MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
So, it seems that Mrs North and I need to move on her MX5. At 5 years old, we've had some ace fun in it, but for various reasons - mainly carrying bikes and other people - something a little more practical wouldn't go amiss.
Part of me wants something s****y, but a bigger part of me is feeling parsimonious and doesn't want to spend too much cash.
The Mazda will be worth £5k max (and less on trade in), so I'd quite like not to spend more than about £10k (before trade in) and s/h Focus seems to obvious alternative.
I know I'll die a slow and tedious death, but apart from that is there any reason not to buy one?
Old or new shape?
Nowt wrong with A focus. I had a 04/1.6. Make sure you dont go for a 1.6- its a lovely drive- just not peppy.
To be fair to the Focus, they are more fun to drive than anything else in the segment so good choice.
Which model has caught your eye?
Go for it, they're great. I'm on my 3rd one at the moment. I have an 06 plate 2.0d with 90k on the clock (all my miles) I can easily get 50+mpg & it'll go like stink if you want
/Old or new shape?
Which model has caught your eye?
Err...
Dunno. Whatever I can get for the money - needs to be 1.8 I guess. Is that the Zetec? Oh, and 5 doors. Beyond that, I'm not really bothered about trim levels, save that AC might be nice for trips to warmer climes. Most likely petrol (I know, goes against the million miles to the gallon of diesel...).
Suggestions?
I'm v happy with my 05 (mk2) 1.6 Zetec. Huge boot for bikes and other stuff and dead nice to drive. They come out way cheaper than Golfs too
For £10k you'll be looking at a new shape. Superb handling round the corners; leaves most others in their class standing. I've got a 1.8d and regularly get 55mpg. Loads of room in the back, especially with the seats folded.
They go through front tyres quite quickly. That was true of my 1.8 Zetec and is even more true of my ST.
You want a heated front windscreen though. You may not know it yet but you do. Trust me.
Henry Ford was a racist.
why coz he only made black cars?
What about reliability? Ive read a acronym that Ford stands for? I'm too in the market for a new car soon (bigger estate- could be a focus).
Borrowed a new shape estate for a day, nice car. Felt more like my mondeo on the motorway than I expected it to (a good thing). Feels like a bigger car than it is. Nicer to drive than a golf (which i've also driven a fair bit), though not as nice to sit in, if that makes sense?
Parent's have one, 1.8 giha (zetec engine?) ace car, not great mpg though. Apparetnly the 1.6 was more economical without loosing too much power.
A few minor problems, coolant hoses needed replacing at 40k, something amis in the steering/Cv joints at 60k (knocking sound and can be felt through the wheel at full lock). But then it has a hard life compared to most cars as they live prety much on a farm.
Diesel will do more MPG, but will cost more to start with, services cost more, fuel costs 10% more and the DMF will write off all remaining savings if you keep it long enough.
Family member has a focus, no end of niggling faults.
Know of two fleet managers who both have vowed to find cars other than fords for their next batch.
But many seem to have no problem at all, so I guess it's each to his own, and can be engine-specific, asking if a model of car is any good isnt really helping yourself as they can range from dire to great with a change of engine and spec level.
If you go for the Zetec, make sure it's a Zetec Climate, the basic Zetec doesn't have A/C.
You are in the same boat as me I am trying to decide what to get. Other contenders are Kia CEED (cheap with extended warranty) Hyundai I30 (same as CEED) Golf, or Audi A3.
I fancy getting a Focus, they drive well. But its a Ford innit !
That means its going to fall to bits, dealers are rubbish and everyone's got one.!!
Go and find something else, Golf, Civic, Auris, anything but a Focus.
Simon.
Senior Sales Executive for Ford.....
That means its going to fall to bits, dealers are rubbish and everyone's got one.!!
Neither of mine "fell to bits". Granted the old one did have quite a lot of things wrong with it in the end but after 10 years and 112k on the clock, you can't really expect everything to be perfect. They are quite common, but ubiquity has never really bothered me.
