Sad story with a happy ending (pictures inside)

Ricochet J · 19 Oct 2008 at 20:46

Hi. It's been a hectic four months. Since the loss of my beloved Skoda Fabia which I had to sell, and which was my first car which I loved so it was difficult to find a car to replace it.

And then, when I needed a replacement car, I couldn’t because of money constraints and just not having the time to put in to thoroughly search.

However, four months on, following numerous advices from many knowledgeable people I narrowed down my next car search to meet the following specifications:
- Has to be British or Jap (cheap parts)
- Has to be reliable (I had low amount of money so high mileage couldn't be an issue)

So with a £1500 budget I was thinking of a Ford Focus. But I was kidding myself; I couldn't get one for that sort of money with out it being crap. So I had to settle for the 1.25 Fiesta.

I ended up with...

Ford Focus 1.6 Ghia and I love it

85K on the clock
Just passed an MOT with no advisories
Full Ford service history
New quality Pirelli's just fitted
Had no tax though
Immaculate condition

All for £1700. Not bad. Had to raise my budget and get a £300 loan from my brother but all in all I’m happy with it.

Couple of questions:
1/ In the Ghia model should have received a centre arm rest and trip computer?
2/ When I pop the bonnet it says Zetec S on the engine. Is this the sport engine?
3/ Checked the oil on the dipstick and its a little low. Can I just chuck any car oil in there?
4/ If I change the timing belt, tensioners and water pump, could I just keep running it without no hassle?

So I guess you could call it my first car!

Thanks for reading!

P.s - Fox, the fake wood dash isn't that bad

[TW]Fox · 19 Oct 2008 at 20:57

I dont mind fake wood. You need 5w30 oil for that engine. Zetec-S isn't a 'Sport' engine, there is no such thing, it's just the standard Zetec engine.

Ricochet J · 19 Oct 2008 at 21:00

So then what's that stuff with Fiesta 1.6 Zetec S being quick? I just guessed and thought they'd share the same engine that's why I asked

[TW]Fox · 19 Oct 2008 at 21:01

The Fiesta doesn't weigh as much as the Focus, therefore it offers better acceleration despite having the same engine.

Tom|Nbk · 19 Oct 2008 at 21:07

Nice.

Get some

Castrol Magnatec 5W-30 A1

fonzee · 19 Oct 2008 at 21:16

noice.

jap parts being cheap? who told you this?

same engine as the ZS, bit slow but generally solid and rev-happy

also what you mean 'could I just keep running it without no hassle' ?

BeatMaster · 19 Oct 2008 at 21:16

Ricochet J said:
1/ In the Ghia model should have received a centre arm rest and trip computer?

It appears that only the 2.0 petrol or TDCi Ghia model featured the fuel computer. Although there should be a front and rear centre arm rest.

More information here

Looks a nice clean example at a great price too, enjoy!

Ricochet J · 20 Oct 2008 at 18:48

fonzee said:
also what you mean 'could I just keep running it without no hassle' ?

Could I run it to the ground? Keep it until 150k miles?
And BeatMaster, thanks, that website is helpful.

Tom|Nbk · 20 Oct 2008 at 19:33

Ricochet J said:
Could I run it to the ground? Keep it until 150k miles?
And BeatMaster, thanks, that website is helpful.

Just look after it and it should serve you well. They're pretty strong cars anyway.

Dogbreath · 20 Oct 2008 at 20:39

So where's the happy ending...did you sell the Focus and get an Aston?