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04 1 owner, 12months main dealer warranty, 7 stamps all Ford 1.6 engine. Should I?
Need a reliable motor, easy and nice to drive whilst I rennovate my house.
how much?
1.6 petrol? SWMBO had one from new for 5 years/50k miles. Never missed a beat. Bit gutless, not very economical but a joy to drive.
We've had an ST170 for two and a half years and had no issues,and they were rushed into production,just had niggles like rattling cat heat shield,leaking headlamp washers and engine management sensor lights coming on but only in the cold,reliability wise (Engine) not a bean,
Whats the mileage ?
I bought a 5 year old 1.6 Focus and drove it without issue for another 5 years. I would probably still be driving it now if Babyfish hadn't arrived (it was a 3-door model).
56k miles, 3.3k. Well 3.6k but I'm not paying that. Unfashionable colour but I need a good tool rather than pretty with carpark posing power
My dad has a 1.6 Focus, newer model... Nice car but the engine's gutless. My own Focus is the rather feeble 1.8TDDI and it's actually slower 0-60 and makes about 10bhp less, but it's a much nicer engine and far easier and more pleasant to drive around at lower speeds. Mine is also a fair bit more economic, and I think it's an insurance group and a tax band lower.
I do like Foci, even my fairly sheddy one, but I wouldn't have the little engines if there was a choice.
I found the 1.6 petrol a good compromise. Not too powerful so no tyre shressing going on and you had to drive it. You had to be in the right gear rather than relying on brute force and ignoreance and the petrol engine is loads lighter than the diesel lumps which spoil the handling IMO.
Mrs Boblo got rid of hers at about that mileage and nothing had gone wrong at all. Just tyres, not even pads needed.
Northwood I hear you but mileage and price are higher cancelling out the main benefits of the need for acheap hassle-free runaround.
Seems a bit steep is it a garage or private ?
I bought a 54 focus estate tdci with fsh and 25000mls a couple of years ago for £3900(off the classifieds on here in fact)
hora - Member
"Northwood I hear you but mileage and price are higher cancelling out the main benefits of the need for acheap hassle-free runaround."
Oh. Not really specifically recommending a diesel, mine was a steal but usually they aren't. Just saying that mine has a pretty puny engine in it by modern standards yet the 1.6 still feels weak and horrible by comparison. It reminds me of riding my old 125cc motorbike.
I have a '99 Focus estate still going strong. Has needed a few bits replaced as it ages (coil, exhaust) but nothing major so far (fingers crossed!) Is starting to look a little shabby now, but otherwise is a great car. 2 litre petrol engine which is nice, if a bit thirsty. But on my low milage that hardly matters.
You could have my octavia tdi for not much more than the asking price of that focus...
Great cars. Had one for 4 years and had no issues with it
Bits are cheap and plentiful
Drive really nice, one of the first mass produced cars that were built by engineers not accountants
If I was buying another runabout tomorrow I'd happily get another one
I'm on my second focus (both old shape). The first was a company car (i.e. ragged to death) and that was fine while I had it. Now got another, ok so far, touch wood. Apart from minor crash damage.
No. That's well steep!
YGM
my st170 is coming up to 9 year old and i have owned it for 4 years. coming close to 75k miles and its still running fine although the engine management light goes on and off of its own accord.
in that time other than the normal servicing i havent had to do anything major and has been mega reliable.
as said above that price seems high especially with the state of the current secondhand market.
Father in law has an 02 same model - great car. The 1.6 is fine when you get used to it
1.6 will be totally gutless, but it depends what you want from a motor.
Price does seem a bit steep and I never really liked the old Focus, although the Top Gear crew had it rated as a very decent car.
Jme ygm back (but location is probably a stopa). Steveh I'm interested if your selling?
Jme ygm back (but location is probably a stopa). Steveh I'm interested if your selling?
Unfashionable colour
You'll be greatful for this when you park in a large car-park. Mine's silver and I've lost count of the number of times I've stood at the wrong car pressing the key fob like a madman. 😉
1.6 will be totally gutless,
Nahh, it's not. If you're used to a 140bhp diesel with a mountain of torque (And associated turbo lag) it's not going to be fast, granted, but it's a lovely little smooth, responsive, revvy unit and will pull from nothing in any gear if you want it to. It's also a very refined engine, virtually silent at speed.
