ford focus - questions

Farls

Hey all,

Seen a focus recently at a show i was at in fintona and since then i'm thinking about getting one, im holding out until i find a black 99/00 5 or 3 door model in good condition at the right price :dunno:

just wondering what the difference is between the zetec and lx models?

Also the car i seen was a five door but had the back door handles taken off...completely smooth, didn't get a close enough look to see if the door could only be opened from the inside now or if there was a new mechanism fitted, any ideas?




farlz

silverside

AFAIK zetec is 1.6, has alloys, foglights, etc (more sporty), lx is 1.4 base model, also have 1.6ghia which has aircon,leather seats, etc.

parkers.co.uk should list the differences.

the new focus is coming out at the end of the year.

Tommy Vercetti

possibly in the window pillar, like an Alfa 156/147?

Time Man

nah it looks to be shaved, he could have put in poppers but I doubt it. Seems more likely that he just opens the back door from inside when he's carrying passengers. I'g go for a three door if I were you, they look nicer. Unless it's unpractical, I have a three door myself as I don't carry passengers all that often

Tommy Vercetti

meh I'd just buy a good car instead...

Time Man

don't let my pops hear you, he's always bought Ford as they "Lead the way" apparently, bleeing sucker has always driven ford. Wouldn't bother souping myself but some tastefully done stuff looks good.

Tommy Vercetti

dads are silly, mine still reckons a Morris Minor is just as good as a contemporary BMW

Time Man

MM were always crap though!!!

ando

Originally posted by Tommy Vercetti
meh I'd just buy a good car instead...

a good car.. wtf? ok the pic of the focus above doesnt exactly show a stunning example of the great looking focus, infact IMO that focus is horrid with that badly installed wide arch bodykit, but in general its a very good car. 213BHP with the Rs Focus, 170 with the St and all the Focus's handle better than the immediate competition (The Focus beat both the Impreza and Civic Type R on the Top Gear trackday).
Unfortunally with the horrid insurance scandal going on in this country you hardly ever see any Focus with anything above a 1.4 under the bonnet but deciding if a car is good or not doesnt rely entirely on how fast it can accelerate, if that was the case you could go off and say the peogeot 106/starlet glanza are one of the best cars available to the average joe blogg

red_ice

Originally posted by ando
(The Focus beat both the Impreza and Civic Type R on the Top Gear trackday

yea but which tool in the topgear toolbox was driving! :P

id put my civic up against your focus now that ive driven both ando (only joking) both focus and civic are the 2 best hatch backs on the road atm - bar none.

Also, what happened to the pic of your lx? that cant be your car as you sig is it ando?

Mayshine

Hey ando,

Maybe I should put my focus against redice and see how it goes. Wouldn't mind to see how a modded new civic runs

But.... probably only going to be around for 4 more months until the RS comes along (now that insurance on it is actually ok - by ok - I mean less that what you are currently paying ).... Actually redice, ando is being very nice and showing you my new car ...

Dave

Cerberus

The Focus is a class car to drive. Very little to touch them with regards handling.
The 1.4 engine is pants though powerwise. More power in a disprin. Had one for eight months and then bought a 140bhp MKIV golf. Would definitely have bought another Focus if I could have found a 3dr model with the standard 2 litre engine but they are rarer than eskimos in the desert. Nearest I found was a 5dr model up the north. Couldn't afford the ST170 at the time.

Have drove an evo 4 with an evoVII engine a few times and found that the focus was as steady around a corner at a 100 as the evo, granted the back suspension needed attention on the it. The golf on the other hand handles like a bag of water sitting on top of pyramid. Must really get around to putting a set of eibachs in the back of it. Bought it more for power and looks and comfort than for handling.

Would definitely recommend a focus but would be of the opinion that with regards body kits and stuff for the focus, less is more. Rear clusters, nice WRC spoiler, tinted windows and nice rims look really well. Have never really seen a full focus body kit that I liked - but everyone has their own taste. That focus in the pic is mingin' I think.

The focus I had was 1.4 and I'm nearly sure it was a zetec, it had sun roof, fogs and alloys from standard. Not 100% sure though. Anyways Farls, go for it, you won't regret owing one.

ando

Originally posted by Mayshine
Maybe I should put my focus against redice and see how it goes

now now, that would'nt be fair on him

Originally posted by red_ice that cant be your car as you sig is it ando?

yea I wish m8, once I have 50 grand spare I'll be getting me one of those :eek:

Farls

Cheers all,

Cereberus, excellent info....i checked up there and the 1.4i focus is 74bhp while the 1.6i is 99bhp...so i'll defo go for the 1.6 seeing as theres only a difference of €20 in the insurance of both.