On our second Focus here.
Our 51 plate 2.0l petrol did 140k miles and was still running nicely when I gave it to my sister at Christmas. One expensive MOT last year but otherwise fine.
I'm now in a 57 plate 2.0l Ghia (or Titanium can't remember) coming up for 35k miles and doing fine so far.
You want a heated front windscreen though. You may not know it yet but you do. Trust me.
+1, especially in the recent weather! Heated seats rock too.
I quite like my y-reg focus. First car, had it 6 months and no probs to report.
I'm guessing the 2.0 petrol is the most bombproof as its been around a longtime?
Done 80K in mine in 18mths and have done my best to kill it wanted somthing with a better image nothing has gone wrong with it (company car) Zetec Derv Dog . Great car now considering getting another as a replacment.
Our 06 focus 1.8d estate has been fine - reliable, cheap to run and relatively economical. Only did 37,000 miles on the first set of tyres though.
Most likely petrol (I know, goes against the million miles to the gallon of diesel...).
Do it. The petrol engines are lovely smooth, revvy, zingy little engines. I massively prefer our 1.6 to my sisters TDCi. It's more responsive, and you can really feel the heavy old diesel lump wanting to make the car plough straight on in the corners. Dynamically, the diesel engines fall far short of the equivilent petrol engines. But that's always the case.
If you go for the Zetec, make sure it's a Zetec Climate, the basic Zetec doesn't have A/C.
I think you'll find it does. Zetecs are fairly high up the range. The 'climate' pack is simply a heated front screen and washer jets. 🙂
(which is really worth having though. I feel sorry for non-Ford owners scraping their windscreens every morning!)
Go and find something else, Golf, Civic, Auris, anything but a Focus.
Why? Golfs are overpriced and the Jap stuff is boring as hell. I'd rather drive a dustbin. Focus is consistently 1st or 2nd in it's class, and having had ours a year, I can see why.
The trouble with Ford and their like is that there are a thousand variations on each model. The Mazda was great: "We have three models, all with set trim levels. You want the Sport - blue or silver..?"
OK, heated screen sounds nice, but not essential. Heated seats OTOH, Mrs North will insist on.
I have no desire to own a Golf. Or an Audi A3. If I'm going to buy an Audi, it will be an A4 Avant.
What's the Focus boot like - is there much of a lip from the sill to the floor? Mrs North's only tiny and can't be doing with too much reaching.
I had an old shape 1.8tddi jobbie. Great car, nothing wrong with it, but...
Boring as hell, common, and boring.
Get something different. I'd go for a Seat Leon. VW/Audi car, but cheaper 😀
We have two brand new ones (less than 3 months old) at work. They are pony. The gaps between the end of the dashboard and the door are so big I can get almost my whole hand in, the parcel shelves have both fallen apart, and both have been back to have new instrument units fitted. The plastic trim on the inside of the doors seems to be of a similar standard to the plastic tray in a box of chocolates. Not impressed at all. (These are police cars. I have wondered, but don't know, if Ford sell cars that didn't pass quality control cheap to police forces. I can't believe they are all like this given that a lot of people are very pleased with theirs).
A colleague has just got a brand new Hyundai i30, and having borrowed a Kia Ceed for a few days, both appear to be well made cars.
I really like my (05 1.8d) focus estate.
It's spacious, handles well, economical, room enough for a couple of bikes in the back...
There are no reasons why you shouldn't buy one.
A colleague has just got a brand new Hyundai i30, and having borrowed a Kia Ceed for a few days, I would have either of those over a Focus any day.
Continuing my ignorance. WTF are those? And the last Kia I saw was Mother North's Sportage, which was a pile of sh*te. Have they improved?
Old or new shape?
is there much difference aside from the bodywork?
I heard the service intervals were longer, is there anything else?
Continuing my ignorance. WTF are those?
They're essentially the same car (in the same way as a VW Sharan and a Seat Alhambra are essentially the same car).
