I'm thinking of buying a Ford Focus

silver_p

I'm thinking of buying a 00 Ford Focus 1.6 Ghia. Can anyone advise me on this.
My alternative would be a Nissan Almera 1.5 Saloon version.
Which would be a better buy or should i be looking out for something else completely???

ToxicPaddy

I wouldnt touch a Nissan Almera...

They feel very tinny inside, not very solid at all, and they have
absolutely no power in them at all..

Fords tend to be reliable and usually parts are cheap enough, so
that will reflect in the prices when coming to maintaining them in
the long run.

The Ghia's usually have a nice few extras in equipment too, such
as all electrics and a CD player..

Neither tend to hold their value in the long run either so I wouldnt
buy either if you are expecting a decent trade in in the next few
years...

Tox

silver_p

Tanx Toxic, but is there a model i should maybe consider???

ToxicPaddy

Well it seems that you are going to pay anything from €11k to
€13k for a 2000 Focus Ghia and probably the same for the Almera.
There are a number of cars in that price range and that age that
you could get.. Such as a 306 Saloon, Octavia, Golf, Bora, Mondeo
(older model), Megane Classic..

Cars such as Toyota and VW seem to hold their value a bit better
than the rest, but they are more expensive to buy second hand
as a result.

Personally out of the 2 you have mentioned, Id go for the Focus,
but thats just my taste.

Out of all the cars in that price range, Id go for a Golf or you might
be lucky enough to get a Bora, both would probably have a 1.4
engine in them but they would be more likely to hold their
value to trade in in the future.

Beware though, VW parts are expensive..

Tox

woosaysdan

FORD = fix or repair daily

bean

yea. it kills me to say this as for years fords were, and some models still are, death traps(especially the self accelerating ford explorer) but the ford focus is really a great car. I love the bora but its worefully spongy suspension makes a meal of roundabaouts and the affordable 1.4 is so lacklustre. The model engine ranges seem rather spritely. Dont discount nissans, had one and 375,000 miles later it was in good order. Hondas are the king though

ToxicPaddy

Originally posted by bean
...Hondas are the king though

Yeah forgot about Honda, the 4 door civics are class cars..
again can be expensive to maintain if anything goes wrong but
they do hold their value and there are lots of them around,
especially the model just gone out which should be cheaper
again cause the new model was just released...

ToxicPaddy

actually now you mention it, Bluebell motors have a lovely one for just under €12k, 2000 with only 35k on the clock, saw it the other day on their website..

might be worth checking out...

Although the civics arent as nice as the Focus inside...

woosaysdan

civics are the drugies cars

Sleipnir

Honda's are the best all-rounder I think.
Pretty good engines and reliable as hell. The new model isn't as much fun to drive as the older one though. it was more sticky.
Thy hold their value very well and just never break down. I've had two and never had any problems at all with them.
Cost a bit more though.

ando

I have a Focus for 1 year now. No trouble with it at all except one brake light bulb going. Great car to drive and looks the business (well mine does anyway ) I heard that its really easy to break into the civic's, specially the older model

bean

yep all good points. The civic has a reputation all right but its virtually indestructible, credible, affordable, great perfomance and from just 1.3/1.4 engines. The focus does indeed have greater creature comforts though but will be more expensive

Sleipnir

Don't get me wrong, I do like the Focus, really great handling on them.
But the only reason I don't think I'd buy one is that almost every second car you see on the road is a Focus!

It wasn't that Civics were easy to break into, it was just that knackers broke into them alot because they're the "joyrider's choice" They love 'em!
I heard (ages ago, probably different now) that Fiesta's were the easiest car to break into.

silver_p

What about the 1.6 Ghia version, how would you guys rate that?

Chimaera

Hondas traditionally have been easy to break into - I read a security test before, where an NSX was broken into within 3 seconds, without doing any damage to the car!!

Back to the point, the Focus is a great car to drive, but the engines won't be as lively as equivalent Honda units.

The fact that there are so many of them on the road wouldn't put me off - means a bigger selection to choose from. They're quite reliable, and parts are cheap.

Hondas are cheap to run as long as nothing breaks down - routine servicing costs are quite low.

Nissan Almera is a worthy car, but not massively interesting to drive afaik.

