My Shed Mk1 Focus Ghia
Discussion
I thought it might be interesting to start a Readers Car on my shed Focus, which I purchased at the start of November to be a "stop-gap" car after my Insignia was written off by an errant Honda Jazz driver at a park and ride! At the time I was coming to the end of my contract at work and didn't want to commit to anything expensive. I've always had a soft spot for the Mk1 Focus, having owned a Cat D Zetec, again as a stop gap car, in 2008/9. That was after my Impreza Turbo dropped a bottom end bearing and honestly, the Focus was just as fun to drive as the Scooby. Perhaps foolishly, I pushed "Buy it Now" on an Ebay auction for a local car, without seeing it. I've never done anything like that before, but my review of the MOT history made me think it was likely a straight car.
I've started this thread, as shed cars are quite in vogue on PH right now, but unlike most shed owners, I possess pretty much zero mechanical fixing ability, so I'm taking a bit of a gamble. I wanted to do an experiment, comparing the running costs of this old Ford to a modern "lease car", type equivalent scenario which more and more "non mechanically handy" people like me are preferring.
Anyway, the car is pretty tidy I think.
Its actually in the same colour and with the same wheel trims as the early Mk1 Focus which Richard Parry-Jones owns and was featured in Modern Classics a while back.
There are a couple of scratches and a tiny bit of rust, the worse bit on the inside of one of the rear doors, in the usual place. From a distance and after a wash however, I think it looks not half bad for a nearly 20 year old motor.
So far I have done 2,700 miles and the car has used no oil or water. It has averaged 43.4 MPG, brim to brim, compared with around 45 MPG, which my previous 2 litre diesel Insignia could manage in the same conditions.
Expenses; well unfortunately I had to immediately replace the battery (£83) and then get the notorious Idle valve sorted as it kept stalling, Many of you can do this yourself, but as I say, I've no mechanical expertise so that was another £70 at my local garage. I then replaced the 13 year old and pretty perished rear budget tyres on Black Friday, as we were coming into winter and I didn't want to risk an off as I don't tend to hang about - £92 for two tyres - wow! I used to pay £125 each for Goodyear Eagle F1s on my Insignia. Oh and recently £21 for two new wiper blades. For vanity sake I also spent £15 on a new hub cap as one of them was a non Focus item and my OCD couldn't cope! Hub cap aside, I've only replaced things that IMO left the car compromised from a safety point of view (tyres, wipers, idle valve) or in the case of the battery, meant the car wouldn't start!
The car has a noisy draft-shaft bearing, which I've been quoted £235 for, with labour and I've left it. The garage say the car will be fine and tbh apart from it sounding like a bus at speed, I don't mind it.
So, three months in, £575 purchase price (I may have paid a bit too much but cars in my area tend to be more expensive than elsewhere) + about £275 on bits, means I'm currently about £750 up on where I would be had I leased a brand new Focus at a typical £1000 down, £200 per month, type arrangement. Of course my car uses a bit more fuel than a new Focus and the VED is more expensive, but still, that's a useful saving over 3 months IMO.
As for the car, well being a Ghia, this has non sports suspension and smaller wheels than the Zetecs which were the darlings of the motoring press. There is certainly a feeling of more roll, or squidge than I remember from my previous Focus Zetec particularly when loaded but you can still chuck this car around.
I had a Mk4 Focus hire car for 3 weeks before I bought this car and honestly, I prefer the steering on my old one by about 100%. The older car is also much narrower and shorter than the current model meaning it really feels a lot handier on urban runs.
Rose tinted spectacles aside, modern bread and butter cars on their bigger wheels do have a fair bit more grip than older ones like this one, but IMO this old Focus probably carries similar cornering speed to the new Focus I had on loan on most roads. Helped by the fact that you can really feel what's going on between steering wheel and wheels, whereas with the newer car I just didn't trust the lack of messages coming through the steering and had to be more cautious as a result... Plus, the supple ride is a bonus on our currently knackered roads. It does make you question the progress with moderns, although in fairness the new Focus rides pretty well too. But overall, the Mk1 Focus feels a fun and nimble car on the road and I think that's because the Mk1 1.6 Focus in particular was set up so well to resist understeer, being so light up front.