We've had an '05 1.6 Zetec Estate for nearly 2 years and it's a good car. Quiet, well built and cracking handling with nice sharp turn in. I've driven the equivilent diesel (My sister's company car) and it's noticeably 'duller' to drive: It feels heavy, understeery and not as sharp (It's probably not, it just feels like that: Solid rather than sharp)
Driving it back to back with my MILs 2.0tdi VW Eos we have on loan right now, I prefer the Focus. It's sharper handling, better built, rides better, has less rattles and is also better equipped (Apart from the VW's leather seats and bangin' stereo!)
The heated front windscreen and washer jets are particularly useful right now..!
We get 36mpg avarage
😆 I popped into the dealer selling the Focus last night and asked a few sly questions. Its been in dealer stock since Oct. So possibly they have a stock turn-policy and will send it to auction after a specific period. I'll play hardball on price as it is too high.
Key to me is providence over price. I must know a car is 100% genuine with no questions over its previous use or mileage etc otherwise I'd run for the likes of a Octy TDI- around here ALL of them are run by taxis.
Spend at least £2k less on a totally reliable but totally unfashionable Honda/Nissan/Toyota and renovate your house more quickly?
Hora, what model & milage and how much is it? 🙂
Feb 08 we bought ours. 1.6 Zetec Estate with climate pack, totally immaculate, 16,000 miles, 3 years old at the time, £5995.
(i.e. It had lost £10,000 in 3 years!)
EDIT
Ahh, just looking and it seems ours is the newer model than the 2004 ones, I thought they changed earlier than that.
A nice average milage 2004 Focus with decent spec (Zetec or above) is £2500. Choose carefully and you should get a Ghia for that money.
I've just noticed
A nice average milage 2004 Focus with decent spec (Zetec or above) is £2500. Choose carefully and you should get a Ghia for that money.
renders this statement utter rubbish!
Spend at least £2k less on a totally reliable but totally unfashionable Honda/Nissan/Toyota and renovate your house more quickly?
Sorry. 🙂
Naranjada the main issue is having to google problems and revisit garages for fixes.
I spent more money and bought a nearly new Toyota Yaris from a Toyota main dealer. I've been back twice and had countless calls before they've accepted my rejection of it over a gearbox problem.
Its going back tomorrow. I just want something simple and reliable so then I can spend time focusing on the matter at hand, that is hiding my pipes properly in the kitchen 😉
10k in three years? 😥
Another ST170 here, We've had It for 8 years now and It's been a great car, very reliable with no major mechanicals.
If you are thinking of looking at a second hand ST170 everything you need to know about them Is [url= http://www.fordst170.co.uk/ ]here[/url].
I like the ST170 but the tax puts me off.
If you don't mind beating the hell out of the engine up hills, it will be a reliable, cheap to run car.
A mate had one for 3 years and 60k miles with almost nothing going wrong.
ST170 is brilliant but as you say, much pricier to run.
Had an 03 1.6 Zetec for 8 years and done 80K (95K total). Good to drive and very reliable.
Other than regular servicing it's had a left rear wheel bearing and a new dashboard (common fault so only about £100 to have replaced).
Still on original battery and exhaust, starts first time and averages about 36 mpg on a 20 mile commute.
Every man and his dog has one but you can see why.
My parent's have had the 1.6 Zetec for a few years and have had no problems apart from the blocking pollen filter thing, which is a known Focus fault and should have been rectified under a recall. Check this one has or you'll end up with damp, musty carpets and a wet passenger footwell.
The engine is perfectly fine for a medium sized hatch. Yeah, it's not going to set the world alight but it's far from gutless & slow. It's just a standard engine in a standard car.
This is what I need. Of course you cant guarantee any 'old' car you buy will be hassle-free but hey ho. I'll see what this dealer says about the price on the red Focus and leave it with him.
I had an 06 plate 1.6 zetec 115bhp. Although well screwed together (better than a VW IMO) it was just too sluggish and very thirsty.
I now drive an 54 plate Mondeo 2.0 tdci 130bhp with cruise control, climate, etc. I bought it just over a year ago and paid £4k for 36k miles and full Ford history.
Its much quicker than the Focus, drives better, much more room, 50mpg.
Wouldnt buy a Focus again when the Mondeo gives you so much more for your money.
