I know you’re a car and even if you could read, I’m not sure you’d be on STW. However…

We met nearly a year ago now.

You, an ex hire car, been around the block (172,00 times, you hussy). Your body was tired, you had scratches, a bit of lacquer peel, your arches were bubbling, but you were going cheap.

Me, in a situation, needed a cheap form of transport following a change in job and looking for my first house; a more expensive model was not an option. I could barely spend money on a car, but less so maintaining one with expensive failures. I needed you to be faithful.

I’ll admit, you weren’t a looker, your body was pretty battered and your refinements were….sparse. You certainly weren’t the ‘company’ car you replaced. You didn’t have leather seats, blow cold air up my arse and I couldn’t tell you what to do.

I didn’t expect much.

However, in the last 11 months, I have grown to love you.

You’ve done numerous, testing, short journeys.

When your MOT was due, you passed first time.

In the last 5 months you’ve driven from Leeds to Bolton/Wigan/Stockport and back every single day without missing a beat, clocking up 11k miles in the process.

Sure, you just trundled along in the inside lane of M62 whilst the A6 Essssss-lines have flown by, but you held you head up high as they inevitably ground to a halt in the outside lane and you just sailed past.

You have been sat in baking heat in standstills whilst other cars were boiling on the hard shoulder, your little 1.6 petrol engine just purring away, maintaining constant engine temperature and when required, blowing ice cool air over me without overheating (I appreciate you don’t exactly idle “well” in these scenarios, but you did it still)

Also, you recently have decided to sporadically kill the speedo, or decide that you’re doing 135mph when sat at traffic lights. It’s forgivable though, it just adds to your character.

..and this is where I apologise. You came to me with a FSH. I’m afraid my cruel approach was to drive you without investment, so you have had nothing from me apart from an ickle bit of oil and the occasional clean.

If you used water I’d give you some, but in all the miles, you haven’t used any.

You look better in the rain and the dark and it hides your imperfections, but that’s more down to me, than you.

I wish I’d treated you better, but it doesn’t seem to have affected you.

This Friday, I’m genuinely sorry to say, you retire from duty, consigned to the driveway whilst the full years NCB ticks over. Then, you will go to hopefully serve someone just as well and hopefully treats you better, but loves you equally.

When the time comes to purchase another car of my own with my own money, I will be honestly considering one of your brothers – a frugal trooper, blending into the background, incapable of depreciation and ultimately, the master of the road.

Thanks car 🙂

I loved my Focus, an LX mk1.5 estate with the crap 80 horse 1.8 enduro engine (Ford were enduro before enduro was cool). They just got it really right with the later mk1s, so functional and useful. My dad’s got a mk2, it’s shit by comparison, all sorts of little ergonomic and usability mistakes.

I loved my mk1. 1.8 tdci. Ghia.
142k miles. Looked like shit. Drove perfect. Ultra comfortable. Handled brilliantly. Had a bit of poke. Did 50 mpg. Did 350 miles a week without missing a beat.

The mk1 is a classic in my opinion.

Indeed, a trooper of a car. My 52 plate TDDI has seen 200K come and go, just keeps going with oil changes 🙂
What’s this about the inside lane though?

yup ours was a similar mileage muncher, and unbelievably reliable
(also had similar dash issues though) but either way it was a great car, only retired because of the expannding family

The endura engine, but never mind, mine had a 2l duratec engine, crashed it, parked it up and still 18months later can’t bare to get rid of it. Mk1 focus, changed the industry

Yeah, sorry, couldn’t resist going for the enduro joke.

Always been curious if I could find a tidy one and extract the 2.2 from my mondeo and hammer it in 😆

In short, yes you could,but if you’re gonna do that, you may as well 4×4 it and stick a cosworth in it, or rwd it

You two, stop being so disrespectful talking of transplants!

It really is a car like no other though; it’s bloody indestructible and this one certainly, tackles absolutely anything thrown at it.

sorry, I’m being slow, but why you relieving it of its duties?

lovely post btw, very eloquent

Ta. Oddly, and stupidly, it’s genuinely meant! You get attached to cars, I get that, but this one has served me through a really rocky year and if it decided to be an arse, it could have caused me real problems. It didn’t though and I am so grateful for that; silly innit?!

why you relieving it of its duties?

