Buying a used car (Focus) in the New Year

Mimojo

Hi all,

I am looking for some advice given that I havent a clue about cars, AT ALL!

I am buying a new (well used) car in the New Year, nothing major, aiming to spend about €4000 ish.

At the moment I have a crappy Micra, god love it it has seen better days, it was my first car so wanting to go for something bigger and more powerful this time around.

I am looking at a Focus, hatchback, prob 02/03 with the money that I have.

My first question is will I be able to trade in my old car? Its a 00 Micra with about 150,000 miles on it. I know I wont get much for it, I am literally just hoping to get a few hundred to get rid of it. Am I better to sell it privately or just trade it? It is NCTed until November 2011, and the tax is out in April. It has high milage but its a decent car, literally never had a bit of bother with it, and have done 60,000 miles. It had one previous owner who bought it new and sold it to me in 2008. It does need a service which I am happy to pay for, and new tyres which I have been putting off buying as I knew I was getting rid of it.

As for buying a new car, dont really know where to start, going to stick with a garage as really dont want to chance buying privately with my very limited knowledge. I am going to wait until January to go looking, but my question is, how much will car prices I am looking at now go down in January? What would be a decent price for a 02, 03 or 04 Focus Hatchback, just in general? I know they have lots of different specifications and features, but just a ball park figure of what I should be looking at.

I appreciate any help or advice on this!

Thanks

Hal1

If I were you I would sell the Micra on adverts.ie. Check the likes of carzone for an idea of what your car maybe worth. I reckon you could get at least an 03 - 04, but go for a 1.6 as anything less is underpowered. Some good suggestions on this thread here.

bazz26

Sell the Micra privately as a garage will give you next to nothing for it. Then you will be in a stronger position to negotiate a better discount for buying the new car straight (no trade-in).

kermitpwee

The micra woild be worth 1k or so dependent on condition could be worth a bit more.

Mimojo

Thanks a mill for the advice, very much appreciated!

Would I really get 1k for the Micra? Was thinking about 500€ is all I would manage!

Need to get it serviced & valeted but would be happy to do that if it ment i would get some mula for it!

And a 1.6 Focus? Is this a car people would go for? Its an idea size for what I want, and should be good for long journeys. Is there anything specific I should look our for when buying?

cooltown

Have a look at this!
http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/used/ford/focus-hatchback/summary/23517-5

Mimojo

cooltown wrote: »

Have a look at this!
http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/used/ford/focus-hatchback/summary/23517-5

Thanks!! Very helpful!

bazz26

1.6 litre Focus is a good car. Minimum spec you should be looking at is the Zetec model. In 2002/2003 they introduced a couple of special editions such as the Collection and Centenary.

Mimojo

Can anyone tell me if the Freedom model is the most basic?

Finding it pretty hard to find a decent Focus 2003 1.4 or 1.6 with low mileage, it seems to be a very popular car!

EPM

Freedom is basic, similar to the CL spec

Max Power1

kermitpwee wrote: »

The micra woild be worth 1k or so dependent on condition could be worth a bit more.

1k? Did you not see the mileage?

OP should jump at half that imo.

j@utis

Mimojo wrote: »

Can anyone tell me if the Freedom model is the most basic?
Finding it pretty hard to find a decent Focus 2003 1.4 or 1.6 with low mileage, it seems to be a very popular car!

do not buy 1.4!
my bf has one and he barely gets 30mpg from it, honestly it feels like you just left the garage but your fuel indicator is close to 0 already! and you have to go into the 4th gear if there's a slightest hill on the motorway, also forget about overtaking unless it's downhill where you can count on focus massive weight to gain some extra speed of course, there are positives too: comfortable driving position, loads of space, quality hard wearing interior etc...
if I were you I wouldn't buy any f.focus because if their poor fuel efficiency. I agree they are quite good looking cars for that year but with these fuel prices nowadays is simply crazy. my car isn't running on air either but at least I get loads of fun driving it but ford focus is just dead old man's car (I wouldn't get one even if I was about to retire. car has to excite me :P ).

Sofiztikated

j@utis wrote: »

do not buy 1.4!
my bf has one and he barely gets 30mpg from it, honestly it feels like you just left the garage but your fuel indicator is close to 0 already! and you have to go into the 4th gear if there's a slightest hill on the motorway, also forget about overtaking unless it's downhill where you can count on focus massive weight to gain some extra speed of course, there are positives too: comfortable driving position, loads of space, quality hard wearing interior etc...
if I were you I wouldn't buy any f.focus because if their poor fuel efficiency. I agree they are quite good looking cars for that year but with these fuel prices nowadays is simply crazy. my car isn't running on air either but at least I get loads of fun driving it but ford focus is just dead old man's car (I wouldn't get one even if I was about to retire. car has to excite me :P ).