1.6 will be totally gutless,
LOL - the kind of thing written by people who think they'd have been an F1 driver if only someone had spotted their talent. It's a car for getting around in. 1.6 is perfectly adequate for that purpose though maybe not as an ego-chariot or for proving your manliness off the lights 😆 🙄
On the engine size, I once drive a 1.0 Aygo down to Germany and back with no issues or scares. Its how you drive them and how you stay off the brake pedal 🙂
+1 Clubber 🙂
They're prefectly fine. Lovely little engine. I don't find I 'thrash' it very often at all. I think it pulls rather well to be fair.
10k in three years?
Yup. But noy [u]OUR[/u] £10k so who cares? 😉
Buying new is for muppets.
Right, how much do you reckon?
http://www.gordonsford.co.uk/used-cars.aspx?st=Vehicle&vhl=601178680&ctr=1944446
Its how you drive them and how you stay off the brake pedal
Rare words of wishom from the Horemeister! 🙂
or for proving your manliness off the lights
Oh, I dunno. I find it easier to launch the Focus than the 2 diesels I've driven recently, which require a lot more skill to balance the tourque laden wheelspin and the turbo lag!
If you're on the ball it's very satisfying to beat 'faster' cars. 'Speshly with passengers and the bike rack on the back..... Err....Ummmm.... Not that I would, you understand. No. Never.
I tend to lift off sooner before bends or use the gears better and drive smoother for progress. Same with the motorway- anticipate the rapid lane jumpers etc. Plus brake pads and discs are expensive. My old Forester was soooooo slow and expensive for discs that I never used the brakes much 🙂
Yes but why have a slow, noisy, fuel guzzling 1.6 when you can have a more nippy more efficient, quieter 2.0?
My 2.0D Mondeo is noticeably noisier around town than the 1.6 Focus is - I really noticed it last week when I drove our Focus for the first time in a while. The Mondeo is less noisy on the motorway though.
And it's not slow, it's just not boyracer. I've never found the 'lack' of power to be an issue in overtaking or anything else that matters unless you think you're racing.
I dont need a huge car. The majority of the time its just me in it. If Im brutally honest I'd prefer a MX5 but that wouldn't go down too well 😆
Mk3 MX5 has isofix with air bag switch on passenger side (therfore baby friendly) if that helps the discussions?
Yes but why have a slow, noisy, fuel guzzling 1.6
The petrol WILL be quiter.
All cars go the same speed in traffic. Unless you're doing 12000+ miles a year, you'll never make a diesel pay.
And let's compare like for like: If I stick a turbo on a 2 lite petrol engine, which is faster then please? You need to compare it to the 1.6 110bhp diesel, which I've driven back to back with ours, and there's precious little difference there!
-------------------------
Hora, that looks a bit rich to me, and it's a low specced one
PP - I know. I've left it with them. The price is also above Glasses which I pointed out.
Let's take £700 off that price, and up the spec....
Or you can have a Ghia for a tad more
Peter I'm not comparing engines, I'm comparing price. You can buy a more powerful, quiter, more efficient car for the same or less money so why would you buy the less powerful car? Of course this excludes stying, size etc criteria if that is important to you.
My 1.6 115 only used to do high 20's/low 30's around town where as the 2.0d does 50mpg. Admitedly in town driving the 2.0d is more noisey but on open road the Mondeo is just so much more refined.
The thing with any car, I think, is to decide what you want, narrow it down to a couple of models/specs then get looking for a few weeks.
We lookd at about 10 Focussessssss (Foci?) when we bought ours, all estates. I really wanted a Ghia for the cruise control, but a lot of the ones we saw were sheds
You really wouldn't believe what some people try and sell. I had one salesman speachless when I asked if the deep gouges in the rear bumper would be repaired. He said they'd probably had a dog. I said "What? A warewolf?"
You can buy a more powerful, quiter, more efficient car for the same or less money so why would you buy the less powerful car?
Becasue you CANNOT do all those things. The petrol REALLY IS QUIETER. And usually cheaper. And nicer to drive. I'd buy (I did!) a slower petrol over a faster diesel just because I prefer them.
And you HAVE to compare like for like with spec/power, sorry.
Focusses are useless - the rear light cluster is made out of tin foil and crepe paper and when you close the boot down on it hard they shatter into a million tiny pieces
😉
PP I know but miles from me plus I want comeback if something goes wrong - a closer drive 😉
Pook, made of cheese those rear lights 😉
Hmm, I'd rate the Mk1 focus very highly. Helped mum choose one second hand about 5 years ago and it hasn't put a foot wrong. Its a 1.6 Ghia hatch and it handles really well. Ok the 1.6 isn't going to set the world on fire and it lacks power a bit on the hills when fully loaded up, but work the gears a b it and it can keep a decent pace.