‘Company’ car again, but let’s not let Focus hear that, eh? 😉

seemed genuine 🙂 and mums the word 😉

I know exactly what you mean Bearnecessities, my 04 flight 1.6 has just passed its MOT only needing a tyre (which had a nail in it). in the 8 years we have owned it i have put oil in it twice and it has needed a temperature sensor … and thats it! its at the stage where my wife is putting regular dents in it to try and justify getting a new car, but the Focus just will not die! 139k on the clock.

Now pining for my 04 Zetec I had from new and got rid of last year. One of the last ‘old shape’ ones out the factory. 🙁
Best car I’ve ever had and probably ever will.

stu170 – Member

In short, yes you could,but if you’re gonna do that, you may as well 4×4 it and stick a cosworth in it, or rwd it

Yeah, but I already have the 2.2. Also wouldn’t fancy my odds of getting a 65mpg average on a drive to Glentress out of a Cossie plant. Mind you the project would have to go something like this:

1) Find clean Focus with dead engine
2) Crash mondeo

1.6 zetec engined mk1 focus will be a future classic. Love mine.

Sgn23 afraid it won’t, I have an st170 and even that won’t be, rs yes,but the 1600 Ghia no

I cried when my folks sold the T2 camper I grew up in.

*sniffle*

Here’s a Focus i “did” earlier:

Many happy memories 😉

For balance, I hated mine. 1.8 Zetec, I think I had.
Felt like driving round in a biscuit tin. Such a flimsy feeling thing.
Handled ok, but so cheap n nasty.
And it was silver so it felt like every other bugger was driving around in an identical car.

aaah. That’s sweet. I changed cars today as well.

Harry is gone.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/oeAYJQ]Harry. Gone but not forgotten[/url] by Jon Wyatt, on Flickr

he too was wonderful. 8 years of perfection. I did look after him although I’m not sure what that washing business is about. Dirt protects you see.

Harry handled like a barge filled with sand but he pulled like a train and was the most comfortable car in existence and he never, ever went wrong. Big boot, 5 people inside for 200 miles, reliable as a rock. Well done Harry.

Your time is done though. You’ve been replaced with a sleeker, higher maintenance car with an SD card and bluetooth. I’m sure I’ll regret selling you and I’m sorry.

I have a brand new Focus and I love it. Good quality and handles like no other car I’ve driven. You don’t appear to have to slow down for any corners at any speed. It’s almost weird.
Bluetooth audio and DAB radio is fantastic and voice commands work really well.

I can see me missing it when it’s gone, but I get to keep it for 4 years so a long way to go yet!

It’s so wrong, but I was genuinely sad today, thinking how I’m retiring something that’s not given me any reason to.

Tomorrow it will go from Leeds to Bolton, to Wigan, to Bolton and then to Leeds.

Then it will face its final journey in my hands…..the ****ing hasn’t let me down once.

There was a thread earlier today talking about how much folks cars cost per mile….I couldn’t be arsed to calculate but this bloody thing would win hands down!

have you sold it yet? if not how much you looking for?

Don’t be so crude as to talk of values! 😉

It’ll be sold on here for buttons, in the spirit of being nice to others and the fact it’s paid for itself several times over. I think the insurance expires in a couple of weeks, so probably in about a week. Keep an eye out!

They’ve never bettered the Mk1 focus. Still think about mine and whether she’s still running…… :-/

Face lifted mk1 52 plate 1.8 lx estate. Heated windscreen and aircon what more do you want! Best car we’ve ever had. The only failure was a rear wheel bearing and water pump in 100k.

The car i ever had that will be missed the most.. Mk2 2ltr tdci , thank you. 😥

I had a 98 mk 1 as a company car which racked up 80k miles in 2 years,then did 35k in my mk2 and both were great to drive and very reliable.My girlfriends 2002 mk1is on nearly 160k miles but I think rust might catch up with it on the next mot.She bought it for 2k about 6 years ago and it hasn’t had anything more than brake pads,tyres and servicing.

It’s up for a quick sale.