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Although I really need a larger car I'll be loathe to part with this Focus. Must give credit to Anglian Vehicle Services www.anglianvehicleservices.co.uk in Bury St Edmunds who service it. I forgot to mention the two things that were wrong with it and they noticed both of them. Servicing cost is very reasonable. Been using them for 3 years having been recommended them by a neighbour.
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I bought a Mk 1 Focus 1.8 Ghia for my son a few years back; 52 plate, if I recall correctly.
We only had it for a few months, because soon after buying it he moved in with his fiance, and they decided to buy a newer car between them. The Focus had a tatty roof when we bought it (so bad that it may well have been vandalised with paint stripper) but I had the roof resprayed and probably drove it more than my son did. It felt really solid and well made, and in fact was a better drive than my Mk2.
In its past life it had suffered from the classic Mk 1 instrument cluster failure. The paperwork for the replacement was basic, but the mileage was clearly marked along with the name of the company that replaced it, and car was being sold by a local indy with a decent reputation, so I bought it anyhow. We thought the cluster replacement might prove a problem when we went to sell the car, but it wasn't a problem at all.
I'd have another one without hesitation if I could find a low mileage example for the right price and run it as a second car.
Edited by argybargy on 18/03/2018 at 20:05
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Our 17yr old auto Focus Estate, 129,000m, passed its MoT this morning. Needed £100 of welding to pass last year, the only time it ever failed. Never been in for a 'service' - I do it myself. Only other major expenses - coil pack , fuel pump, rear wheel bearing. Exhaust and all rubbery bits and boots still original.
A more modern car might do 10mpg more than the 37.6 mpg it does, but as it only does 8000m a year it would only save £250 pa - far less than a year's depreciation on a 'young' car. Cheap to insure as well - renewal premium (£175) actually less than last year??!
Keep an eye on the sills, Trilogy, I'm going to have to do a bit of work on mine in the summer!
Edited by John F on 21/03/2018 at 15:47
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Our 17yr old auto Focus Estate, 129,000m, passed its MoT this morning.
Is the automatic gearbox made by Ford? Impressive that it's still working well.
Have you changed the oil?
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Our 17yr old auto Focus Estate, 129,000m, passed its MoT this morning.
Is the automatic gearbox made by Ford? Impressive that it's still working well.
Have you changed the oil?
The autobox is the ubiquitous and reliable Mazda/Ford 4F27E designed to cope with more powerful engines than our Yamaha 1.6 Zetec (google 4F27E applications). It works fine - much more responsive than our old Passat auto was. I haven't changed the fluid, there is no requirement to do so. It still looks pink-ish to brown, which is OK. It has never needed a top-up.
I changed the engine oil & filter shortly after we bought it in March 2004 at 29,000m, and another eight times since then at 10 - 14,000m intervals. Even cheap modern oils do not need changing every 365 days. It is not driven hard often, and there is no turbo or camchain which might arguably mash up the molecules more quickly.
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John F, thanks for sills tip, sills on last one had to welded while the current one seems OK. Rear arches are fine but previous one rusted badly. When I bought this one I'd have preferred the Ghia for the better ride, unfortunately Ghia tailgates have a tendency to rust while the lesser spec ones don't.
First year I had this one it did 11,000 miles, last year 8,500. I expect this year will be nearer to 7,000. It will still be serviced annually the same day as the MOT. It will only go if I can find something bigger and better. No estate car in it's sector is as well designed. The MK2 is larger on the outside, yet contrives to have less cargo space and has had no thought put into the design of said space or indeed many details. Nevertheless..........
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Theres a 03 Plate 3 door Focus (Silver special edition I think?) that I go past often, and it always strikes me what a good looking car it still is - I had a 1999 1.8 petrol and it was a cracking car, definitely an easy on to live with!
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I've owned two cars which have passed their MOT every year without fail too. A 1998 Peugeot 306 diesel and a 2003 Peugeot 307.
Just the occasional advisory on consumables, never anything major.
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Which shows that French cars can be good too!
I sold my Citroen C5 last year at just short of 16 years old and almost 140,000 miles, all but the first 6 months in my ownership. It had failed 2 MoT's, one for a cracked door mirror years ago and one for rear tyre wear (which I was kicking myself for not noticing -- I'm normally ultra-cautious about that sort of thing!)
Edited by Tester on 22/03/2018 at 16:05
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Great cars I currently run an 03 plate 3 door 1.8 Zetec now on 118k engine is still sweet keeping oil changes to every 6k, in the 3 years i've owned it hasn't failed an MOT either. IMO pretty much reliable as anything Japanese and better to drive.
The interior design is I guess a little dated by modern standards using harder dash plastics than the Mk II but its well screwed together no squeaks or rattles on a near 15 year old car. I still think the exterior also looks fairly contemporary.
Ive had the usual weak points fail such as coil pack, thermostat housing and fuel pump go in a short space of time but were original parts over 13 or 14 years old however all cheap fixes at a trusted indy under £200 incl genuine Ford parts and labour.
The Mk II is more grown up, using higher quality interior plastics giving it a better 'perceived' build quality but in reality having owned a 1.8 using the Duratec HE ( Mazda design ) that has a penchant for guzzling oil due to stuck piston control rings, guranteed thermostat going at fairly low mileage ( which is a pig to get too ) and gummed up EGR Valves throwing an EML . The MK I with the older Ford Zetec-E is a more simple ,reliable and durable engine.
If you can find a well looked after example with no rust they are a cheap reliable car to run that is still great to drive.
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The MK1 is a far better design than MK2. Armrest is padded while MK2 is nasty hard plastic. MK1 handle you close the door with is a sublime piece of design, beautifully shaped for your fingers and smooth too. MK2 handle is a nasty, two piece plastic that a brainless idiot created. Centre console is set up for lhd cars while MK1, just like E46 BMW, Alfa 156, 159 etc is angled towards the driver.
As an aside if you look at the HJ list of all that go wrong you'd run a mile from buying a MK1.
Amazing to think the first Focus is now 20 years old. Modern Classics magazine celebrates this event in the current issue.
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