Decent Focus for 2 grand or less... do-able?

lol what a cry baby, ok your input is no longer needed Fox but thank you for your time :D Just saying where ever you post, a debate usually follows... and your "us and them" comments make you sound like a chump mate, sorry but afterall people like you who have owned stuff like Xantias and Mondeos who have now reached the high life with a rusty beemer are in a position to be elitest and we need to bow down to you etc etc :)

So yeah lol.. looking on carsurvey.org, a lot of happy mk4 Astra owners from say the year 2000 but not so many Focus owners... does this mean anything? Probably not, I hate reading reviews be it by users or specific motoring websites as there is always constant conflict... which then makes me contradict myself by even starting this thread I guess. D'oh!
 
Stormster said:
So yeah lol.. looking on carsurvey.org, a lot of happy mk4 Astra owners from say the year 2000 but not so many Focus owners... does this mean anything? Probably not, I hate reading reviews be it by users or specific motoring websites as there is always constant conflict... which then makes me contradict myself by even starting this thread I guess. D'oh!
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Foci owners are too happy driving their cars and far too busy to be posting reviews on the intarweb. Apart from me, who's at work. Roll on 5 then I can drive home in my glorious car! :D
 
Wow, so much abuse aimed at somebody who was trying to help you :)

And LOL @ your pathetic little dig at my car, says the chap with a crap Corsa? High life indeed.

Of all the people that have slagged off the Focus in this thread - Jez even said it was like buying a VTECH Computer - you chose me to have a go at when I was the one supporting the Focus?

I've been one of the only people in this thread NOT 'looking down' on the Focus.

Are you really that illiterate? How the hell have I been 'elitist' in this thread?! If anything its people like Jez who were being elitist!

Mind you I'm still choked by the irony of somebody with a Corsa asking for advice on spending less than 2k on a Focus being sarcastic about what I drive, rofl. I came into this thread to help you, I know quite a bit about the Focus, but now I can't be bothered to do anything other than argue with you, becuase... just... wow.

Answer me one question though..

If me saying the Focus is a good car for a £2k car and probably better than most is 'being elitist' how come Jez, with a Mercedes signature, saying a Focus is like a cheap fisher price childs toy, isn't?
 
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Toker said:
Why don't you sway the OP the other way with some real life focus experiences?
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Righto.

Bought a 1.6LX just under 2 years ago for £2995 (V/1999 with 66K on the clock). Excellent condition, no service history. Im now about 16K miles further down the line with it, and have had no major problems with it. Ive written some long winded experiences of my car before for others looking for a Focus so I'll just go through the basics.

Engine: 1.6L, 98BHP. Definately not a speed demon by any acocunt, but an engine designed for reliability and economy, not outright power. It's more than adequate for day to day use, and cruises on motorways at 70MPH with no problems. Only time it begins to get wheezy is on steep inclines or over 90MPH. Being a small, fairly free revving engine, it can actually be quite fun to throw around a little, and a better and more enthusiastic driver than myself would probably get more out of the engine than I do. Economy is good, I see about 380 miles to a full tank (roughly 50 litres).

Handling and Comfort: As said, very good for a car in this class. I have the LX, so no Zetec suspension. Makes it have a bit more body roll, but it's a sacrifice I don't mind making for a more comfortable ride. Even so, turn in is precise, the steering feels comfortable and well weighted the car is very sure footed and still very fun to throw around occasionally.

Interior: Interior is generally well screwed together, although Ford plastics are obvisouly hardly luxurious. As for design, I don't understand the "Omg its for kids!!1!" response. So it looks different...and? Ford have just replaced the standard square centre console layout with a sweeping curved deisgn which I quite appreciate. Everything is well laid out and unoffensive. Several friends of mine who have been in the car have also shared the sentiment, saying they like the way it looks different without being compeltely off the wall. This is always going to be a matter of opinion though, but it certainly doesn't put me off. Seats are comfortable, the driving position feels nice, and there is a nice amount of room int he back. I've had friends bigger than me sit in the back for long journeys with no complaints whatsoever.

Exterior: I think it's quite a smart looking car myself, again, going to be a matter of opinion and I assume if you hated how they look you probably wouldnt of even got as far as making this thread. As for three/five door arguments, I have never understood this at all. Its a Ford Focus. Removing two back doors is not suddenly going to make it into a sporty looking coupé. It will still be just a Ford Focus...but harder to get into the back. Which is kind of pointless being that the Focus's main positive would be it's practicality. Any cool points you gain with 16 year olds because "it's only got 2 doors innit" will be lost when you pull up somewhere and have to get the front passengers out so your rear passengers can make an undignified scramble for the front doors.

Ownership experience: A simple, reliable, fairly fun little car that has seen me nearly two years down the line with nothing but praise for it and has cost me very little for any essential work. The only thing Ive really needed to spend money on has been the usual; servicing (did it myself for about 60 quid :D), fuel and tyres. So basically, it's entirely different from Toker's experience. Balls in your court now, I definately don't think you would regret buying one though.
 
