Parents had one, CV joints went at 50k other than that it was faultless. And generally they destroy tracking/steering/CV components on their cars as they live in the sticks so 50k probably ain’t bad.
Friend & work has one, has about 115,000 on the clock now IIRC.
1 Clutch & 1 wheel bearing is about the sum total of repairs he’s had & he bought it when it was 18 months old.
We had a 51 1.8 Focus Zetec from new till 50k and in that time it had nothing done to it other than servicing. It was my wife’s fave car.
Have an 06 1.6 with about 55k from new. Not sure if this is relevant but power steering pipes failed recently and there’s a prob with water collecting in the spark plug recess rotting the plug cores.. Down to the washer jets above not having proper seals for the bonnet.. Apart from that. Love it.
Still got my 2.0 Zetec 04 that I bought new – quite thirsty by modern standards, but has been a solid performer. 93K miles, still on original clutch and exhaust – timing belt to be done soon.
Only things that have gone wrong was electric window motor (fixed under warranty) and the thermostat housing cracked, dumping coolant at Stafford Services (annoyingly en-route to 7stanes…) – not uncommon apparently (and not just on Fords – a mate’s Polo also went similarly), so worth checking/doing that.
Some Focuses (Focii?) did/do have rust issues, especially on the tailgate.
But, if you’re going to be buying a 10-year old car, you’re not expecting perfection!
Don’t have one of those, but, do have a 2002 TDDI, and my dad’s got an 04 1.6 so between the 2 that’s more or less what you’re looking at
Zetec is a nice spec level, my own is just LX and it’s decent but basic, worth the step up I think- dad’s is a nicer place to be in general. The 1.6 petrol engine is pretty gutless- it makes good power but it’s very revvy, so not slow, and fun to drive quick… But not so good at low speeds, and sluggish when heavily loaded. Pretty inefficient too, because of the combination of revviness and 5 speed box.
Mine is 110000 miles old, dampers are pretty much shagged but otherwise it seems to work fine. Just a very slight hint of clutch slip when letting the clutch up with some revs on, though, that’s probably the start of something expensive. Seats have held up, paint is decent.
They drive really well… Mine as I say is pretty baggy but still turns nicely and holds a line well, lots of feedback too… I’ve driven far fresher cars that handle worse.
Some maintenance is randomly difficult due to bad access, which is a pet hate- for instance, a common fault at around 100K is for the little plastic linkage in the clutch master cylinder to break. It’s a 10p part which goes brittle with age and once it’s gone, no clutch. Repair means replacing the whole m/c assembly, which is a £90 part from Ford IIRC but £25 for the pattern one, phew. But where it stops being fun is that to replace the m/c you need to remove the steering column, because Ford didn’t give it enough clearance to come out- obviously it gets fitted before the steering does at the factory. So what could have been a 1 hour job becomes a 1 day job. I’m sure plenty of other cars do this too but this really cheesed me off.
Boot is incomprehensibly vast in all models, mine is an estate and is so big you could drive another focus into it 😉 Dad’s is the little hatch but the boot’s still bigger than some much bigger cars.
I like ’em but I’d say try and go up a size on the engine or swap over to the turbodiesel. Though that brings with it everyone’s favourite dual mass flywheel.
Saying that my housemate did glactic mileage in his diesel without flywheel issues, he’s heavy footed but does a lot of motorway miles so I guess it evens out with little clutch wear, guess the DMF is more affected by people driving round town at low RPM where its doing the most work smoothing out the engine?
Aye, not sure if there’s much rhyme or reason to it tbh, lots of theories but none seem really conclusive so I just drive the thing. It’s a 3-way race to see what writes the car off- clutch, DMF or driver
I’ve had a 54 plate 1.8 Zetec petrol for about5 years (it was a year old when I got it) and it has done around 57,000 miles. Apart from the usual servicing, the only extra work I have had done is the timing belt replaced and the coil pack replaced. Apart from that it has been faultless **touches nearby wooden object**.
As others have said, they are not the most economical of cars, but I get around 30-35 miles/gallon (maybe even better on a long journey), which isn’t too bad.
The Zetecs handle really well as the suspension is slightly stiffer that the LX, which can suffer from a bit of body roll when cornering.
I have 05 plate LX TDCI estate, serviced regular, 111000 miles never been a problem, apart from water getting in the electric tail gate switch, would have another tommorrow, its been a good workhorse
Lol 04 1.6. One up its hirecar fast. Engine-bay is easy to access. I checked the engine air filter and oil this morning- virtually as new due to the previous owner. Be very aware focus ‘full history’ is more likely than some competitors to mean 3 stamps in 7yrs! I came across loads like this with linglong and other noddy tyre brands. Avoid these.
Saying that my clutch release bearing was on its way out- test drive from cold. Feel the engine before driving and turn the fan off and listen to the start up/set off for any noise/screech. Mine (and clutxh) was replaced FOC by garage.
Otherwise a great car. Lovely. Well screwed together and iconic.
On the 2.0 petrol- GET THE BELT CHANGED ASAP. They can let go before the 100k recommended. Most say 70k best.
Had my first Focus (mk 12.0 ghia)in 98 as a company car and racked up 80k miles in 2 years without a single problem.Recentky bought my second a Mk 2 57 plate 1.6 Style.
Fuel econmoy is only around 32-33mpg around town,but otherwise love the way it drives and handles.Very practical too.I manage to get my 3 kids,aged 8,6 and 34 in the back,with their child seats without any bother.
Reasonably sized boot too,much bigger than on the Mk 1.
Posted 13 years ago
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