Nice solid build and feel to it too. .
Plus they're pretty common so getting spares etc isn't going to be tricky.
I'd have one.
Right, how much do you reckon?http://www.gordonsford.co.uk/used-cars.aspx?st=Vehicle&vhl=601178680&ctr=1944446
No more than £3k.
Im willing to go to the extra £200 due to its one owner/full history/unmolested and the 12months main dealer warranty (unusual). Not a penny more though.
Well the red ones a no-go. They seem to think its worth 300 over the top trade book value and compared it to alloyed-metallic higherspecs.
Well the red ones a no-go. They seem to think its worth 300 over the top trade book value and compared it to alloyed-metallic higherspecs. I'm not paying 3500.ass 🙁
"Get a mondeo" is good advice from Funkydunc, Foci seem to carry a bit of a price premium. I had to go smaller since a Mondeo wouldn't fit on my drive but that was the only advantage of the Focus. Mondeos are uncool but they make sense. It was pretty irritating seeing how many more there were in my pricerange and how much more you could get for the money.
I've got 04 1.6 petrol Focus, it's been pretty reliable till this month when it had to have a new water pump, thermostat housing and alternator belt.
It's no race machine and pretty boring to drive but it gets me from A to B fine.
Hmm PeterPoddy ...I'm not clear how spending £2.5k on a Ford makes my suggestion of buying a potentially more reliable car for less than half that 'utter rubbish', but hey-ho! if that's what you think. I suspect you were in an Autotrader searching frenzy and misread what I wrote?
I was actually going to suggest a Civic - say a 1.4 with c100k miles for about £800.
[url= http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201027362693960/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-to/1000/model/civic/make/honda/page/1/radius/20/postcode/m335qx?logcode=p ]Comme ca[/url]
So, Hora, in reply to your question: it seems that you might want to buy quickly once the Toyota's gone and of course it's up to you, but I wouldn't spend £3k on a car if I could spend <£1k and put the rest into an appreciating asset, ie. my house.
Sounds odd but I like the design of the old focus and I think the mondeos door cards are horrificly plasticated.
On that civic, part history, 100kmiles and HOW MUCH!
Good cars Hora, you'll not go far wrong with one if driven sensibly.
I wasnt keen on our Mondeo at first, but of the cars we've had over the last few years, this one has just quietly & reliably gone about its business without any fuss. I love the rattly old thing now. We picked it over our £8k Galaxy for a 450 mile trip to a party last summer, its so comfy. 49mpg!!
And it swallows a bike with its wheels on. 🙂
hora - Member
"Sounds odd but I like the design of the old focus"
Mine looks like an upturned skip with wheels on Slightly too small wheels at that so it always looks like someone put a size 12 body on a size 10 chassis. I do like the Mk2 though, good muscular lines on it for a family car.
As for design I have some issues with that, frinstance, the clutch master cylinder has a nonreplacable plastic pushrod which is a common failure point, and requires the whole m/c to be replaced if (when) it snaps. And to replace this cheap part you need to remove the entire steering column, and then grow an extra pair of wrists so you can get to the springloaded hose connectors on the back of it. So for a breakage of a 10p part you face several hundred pounds of garage and parts bill, and most people couldn't DIY it. Now that's annoying. Even I can take a 2 minute look at it and see how the design could be changed to avoid all that.
But stuff like this does annoy me disproportionately so maybe I'm being unfair. It doesn't put me off the car though.
We just sold our '02 5 door 1.8 tdi zetec
(not the tdci - apparently up to a certain age a particular engine part on the tdci's can be a bit dodgy, or so we were told)
we had it just over a year and only regretfully sold it only because we've moved overseas. Cheap and reliable to run, was great to drive, really good mpg, and it bloody shifted on the motorway! we'd definitely get another if/when were back in UK.
Dxb what mileage was yours and you other stw'ers? I was restricting myself to <60k for 'reliability fears'
Ours was about 70K+ miles when we got it, and about 80K when we sold it.
Daily commute from manc to chorley clocked up the miles. Ours was really tidy and had been serviced regularly when we got it, it had done more miles than we wanted, but ended up spot on for us.