On dual carriageways, you do notice the lack of torque and the long gearing doesn't help, but the upside is that I don't get caught out by turbo lag low down, as I did a few times in the ecoboost Focus.
I'm not sure how long I am going to run this car. TBH, I DO fancy something a bit more interesting already and something like a Civic EP3/FN2 is currently top of my shopping list, or an old 3 series, but at the moment I am just enjoying the liberating feeling you get running a very old and cheap car that you can basically chuck away if something expensive fails.
I do think what cars like this Focus illustrate is that the turn of the last century represented a sweet spot for car usability. Yes you don't have the infotainment systems and toys of modern cars, but basically cars like this are mechanically simple, durable and reliable. Unlike 20 year old cars from 20 years ago, todays old cars don't blow blue smoke and break down frequently. They still hold their own in modern traffic and have the technology that is useful, such as ABS, traction control, auto mirrors and a damn good heater, but not the annoying stuff like auto dipping lights, auto windscreen wipers, collision warning buzzers etc which frankly are annoying on new cars! Oh and no turbo chargers, fragile emission gizmos, dual mass flywheels and so on.
Sorry for the essay, but I've become a bit of an evangelist for what I consider "back to basics" motoring and am really enjoying owning a car I last owned in 2009!
cool retro wheel trims on steelies!!
I've started this thread, as shed cars are quite in vogue on PH right now, but unlike most shed owners, I possess pretty much zero mechanical fixing ability, so I'm taking a bit of a gamble. I wanted to do an experiment, comparing the running costs of this old Ford to a modern "lease car", type equivalent scenario which more and more "non mechanically handy" people like me are preferring.
Anyway, the car is pretty tidy I think.
Its actually in the same colour and with the same wheel trims as the early Mk1 Focus which Richard Parry-Jones owns and was featured in Modern Classics a while back.
There are a couple of scratches and a tiny bit of rust, the worse bit on the inside of one of the rear doors, in the usual place. From a distance and after a wash however, I think it looks not half bad for a nearly 20 year old motor.
So far I have done 2,700 miles and the car has used no oil or water. It has averaged 43.4 MPG, brim to brim, compared with around 45 MPG, which my previous 2 litre diesel Insignia could manage in the same conditions.
Expenses; well unfortunately I had to immediately replace the battery (£83) and then get the notorious Idle valve sorted as it kept stalling, Many of you can do this yourself, but as I say, I've no mechanical expertise so that was another £70 at my local garage. I then replaced the 13 year old and pretty perished rear budget tyres on Black Friday, as we were coming into winter and I didn't want to risk an off as I don't tend to hang about - £92 for two tyres - wow! I used to pay £125 each for Goodyear Eagle F1s on my Insignia. Oh and recently £21 for two new wiper blades. For vanity sake I also spent £15 on a new hub cap as one of them was a non Focus item and my OCD couldn't cope! Hub cap aside, I've only replaced things that IMO left the car compromised from a safety point of view (tyres, wipers, idle valve) or in the case of the battery, meant the car wouldn't start!
The car has a noisy draft-shaft bearing, which I've been quoted £235 for, with labour and I've left it. The garage say the car will be fine and tbh apart from it sounding like a bus at speed, I don't mind it.
So, three months in, £575 purchase price (I may have paid a bit too much but cars in my area tend to be more expensive than elsewhere) + about £275 on bits, means I'm currently about £750 up on where I would be had I leased a brand new Focus at a typical £1000 down, £200 per month, type arrangement. Of course my car uses a bit more fuel than a new Focus and the VED is more expensive, but still, that's a useful saving over 3 months IMO.
As for the car, well being a Ghia, this has non sports suspension and smaller wheels than the Zetecs which were the darlings of the motoring press. There is certainly a feeling of more roll, or squidge than I remember from my previous Focus Zetec particularly when loaded but you can still chuck this car around.
I had a Mk4 Focus hire car for 3 weeks before I bought this car and honestly, I prefer the steering on my old one by about 100%. The older car is also much narrower and shorter than the current model meaning it really feels a lot handier on urban runs.
