Thinking of trading in my as-new Focus ST for a Golf GTi... opinions?

Raider

Raider

Raider

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,576
Location
Leamington Spa / Oxford
I bought my Focus ST3 in August and some might know that I recently had the gearbox completely fail. The dealership has been an absolute shower, and overall i'm disappointed to say the least.

My original reason for buying the Focus ST was that it was great fun to drive, and I got a nice discount (being part of the Ford Family Discount scheme). However apart from the problems with the dealer i've also noticed the increase in my petrol spending. Although the quoted combined MPG is around 30mpg, I average 25 mpg a week in a normal commute (not driving hard at all). I knew about the increased costs before I bought it, but I was under the understanding that with a fair no. of motorway miles a week (about 40%) i'd get close to 30 mpg. Wrong

Anyway, i'm thinking about part-exchanging the Focus to buy a Golf Gti which was one of my original options. I can probably get most of the money back on my Focus thanks to the family discount, and I'm looking at around £18k for a decent 2nd hand GTI which in the long term will save me petrol (from my research it's normal combined mpg IS around 30 mpg), and will depreciate a lot less.

So any opinions?
 
Well the Focus is more fun, but I've found that I rarely have the time to have that fun. Plus to make it really great you really need to chip it & modify. And after the failed gearbox I do not want to void my warranty. So overall I think i'm erring on the side of reliability and economy than all-out fun.

I do around 1000 miles a month probably, around half of that on A-roads / motorways.
 
Yeah I see your point but I just feel completely letdown by the whole Ford ownership "experience". I would feel better if I got back to being in a German car and had a fresh start. :)

For reference I pay around £100 a month in finance (2 years with around £2000 left to pay).
 
As Dolph summed up nicely, it's not all about the money. It's a combination of not being satisfied with the Focus, the cost of the petrol, and the future depreciation value of the car. (Ok 2/3s money in that sense :p)

The prospect of paying more for petrol, losing more value on the car, and having to deal with the godawful dealership again should any more problems arise is not exactly leaving me a satisfied owner.

I really can't have 2 cars (no space), and I still want something that can go some when required, or when I get the time. It's just that performance isn't as high up on the list as it used to be I guess.
 
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