In essence, Kia/Hyundai decided they wanted a slice of the European car market, so they hired a team of European designers to take Golfs apart, work out why they were so good, and then built their own in a brand new European factory, with lower prices and big warranties.
I borrowed a Kia Ceed for a few days when they first came out. It's a good solid car.
I had an old model, 4 doors, lovely car. Until some stupid woman decided to overtake into the front of it 😥
No major problems with reliability, except shortly after changing the timing belt the engine started overheating due to a faulty thermostat - I wouldn't be surprised if the mechanics hadn't messed up the timing belt job and left a loose lead or something.
Iv'e got a diesel estate. 1999 with 137000 miles on it. Still goes well and has a bigger car feel to it. Not very flash though. i'd have another.
I've got an 06 Focus LX (new shape but not the newest new shape if you see what I mean - different front wings). I've had it since new and have been very happy with it - nice to drive, reliable (caveat below), plenty of space and for a 1.6 perfectly quick enough unless you're convinced that you're a racing driver.
We've had a couple of niggles though
- the A/C failed about 3 weeks from new - after 6 visits to the garage (Ford Dealer) they eventually replaced the right bit - just a duct that had a leaking seal and it's been fine since. The initial problem was obviously Ford's fault but the rest due to a crap garage IMO. All fixed under warranty.
- The power steering failed after about 2.5 years - slow leak on one hose spat oil out. Fixed quickly under warranty
- Agree about tyres - we're on our third set (just recently) and don't drive big miles though maybe I do floor it a bit 🙂
thegreatape: maybe they downspec the cop cars or something but that doesn't sound anything like mine. All the interior trim is pretty sturdy and nice cushioned plastics etc.
That's why I wondered GrahamS. The general consensus seems to be that owners are generally pretty pleased with them. If our cars were typical examples I don't think they would be. In hindsight, it probably wasn't worth posting.
my supervisor at uni had a kia rio, I will never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever buy one
The suspension would bottom out going up a hump in the road, then bottom out again on the way down. But show it a high frequency load (speed bump, pothole etc) and you had better make sure you had medical cover as your going to need a chiropractor to re-build your spine!
And we're not talking about its performance on the limit here, just driving arround town!
Seems like it is, on the whole, reliable, OK to drive, but boring. So far soo good.
So if buying a 3 y/o car, do you reckon niggles would have been sorted under warranty by that point, or better to buy newer and have the benefit of the warranty to deal with the niggle directly?
S'pose that applies to all cars really....
My father-in-law has a 55-reg diesel Focus C-Max that we've borrowed fairly often. Sooooo plasticy inside compared to the Clio and Scenic we used to have and to the Corrolla we have at the moment. My wife hates driving it.
It also belches black smoke out the back which covers the rear of the car in black crap, but which my father-in-law insists happens to all flat=backed cars.
You could always look at a mondeo - better spec for a given level (zetec / ghia) and cheaper than a focus for a given age (or they were 9 months ago when I bought my mondeo), but they are huge
did anyone see the article in the new recently about mot failure rates (from MOTs in 2004)
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much more info here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/opensecrets/2010/01/mot_failure_rates_released.html
Buy from a Ford dealer. I bought a Ghia 56 plate in October with no end of problems - a real Friday pm car! At first I was told that I couldn't have my money back and to change I'd need to give them £1k for "usage", however, after advice on here (thank you chaps) I spoke to the local Manager and he apologised and I collect my Climate 07 with half the mileage on Tuesday. Even after this grief I think they're great cars and yes, the heated screen has been so welcome of late.
Get one but from a dealer.
about mot failure rates (from MOTs in 2004)
From cars that were bought in 2004 - so the MOTs were in 2007
That doesn't really tell much more than which cars had MOT failure problems which is obviously important but not the only measure of reliability - eg my AC problem wouldn't have caused an MOT failure.
We had a 1.6 Focus from new a few years back,had 60K trouble free miles with it too.If you're just after a reliable,comfortable medium sized car then I'd say they are pretty hard to beat tbh.