Rose tinted spectacles aside, modern bread and butter cars on their bigger wheels do have a fair bit more grip than older ones like this one, but IMO this old Focus probably carries similar cornering speed to the new Focus I had on loan on most roads. Helped by the fact that you can really feel what's going on between steering wheel and wheels, whereas with the newer car I just didn't trust the lack of messages coming through the steering and had to be more cautious as a result... Plus, the supple ride is a bonus on our currently knackered roads. It does make you question the progress with moderns, although in fairness the new Focus rides pretty well too. But overall, the Mk1 Focus feels a fun and nimble car on the road and I think that's because the Mk1 1.6 Focus in particular was set up so well to resist understeer, being so light up front.
On dual carriageways, you do notice the lack of torque and the long gearing doesn't help, but the upside is that I don't get caught out by turbo lag low down, as I did a few times in the ecoboost Focus.
I'm not sure how long I am going to run this car. TBH, I DO fancy something a bit more interesting already and something like a Civic EP3/FN2 is currently top of my shopping list, or an old 3 series, but at the moment I am just enjoying the liberating feeling you get running a very old and cheap car that you can basically chuck away if something expensive fails.
I do think what cars like this Focus illustrate is that the turn of the last century represented a sweet spot for car usability. Yes you don't have the infotainment systems and toys of modern cars, but basically cars like this are mechanically simple, durable and reliable. Unlike 20 year old cars from 20 years ago, todays old cars don't blow blue smoke and break down frequently. They still hold their own in modern traffic and have the technology that is useful, such as ABS, traction control, auto mirrors and a damn good heater, but not the annoying stuff like auto dipping lights, auto windscreen wipers, collision warning buzzers etc which frankly are annoying on new cars! Oh and no turbo chargers, fragile emission gizmos, dual mass flywheels and so on.
Sorry for the essay, but I've become a bit of an evangelist for what I consider "back to basics" motoring and am really enjoying owning a car I last owned in 2009!
cool retro wheel trims on steelies!!
Great write up about your car, it definitely looks a good one and hard to believe it’s almost 20 years old! I own a Mk1 Focus RS and it’s a great car with a lot of character. I’ve also driven Zetec models too, the engineers really did design a great car. Please do keep us posted on your journey.
'54 plate 1.8 Edge here! I don't think many realise just how accomplished the MK1 focus is and esp at the time it was first released, it was a game changer for Ford. I've had friends who were pleasantly surprised at just how well it handles and feels on the road.
I've owned mine 10 years now, on 75k and touch wood no big issues with rust and just flies through the MOT every year. I think 2020 will finally be the year I move it on and with sadness but need a bit more practicality and space (mine is the 3 dr variant). Agree about motorway driving..manages but wouldn't be my first choice as torque is crap and seat comfort on longer runs isnt great as my lower back found out...but for general town driving and darting across London it's perfect, not too small or big. Agree it feels v nimble too, helped by the fairly light overall weight.
Similarly I am not mechanically astute so it's get taken to a cheap indie and I've had to spend over £300 getting a few bits sorted end of last year so hoping it should be good for another few months of cheap motoring.
I've used mine for tip runs, transporting v heavy building materials and as as my 'daily' so it's taken a beating over 10 years with mainly stop start runs but the beauty is in the simplicity...these things are tanks and will just keep going with standard servicing and maintenance.
Will watch this thread with interest
As an aside, your W plater puts mine to shame for how immaculate the bodywork looks. Mine has all sorts of dinks/dents/scratches and my alloys have been kerbed up bad but doesn't take anything away from the drive. I have no idea what I will replace it with either, might be asking for the impossible to find a newer car that will handle just as well, be just as reliable but practical and ideally with a bit more poke!
I've owned mine 10 years now, on 75k and touch wood no big issues with rust and just flies through the MOT every year. I think 2020 will finally be the year I move it on and with sadness but need a bit more practicality and space (mine is the 3 dr variant). Agree about motorway driving..manages but wouldn't be my first choice as torque is crap and seat comfort on longer runs isnt great as my lower back found out...but for general town driving and darting across London it's perfect, not too small or big. Agree it feels v nimble too, helped by the fairly light overall weight.
