best Ford Focus model?

El Stuntman

Hello motoring dudes,

after some "consultation" (i.e. my wife told me what to do), it has been "decided" that I'm to buy her a new Ford Focus hatchback

my budget is 25k, any opinions on what is the best model - I logged onto the Ford site and found a bewildering array of yokes (Ghia/Zetec, LX Connections etc.). Any idea on which one would be the best Focus derivative?

Also 1.4l or 1.6l??? What difference does this make?

As you may be able to tell, my car knowledge is limited!

Thanks in advance for any help given...

Henry Ford III

1.6 is essential imho as 1.4 is a bit undepowered. Zetec has nicest spec. Air con etc.

A 5 door 1.6 Zetec with metallic paint and possibly also the Connection package (€500 for €1300 value additional kit) should all be well within your budget.

Best of luck. They are a very nice car.



p.s. Delears are running a special incentive until 27th Nov.

bazz26

Yes go with the 1.6 litre Zetec with the Connection pack. Along with the standard Zetec spec you also get climate control, keyless entry, 17" alloy wheels, rear electric windows and MP3 readable CD player with bluetooth connection.

The 1.4 litre is sluggish, the LX trim is pretty basic and the Ghia is just not good value for money compared to the above spec.

Do a search on this forum as someone else had a thread on this also recently.

El Stuntman

thanks lads

that 1.6l Zetec Connection looks good, will go with it

maidhc

Get the 1.8TDCi. 50+ mpg, and lots of power.

bazz26

maidhc wrote:

Get the 1.8TDCi. 50+ mpg, and lots of power.

But the OP has a budget of €25k which would probably only get him the 1.8 TDCi in LX trim. The standard equipment on the LX is pretty basic so unless the OP is doing big mileage I would sacrifice the extra economy for the extra creature comforts.

Focus LX models are harder to shift too afterwards, my local Ford dealer has a good few ex-rental 2006 Focus LX models still on his forecourt. Not one Zetec to be found. People are willing to pay the extra few euro for the better equipped model.

colm_mcm

....what bazz said

mik_da_man

Have a look at the Titanium.
It's a 1.6 but is a Ti-Vct and has 15% more power than the standard 1.6
and you would notice it
It is finished nice inside and comes with 1/2 Leather seats
If you are going for a cash deal you prob could get it with the 17" wheels for under 25K.

But I suppose it's a bit more power Vs Toys on the Zetec

Mik

Andrewf20

Why buy a new car? Why not get, say a 2004 Focus and save thousands. Buying a new car in Ireland is often financial suicide.

mukki

Andrewf20 wrote:

Why buy a new car? Why not get, say a 2005 Focus and save thousands. Buying a new car in Ireland is often financial suicide.

hmmm
longer warrenty
better trade in offer on your old car
you know its been looked after
you can choose the color and extras
new car smell

why buy a second hand car when it only has a 1 year warrenty?


everyone goes on and on about it loosing 3 grand when you drive it from the show room, you'd swear they were hoping to sell it again on the way home

Andrewf20

I see your point. However in my experince Ive been able to save savage amounts by picking up cars that are a few years old with solid service histories etc. I would argue that there are many 2nd hand Focus's to choose so getting the colour etc shouldnt be too hard. Also a car that has young miles on the clock, once serivced properly, should give no major maintenance issues.

Each to their own I guess.

mukki

ah yeah there is a good chance that you will save a lot of money, and 95% of the time the car will be solid and dependable


but think of it this way
buy a 2006 pay it off over 4 years
buy a 2005 saving 3000 and pay it off over 3 years

so you'll still have a 4 year old car when its paid off, so where is the saving



ps having said all that i bought a 2004 307 in april

maidhc

bazz26 wrote:

Focus LX models are harder to shift too afterwards, my local Ford dealer has a good few ex-rental 2006 Focus LX models still on his forecourt. Not one Zetec to be found. People are willing to pay the extra few euro for the better equipped model.

I would be pretty certain a TDCI LX will be far easier to shift than a 1.6 Zetec and for far better money. You would probably even get a Lx connection for around the 25k mark.

You will get a 3yr old focus for half price. In another 3 years it will be worth more than 1/4 the original price. It makes an awful lot of sense if you want cheap driving!

bazz26

maidhc wrote:

I would be pretty certain a TDCI LX will be far easier to shift than a 1.6 Zetec and for far better money. You would probably even get a Lx connection for around the 25k mark.

Maybe but in the OPs case it may not make sense if he is not covering big mileage. In that case I would rather forego the extra economy for comfort/toys.

ninty9er

One thing I've noticed on the Focus that might not bother most is that the mirrors (all of them) are brutal and I definitely can't get a decent view out of the passenger wing. Maybe I'm just expecting too much from it comparing visibility with the Yaris and my own car.

Get her to drive it. My mother nearly bought the Yaris without driving it, but I forced her to to make sure she could actually bear driving the thing.....Driving a car can entirely change your mind....I know it changed mine!

If I had 25k to spend I'd probably have a Mazda 3 1.6 4dr Touring and add leather- despite what I've just said about Mazda depreciation in another thread.

ninty9er

One thing I've noticed on the Focus that might not bother most is that the mirrors (all of them) are brutal and I definitely can't get a decent view out of the passenger wing. Maybe I'm just expecting too much from it comparing visibility with the Yaris and my own car.

Get her to drive it. My mother nearly bought the Yaris without driving it, but I forced her to to make sure she could actually bear driving the thing.....Driving a car can entirely change your mind....I know it changed mine!

If I had 25k to spend I'd probably have a Mazda 3 1.6 4dr Touring and add leather- despite what I've just said about Mazda depreciation in another thread.

sk8board

El Stuntman wrote:

thanks lads

that 1.6l Zetec Connection looks good, will go with it

I booked one for my wife a few weeks back, panther black metallic (airside swords had the best price). Theres a thread somewhere where I asked about the reliability of the keyless RFID, and the car was discussed.

the 1.6 was a great car to drive.

I bargained it down (or so i thought) from €25k to €22.8k, and got the isofix fitted (why wasn't it standard?). The spec is fantastic when compared to the other 2 options (for me), the megane and golf.

N.B, that Connection price only applies to end-Nov.

Let me know how you got on!

Dumbfr3ddi3

Yeah, Id say the 1.6l Petrol Zetec would be your best bet, I wouldnt really bother with the 1.4, or the 1.4 TDCi, although theyre great engines too, I dont really think they suit the car. The 1.6 is nippy enough, tis a nice engine with just short of 100bhp. I had one, (well my dad had one) and its a cool car, quick. The Ghia is the next class up has some extras, (cant think of them off the top of my head, but its all on the Ford.ie site ) That would be my pick. Carzone.ie is your friend in this case, keep searchin for the car you want. My Dad works for South Dublin Ford Centre, so you can always check them out too.