Decided on a Focus over a Mondeo - Question though!

[smr]

Hi all,

Last week I had a meeting with the Princes Trust to seek approval and funding for my business plan regarding my new PC Repairs Business! I got accepted (yay ) and will soon have £2,950 to spend on a new car (used car)...

After a thread I posted a couple of weeks ago on which car to get for 3k most of the replies were "get a mondeo" and having looked at the reviews on certain car mag websites the mondeo and the focus were definitely the pick of the bunch for my needs/ finances etc.

After much deliberation I've decided to go for a Focus hatchback as most of my driving will be on A and B roads and more town driving as opposed to Motorway driving.. so I've picked a car that's a bit more compact and probably handles better for this kind of driving etc.

From what I've heard I'm interested in the zetec 1.6 or 1.8 model, preferably in black. I've seen a few cars that look really nice, not chavved up but nice alloys etc. which do make me wonder however that they have been moddedby a boy racer. Am I better off buying a normal factory zetec from an old lady type thing and buy some nice alloys for it separately or is a car like this a good buy: ?

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/356179.htm

This is the kind of thing I'm after, bar the spoiler, tinted windows and big exhaust and it being 5 doors... I'm wondering whether its a good idea to get a car from an owner who's done this to it or like I Said before someone else and buy the wheels separately etc.? Will I be able to save much money and will it be worth it in the long run?

 

[West]

Take that wing off, by lucifers beard just have the wing off if you have it lol.

 

[Saytan]

get a stock one, if its for your business, any mods should be subtle or OEM+ to retain a professional look

 

[[TW]Fox]

I couldnt buy a Focus for this budget, the equivilent Mondeo will be much newer, nicer and better specified. You need to remember that for this money, you will be looking at the Mk1 Focus which spent much of its production life being lower in the range than a Mk2 Mondeo - so compared to the Mk3 it just doesnt cut it.

 

[Steeps]

After much deliberation I've decided to go for a Focus hatchback as most of my driving will be on A and B roads and more town driving as opposed to Motorway driving.. so I've picked a car that's a bit more compact and probably handles better for this kind of driving etc.

Not sure how people rate parkers for their tech specs

Mondeo:
length: 473cm
width: 193-196cm (spec dependant)

Focus
length: 418cm
width: 200cm

but that tells me the Mondeo is narrower than a Focus and only 2ft longer, so not what I'd call "more compact". Taxi drivers seem to love Mondeos in towns so they must be good for racking up miles on.

 

[MarkDavis]

Parkers always screw up regarding dimensions because they use "with mirrors" and "without mirrors" dimensions for different cars.

 

[v0n]

I like the plan though - "I got Prince's Trust to fund my small business, what car should I get?"

 

[smr]

Not sure how people rate parkers for their tech specs

Mondeo:
length: 473cm
width: 193-196cm (spec dependant)

Focus
length: 418cm
width: 200cm

but that tells me the Mondeo is narrower than a Focus and only 2ft longer, so not what I'd call "more compact". Taxi drivers seem to love Mondeos in towns so they must be good for racking up miles on.

Actually that's part of the reason why I chose to go for a Focus instead of a Mondeo because I'm going to be putting signs on it and I think if I do that with a Mondeo it's going to look slightly if not totally similar to a taxi, which is a look I really don't want. I could be totally wrong and I'm maybe picturing it wrongly but it's just from what my girlfriend has said - it got me thinking

 

[Sone]

Parkers always screw up regarding dimensions because they use "with mirrors" and "without mirrors" dimensions for different cars.

Glad you said that, Parkers reckons my Volvo is the same width as my mothers polo but in reality it is much wider, explains it now!

 

[[TW]Fox]

Actually that's part of the reason why I chose to go for a Focus instead of a Mondeo because I'm going to be putting signs on it and I think if I do that with a Mondeo it's going to look slightly if not totally similar to a taxi, which is a look I really don't want. I could be totally wrong and I'm maybe picturing it wrongly but it's just from what my girlfriend has said - it got me thinking

Sounds completely irrelevent to me

If anything a nice Mondeo Estate or whatever might look more professional than a 3 door Focus with some aftermarket wheels and stickers slapped on the side. With an Estate you can get the back windows professionally signwritten.

 

[Sagalout]

I couldnt buy a Focus for this budget, the equivilent Mondeo will be much newer, nicer and better specified. You need to remember that for this money, you will be looking at the Mk1 Focus which spent much of its production life being lower in the range than a Mk2 Mondeo - so compared to the Mk3 it just doesnt cut it.

Completely agree. You can get a nice Mk3 Mondeo for that money and it will be a much better car than a mk1 Focus all round, plus it will carry tons.

Oh, and as said before, get something totally standard. Big alloys with thin tyres, spoilers and tinted windows will look ridiculous on a work car that you're using to ship PC stuff about in. You're going to be dealing with general members of the public, probably many of them quicte 'mature'. The last thing they want to see is soemthign out of "2fast2furious" pulling up outside their drive.

 

[Aero]

Then Why not get an estate Mondeo? Loads of sign room and plenty of space for pc's.

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...model=MONDEO&min_pr=&max_pr=3000&max_mileage=

Just a thought..

Aero

 

[smr]

Sounds completely irrelevent to me

If anything a nice Mondeo Estate or whatever might look more professional than a 3 door Focus with some aftermarket wheels and stickers slapped on the side. With an Estate you can get the back windows professionally signwritten.

ooh no I deffo wouldn't want an estate, that's an affirmative no no

Actually though, my dad (who has his own pc repairs business in another part of the county) has a focus estate with signs on his, and it looks alright. I actually want a 5 door car, sorry for not making that clearer.

Fox I don't know much about cars at all, MK refers to the year of manufacture I guess? Also, if I was going to go for a Mondeo it would be hatchback, but then... which one would you recommend etc.? It's the focus vs mondeo war at head now

 

[IceAx]

Slightly over budget but this is what id go for:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/425490.htm

Andy

 

[[TW]Fox]

Slightly over budget but this is what id go for:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/425490.htm

What, a shipping scam where the car doesnt exist? Sigh...

 

[Aero]

smr can I ask why you wouldn't want an estate because everything you seem to say suggests to be that an estate would be exactly what your after?

Aero

 

[IceAx]

What, a shipping scam where the car doesnt exist? Sigh...

Haha - should have looked at advert properly i suppose!

Its been a long and boring day - chill with the "sighs"

Andy

 

[smr]

Slightly over budget but this is what id go for:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/425490.htm

Andy

I do like the look of the that! My company logo would look nice as its a similar blue colour scheme too.

 

[smr]

smr can I ask why you wouldn't want an estate because everything you seem to say suggests to be that an estate would be exactly what your after?

Aero

I don't know really, just down to personal taste I've never really liked the look of them that much. I've driven an estate before and it was alright but it's just an image thing.

Also I'm only going to be carrying a laptop, briefcase of tools and a box of cables etc. nothing that would require masses of space or room really.

 

[smr]

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...EO&min_pr=1000&max_pr=4000&max_mileage=100000
Something like that could fit the bill I guess.