That doesn't really tell much more than which cars had MOT failure problems which is obviously important but not the only measure of reliability - eg my AC problem wouldn't have caused an MOT failure.
It does tell you that a focus is less likely to fail its MOT than a Golf, A3 or an A4 which is even more surprising when you consider that the focus was the UK best selling car in 2004:
Full year 2004
Focus 141,021
Corsa 101,625
Fiesta 89,295
206 86,605
Mégane 86,569
Astra 85,087
Clio 72,412
Golf 69,784
Mondeo 60,441
307 58,742
Data from http://www.smmt.co.uk/articles/article.cfm?articleid=9707
It does tell you that a focus is less likely to fail its MOT than a Golf, A3 or an A4
Doesn't surprise me - even I, as a car know-nothing, am aware that the image of Golfs being reliable is just that: an image, all sewn into the "I'm too smug for words" marketing of VW. And the Audi A3 and A4 are just Golfs in a different skirt....
I don't get all the comments about a Focus being boring...? How is it any more boring than any other medium sized, affordable hatchback? Corolla, Auris, Golf, Almera, i30, Cee'd - hardly set the world alight.
My parents have got the 1.6 Zetec and they like it. I know many people who have had Fords and suffered few or no reliability issues.
I had a MkIII Fiesta for 6yrs that covered ~90k miles while I had it - it was still going strong on a 100 mile/day commute when I got rid.
Parts are cheap & services are nice and affordable as a result.
My main concern with Ford was the dealer network, as the service places didn't seem that knowledgeable & would always suggest 'work' that didn't really need doing.
I'd have had another Ford, had the Ibiza not been such a good car.
For your budget you'd easily get a good condition ST170 if you wanted a bit more poke.
For your budget you'd easily get a good condition ST170 if you wanted a bit more poke.
5 doors?
My father-in-law has a 55-reg diesel Focus C-Max that we've borrowed fairly often. Sooooo plasticy inside compared to the Clio and Scenic we used to have and to the Corrolla we have at the moment. My wife hates driving it.
For some od reason C-Maxes are crap inside yes, but the normal Focus hatch/estate is a different animal altogether. I defy you to come for ride in mine and tell me it's any lower qualiry than a Golf, without lying. 🙂
It also belches black smoke out the back which covers the rear of the car in black crap, but which my father-in-law insists happens to all flat=backed cars.
Nowt to do with the shape of the car at all. It's the fuel it burns (diesel) and how well the engine is running and serviced. (Poor running = smoke) Another reason to hate diesels in my book, though......
pahhh, if you want to see a mess out the back of a car check out an old petrol engine.
Started the midget up in the garrage one day after several weeks inactivity, resulted in a big flash behind me as a load of unburnt fuel was expelled and a lot of soot on the garrage doors 😀
you do know what ford means?
Fix,Or,Repair,Daily.
No not really i was total for hater years ago i test drove a focus
and bought one i was that impressed.My dad has a c max and the more you pay the better they get inside it is a 08 titanium and it really is massive inside for carrying kit.
Have used a C-Max when I went to italy last year. Seats went down, and the bike bag slid straight in. Was impressed, and it driove well. Though not as much fun around the lakes as the Mazda would have been.
you do know what ford means?
Fix,Or,Repair,Daily
Nahh, it's F***ing Old Rusty Dustbin! 😛
ourmaninthenorth.
Seriously. I miss my MX5's with an ache. I loved my weekly curry run (55miles) over the tops from Manchester to Huddersfield on a Thursday night ..and I popped out late at night just for a drive. You know Jacksons boat- the two roundabouts under the motorway? I used to come off the motorway earlier especially to repeatdly figure of 8 those two roundabouts. I still do in my Forester- however its not quite the same 🙁
In fact, I noticed my first mx5 is currently sat in the main Ford dealership at Man Utd at the moment- you can see it as you drive up and down Chester road. I look at it everytime I go past and regret ****ing bicycles and dogs.