Different people like different kits - or no kit at all!. I like that kit...just pity about the color, i've seen most kits now and that one stands out.

Well all i have to do now is find the car...

//toddles off to autotrader

Farlz

unkel

Originally posted by Farls
Different people like different kits - or no kit at all!

True - the world would be a boring place otherwise

Originally posted by Farls
I like that kit...

I find it horrible :mad:

Looks like a photoshop morph between a 2CV and a focus

Mayshine

Ando,

I'm back from Singapore in a month or so and have got a reasonable insurance quote on the FRS - Possibly looking to import from the UK towards the end of the year!!!!!!

Looking to get it when the UK prices get to around 15-16k and there is a good exchange rate- They still have a few k to fall at the moment. Which will hopefully leave enough to add bluefin to the mix and get it running at near 240hp which is right about 95-100 more than I have now

It will do for a while until the evo8 comes

Dave

ando

Hey Dave, I taught you were messing earlier in the thread. Thats cool, you have to promise to give me one of those demonstrations when you get the car

BTW, There's a Focus ST170 with Bluefin chip going for £11 - Vrt on FFOC (st sno) at the moment

Mayshine

The insurance on the RS was the same as the ST......

I know which one I'm getting now!!!

Dave

Gmodified

(The Focus beat both the Impreza and Civic Type R on the Top Gear trackday).

they have to justify sales in uk , somehow: D

podgeen

here are the differences i have noticed between my LX and my friends zetec, both are 1.4.

the zetec has a center head rest in the back seat, the steering wheel has a leather feel (it may actually be leather), the dash around the radio and controls is gray, CD changer as standard, the gear stick is gray also and the biggie..... the clocks are gray with a greeny background light....

they're maybe more differences but those are the main things..

doon

...also there are front and back fog lights. No cd changer though, just a cd player.

Farls

also found out today that you can't get a 1.6 5 door zetec in the south you can only get a 1.4 5 door zetec in the south you have to buy northern to get it seemingly

So thats what i've done, found an immaculate 01 black 5 door 1.6litre focus just over the border, it has 34000 miles and 1 lady owner and a full ford service history and in prestine condition. The car is working out at under €10,000 when i change the spondoolees over so a right bargain i think by all accounts.

Priced it there and it's costing around 3 grand to bring it into the south so i'm gonna just use a friends address in the north i think and bring it in for nxt to nothing in 6 months time....just have to suss out the details now with doing this.

Farlz

Mayshine

Back in 2000, my mom got a 5 door 1.6 ghia. It might not be on the pricelists but you can get them here. Just means that they will be rare enough in the 2nd hand market I guess

Dave

Cerberus

Getting away without paying VRT is a lot harder than you'd think. Customs have nearly every angle covered. Firstly you have to show that you have been resident in your old country for a certain period (12 months IRC) and that you didn't buy the car with the intention of selling it in your new country. Customs could ask you some very tricky questions - where were you working, have you bills, bank statements addressed to you at this address, why are you moving back. I don't think you having an address in the north for six months will count as you being a resident there. Customs know this type of crack goes on and they know how to catch you out. It's mega hard to get around it without breaking the law. A friend of mine was trying to buy an Accord Type-R in the north but he could find no way of getting it in without paying VRT and the VRT would have made it too expensive to import. Going by the information we got from talking to importers, customs & excise and people that actually moved here from England and brought their car with them, it seems nearly impossible to get away with it. So, if there is a loop hole, I know a lot of people that wouldn't mind hearing it....

Farls

I've heard a lot of stories about trying to get around the VRT loophole, i even know of a guard that tried it, his home address was in the north but because he was paid by the state he was thought to be irish!

I have to talk to a few lads about it later all going well i'll get some more details but this is what i'm considering...

I live in cavan and goto college in donegal so i move about a right bit between both ie. few nights here and there. I have a few mates addresses in the north that i could get my credit card bill/phone bill/insurance and everything else i can think of sent to one of them...even open a bank account in the north and suss out gettin a northern licence. I currently get cash in hand for all work i do so as far as anyone's concerned i could be northern.

When i'm getting the car i'll get the prev. owner to tax it for a year so i'll be alright driving in the north as well which is actually where i do most of my driving. If guards stop me at home i live in the north 5 nites a week attending college, if stopped in d north i live at home but attend northern college.

It's only for six months not too long, anyway as i say i have to chat to a few lads later who have done this, i know its a €1500 fine if your caught and the guards feel like lifting the car.

Farlz