30~ mpg is about right for an 03 1.4 Focus. Ford reckons it should be 43, but that's wildly conservative. It's fine on a motorway, easily gets up to speed, but overtaking does require banging back into 3rd. Its only a 74bhp engine after all.

The 1.6 is a better engine, and the consumption is roughly the same, despite Ford reckoning its 37.7mpg.

They're not the most impressive vehicle in the smaller engines, but the chassis and suspension is great for twisties.

hellyeah

i had a 02 focus collection 1.6 petrol for 6 years. found car to be very reliable in that time. my car was doing around 420miles to a tank of fuel (55 litres).
never gave any trouble. found car to be very comfortable/ very easy to maintain and insure. found the 1.6 to be a very good engine and plenty quick enough. lots of room in the hatch if you need it as the rear seats fold flat.
just to give you an idea of price i sold mine last september for €3250 with 80k on the clock and brand new nct. mine was a top spec with ew/em sunroof alloys etc. private sale. very clean.

smileyscientist

Agree to the 1.6 advice above, plenty of bang for yr buck. Ecomoical and tax not too heavy, Try and go for diesel- not sure if they availabe in 1.6L- i think so!

I have a 1.8l UK import focus and love it. V thirsty car though but the power is incredible- and like you I stepped up from a small car- 1.25 fiesta.

Having major probs now with it thou- keeps cutting out- may want to have a look at my thread and many more seem to have the same prob. But there popular for a reason- nice looking, practcal, nice spec, affordable, cheap(ISH) to run.

Just make sure you get meachanic to check it out before you hand over anything and do a plate check to avoid any nasty surpises in the future.

Happy motoring!:)

Hal1

hellyeah wrote: »

i had a 02 focus collection 1.6 petrol for 6 years. found car to be very reliable in that time. my car was doing around 420miles to a tank of fuel (55 litres).
never gave any trouble. found car to be very comfortable/ very easy to maintain and insure. found the 1.6 to be a very good engine and plenty quick enough. lots of room in the hatch if you need it as the rear seats fold flat.
just to give you an idea of price i sold mine last september for €3250 with 80k on the clock and brand new nct. mine was a top spec with ew/em sunroof alloys etc. private sale. very clean.

I love them in that magnum grey colour. There's loads of them on donedeal ha.

Mimojo

Mimojo wrote: »

Finding it pretty hard to find a decent Focus 2003 1.4 or 1.6 with low mileage, it seems to be a very popular car!

No such thing as a decent 1.4 Focus, complete and utter dirt.

Zubeneschamali

j@utis wrote: »

quality hard wearing interior etc...

Eh, no.

I drive an S-Max, and while it was in the garage on its holidays before Christmas, they lent me a 1.4 Focus.

If you squint, the interiors look a bit the same, you can tell they are both Fords, but every single thing you touch in the Focus feels like sh1t.

It's the absolutely nastiest interior of any car I've sat in since the last time I was in a Japanese car, and I've owned a Seicento and a Kangoo.

Henry Ford III

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Eh, no.

I drive an S-Max, and while it was in the garage on its holidays before Christmas, they lent me a 1.4 Focus.

If you squint, the interiors look a bit the same, you can tell they are both Fords, but every single thing you touch in the Focus feels like sh1t.

It's the absolutely nastiest interior of any car I've sat in since the last time I was in a Japanese car, and I've owned a Seicento and a Kangoo.

Nothing wrong with a Focus interior. S-Max isn't that special either btw.

Zubeneschamali

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Nothing wrong with a Focus interior. S-Max isn't that special either btw.

Like I said, similar enough as long as you don't touch anything.

Henry Ford III

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Like I said, similar enough as long as you don't touch anything.

The materials are similar if not identical. A Focus interior is pretty good. Base models won't be very plush, nor well equipped, but it's well up to the task nonetheless.

An S Max is a class or two above a focus, the interior would no doubt be that bit better.

Henry Ford III

RoverJames wrote: »

An S Max is a class or two above a focus, the interior would no doubt be that bit better.

I didn't suggest it wasn't. It's a newer design too.

Henry Ford III

Henry Ford III wrote: »

I didn't suggest it wasn't. It's a newer design too.

