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mccarf

mccarf

mccarf

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22 Mar 2012
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I've been driving a 2001 Ford Fiesta for the past 4 years and really fancy something a little better. Here is my criteria:

Focus sized
Nice handling
Quick enough to overtake without massive effort
5 doors
No older than 10 years
*Preferably* under 100k miles
Petrol
Reliable

Budget: 2.5k

Now the obvious car is a Ford Focus. I've been wanting a Focus ST170 for a long time, but have read that they haven't got the performance to justify the running costs. For me it costs £500 more to insure than a standard 2 litre focus. Although I would like to own the car, I'm not sure if it's worth the extra. Is the 'normal' Focus going to be almost as good? If so, what spec? Are the 1.6 and 2 litre standard focus vastly different? Also is there any alternatives I should be looking at?

I also looked at Mk2 Focus' in my price range but was unsure if these are the terrible, bottom of the market sort of cars which should be avoided.

Now about the buying. I've never actually chosen a car before even though this Fiesta is my second car. I've read that when looking for a car it's important to look out for Full Service History and 1 owner. How about when you get to the place itself? I know that you're meant to start the engine from cold to listen for things, but I have no idea what I'm listening for :D. Any other advice would be much appreciated. Sorry for the long post.
 
For £2.5k you're looking at a good mk1 or low end mk2. Stick with the mk1, it's better to drive as well. The 2.0l generally has a better level of kit and it's the one I'd pick, but the 1.6 is adequate and a bit cheaper to run. The st170 makes no sense to me as it isn't at all quick.
 
Gribs said:
For £2.5k you're looking at a good mk1 or low end mk2. Stick with the mk1, it's better to drive as well. The 2.0l generally has a better level of kit and it's the one I'd pick, but the 1.6 is adequate and a bit cheaper to run. The st170 makes no sense to me as it isn't at all quick.
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Alright, cheers :)
 
2.5 is plenty of choice on a mk1 focus. If you end up none st170 then you should _easily_ get a 2.0 zetec with the climate pack (air con, quick clear windscreen, heated mirrors).

I've had two mk1 focuses and enjoyed both (1.8 zetec Tdci and 1.8 zetec petrol)
 
Conanius said:
2.5 is plenty of choice on a mk1 focus. If you end up none st170 then you should _easily_ get a 2.0 zetec with the climate pack (air con, quick clear windscreen, heated mirrors).

I've had two mk1 focuses and enjoyed both (1.8 zetec Tdci and 1.8 zetec petrol)
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If you test drove the non-zetec ones, did you find them much different to the zetecs you owned (in the way it handles)? Reason I ask is there seems to be a bunch of 2L Ghias, but not many 2L zetecs in comparison.
 
I found this when I last looked in 2010. Ghia's and LX were more common than the Zetec models at the price I wanted to pay.

The zetec, IMO, feels a bit better, but at this price point suspension won't be anything close to how it left the factory, so a good, well maintained Ghia may feel nicer than a Zetec simple because at some point dampers were replaced.

When it first came out, it was a 1.6 LX that I believe Evo had and said what a fantastic drive it was. Based on that, id but on quality and condition and not be too worried if it wasn't a zetec.

I think it was just lower springs... Dampers the same as Ghia, iirc.
 
Conanius said:
I found this when I last looked in 2010. Ghia's and LX were more common than the Zetec models at the price I wanted to pay.

The zetec, IMO, feels a bit better, but at this price point suspension won't be anything close to how it left the factory, so a good, well maintained Ghia may feel nicer than a Zetec simple because at some point dampers were replaced.

When it first came out, it was a 1.6 LX that I believe Evo had and said what a fantastic drive it was. Based on that, id but on quality and condition and not be too worried if it wasn't a zetec.

I think it was just lower springs... Dampers the same as Ghia, iirc.
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Thanks :)
 
PMKeates said:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201302215439553/

Buy a 330i. Would be all over a Focus ST170 like it isn't funny, yet more comfortable and refined at the same time. I'd bet a 330i would even be more economical than an ST170..

You can pretend it's under 10 years old because the interior plastics won't be worn down.
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I would like a 5 door car, so I don't want a saloon, even though that does look very nice. I'm quite happy with the idea of getting a 'standard' 2 litre focus after the above posts.

Out of interest, isn't the running costs on a BMW with a large engine quite high? would have thought that if something broke on that, it would cost lots of money to fix vs something like an st170?
 
You're quite right -all depends what breaks really but for me its not a car.to buy at the kind of.money you've got unless you're particularly hands on (as parts are pretty reasonable) or you accept that its in another league of running cost from a focus etc

I love BMW's and I would have one in a heartbeat, but I can do nearly everything myself and don't mind paying to maintain / run the thing
 
PMKeates said:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201302215439553/

Buy a 330i. Would be all over a Focus ST170 like it isn't funny, yet more comfortable and refined at the same time. I'd bet a 330i would even be more economical than an ST170..

You can pretend it's under 10 years old because the interior plastics won't be worn down.
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If a guy is looking at a ford focus, do you really think this is a wise suggestion? The bills this thing could throw up could bankrupt the lad :p
 
mccarf said:
I would like a 5 door car, so I don't want a saloon, even though that does look very nice. I'm quite happy with the idea of getting a 'standard' 2 litre focus after the above posts.

Out of interest, isn't the running costs on a BMW with a large engine quite high? would have thought that if something broke on that, it would cost lots of money to fix vs something like an st170?
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I imagine the running costs to be no different to an ST170. There are more 330i's on the road than ST170s, and the M54 engine was built in significant numbers so volume of parts is high.
GinG said:
If a guy is looking at a ford focus, do you really think this is a wise suggestion? The bills this thing could throw up could bankrupt the lad :p
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I can't imagine a 330i having any significant running costs tbh! The ST170 is not a car without it's horror stories.

I've spent my entire life growing up around 'everyday' cars - I expect I have seen and heard about more repairs to Escorts, Fiestas etc than anyone would care to imagine, and they generate bills just like any other car. The difference is they are usually bodged in back streets instead of repaired properly, so the bills you normally hear about are different. Generally speaking, a 330i is really quite reliable, save for the phantom coolant explosion, and doesn't cost much to maintain like you would a Focus.
rodenal said:
You're quite right -all depends what breaks really but for me its not a car.to buy at the kind of.money you've got unless you're particularly hands on (as parts are pretty reasonable) or you accept that its in another league of running cost from a focus etc

I love BMW's and I would have one in a heartbeat, but I can do nearly everything myself and don't mind paying to maintain / run the thing
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Unless you're driving a lot of miles I can't imagine the actual £ costs will be all that different. An E46 is a pretty basic car that any mechanic can work on, and even genuine OEM parts are very reasonable. Calculate the costs and see!
 
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