On that civic, part history, 100kmiles and HOW MUCH!
Erm, I think he wants £800 but that's negotiable within reason?
Seems like you've already settled on a Focus, so if you're happy then go ahead. I was merely trying to check your enthusiasm for what I see as an overpriced Ford and help you have a lovelier kitchen.
Good luck.
Money isn't an issue. I'm just sick of googling the next major problem and spending my holiday entitlement and time dealing with specialist garages.
There are better things to do than spend your holiday entitlement fixing something isnt there?
In addition I want to be able to dump my car ANYWHERE and not worry all the time about other drivers dinging it. I've always yearned for that.
I actually look at my mates battered 04 Clio with envy. He really doesn't give a toss.
I've got an 04 1.6 5dr Focus, and think it is great. The ride and handling are great, the engine is pretty economical (45mpg in summmer, mostly motorway), it is refined, everything works as it should, and I think it looks nice. There is nothing wrong with the 1.6 engine, at all.
I spend most days at work driving very expensive and powerful cars, and I really enjoy getting back into my Focus at the end of each day (maybe that makes me an old git but it's true!)
I'd say go for it.
What are the issues with the 1.8TDCI and how do you spot them? As mentioned above a poster mentioned that thing that goes wrong?
I'd rather have a 1.6 petrol engine than the 1.7tdi (110bhp 200ft/lb) I have in my company car. Didn't get a choice though. And even though my car is the "Eco" version I don't get more than 44mpg with m62/town driving. 🙁
My 1.6vvti Corolla got 39mpg with the same driving and drove a whole load better.
Our 06 1.8tdci has been fine, done 45K in it now, biggest problem is other drivers as no one stops anymore when they've driven down the side of someone else's car and knocked the door mirrors off.
On a good run it'll happily get over 60mpg, currently getting about 55 average.
What are the issues with the 1.8TDCI and how do you spot them
Prob ....Duel mass flywheels. but that is the same on any modern diesel ,Toyota and Bmw have major problems with these as well.
Tell tell sighns are a rattle when on idle sounds like a marble in a biscuit tin when bad and you can feel it through the cluch pedal a vibration.
Our 06 1.8tdci has been fine
I thought they were 1.6tdci 05 onwards...?
clubber - Member1.6 will be totally gutless,
LOL - the kind of thing written by people who think they'd have been an F1 driver if only someone had spotted their talent. It's a car for getting around in. 1.6 is perfectly adequate for that purpose though maybe not as an ego-chariot or for proving your manliness off the lights
Erm, no - the kind of thing written by people who hate under powered cars. Small engined petrol cars are easy to damage if you have to thrash them. It's all well and good talking about driving them properly, but they are found wanting if you need to get out of trouble.
I much prefer diesels anyway due to the available torque - would always have one in anything up to 200bhp.
I'm no boy racer as I drive a 5mtr long, 2tonne, 4x4 - it is chipped to 170bhp & 400Nm of torque though. 😀
I have had a 52 plate 1.6 estate for the last 3 years. Over the last 35000 thousand miles it has been comfortable, reliable and reasonably economical. It has coped well lugging 5 people and loads of stuff. It isn't posh or overly quick but it gets the job done. I have never struggled with the supposed lack of power and can easily keep up with the flow of traffic. Servicing and things like tyres are cheap. Don't get me wrong. It would be nice to get a posher and quicker car but unless something dramatic changes I am going to be unlikely to get rid of it.
I have an 02 TDCI and its ok, its a bit underequipped for my liking, however the 04 model equivalent (zetec) is much better specced.
I drove a mk2 1.6 petrol and a mk1 petrol and i'm sure there's enough power, its just that the delivery is very different. On paper they produce the same numbers, but for overtaking the diesel seems loads better, but its probably all relativity or something like that
I've had a V reg (one of the first foci) for about 3 or 4 years now, petrol 1.8 that's clicked past 150thou miles and it's been great, I'm going to run it into the ground as a sag wagon for the famille Hornby cos I don't need a flash motor (I bike commute so don't do a lot of miles) so for stuff like bikes in the back or building rubble it's been fine. good space in the back with the seats down (5 door FTW) and I trust it enough with the 3 week old first born daughter in the back
the 1.6 would be fine, lets face it, who really screws an engine like some wannabe jason plato nowadays, the roads are all 30mph speed limits and cameras and traffic volume