Fox, nice comeback... might be more to why I only have cheap cars before you judge ;) I was winding you up and you bit the bait hard, but then again, 60,000+ posts.. I guess thats common! Haha. Yeah you supported it but you argue with numerous people along the way. Thats just whats so annoying about people like you. "I AM RIGHT. PLEASE TAKE MY WORDS AS GOSPEL. YOUR DIFFERING OPINIONS TO MINE ARE DEFINITELY WRONG" Ok dude, we hear you. The end.

Conscript, excellent post, many thanks :)
 
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Stormster said:
Fox, nice comeback... might be more to why I only have cheap cars before you judge ;)
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Mate, I don't even WANT to judge you. I couldnt care less why you want a cheap car. It doesn't bother me. I only brought that up becuase you bizarrely seem to think that the fact I had a Mondeo once... well, hang on, what relevence DOES it have? Surely the fact I once had a car that was mechanically very similar to one you wish to buy is more or a positive aspect than a negative one?

Yeah you supported it but you argue with numerous people along the way.
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So what? It's a discussion forum and we had a discussion about the merits of the Focus. You can now look back at the discussion and use the results of it decide whether you think any of the criticisms made of the Focus are relevent or not. Surely thats not SO hard to understand?

Thats just whats so annoying about people like you.
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Yea, they give up their time to post about something you want info on, damn them to hell :rolleyes:

"I AM RIGHT. PLEASE TAKE MY WORDS AS GOSPEL. YOUR DIFFERING OPINIONS TO MINE ARE DEFINITELY WRONG"
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What a load of crap.

I don't understand why you've singled out me for a load of abuse, given that:

a) Your pathetic, spineless ranting is only going to cause an arguement (You'd need a negative IQ to not expect what you posted to cause an arguement) which you claim to be so against

b) You chose me over people who basically just waded into the thread and posted LOL FOCUS IS CRAP, how useful
 
Well I am illiterate so clearly cannot understand you. No one else seems remotely offensive with their comments... and seem a damn site more down to earth than you.
 
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Reference the 'rusty beemer' insult (Which I still dont understand why you made?) - if you think 3 bits of rust on a sideskirt is a big enough deal to take the mick on a forum about, good luck with Focus ownership is all I can say :)
 
I'm wounded :( Especially as it isn't rusty anymore.

But hey - you will need to be a bit careful with rust on the Focus as around the sort of age you are looking for they CAN start to be prone to it around the arches so give it a careful look over. And the Focus is more reliable and better built than a Mk4 Astra even if the interior in the Astra is a tad more on the conventional side.
 
Cheers, glad your motor is sorted anyway.

Wicksta... ermmmmmmmm... :D He gave back more than he got and I aint crying?

Are Foci alright along the cills? As I know Fords of past were prone for going there. My missus has a Ka, same age as my Corsa with much less miles, and it's rusting away heavily!
 
I've not heard of any structural issues, its mostly cosmetic but it's dissapointing to see all the same so be on the lookout for it. Other technical aspects to look for - cambelt change is 10 years/100k miles so many for under £2k are coming up to this now. Costs about 200 quid so not a huge deal. Fuel economy on both 1.8 and 2.0 end up being broadly similar and thats to say not exactly amazing around town - expect about 25mpg.
 
Cheers for that, thats quite good in a way that the cambelt doesn't need to be done often at all. Just need try a few on forecourts around 2k now for a couple of test drives to see what I can expect real-world for the money :)
 
Remember, the Ford Focus is a very common car, so don't go rushing in to buying one. Even at this budget, I'm sure there are plenty of options knocking about.
 
A couple of useful spec things..

CL is to be avoided as its rubbish.

LX and Zetec are similar in the range - Zetec has twin blade alloys, 15mm lower suspension and silver interior trim. LX has air conditioning instead of the lower suspension. So if you do get a Zetec, remember AC isn't standard so find one with it fitted as an option.

Pretty sure most 3 doors will be Zetecs anyway.
 
I have aircon in the Corsa, never use it so not essential really... But yeah was looking at the Zetec model and probably dropped 40mm on some Eibach springs and some of the Focus mp3 alloys (really like the look of them). Is this ESP thingy only on the 2.0's? Worth having?
 
ESP is only available on the '2.0 Zetec ESP' model - it was a model in its own right available when Ford first introduced Electronic Stability Package. It's up to you whether you think its worthwhile on a 135bhp FWD hatch. Some like it, some feel its un-neccesary. Not all 2.0 Zetec's are ESP models.

2.0 Zetec has larger 16 inch alloys which take, IIRC, 205/50/16 tyres. Make sure thats what it's wearing as some owners cheap out and fit 205/55/16's becuase they cost less. This is a sign of a corner cutting owner and I'd walk away.

I THINK but cannot be sure the 2.0's had standard air conditioning.
 
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