So, I am resigned to the fact that I need a car due to an impending birth and new job in which I will be unable to commute by bicycle 365 days a year.

The plan is to lease a car, over 36 months mainly due to a comprehensive warranty and fewer hassles.

I’ve narrowed my options down to either a basic level Golf or Focus, does anyone have any opinions on these choices. My Uncle however, (who’s a mechanic), has advised my to ‘go japanese’, so I suppose Toyota or Honda……..

Any help would be greatly appreciated, ta.

Get a Focus, its a ford so it drives well.

A Focus is a boring car driven by middle aged men.

Golf is a boring sport played by middle aged men.

Not sure that helps mind you. 🙂

Golf*

I’m biased though as I have one

Tried a golf when we were looking to replace our focus but wasn’t impressed with the handling, I also felt like it wasn’t the best for space inside.
Ended up buying a newer focus. Handles better, slightly cheaper and feels like there more room in it.

I’ve got a Focus my two brothers have got Golfs. I prefer the look of the golf but both reckon my Focus handles better. I don’t know as they won’t let loose in their cars.

Agree about the Focus being a boring car.

The plan is to lease a car, over 36 months mainly due to a comprehensive warranty and fewer hassles

Very expensive thing to do, but if you like then fine. If you are worried about bills then buy a 3 year old car, put eight grand in the bank, and then in three years time when it probably hasn’t gone wrong, you can almost certainly buy two extremely nice bikes.

Re the cars, I test drove both. Golf was nicer inside, felt a lot more classy, Focus may have handled better but since I drive lots of motorway I couldn’t really care. It’s not like Golfs are a liability on windy roads, they’re perfectly decent.

What spec level/engine? The smaller Focus petrol engines are pretty nasty. The latest models don’t make as good use of their space as the Mk1 did but they’re still inexplicably big inside compared to most of the competition.

The 2.0 diesel wedged into the Focus is a very nice combo though! Not so easy to find though, I gave up when I was shopping.

just had a new focus as a hire car back from heathrow last night, and was really impressed, not a massive ford fan but it was great to drive for that type of car. 1.6tdci engine was nippy and sounded quite good for a diesel, good chassis so was nice to drive on the back roads home from the motorway. good seats, lots of support and USB/line-in which is nice
tbh go and drive them both, and if possible take them for a longer drive to test seats etc.

Other one to consider is the new kia cee’d, really good for the money and much better warranty, I would have one over the focus for commuting in.

for what it’s worth I didn’t like the new golf when I tried one, not worth the premium over the ford.

Molegrips has it right.

Hugely expensive way of owning nothing at all.

Leasing aFocus 2.0 TDCI over 36months works out at about 11K.

Buy a three year old example for about 7.5K save yourself a small fortune

I know, the whole leasing thing doesn’t really make sense to me, just throwing money away.

Used to be a v dub fan,had a hired Mk6 Golf for a couple of weeks but drive and own a Focus. The Golf looks nicer sat on your driveway,but just doesn`t drive aswell as the Focus.

I used to own a Mk 1 2.0 litre Focus and contrary to Northwind I found the smaller petrols not much slower and to be a sweeter unit.Basic 1.6 is all you need.

I recently drove the new shape Foucus.More mature and very refined,but not quite as much fun as the mark 1 and 2.The 1.6 tdci drives well too but older ones have a reputation for dpf and turbo problems which is why I went for a petrol.

I know, the whole leasing thing doesn’t really make sense to me, just throwing money away

Because everyone knows owning a car makes you heaps of cash?

Either way you have to spend some money. If the OP has £X he may better getting a new car with all the back up he wants as opposed to another car with none and is not new etc.

Happy with my 1.6 petrol but sometimes wish we had got something a bit pokier- 1.8 Tdi would have been fine..

Leasing aFocus 2.0 TDCI over 36months works out at about 11K.

