MK1 Focus Shed
Discussion
Time for a new shed
Anything I need to be wary of on one of these...
http://www.stroodmotorcentre.co.uk/used-cars/ford-...
Especially what to be aware of on 116k+ milers. (liquorish road springs, chocolate sub frames etc)
A dim and distant memory says they handle OK but have trouble out accelerating one legged cyclists
Anything I need to be wary of on one of these...
http://www.stroodmotorcentre.co.uk/used-cars/ford-...
Especially what to be aware of on 116k+ milers. (liquorish road springs, chocolate sub frames etc)
A dim and distant memory says they handle OK but have trouble out accelerating one legged cyclists
vrsmxtb said:
The 1.6 is a much sweeter engine, general consensus in my Focus ownership days was avoid the 1.4.
I dislike that garage, I went to see a Fabia VRS there several years ago and they wouldn't let me drive it without "doing a deal", quite unpleasant. The car was scrappy anyway.
That's the second time I've heard that...I dislike that garage, I went to see a Fabia VRS there several years ago and they wouldn't let me drive it without "doing a deal", quite unpleasant. The car was scrappy anyway.
Never mind I'll try elsewhere
I've had two. A T-reg 1.8 Zetec and a 51 Plate 2.0 Zetec.
The T-reg had little to no rust when I part ex-d it in 2009 with ~110k. The 51 Plate was riddled with it when I bought it in 2010, bottoms of the doors, bootlid and underneath.
They both went through ARB link arms and rear wheel bearings for fun, that said I never replaced them with OEM parts.
Apart from that the T-reg was faultless, bought by my Dad in 2003 with ~40k, I took over at 85k and it was still going well when I part ex'd it.
The 51-Plate was a lemon, but I had it near mechanically perfect when I got rid in 2012.
A well looked after one shouldn't be any problem at 110k plus, but an unloved one will be a moneypit.
The 1.8 Petrol is the pick of the bunch IMO. 1.6 felt too gutless. 2.0 was quickest, but had a lazy feel to it and poor on fuel, 30-31 MPG was the average and band K tax!
1.8 felt more lively and had a nicer gearbox than the 2.0. If you search hard enough you may find a 1.8 with rear discs, they were an option, they came with drums as standard.
The T-reg had little to no rust when I part ex-d it in 2009 with ~110k. The 51 Plate was riddled with it when I bought it in 2010, bottoms of the doors, bootlid and underneath.
They both went through ARB link arms and rear wheel bearings for fun, that said I never replaced them with OEM parts.
Apart from that the T-reg was faultless, bought by my Dad in 2003 with ~40k, I took over at 85k and it was still going well when I part ex'd it.
The 51-Plate was a lemon, but I had it near mechanically perfect when I got rid in 2012.
A well looked after one shouldn't be any problem at 110k plus, but an unloved one will be a moneypit.
The 1.8 Petrol is the pick of the bunch IMO. 1.6 felt too gutless. 2.0 was quickest, but had a lazy feel to it and poor on fuel, 30-31 MPG was the average and band K tax!
1.8 felt more lively and had a nicer gearbox than the 2.0. If you search hard enough you may find a 1.8 with rear discs, they were an option, they came with drums as standard.
You could consider one of the diesel models as well. I have a 52 plate 1.8 TDDi estate and it's fantastic. Economical (50mpg @ 70 on motorway), with enough power to be safe and the handling means you don't "need" the power like you may in other cars because you can carry the speed through corners comfortably.
If anything, I think they should have come with a more powerful selection of engines as standard because they are such a good handling practical car IMHO!
If anything, I think they should have come with a more powerful selection of engines as standard because they are such a good handling practical car IMHO!
I've just bought a X reg 1.6 Zetec for £600 with 70k on the clock for a cheap run around, to replace another 1.6 that I"d ran up to 130K.
IMO the 1.4 is underpowered for the size of the car. As stated previously you need to watch out for rust. Other things to watch out for which are typical of Foci of this age are central locking breaking, radio breaking (tonnes of cheap ones on ebay), dashboard failure (which can be expensive to replace) & speed sensor failure (£20 ebay). The fuses also seem to blow a lot and the fuse box can be a bit of a b
h to access under the glove compartment, but this can account for a lot of the problems that you're likely to encounter.
The beauty with these cars are that they're so common you can walk into a scrap yard and easily obtain cheap parts to keep them going.
IMO the 1.4 is underpowered for the size of the car. As stated previously you need to watch out for rust. Other things to watch out for which are typical of Foci of this age are central locking breaking, radio breaking (tonnes of cheap ones on ebay), dashboard failure (which can be expensive to replace) & speed sensor failure (£20 ebay). The fuses also seem to blow a lot and the fuse box can be a bit of a b
h to access under the glove compartment, but this can account for a lot of the problems that you're likely to encounter. The beauty with these cars are that they're so common you can walk into a scrap yard and easily obtain cheap parts to keep them going.
Edited by Gogoplata on Saturday 29th March 17:59
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