Similarly I am not mechanically astute so it's get taken to a cheap indie and I've had to spend over £300 getting a few bits sorted end of last year so hoping it should be good for another few months of cheap motoring.
I've used mine for tip runs, transporting v heavy building materials and as as my 'daily' so it's taken a beating over 10 years with mainly stop start runs but the beauty is in the simplicity...these things are tanks and will just keep going with standard servicing and maintenance.
Will watch this thread with interest
As an aside, your W plater puts mine to shame for how immaculate the bodywork looks. Mine has all sorts of dinks/dents/scratches and my alloys have been kerbed up bad but doesn't take anything away from the drive. I have no idea what I will replace it with either, might be asking for the impossible to find a newer car that will handle just as well, be just as reliable but practical and ideally with a bit more poke!
Edited by VR99 on Sunday 2nd February 22:59
Edited by VR99 on Sunday 2nd February 23:05
We had a 2000 X Ghia in Aquafrost (cant tell if yours if green or blue) in the family from new until 2012 when it was pretty much on its last legs with a leaking headgasket, original clutch, ancient brake fluid and coolant, non-working aircon, rust, damage and a timing belt 4 years over due! And my dad supposedly looks after his cars according to him...... 
Was my grandfathers from new, one of the first cars i drove when learning to drive, mums, dads then my mrs daily for its final 18 months!
Was a great car to drive, well specced and durable given how it lasted so long how it was, and I scolded my dad for how poorly it had been cared for in their custody from 2 years old when i realised the condition it was in!
Poor thing lasted another 2 years when we sold it for £400, maybe due to the 2 different brands of radweld/stopleak i poured in
... off to a life at the darker side of Glasgow
Yours looks spotless in the pics!
Was my grandfathers from new, one of the first cars i drove when learning to drive, mums, dads then my mrs daily for its final 18 months!
Was a great car to drive, well specced and durable given how it lasted so long how it was, and I scolded my dad for how poorly it had been cared for in their custody from 2 years old when i realised the condition it was in!
Poor thing lasted another 2 years when we sold it for £400, maybe due to the 2 different brands of radweld/stopleak i poured in
... off to a life at the darker side of GlasgowYours looks spotless in the pics!
Edited by rickygolf83 on Monday 3rd February 01:13
rickygolf83 said:
We had a 2000 X Ghia in Aquafrost (cant tell if yours if green or blue)
Yours looks spotless in the pics!
On the V5 it says "green".Yours looks spotless in the pics!
Edited by rickygolf83 on Monday 3rd February 01:13
TBF the pictures make it look cleaner that it is, there are a few marks, but honestly, I can't find a single parking dink on it, which is quite amazing for a car that age!
Not sure how long I will keep it tbh. My wife hates it. She has a chronic bad back and says that non sporty Fords lack any sort of lumbar support. She simply hates riding in it! She has a Fiesta ST with the recaro seat and so I've been looking for a tidy 5 door Mk1 ST170 - but they just don't seem to be about - all the ones that pop up seem to be knackered....
VR99 said:
'5. I have no idea what I will replace it with either, might be asking for the impossible to find a newer car that will handle just as well, be just as reliable but practical and ideally with a bit more poke!
My honest opinion would be to take a look at the MK7 Fiesta and ignore the Focus from Mk3 onwards as I just don't think they're as good. The Mk3 for example actually has a smaller boot than the MK1 whilst being a longer car - Ford IMO has dropped the ball with the Focus. The MK1 was brilliant- the Mk2 still a very good and practical car - the Mk3 heralded the start of the Ford World car Focus' and IMO isn't as good. The Mk4 is just pig ugly IMHO and a lot longer whilst having no more boot space either than the MK1. The interior feels cheaper and nastier too. The MK1 with its soft facings has worn very well........Edited by VR99 on Sunday 2nd February 22:59
Edited by VR99 on Sunday 2nd February 23:05
The Fiesta is nearly as big as the Focus Mk1 and shares that brilliant nimble and pointy chassis feel. Plus, something like a 125 PS Ecoboost would be pretty nippy in a Fiesta. Of course, the ecobooost is a bit of a controversial engine, but its hard to avoid a small turbo petrol on a modern car, unless you go electric....
greenarrow said:
VR99 said:
'5. I have no idea what I will replace it with either, might be asking for the impossible to find a newer car that will handle just as well, be just as reliable but practical and ideally with a bit more poke!