Buy a three year old example for about 7.5K save yourself a small fortune

hardly apples for apples comparison…. ones a brand new example that would have guaranteed nil expenditure other than the repayment and insurance, the other is stumping up the money, purchasing an older car that will undoubtedly incur expense and run the risk of failure without warranty.

My mate has just picked up her new lease car today. She gets a brand new mid spec Toyota Yaris every three years, fully serviced, taxed and insured for £190 a month. Predictable, easy motoring.

Double post.

If I was going to buy a car I would have to get a loan of around 5 grand to get anything half decent, and when I sell it I will lose a chunk of my investment. For example buy a focus for 5 grand and sell it in 3 years for 1k, losing money.

Leasing seems like an option as I’d be losing money if I bought anyway no?

Or maybe I should just buy a 500 quid banger and deal with the consequnces.

whichever way its done you lose money, but buying a fully serviced 3yr old car and saving 8 grand sounds better to me.
but then, im not hung up on having a new reg plate on my drive for 6 months.

I had a 1.6 Focus, nice car around town but underpowered for longer journeys when laden. Should have gone for one with a bigger engine. It got written off in a crash (not my fault!) and have since bought a 2nd hand Megane, but would be happy to get another Focus.

Can’t believe you can compare Volkswagen with fords

Get the golf

I have a Golf match 2.0tdi blue motion. Got to say, I love it. Extremely lively, decent handling, good economy (with me driving, 48mpg and I thrash the nuts off it, 36 mile country road commute) good equipment levels and roomy enough for 4 or 2 plus bikes. I actually prefere it to the A4 s line I replaced with it.

I have a Golf match 2.0tdi blue motion. Got to say, I love it. Extremely lively, decent handling, good economy (with me driving, 48mpg and I thrash the nuts off it, 36 mile country road commute) good equipment levels and roomy enough for 4 or 2 plus bikes. I actually prefere it to the A4 s line I replaced with it.

Should have gone for one with a bigger engine.

Dunno about that, I tried out a 1.8 and it still felt sluggish and shit unladen. Maybe because it was a diesel though. Very happy with my 1.6 Fiesta apart from it drinking petrol going above 70!

Owned a few Golfs loved them and plenty of room, unless you family is the Waltons.

Driven Focus, the mother in law’s and a few at work. I don’t like them, cheap interiors, not as responsive as the Golf and not great handling. Cheaper for a reason.

I’d say the exact opposite Drac.

Currently got a Focus Estate Titanium X and I can’t fault it; I’d previously driven a Mondeo that didn’t miss a beat in 120000 miles so chose another Ford on that experience.

It’s a 1.6 Tdci and is plenty enough of an engine for the mostly motorway miles I do, very predictable if you throw it around and a comfortable ride.

VW are a nice build quality but outside of the GTI/D I find them a little overpriced for what you get.

Finacee’s company car is a Golf Bluemotion and its boring inside and out. My sister has a diesel 170bhp thing and that’s slightly less boring. My friend is a VAG mechanic and reckons they are over complicated and poorly designed he drives a Honda. In all honesty I can’t see the attraction with golfs I’d feel a bit mugged at the asking prices. I’ve had a focus as a hire care and it was ok for what it was.

Drac – Moderator
Owned a few Golfs loved them and plenty of room, unless you family is the Waltons.

Driven Focus, the mother in law’s and a few at work. I don’t like them, cheap interiors, not as responsive as the Golf and not great handling. Cheaper for a reason.

Polar opposite to my experience, Golfs don’t handle very nicely at all (just masses of understeer) and the steering feels a bit dead. Utterly dull cars to drive over all. Good engines though.

Interior feels a bit better to the touch in the golf but it’s hardly the last word in design. Acres of dull plastic, and surprisingly rattly.

Disclaimer: I own a Focus 😀 (but did look at Golfs…)

hardly apples for apples comparison…. ones a brand new example that would have guaranteed nil expenditure other than the repayment and insurance, the other is stumping up the money, purchasing an older car that will undoubtedly incur expense and run the risk of failure without warranty.

