Which cheap Focus? (and is Quinn talking poo?)

Solitaire

Given its alleged handling and poise and general awesomeness (and the fact its dirt-cheap ) I've decided on a Focus Mk1.5 to replace my dearly departed Astra. Now I've got to decide what would be best - a basic 1.6 petrol Focus or a pricier most-mod-cons Ghia 1.8TDCi.

The little '02 LX petrol is cheaper and would be better at the moment, but may be a bit of a false economy further down the line. Plus, you can't slap a tuning box in a petrol

The '03 Ghia-X turbodiesel has vastly more mid-range power, so whenever it can't cruise sedately it might make life easier overtaking those accursed tractors instead Life's been a little quiet lately but I intend on pushing myself into self-employment so my mileage may rise a lot soon. And even then I'd still be helping look after my disabled mother and seeing as we seem to live in the middle of nowhere even doing the weekly shopping can be fairly mileage-intensive! Lots of hills and lots of cruising on N- and "should-be-N-" R-roads means the jump in mpg may quickly outweigh the slightly higher tax and insurance. Plus if I do start to do a lot more motorway miles I have the option of getting a tuning box and upping the fuel efficiency and power just a little.

The issue is that I randomly typed in the Ghia's reg into the Amazing Quinn Quote Machine Thingy to see how big the difference would be between the petrol and the TDCi. There wasn't any... because Quinn swore blind that the reg belonged to a Ghia TDDi. In other words, the dreaded van engine. I'd take a punt at the modern common-rail engine over the poverty-spec 1.6 but if the Ghia's really one of the old, much-maligned 89bhp direct-injector van jobbies I'll leave it well alone.

Is the dealer telling porkies? Or is Quinn's quote system even more worthless than I thought?

pablosd

had a focus mark 1,00 ghia 1.6 petrol very nice and pokey never missed a beat, beware most of them had no ABS!!! friend down the road has one 03 1.4 lx and there is no abs that's a joke !!!
i think quinn has its system connected to the vro database so they can't be wrong, my cars came up exactly the same in their system as in my log book , so maybe the car was crashed and they got a bootlid from a focus that was tdci ??

bazz26

Most if not all post facelifted MkI Focus diesel Ghia models had the 115bhp TDCi engine. This was badged TDCi on the boot whereas the old 100bhp unit was badged TDDi and mainly only basic LX or Zetec models. The actual power output in kw should be listed somewhere on the inside of the driver's door or boot. 115bhp is 84kw. The bhp should also be listed on the vehicle's licensing certificate.

Also don't take an insurance company's website as bible, mistakes are possible especially among different models, ring them up and query them over the phone about it.

Regarding ABS, I think all Ghia models had ABS but it was not made standard across the entire Focus range until 2004 when an EU directive made it compulsery on all new cars.

Zonda999

Did you try www.cartell.ie? Just type inn the reg and see what comes up anyway! Might re-assure you. Wouldnt be the first time quinn have been wrong btw!

Solitaire

Wanted to wrack your knowledgeable brains before spending €15 at Cartell :P

DamoRed

As far as I'm aware, having done a fair bit of research before finally buying a Mk2 this week... the TDCi in the Mk1.5 was only available in 1.8L, not 1.6L. And while it is a TDCi, and thus, common rail, it's not as refined as the newer generation 1.6L variation.

Solitaire

I was referring to the standard petrol 1.6, not the Mk2 diesel

Jr.Hero

Similar thing happening on quinn with me. If i put reg of my micra it comes up as shape 3dr, but on all the vehicle history check websites it comes up as micra L, which is same as log book. Should i just call quinn to see what they can do

Solitaire

One last noob question: will there be any way to tell if/when the flywheel has been replaced? The diesel has more than enough mileage to suggest that if the DMF hasn't been replaced (either for prevention or because it already called it quits once before) it might make my life an exceedingly expensive hell. If its still on its first flywhell or making suspicious noises on the second I'll pass on it - no intention of adding my own DMF horror story to the endless examples already on the Interwebs

Any other issues specific to the petrol 1.6 or the 1.8 TDCi that could end in tears if I don't look out for them?

bazz26

Replacing a DMF is an expensive job so I would expect to see receipts for the work, imo the seller would use is as a good selling point.

maidhc

bazz26 wrote: »

Most if not all post facelifted MkI Focus diesel Ghia models had the 115bhp TDCi engine. This was badged TDCi on the boot whereas the old 100bhp unit was badged TDDi and mainly only basic LX or Zetec models. The actual power output in kw should be listed somewhere on the inside of the driver's door or boot. 115bhp is 84kw. The bhp should also be listed on the vehicle's licensing certificate.

The 100bhp diesel in the focus was actually a TDCi, normally only sold in LX guise though. The TDDi was 90bhp. I'm not sure how long the 100bhp TDCi was sold, but it was definately about in 2003.

The power output is written on a big sticker just under the bonnet. However the difference between the TDDi and the TDCi is quite obvious. The TDDi does not have a plastic cover, and should have "Endura-DI" cast on the rocker cover.

bazz26 wrote: »

Regarding ABS, I think all Ghia models had ABS but it was not made standard across the entire Focus range until 2004 when an EU directive made it compulsery on all new cars.

Indeed. My 03 focus does not have abs and the car is the poorer because of it.


Options for tuning the 1.8 TDCi are limited to the expensive bluefin. Go to ffoc.co.uk. I never considered it worthwhile as some more scientific users of the above forum questioned it's usefulness.


The TDCi is a good engine, although economy drops off sharply if you cruise at 140km/h as opposed to 120km/h in my experience. It is not without its faults though, it is a typical 8v diesel with a narrow power range and can suffer from a lot of expensive faults. In particular the DMF is an expensive job, and there is no cheap way around it. I did see on some forum about it being cheaper to get done up north, but eitherway don't expect any change from €1,000. I think I paid closer to €1,500 by the time everything was done (and no, I wasn't ripped off, the parts cost a lot of that even despite a huge amount of shopping around by both me and the mechanic).

My DMF lasted to 97k miles. Best way to test it is to start the car from hot. If it starts OK, you don't have a prob, if it is shuddery and hesitant to start things ain't good.

What else can go wrong with the TDCI:
a) Diesel pump
b) Injectors
c) Turbo
d) Silly freewheeling alternator
e) EGR valve

Solitaire

Are they really putting these things in all diesel and large-engine petrol cars nowadays?!? Sounds desperate... like built-in redundancy. Just leave it to run outside warranty then its just pot-luck until your motor turns itself into a write-off! :eek:

Looks like VW is right - 1.4 twin-turbo petrols are the future, if only due to the lack of a dodgy space-age PoS self-destructing flywheel! Now all I need to do is knock off a few banks and I'll have the extra €24000 needed to buy a Mk6 Golf... :rolleyes:

[/rant]

I assume the 1.6 petrol has a real engine and a real clutch and a real flywheel?