The Focus I owned 'felt' good. Go with an 04/60k'er and keep the MX5. Your average mileage will drop over two cars.
Why not KEEP the MX5 and buy a secondhand Ford Focus for 5k?
Seriously.
Trust me- you buy a 10k Focus- it'll piss money for a while yet. They plateu from freefall around 5k.
been researching cars lately as we have baby on the way and the wifes fiesta aint big enough.
for the money you cant go wrong with a focus for the kit you get.
ford are gving us an amazing part ex for the 52 reg fiesta.
the new model zetec s (with the body kit) is a lovely looking car.
yes there are common as muck but so what, depends how much your bothered with that thing.
Trust me- you buy a 10k Focus- it'll piss money for a while yet. They plateu from freefall around 5k.
i can see your point but what does it matter if your gong to keep it for years and years.
i can see your point but what does it matter if your gong to keep it for years and years.
but you only keep a car for years if it doesnt start to become a money pit with repairs.
Buy a 5k car- keep it 2years and its popular it wont have lost anywhere near what a 10k car would have (assuming both are decent mechanically).
Both will be secondhand afterall.
Get a Y plate 2L petrol, should be about 3K or less now. Spend the rest on a holiday.
Superbly reliable, better fun to drive than the Golf, cheaper than the Audi.
Heavy right foot gave me 33mpg, easy to get 37+ if you take care. 5 doors, loads of storage space. I'd buy one again.
Help mum get a secondhand Mk.1 1.6 Ghia hatch 3 years ago. Nice car, no problems to speak of. A little lacking in torque low down, but handles very well!
Comfy seats, well laid out. I'd have one, perhaps the 2.0 personally.
I believe the running gear is different between the Mk1 and Mk2, i have heard that the Mk1 handles better than the Mk2, but Mk2s are still pretty good.
Our 1.8 lx estate petrol is starting to cost us a bit of dosh but it has done 85000mls. Things that have consistently gone wrong are few. Rear wheel bearings and warped discs are the main culprits. Water pump failure at 40000mls. The rest is just servicing so not bad overall. It has the best handling and feel of any car I've driven including so called hot hatches. If I could find a 170ST estate I would have one tomorrow. Diesels are great providing nothing goes wrong with the Dual Mass Flywheels and injector pump! Any savings the diesel gives you will be wiped out by a huge bill if these go wrong.
Hi ourmaninthenorth! I,ve got a two year old 1.8L Zetec climate with sports pack that i bought tax free in December 07.(Only £10,000!!) It's got 16000 miles on it now and i've not had any problems with it so far ( the wife uses it for the work commute daily) It's a great car to drive, loads of boot space, very responsive and a real giggle to take out for the occasional thrash. The only down side is that we only get 300 miles on a full tank (it only averages 29mpg)and the insurance is relatively cheap. Hope this helps.PS - i drive a BMW 3 series but i prefer the Focus for short trips. The Focus is a bit noisy on the Motorway,
I've got a 57 plate 2.0 Diesel Zetec Estate, 136 Bhp, 6 Speed, plenty fast, bucket loads of torque, 45MPG plus. Entertaining to drive, goes well full of toys and also with a roof full of bikes.
I had an old shape (04) 1.8 TDCi Estate and had horrendous problems with the engine management system when it was around three years old, in the garage 30+ times and still not fixed, the firm (co car) sold it in the end. Didn't stop me getting another Focus though, and I've been very happy with the new one for 65,000 miles so far.
People -
Thanks for all the input.
[b]hora[/b] - we only need one car. We both work in Manchester, and I ride to work. And I'm pretty sure the MX5 won't be enough for the two of us. And I don't fancy running and insuring two cars, when the one we own is barely used.
ourmaninthenorth, go on. Tell us the details of the MX5. 🙂
From cars that were bought in 2004 - so the MOTs were in 2007That doesn't really tell much more than which cars had MOT failure problems which is obviously important but not the only measure of reliability - eg my AC problem wouldn't have caused an MOT failure.
