What are they like to drive?
Expect precise pin-sharp responsive handling with a massively enhanced feeling of control behind the wheel with plenty of refinement, composure and childish agility for a family car. Powered by peppy petrol engines which give optimum performance without sacrificing serious fuel economy and frugal diesel engines.
They shout one constant feeling… fun!
What values do they currently obtain?
MK1 values have beenslowly rising for a while, especially examples that are early 1998/1999 models, special limited editions and include rare toys such as cruise control! But values are always strong with examples that come with comprehensive service histories and present as a clean and well-cared example… regardless of specification!
The reason why many examples are now on the rise is because of their superb mechanical and bodywork condition and lower mileage. That could include having welding in the usual areas that corrode and have received some quality paintwork. These models rarely come on the market, being kept by their owners long-term. The models we frequently see on the market can stretch from really tired examples, low-end projects, cars in need of TLC or really good examples with niggles.
You can expect to see these current values in the UK (as of January 2026) in the following categories:
- Condition 1 – Concourse/Showroom, very original and contains no bodywork and mechanical defects.
- Condition 2 – Good and relatively tidy example in need of some mechanical and bodywork, would pass an MOT.
- Condition 3 – Project Car, no current MOT and in need of a rebuild in areas.
| Models (UK Based) | Condition 1 | Condition 2 | Condition 3 |
| CL | £1,000 | £650 | £400 |
| LX | £1,400 | £700 | £500 |
| Zetec | £1,900 | £1,000 | £600 |
| Ghia | £2,300 | £1,200 | £700 |
| ST170 | £3,800+ | £1,800 | £1,000 |
| RS | £25,000+ | £18,000 | £11,000 |
(Please note this doesn’t include special/limited editions due to the variation of values for some! This is a rough figure, there are many variables that would alter that value i.e. lower mileage than average, has rare factory options fitted)
What are they like to tax? (UK-Only)
In the UK there’s no getting around it, like most cars from this period they are heavily taxed. Later post-march 2001 petrol models are expensive but the diesels are the cheapest you can tax. Cars were banded by their tailpipe emissions instead of their engine size which pre-2001 models benefit from. The most expensive models are always the RS, 2.0 Petrol and Automatic models!
Take a look at the current tax figures for the UK 2025/2026 below:
| Engine | CO Emissions Rating | Emission Band | Before 1/03/2001 | After 1/03/2001 |
| Petrol Models | ||||
| 1.4 Zetec-SE Manual | 158 – 162 G/KM | G | £220.00 | £265.00 |
| 1.6 Zetec-SE Manual | 162 – 167 G/KM | G | £360.00 | £265.00 |
| 1.6 Zetec-SE Auto | 192 – 200 G/KM | J | £360.00 | £395.00 |
| 1.8 Zetec-E Manual | 181 – 188 G/KM | I | £360.00 | £345.00 |
| 2.0 Zetec-E Manual | 205 – 209 G/KM | K | £360.00 | £430.00 |
| 2.0 Zetec-E Auto | 222 G/KM | K | N/A | £430.00 |
| 2.0 Duratec-ST | 218 G/KM | K | N/A | £430.00 |
| 2.0 Duratec-RS | 237 G/KM | L | N/A | £430.00 |
| Diesel Models | ||||
| 1.8 TDDI | 145 – 150 G/KM | F | £360.00 | £215.00 |
| 1.8 TDDI (Saloon) | 139 G/KM | E | £360.00 | £195.00 |
| 1.8 TDCI (100/115PS) | 140 – 150 G/KM | F | N/A | £215.00 |
Which is the best place to find information?
Andrew’s YouTube channel ‘Usually Fixing and Tinkering’ dedicates the most MK1-related videos on social media to help spread information and knowledge about what to look for and how to work on them. This channel started the formation of this club!
The club’s Facebook Group is also a superb knowledge base built by the many brilliant members of the MK1 community, posting everything from problems and their fixes to sharing restoration builds. Something for everyone.
In terms of literature every owner should have a Haynes workshop manual at arms length, there are two versions, one for both pre-facelift (blue book) and facelift (red book). Many tasks are explained well and you have accurate information on fastener torque settings, really overlooked when fixing these cars.
Authors – Andrew Darby & Adam Wilson