Ford Focus Advice

2L84SLEEP · 10 Nov 2006 at 21:05

Hi Folks

My girlfriend and I are currently looking for a midsize car, 5 door, with a budget of roughly £4-4.5k. We have settled on the fact that we both quite like the Ford Focus but really just need advice on what sort of mileage, model and things we should be watching out for?

If anyone can offer any advice, it would be greatly appreciated. I believe Sunday has been set a side for car shopping!

TIA :cool:

MuvverRussia · 10 Nov 2006 at 23:05

bought a 2002 focus 1.6 zetec the other day with 35k on the clock (apparently) for £4700.

Its not a bad car to drive but likes to be driven hard (given my commute involves driving up/down a long 1 in 5 gradient I wish i'd gone for a 1.8 or 2.0). Handles well too.

Problem areas- cam belts are 5 years or 60k, wheel bearings, suspension bushings iirc. Nothing really major though.

Over Clocker · 10 Nov 2006 at 23:12

I have an X reg 1.8 Ghia which for some reason is a lot quicker than it should be, including exceeding 60 in 2nd, but anyway.......

Nice car, handles really nice and is a comfortable drive when you want that also.

ps cam belt is guaranteed by ford to 100,000 miles.

Not had any real problems. I had a minor radiator leak but that was caused by me driving on a road every day for 1 week in the Peak District than had really hard snow/ice in the centre of the road that scraped the bottom of the car quite bad!!!

Mal

Jon Frost · 10 Nov 2006 at 23:13

got a 56 plate focus 1.8tdci at the moment as a company car.

very good engines and all round top cars for run abouts

i guess they do they engine in a earlier year?

J

Tesla · 10 Nov 2006 at 23:29

Over Clocker said:
ps cam belt is guaranteed by ford to 100,000 miles.

I doubt Ford "guarantee" it, just recommend the service intervals.

gc123 · 10 Nov 2006 at 23:57

Tesla said:
I doubt Ford "guarantee" it, just recommend the service intervals.

quite so...when i buy belts from ford i am always told if the service department fit it its 12000 or 12 months whichever is sooner. if i fit it and it snaps at a later date the belt only is covered. :eek:

numnutz · 11 Nov 2006 at 02:00

Tesla said:
I doubt Ford "guarantee" it, just recommend the service intervals.

Ford do honour this on a belt only basis, hence you get a new belt but its upto you to fix all the damage caused by the belt snapping, so theres no real point to it. FFOC always use to recommend getting it done every 60k iirc