An alarmingly high proportion of cars fail their first MOTs for bald tyres (yes, some people really don't bother checking before it goes for MOT, and probably never checked in the first 3 years of the car's life), and many of the other most common MOT fail areas are simple maintenance/consumable items like bulbs.
While it's an interesting data set, it's not a useful metric at all for measuring reliability and probably reflects more on the sort of owners that particular models get.
As for the original question: have a look at the current shape Civic. The 1.8 petrol is a great engine (as is the 2.2 diesel, but it's pointless if you're not doing high mileages), claimed 42mpg combined, huge boot with very low/shallow lip, seats fold perfectly flat with a minimum of faffing, seats also flip up for awkward loads like plants and TVs. Interior is also far less boring than anything else in the class. They're ace.
hora - Member
ourmaninthenorth, go on. Tell us the details of the MX5.
The details are that it won't fit your baby and all the associated crap 😉
The details are that it won't fit your baby and all the associated crap
One can but dream 🙁
If you get a diesel, you can run it off of chip fat. If you also paint a big flower on it, you'll blend in when going to the posh eco-chic supermarket.
😉
ourmaninthenorth, go on. Tell us the details of the MX5
05 plate, silver, Sport, 51k miles, FSH. Reasonable nick - couple of scrapes on the bodywork. New roof (sreplaced after someone slashed the original).
Wanna buy it? 😀
If you get a diesel, you can run it off of chip fat. If you also paint a big flower on it, you'll blend in when going to the posh eco-chic supermarket.
I like the fact that the posh eco-supermarket has a sign up thanking customers for not driving, and has a car park. 🙄
As for the original question: have a look at the current shape Civic
OK. Friend has previous version. Seems like a nicely reliable car.
Snap. Heres a pic of my 2nd '5
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If your talking about that place in Chorlton- its full of shit.
Snap. Heres a pic of my 2nd '5
That's just like Mrs North's car.
Except yours is cleaner... 🙂
Does Mrs North cut hair as well...? 😉
I only cleaned it once and that was when I advertised it for sale in the autotrader. The first person who came to view bought it on the spot. It currently lives in Prestwich and I often see it in the centre of town 🙁
My Y plate 1.8 has 165k on it, apart from a the sump pan, coil pack and PS pump it's had nothing but consumables done to it.
New Focus due the end of this year!
I went from a Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec 06 plate to a MX5 2.0 Sport 07 plate, and now with a kid on the way have got a Mondeo 04 plate.
I got the Focus as my parents MK1 Focus's were good fun to drive. The Mk2 in comparison is dull. Better built than a VW IMO, but completely understeer, ABS that kicked in far too easily and the 1.6 115 bhp engine was slow! It was the first car I have owned that I couldnt wait to get rid of.
Needing a family car I recently but a 2 TDCI Mondeo. It handles so much better than the Focus, has many more toys, much more mpg, doesnt understeer half as badly, the ABS doesnt kick in so quickly so you can actually left foot break, and its just as quick as the MX5.
Don't bother with the FOcus, get the Mondeo, much better value for money.
Oh and by the way, the MK2 MX5 is much more of a sports car than the MK3, if you change your mind dont get the Mk3 !
It handles so much better than the Focus, has many more toys, much more mpg
I get 37mpg (actual) from my petrol Focus.
But I'm pretty sure it has more toys than the mondeo. 😉
the ABS doesnt kick in so quickly so you can actually left foot break,
Why would you need left foot braking when driving about on the public highway?
got the Focus as my parents MK1 Focus's were good fun to drive. The Mk2 in comparison is dull. Better built than a VW IMO, but completely understeer,
Wierd. I found my mk2 focus far less understeery than my mk1 (although it does have a lighter engine so that might be the difference).
Anyway, there are better cars out there and worse, but (secondhand) you struggle to find anything else as good value.