Ford Focus mk1 1.8 Petrol

[CaterhamPatch]

As per my previous thread about a 2nd car in addition to my Caterham, I was looking for a car in addition to the Seven that would do mid-high 30s mpg, with enough power for country lane overtaking, for occasional use (max 5k p.a.).

Now I've ripped up the rule book as I've been offered a T reg 1.8 Focus Zetec, with known good history (friend of my dad), for £450 with 6 months tax.

I'm thinking it would be mad not to at this price, and I know I'd be happy with a Focus, but is the engine going to ruin the whole experience? I've not exactly heard brilliant things - lacking power / poor fuel economy.

Any real world experiences of running costs and mpg?

Cheers

Rob

[frosted]

If your not happy with it take it to the crusher , you would loose 250 quid . I paid that for two tires recently

[Codswallop]

Had a 1.8 Mk1 and the engine was fine for what it was. Used to get mid 40's on a long motorway run without really trying, power was good enough and on-par with most other stuff of that age. Fuel economy on the 1.6 was reputedly not much better either.

It was reliable too. Sold mine with 114k miles on the clock, and apart from changing some perished fuel lines, the only other fault was a sticking idle control valve, which just required removing and cleaning.

[VoziKaoFangio]

Is it the same engine as they put in the Mondeo Mk2 1.8 petrol? If so, I had one in estate form and it did not lack power, and was very economical on a motorway commute. I would imagine it's efven better in a smaller car like a Focus.

A mate has an S reg Focus 1.8, it goes very well and he never complains about MPG. He paid £1400 for his (from a dealer)...I don't think you can go wrong at £450.

[Chrisw666]

I had one years ago that was nearly new, had enough power to get by, a good enough chassis to keep you awake and wasn't too rapey on fuel though being young and daft I didn't care much.

[Rawwr]

If you don't want it for £450, I'll have it.

[RobCrezz]

Its got enough power. You might even have fun with it, they do have fun handling the mk 1 Focus.

[Captain Answer]

I've got a 2000 plate Mk1 Focus 1.8 hatchback at the moment that I picked up from the auctions last year- I find the performance fine, just have to kick it into the Zetec range and it will happily accelerate on B roads, dual carriageway etc. Nice load size, easy fits the baby and the mountain of stuff he needs plus all our kit for a weekend away, average around 35MPG. Only thing I don't like is the lack of engine breaking.

[CaterhamPatch]

35mpg I can live with. I was worried it might be mid/high 20s.

[Devil2575]

CaterhamPatch said:

Any real world experiences of running costs and mpg?

My wife an X reg 1.8 zetec for about 5 years and had no complaints. Got rid of it at about £130k and the only out of the ordinary bills it had was a failed coil pack that cost about £100 including diagnosis at a garage, and siezed rear drum brakes that cost me about £200 at a Ford main dealer. Other than that I just changed the oil, plugs, coolant and filters etc as required and I put two sets of front discs/pads on it over about 80k miles.
It was the best car I have ever bought in terms of reliability. However at 130k and 10 years old it was starting to show it's age and a few little issues were starting to appear.

However, the worse bit about the car is the engine. Not that powerful and not an engine tnhat really liked to rev. Felt athsmatic at the top end compared to a Honda or BMW engine although mid range torque was decent. However the chassi more than made up for it as you could carry plenty of speed through corners. Also the gear change was one of the best I ever experienced. better than my BMW 330 and an Accord Type-R

MPG wise the best we ever got was about 38 mpg on a run. Normal day to day driving it was more like 30 mpg. Not bad but not that good either.

[hulahoopian]

I had a T reg 1.8 zetec about 10 years ago, loved it to bits. Used to average 38mpg I think on country roads. Seemed quick off the line but ran out of puff and sounded rough if you revvved it too high. Still miss the handling and steering feel. Get it bought.

[NR91]

Devil2575 said:

My wife an X reg 1.8 zetec for about 5 years and had no complaints. Got rid of it at about £130k

Must be a record, surely?

[Devil2575]

It was a very good car...

[vrsmxtb]

1.8 is pretty much regarded as a pointless engine in Focus circles - barely any performance advantage over the 1.6 and significantly more fuel consumption. My 1.6 never returned under 40mpg, however I drove it. But for £450.... I'd say go for it. My Focus was no trouble at all.

[rh123]

I would say go for it.
I have a X reg 1.8 Zetec and I really like it.
It is my first car and not too bad too drive, however I haven't driven many cars to compare it to.

[Pingman]

Bargain at that price! I wouldn't even consider NOT taking it!

[m44kts]

FWIW, my Escort GTI has the 1.8 Zetec, not a bad performer, average fuel consumption and reliable. My parents had a mk1 1.6 Focus and that seemed more rev happy.

For £450, I'd say go for it, even if you found you didn't like it, clean it up and re advertise it for £600 and try your luck.

[sparks_E39]

The MK1 Focus 1.6 is one of my favourite cars. No,really, they are brilliant. The 1.8 isn't really beneficial over the 1.6 but for that money it's surely worth a punt.

[Howitzer]

We've had our 1.8 Zetec for the past 3.5 years and it has been fantastic.

It has needed a new coil pack, a clutch at 130,000 miles, the ICV cleaned and currently needs a radiator as it is looking pretty scabby. It's on 152,000 miles and is a T reg.

Brakes are fantastic, lots of feel when using decent parts, we noticed a huge difference by using Genuine discs from the dealer. Regular 6000 mile oil changes and lots of regular runs keep it in fine mechanical form. The suspension is all original and still feels tight and responsive quite surprisingly. They are very tyre dependant though.

Performance wise for what it is then it's fine, ours doesn't really get up and go till 4000rpm but then really has a nice buzz to it. It's night and day over the 1.6, I wouldn't even consider one. The 2.0 felt better lower down but I didn't notice much of a difference when you really revved it, this was a 2003 though so not sure if the engine changed at all?

Ours sits at roughly 30mpg, high 30s on a run.

Until we decided on a more sporty next all rounder car we were all set on getting another one.

Dave!

[T84]

vrsmxtb said:

Focus circles