My honest opinion would be to take a look at the MK7 Fiesta and ignore the Focus from Mk3 onwards as I just don't think they're as good. The Mk3 for example actually has a smaller boot than the MK1 whilst being a longer car - Ford IMO has dropped the ball with the Focus. The MK1 was brilliant- the Mk2 still a very good and practical car - the Mk3 heralded the start of the Ford World car Focus' and IMO isn't as good. The Mk4 is just pig ugly IMHO and a lot longer whilst having no more boot space either than the MK1. The interior feels cheaper and nastier too. The MK1 with its soft facings has worn very well........Edited by VR99 on Sunday 2nd February 22:59
Edited by VR99 on Sunday 2nd February 23:05
The Fiesta is nearly as big as the Focus Mk1 and shares that brilliant nimble and pointy chassis feel. Plus, something like a 125 PS Ecoboost would be pretty nippy in a Fiesta. Of course, the ecobooost is a bit of a controversial engine, but its hard to avoid a small turbo petrol on a modern car, unless you go electric....
Clean ST170's are v rare now and the good ones left are appreciating in value, same for the 225 bhp ST MK2/2.5.
I will either get another shed or if the focus keeps going for at least another 6 months will spend a bit more.... V40/Leon/Golf are on the hitlist...V40 has great seats and looks decent but bit tight on space...Leon are nippy but not sure the interior will be much better than what I have now in the focus.
greenarrow said:
On the V5 it says "green".
TBF the pictures make it look cleaner that it is, there are a few marks, but honestly, I can't find a single parking dink on it, which is quite amazing for a car that age!
Not sure how long I will keep it tbh. My wife hates it. She has a chronic bad back and says that non sporty Fords lack any sort of lumbar support. She simply hates riding in it! She has a Fiesta ST with the recaro seat and so I've been looking for a tidy 5 door Mk1 ST170 - but they just don't seem to be about - all the ones that pop up seem to be knackered....
Aquafrost it will be 👍TBF the pictures make it look cleaner that it is, there are a few marks, but honestly, I can't find a single parking dink on it, which is quite amazing for a car that age!
Not sure how long I will keep it tbh. My wife hates it. She has a chronic bad back and says that non sporty Fords lack any sort of lumbar support. She simply hates riding in it! She has a Fiesta ST with the recaro seat and so I've been looking for a tidy 5 door Mk1 ST170 - but they just don't seem to be about - all the ones that pop up seem to be knackered....
Is there any alternative seats that could be fitted to help the mrs ? 😄
We have a 2003 Zetec 1.6 that is my girlfriend’s car.
I sometimes drive it and am reminded how great the mk1 was. As mentioned above the handling and steering are great and in many ways it better than many newer cars.
Her car has only done 55k miles . Mechanically great but I’m sure that corrosion will finish it .
So many mk 1 have the rear sill weld patch!
I fear that on 5 years or so most of the mk1 will have been scrapped due to corrosion.
I have owned a mk1 and a mk2 and driven a few mk3s.
They all drive well but it was the small boot and the cluttered dash that put me off the mk3.
I sometimes drive it and am reminded how great the mk1 was. As mentioned above the handling and steering are great and in many ways it better than many newer cars.
Her car has only done 55k miles . Mechanically great but I’m sure that corrosion will finish it .
So many mk 1 have the rear sill weld patch!
I fear that on 5 years or so most of the mk1 will have been scrapped due to corrosion.
I have owned a mk1 and a mk2 and driven a few mk3s.
They all drive well but it was the small boot and the cluttered dash that put me off the mk3.
rickygolf83 said:
greenarrow said:
On the V5 it says "green".
TBF the pictures make it look cleaner that it is, there are a few marks, but honestly, I can't find a single parking dink on it, which is quite amazing for a car that age!
Not sure how long I will keep it tbh. My wife hates it. She has a chronic bad back and says that non sporty Fords lack any sort of lumbar support. She simply hates riding in it! She has a Fiesta ST with the recaro seat and so I've been looking for a tidy 5 door Mk1 ST170 - but they just don't seem to be about - all the ones that pop up seem to be knackered....
