Thinking of buying a 1999 1.4 focus

shaneyboy1

hi i was thinking of buying a 99 hatchback focus,the one i looked at has 149k miles on it,does anybody own a high mileage one and if so how are they gettin on with it??? thanks in advance

Plug

Mine has over 150k and is going perfect. They rarely give trouble and if they do its usually something cheap and easy. But for god sake don't get a 1.4 get the 1.6. The insurance and tax differences wont be much. The 1.4 wouldn't pull you out of bed.

shaneyboy1

thanks plug,its actually for my girlfriend and its gonna be her first car,the insurance crowd said they wouldnt insure her in anything bigger than a 1.4,shes gonna have our baby in it aswell so im kinda happy she wont be in a powerful thing.......so i shouldnt be put off by the high mileage?

Nissan doctor

If its been well looked after it'll do that mileage no problem but tbh there are plenty out there with much lower mileage.

shaneyboy1

well we gettin it for E1200 its NCT'D till july and taxed till end of september.........is that a bargain? or about right?

kirving

I think the genreal consensus is to avoid the 1.4, and go with the 1.6. There isn't a huge difference in tax, and the 1.4 is very underpowered, meaning that it isn't any better fuel wise. Edit: You don't want to be left wanting for power on a dual carrigeway, 1.6 is the way to go - probably had a slightly easier life too.

Parents both have 1.6 Mk1 Focus Ghia's and in general they've been good. A few little problems like the door locks/alarms acting up, speed sensor going(causing the speedo to drop to 0)

Original clutch with 90k Miles on one, clutch was replaced on the other at 50k or there abouts(might actually have been OK, but mechanic advise it).

The anti-roll bar linkages(stabiliser bars?) have gone on both, took about an hour to do. (Maybe 3 times between the two cars in 5 years?) They're cheap though, especially if you do it yourself.

Lots of short journeys took their toll on my mams one, and it needed the cylinder rings replaced at around 50k miles. I think the reasons was because the journies were so short(5 mins generally), oil never really got to properly circulate and the rings wore. It was an expensive job to be fair, but it's been perfect since.

The fuel pump went on my dads at the beginning of the year, which was about €80 to fix.

Apart from the abouve, both have been very reliable and haven't had anything massive go wrong.

Plug

shaneyboy1 wrote: »

thanks plug,its actually for my girlfriend and its gonna be her first car,the insurance crowd said they wouldnt insure her in anything bigger than a 1.4,shes gonna have our baby in it aswell so im kinda happy she wont be in a powerful thing.......so i shouldnt be put off by the high mileage?

As Nissan Doctor said once its looked after it'll be grand. Get a mechanic to have a quick look over it. A 1.6 is not powerful its just not dead like the 1.4 engine. In fact the 1.4 is dangerous. Im a male and I got insured on a 1.6 Focus no problem when I was 20, first car on a provisional. Try quinn maybe.

shaneyboy1

Plug wrote: »

As Nissan Doctor said once its looked after it'll be grand. Get a mechanic to have a quick look over it. A 1.6 is not powerful its just not dead like the 1.4 engine. In fact the 1.4 is dangerous. Im a male and I got insured on a 1.6 Focus no problem when I was 20, first car on a provisional. Try quinn maybe.

quinn are nearly 600 euro dearer just for the 1.4!:eek:

shaneyboy1

Kevin Irving wrote: »

I think the genreal consensus is to avoid the 1.4, and go with the 1.6. There isn't a huge difference in tax, and the 1.4 is very underpowered, meaning that it isn't any better fuel wise. Edit: You don't want to be left wanting for power on a dual carrigeway, 1.6 is the way to go - probably had a slightly easier life too.

Parents both have 1.6 Mk1 Focus Ghia's and in general they've been good. A few little problems like the door locks/alarms acting up, speed sensor going(causing the speedo to drop to 0)

Original clutch with 90k Miles on one, clutch was replaced on the other at 50k or there abouts(might actually have been OK, but mechanic advise it).

The anti-roll bar linkages(stabiliser bars?) have gone on both, took about an hour to do. (Maybe 3 times between the two cars in 5 years?) They're cheap though, especially if you do it yourself.

Lots of short journeys took their toll on my mams one, and it needed the cylinder rings replaced at around 50k miles. I think the reasons was because the journies were so short(5 mins generally), oil never really got to properly circulate and the rings wore. It was an expensive job to be fair, but it's been perfect since.

The fuel pump went on my dads at the beginning of the year, which was about €80 to fix.

Apart from the abouve, both have been very reliable and haven't had anything massive go wrong.

cheers kev you've been very helpful

FrontDoor

I know two 05 focus cars, one with 140km, the other 70km.
Both for sale for between 3 and 4.5k or so.

In that light, 1200 for a 99 is dear I'd say.

shaneyboy1

3 grand for a 05 focus sounds good

FrontDoor

shaneyboy1 wrote: »

3 grand for a 05 focus sounds good

A 1.4 Focus is perfect for certain drivers. It will tootle around town without a bother and will do 70mph on a motorway without issue.

It is slow though and as its petrol, it's not in great demand.

3 grand would bring it alright and lots more like it.

dr.fuzzenstein

shaneyboy1 wrote: »

,shes gonna have our baby in it aswell

She what?:eek:

shaneyboy1

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

She what?:eek:

hahaha she actually not gonna give birth in the car ha the child is 2

dr.fuzzenstein

shaneyboy1 wrote: »

hahaha she actually not gonna give birth in the car ha the child is 2

Ah, I see! Was worried there for a second.:D

shaneyboy1

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Ah, I see! Was worried there for a second.:D

that would be funny i could just imagine the ad:Wanted 99 focus for the missus to give birth in!....must be in good condition and NCT'D lol

Mack_1111

I've a 2000 1.4 with 160K no problems with it.

bazz26

€1200 seems expensive for a 1999 example. Here is a 2000 one with 2 years NCT and new timing belt for the same money:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2371606

or a 2001 for €1700:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2418480

PARKHEAD67

shaneyboy1 wrote: »

hi i was thinking of buying a 99 hatchback focus,the one i looked at has 149k miles on it,does anybody own a high mileage one and if so how are they gettin on with it??? thanks in advance

A lad at work went from a 00 Beemer to a 03 focus to "save on petrol".Hes still crying.He had a clio before the bmw and said the 1.2 98 clio was a WAY better car than the focus.He said that when he tries to overtake in the focus it just doesnt happen. The worst car ever in his words.;)

kirving

Just compared three different makes of car.

McP2011

Good cars dont give much bother...coil packs are rubbish in them though.