Unless the failure is the size of something the Mayans would’ve predicted, there’s absolutely no way that it would use up the savings made from buying the older car.

In effect the OP would be paying (something like) £8k for a warranty, how is that better than spending a few hundred a year (likely at worst) on repairs? The car still goes to the same garage (although you have the choice of which one when you’re paying) and is still off the road for the same length of time.

From someone who’s had one, avoid high mileage(60K+) Focus 1.6 TDCI’s. Ours had the standard gasket leak around no.3 injector which then turns the oil sludgy and eventually kills the turbo. Also the DPF needs new cleaning fluid at 75K which is a dealer job. Cam belts are supposed to be good for 125k but don’t believe it.

It’s splitting hairs between a Golf and a Focus. I think the Golf is a bi nicer (Classier) inside and feels a bit more solid, but the Focus handles better and feels lighter and peppier. The decider for me was doing the sums: For the same age and the same milage, a focus was £1500+ cheaper. The Golf may have a higher % residual value, but it still looses more actual dosh because it costs more (Secondhand I mean) So we bought a Focus
Ours is a 2005 one, I don’t like the newer Focus, I think the interior looks like a c1988 digital watch. Cheap.
Would I have another? Maybe, but we have no intention of swapping this one at all. We’ve had it 3.5 years and I can see us keeping it another 3.
In the nearly 13 years we’ve been together, Mrs PP and I have only had 3 cars, but about a dozen motorbikes, because cars are mostly just white goods these days.

Focus 1.6 TDCI’s

That really is a shit engine. No revs, no diesel torque. Rubbish. My sister had one.

Compared to what Peter.

I have a 1.6 petrol focus and its a nice car inside and out.
Handles really well. Good gearbox. No problems in 3 years.
Wish I had got one years ago rather than blown a load of cash on sportscars.

The Golf 7 goes on sale in January. The motoring press are saying lots of favourable things about the car.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/volkswagen/golf/61510/volkswagen-golf-mk7
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/volkswagen/golf/first-drives/first-drive-review-volkswagen-golf-14tsi-act-140-5dr

Should I buy one?
If it isn’t on your shortlist, then it could be that you’ve got something against Volkswagens, because this is one of the standout cars of this or any other year.

It’s funny how it varies isn’t it.

Drac, I think the issue is most men like to think they know everything about cars when in fact most of us have only driven MOR motors at best and have very little to compare them to.

I’ll be the first to say my 1.6 diesel is lacking compared to my previous 2 litre but as my average speed despite all the time I spend on motorways is 36mph do I really need something that makes me the fastest guy to the next set of traffic lights?

I did a fully loaded roof box trip from Cornwall to Leeds with the 1.6 and happily cruised at 75-80; yes I couldn’t then accelerate and overtake folk but I shouldn’t really be going any faster anyway.
.
OP, fortunately for me I have a company car so all issues are dealt with but I’ve never had an issue with a Ford and chose one despite that fact that VW, Audi, BMW were all options from the lease company.

Drac, I think the issue is most men like to think they know everything about cars when in fact most of us have only driven MOR motors at best and have very little to compare them to.

Sorry, but in the context of this thread that’s crap: we’re comparing MOR cars here, which as you’ve pointed out is exactly what lots of us have experience of. (If you were talking about Astons and Ferraris, I’d agree, but we’re not…)

Mogrim, I was commenting on the ‘I can’t believe your comparing a VW with a Ford’ and ‘my sister in law had one and it was rubbish’ posts; it’s a 1.6, what are they expecting?

Regarding Astons and Ferraris where do you stand?

I had a new focus on hire in the summer, I much preferred it to my sisters golf. Nicer interior, more room, better ride and smoother engine. Both cars 1.6 diesels.

Very happy with our 2008 focus 1.8tdci would recommend. Heard horror stories about the 1.6 petrol. 2 people we know have had to replace the entire engine on relative low mileage focuses