Aquafrost it will be ??TBF the pictures make it look cleaner that it is, there are a few marks, but honestly, I can't find a single parking dink on it, which is quite amazing for a car that age!
Not sure how long I will keep it tbh. My wife hates it. She has a chronic bad back and says that non sporty Fords lack any sort of lumbar support. She simply hates riding in it! She has a Fiesta ST with the recaro seat and so I've been looking for a tidy 5 door Mk1 ST170 - but they just don't seem to be about - all the ones that pop up seem to be knackered....
Is there any alternative seats that could be fitted to help the mrs ? ??
Eyersey1234 said:
Nice car OP, as some will know from my thread I've got a Mk2 and think it's great.
Yes I saw that - great looking car and wears the mileage very well indeed. They really do go on and on, these old Focus' There's a bloke on the MK Focus Facebook page who has just taken his 1.6 petrol MK1 over the 300K mark with just routine servicing. Not many petrol engined cars get that far these days.Went to visit my parents yesterday in my 2012 170bhp Giulietta, as I'm going to visit them again later in the week, dad asked if I'd take his 1.6 mk 1 home instead and give it a nice run (120miles).
Press the accelerator, it was immediate response and made the car feel so much more than the 100bhp I believe it has.
What a relavation, was great to drive, steering felt very responsive too. For a 18 year old car it was great to drive.
No rust but could do with new boot struts and a blue tooth dongle.
Press the accelerator, it was immediate response and made the car feel so much more than the 100bhp I believe it has.
What a relavation, was great to drive, steering felt very responsive too. For a 18 year old car it was great to drive.
No rust but could do with new boot struts and a blue tooth dongle.
greenarrow said:
Eyersey1234 said:
Nice car OP, as some will know from my thread I've got a Mk2 and think it's great.
Yes I saw that - great looking car and wears the mileage very well indeed. They really do go on and on, these old Focus' There's a bloke on the MK Focus Facebook page who has just taken his 1.6 petrol MK1 over the 300K mark with just routine servicing. Not many petrol engined cars get that far these days.I had a mk1 ghia in met red, with beige interior and wood trim for my first sensible car when we had our first child.
I absolutely loved it. I thought it was good to drive and steered really well. Utterly reliable, comfortable , and just got on with it. I may need a second car soon, if so I will go straight back to a looked after mk1 ghia or zetec.
I absolutely loved it. I thought it was good to drive and steered really well. Utterly reliable, comfortable , and just got on with it. I may need a second car soon, if so I will go straight back to a looked after mk1 ghia or zetec.
I ran a £550 2001 2.0 Zetec as a stopgap between November 2016 and March 2017 while I was waiting for a new car to be built. It was a two owner car with a load of of history, and in really nice condition. Put 4,000 miles on it, and took it all over the country and it never missed a beat. Crap on fuel (I would avoid a 2.0 next time and go for a 1.6), but smooth, quiet and comfy.
My problem is I'm crap at shedding. I struggle to live with/ignore problems, so despite the short term nature of my tenure, I serviced it, and put a new clutch in it (which it could have managed without) and of course while I recouped the cost of the car when I sold it, I never saw a penny of the 'extra' I'd put into it. The above was done DIY, but still came to half the value of the car in parts.
My fault rather than the car's though. They are good cars that drive really well.
My problem is I'm crap at shedding. I struggle to live with/ignore problems, so despite the short term nature of my tenure, I serviced it, and put a new clutch in it (which it could have managed without) and of course while I recouped the cost of the car when I sold it, I never saw a penny of the 'extra' I'd put into it. The above was done DIY, but still came to half the value of the car in parts.
My fault rather than the car's though. They are good cars that drive really well.
2004 1.6 Zetec Estate owner and former 2003 1.6 Zetec 3rd owner here. I'm a huge fan of the Mk1, always nice to read some kind words about these old gems. I've had the estate for almost 7 years now and have covered 70k in it, it was bought initially for carting stuff around for a new business, but has outlasted the business by three years. Despite almost constant pressure from the Mrs to upgrade I can't bring myself to do it, there's just no need.
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