That was directed at the chap whp reckons it's sh1t in comparison

Ush1

I have a bog standard 1.4 Zetec. Definitely go for 1.6 at the very least. 1.4 has not much get up and go to be honest. It's comfortable though and has decent handling. I've had the Focus a year now and it seems generally reliable for the most part.

Kind of want it to break so I can get something new.:P

Zubeneschamali

Henry Ford III wrote: »

The materials are similar if not identical.

What, if you repeat it often enough it becomes true? I own one, and drove the other for two weeks, not one month ago. The materials look a bit similar but aren't. The bits you touch every day are distinctly higher quality in the S-max.

It's no Audi, lots of the plastics further from your fingertips are cheap, but the Focus is Toyota bad, I couldn't possibly buy one.

Zubeneschamali

RoverJames wrote: »

An S Max is a class or two above a focus, the interior would no doubt be that bit better.

I don't see how that follows. Bigger cars must have higher quality interiors than smaller ones?

Henry Ford III

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

What, if you repeat it often enough it becomes true? I own one, and drove the other for two weeks, not one month ago. The materials look a bit similar but aren't. The bits you touch every day are distinctly higher quality in the S-max.

It's no Audi, lots of the plastics further from your fingertips are cheap, but the Focus is Toyota bad, I couldn't possibly buy one.

Likewise I'm sure Nobody is asking you to buy one btw.

The bottom line is much and all as you clearly don't like a Focus interior, respected authorities rate it well.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/ford/focus-2008?section=cabin

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/ford/focus-hatchback-2005.aspx?page=3

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/newreviews/227910/ford_focus.html

p.s. If you really want to see a poor quality cheap interior have a look at a Mitsubishi Lancer.

Zubeneschamali

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

I don't see how that follows. Bigger cars must have higher quality interiors than smaller ones?

Look at the price tags of them when new

I just saw that HonestJohn is a "respected authority", new low in motors section of boards.ie.

j@utis

well my bf focus is 10 years now and seats look like new and textured dashboard suroundings and door trims doesn't feel cheap and don't look tacky either...

maidhc

The focus is a proven reliable car. Look at the number of ones around 10 years + that have been lucky to get a handful of services in their lives. I have one myself 5 years, and apart from a DMF failure I can't fault it.

The dashboard is fine. It is made of decent quality plastic, even if not the rubber that VW have. The car has done 130k miles and it doesn't rattle or squeak, so the interior is well bolted together. Nothing has fallen off, and the seats are hardwearing (unlike, say the octavia where each and every one has a torn bolster).

The focus is a good well built, "normal" car, that costs peanuts to run and in the case of the Mk1 is the best looking car of its generation. The art deco dash isn't for everyone, but personally I would rather it to the recycled goodyear dash that VW boast about.

Henry Ford III

RoverJames wrote: »

Look at the price tags of them when new

I just saw that HonestJohn is a "respected authority", new low in motors section of boards.ie.

"Respected" in that context is a relative thing James

the_barfly1

A lot of people bashing the 1.4 model here. I've been driving the same one ('01 1.4 zetec) for the past 6 years and dont find it grossly underpowered at all, unless its well loaded!
Not saying that i wouldn't prefer something with a bigger engine, but its more than good enough for everyday driving! Add to that, that in six years, combined with religious servicing of course, the only problem encountered was the coil pack going three years ago, so its very reliable (or maybe im very lucky). And thats a car which is coming up on 169k miles at the moment.
Back to the power issue- i've driven the 1.4 mkII and that most definitely is underpowered, feels a whole class below its predecessor. A ford mechanic told me that the increased weight of the mkII killed it unless you were going for a larger engine.

Ush1

the_barfly1 wrote: »

A lot of people bashing the 1.4 model here. I've been driving the same one ('01 1.4 zetec) for the past 6 years and dont find it grossly underpowered at all, unless its well loaded!
Not saying that i wouldn't prefer something with a bigger engine, but its more than good enough for everyday driving! Add to that, that in six years, combined with religious servicing of course, the only problem encountered was the coil pack going three years ago, so its very reliable (or maybe im very lucky). And thats a car which is coming up on 169k miles at the moment.
Back to the power issue- i've driven the 1.4 mkII and that most definitely is underpowered, feels a whole class below its predecessor. A ford mechanic told me that the increased weight of the mkII killed it unless you were going for a larger engine.

Impressive!

I actually thought the mkII was lighter.