t much joy in the initial German-built Fiestas in 2009 with what we would now regard as quaint features, insipid engines and antique four-speed auto option. The sporty Zetec grade had 16-inch alloys, body kit with dubious large rear spoiler, extra airbags and traction control.

The last two key safety features were only optional on other grades in 2009-10, making them less desirable used buys.

In October that year, Ford brought in Australia’s most fuel-efficient car — the 66kW Fiesta ECOnetic diesel, returning just 3.7L/100km. It was too expensive, few selling before it got the chop in 2012.

The Thai-built WT series arrived in late 2010 with big changes. The 1.4-litre engine and three-door body were axed; the sedan with decent 430L boot was no oil painting.

Any automatics of this series or the succeeding WZ are really hard to recommend on the used market.

Build quality was arguably inferior to the German cars but equipment levels improved: the base CL got traction control and Bluetooth as standard, and Zetecs (from early 2011) had improved sports suspension, sports seats, honeycomb grille and new front bumper.

For something hotter you may find one of the 250 German-built Fiesta Metal limited editions, launched in September 2012 with punchier 98kW engine, heated leather seats and lower ride height. All were black threedoors.

For a proper hot hatch, you need the threedoor Fiesta ST. A brilliant driver’s car, it arrived in September 2013 as the fun-packed opening salvo in the WZ series. The chassis, steering, 134kW turbo 1.6-litre and six-speed manual gearbox combined to give you more smiles per dollar than practically anything else.

For the others in that series, there were a characterful 92kW three-cylinder turbo or 82kW 1.5-litre, facelifted exterior, hands-free connectivity and new grades — Ambiente, Trend and Sport. Avoid Fiestas with six-speed dual-clutch PowerShift. Yes, there were fixes for its numerous faults, and yes, many sellers will tell you there have been no problems with theirs, and yes, Ford extended its warranty on these gearboxes.

If you need an auto, safest bet is finding one with PowerShift recently repaired, replaced or upgraded by Ford — with current warranty.

If you test one and it displays any transmission shuddering or jerkiness under acceleration — especially at low speeds — or nasty noises, this car’s not for you.

Easiest solution is to buy a manual. It suits the fun driving nature of the little Fiesta and is far less worrisome. You can buy a 2009-10 German-built manual cheap-as-chips, though the lack of traction control and connectivity make 2011-onwards manuals the safer choices.

Fiestas are truly tiny, so check you can abide the small boot, minimal storage and cramped rear seating. Some owners say front seats are uncomfortable, so check your tolerance on a long test drive; only German-built models had reach-adjustable steering wheels.

Most had no spare wheel, just a repair kit, unless the first owner optioned it or bought a full spare independently.

Reliability has proved very good (other than autos) but verify the aircon works well, you can get Bluetooth and audio connectivity from your phone and there are no oil leaks underneath.

The non-turbo petrol engines aren’t firecrackers, so make sure you can tolerate the tardy progress, especially up steep hills.

There have been numerous recalls over the course of this generation Fiesta’s long life, so check details at productsafety.gov.au. Buy a manual version and not only do you sidestep potential trouble with an auto but you also get a zippy and fun city car with good economy and reliability.

German-built WS series and rare Metal editions are targets for build quality. Favour 2011 and later manual LXs and Zetecs for better safety and spec.

You’ll still need $15K for a used ST hot hatch — many will have been thrashed but what fun you’ll have.

I owned a 2014 ST and it served me as a great fun road car and part-time hill climb racer. It was tiny, the cabin felt cheap but it was one of the most fun cars I’ve ever driven for such little money. A brilliant handling car, fast enough as it was so light and always made me laugh with enjoyment. I had to replace the brakes a couple of times but it proved reliable and I only sold it as I needed a larger hot hatch. I still miss it.