Atomic Pineapple

have a 01 ford fiesta and has really made me think about ever goin for a ford again, just constantly something wrong with it, really wrecks your head when every week ya have to get something fixed, am thinking about goin for a focus too but would want to be alot more reliable than the fiesta!

Mayshine

I've had 2 focus since 2000, first was a 5dr 1.6 Ghia, now onto a 3dr 1.8.

Never had one issue. Easy to service yourself if you are anyway mechanically minded. 3drs look so much smarter and sportier thant the equivelent nissan, vw, toyota etc. Handling is sweet as you will find in the class. That is expected as VW is copying the independent rear suspension on the V5 Golf, and I guarentee that it still will not handle as well.

Reliability of the focus is pretty remarkable for a ford. Topped the German TUV reliability test. ALso the car is made in Germany so it seems to benifit from german build quality

Just be aware that the 1.4/1.6 units are yamaha designs and are nice engine, the 1.8/2.0 are slightly older mitsubishi designed units but have more potential for high output. For instance it is very easy to take the 1.8 from its standard 115hp output to something around 140-150. Insurer don't like that though. Insurance on the 1.8 was not really any more than a 1.6 for me

All in all a nice car and depreciation is not bad for a ford especially if you are getting in after 2-3 years

Any tech questions give me a shout

Mayshine

If you get the ghia you'll get on top of the LX spec, aircon, CD player, 6 speed intermittant wipers, driver armrest, 15" multispoke alloys and a ghia badge on the side:) I might have forgotten something but that is the gist of it Different color dash trim also. Make sure it doesn't have the fake wood dash coz that looks naff.

I prefer the zetec spec. Only things you'll miss are the intermittant wipers (can be added for 50euro) and the armrest.

Ghia has got softer spring and damper setting than the zetec so will provide a smoother ride over bumpy surfaces and if that is where your daily drive takes you then go for it. Zetec trim offers a higher spring rate and a slightly firmer ride

Dave

BrianD3

The Focus is a nice car but the 1.4 is dog slow. The 1.4 develops 75 PS or bhp (can't remember which) either way it's a pathetic power output from a modern 16 valve engine. Also, I'm not a fan of the dashboard styling - too fussy and overstyled. Just my personal opinion.

BrianD3

silver_p

Tanx for your advise Dave...

I did have a look at a 00 Ghia yesterday, but i don't think it had alloy's or aircon and the sunroof was not electrically operated. The dash did however look like the real thing(wallnut trim), but i could be wrong.
Is the Ghia meant to have these as standard?
One other thing i noticed when i popped the bonnet was that the refill bottles for the steering & brake fluid were below "Min", now the garage guy had told me that this car had been serviced regularly, although not by the same garage, could i be wrong in thinking that if this was true, then theres no reason why the fluid's should be that low???

Mayshine

HI, Ghias will have alloys. That is standard spec.

Also most Ghias are saloons(don't know about the one you are looking for) and a lot of them are ex-rentals so may have been abused a bit. If it has been recently serviced and the fluid levels are low, I'd give it a miss. Could be a leak or excessive heat.

On that note when I bought the second focus, I was told by the dealer that it had received its first service. Only when I checked the oil level and found it below min. It was never serviced. :rolleyes:

You can call you local ford garage to get it service history using its reg if you want

There are a lot focus's on the forecourt. In the used market the dealer cannot shift cars. Sounds like the dealer is messing with you. Take some time and you'll find a good model

silver_p

Hi Dave, tanx again...
I've given this guy a call and he tells me that there is no alloy's, no aircon, the sunroof is not electric and the wallnut trim is plastic.

What do you think???

Mayshine

Actually, I can remeber getting the ghia back in 2000 and we had to spec the alloys onto the car. Cost 300 pounds at the time.

Yeah the dash trim is fake wood. I' not a fan of it. Not much else to say. looked at carzone.ie and there are a ton of 4 door ghia for sale. I'd personally try and hunt down a nice 3 or 5dr though. Don't get a dodgy color. Stick to silver, black, dark blue etc

silver_p

Dave,
Sounds like you work for ford, do you???

If so, would you be interested at checking this car out for me if i were looking to buy it.

Of course, i'd not expect you to do this for nothing, it could be a nixer.
Are you living in Dublin???