are ford focus really that reliable?

homeless student

hi, im looking at a 00 and 01 ford focus, both have 100,000 miles on them. sick of car searching at this stage so think im gonna just buy 1 of them, have had really bad look with corolla's, have seen about 10 and most were in bad condition so iv really been put off the 02-05 corolla's, wont go near them ever again. so is like to hear from focus owner to see what they are like.

don't want any crap about look you have asked this before, if you dont want to reply thats fine, save your insults for someone who cares, im entitled to ask. this buy is very important to me.

the 00 focus is going for 1300, good price?

tin79

homeless student wrote: »

don't want any crap about look you have asked this before, if you dont want to reply thats fine, save your insults for someone who cares, im entitled to ask. this buy is very important to me.

With that delightful attitude I am sure people will be queing up to help you

Cheensbo

homeless student wrote: »

hi, im looking at a 00 and 01 ford focus, both have 100,000 miles on them. sick of car searching at this stage so think im gonna just buy 1 of them, have had really bad look with corolla's, have seen about 10 and most were in bad condition so iv really been put off the 02-05 corolla's, wont go near them ever again. so is like to hear from focus owner to see what they are like.

You've haven't had one so bit unfair to judge, you've obviously just gone to see bad ones, the owners were the issue, not the cars.

plenty of good & bad out there in every model.

The cars you are looking at are all 10+ years old now, they're still on the go so says enough in terms of reliability imo.

What they are like depends on each individual one, based on its own merits, condition & service history (if any)

As you've been told; Just take someone competent along with you and judge it there and then, could be trash, could be treasure, there's no way of knowing until you see it. Regardless of Make/Model

Thats the joys of viewing used cars, and i mean joys in a literal sense, I love viewing cheap cars, and buying them

homeless student

The cars you are looking at are all 10+ years old now, they're still on the go so says enough in terms of reliability imo.

not sure I agree with this point, 1 of my sisters has a 00 clio, its still going but I reckon its costing her 600 euro at least a year fixing it, on the other hand my other sister has a 00 yaris and it costs her 0 a year fixing it. one is reliable, one clearly is not.

ck83

Check the timing belt status. I stand to be corrected, but I think ford guarantees timing belt in that vintage focus til 100k miles. Ppl may be selling them at that kind of mileage to pre aboid getting it replaced.

ck83

Check the timing belt status. I stand to be corrected, but I think ford guarantees timing belt in that vintage focus til 100k miles. Ppl may be selling them at that kind of mileage to pre aboid getting it replaced.

Cheensbo

homeless student wrote: »

not sure I agree with this point, 1 of my sisters has a 00 clio, its still going but I reckon its costing her 600 euro at least a year fixing it, on the other hand my other sister has a 00 yaris and it costs her 0 a year fixing it. one is reliable, one clearly is not.

600 a year? every year? fixing what?


Like I said EVERY CAR IS DIFFERENT and should be judged on its own merits.

Perhaps you should buy a yaris then?

homeless student

ck83 wrote: »

Check the timing belt status. I stand to be corrected, but I think ford guarantees timing belt in that vintage focus til 100k miles. Ppl may be selling them at that kind of mileage to pre aboid getting it replaced.

ya I think you are right that ford guarantee them until 100k miles, that will be my 1st question about the cars

homeless student

Cheensbo wrote: »

600 a year? every year? fixing what?


Like I said EVERY CAR IS DIFFERENT and should be judged on its own merits.

Perhaps you should buy a yaris then?

theres always something breaking on the clio, suppose most of the money she spends on it is labour costs. the yaris is too girly for me, wouldnt drive a fiesta or micra either.

adocholiday

I have a 01 Focus, bought with 69k miles on clock in 2010. I was in college and couldn't afford to have it properly serviced (but did do oil and filter changes myself) and it now has 101k miles and still going great. The only thing that went was the power steering pump that cost €50 to replace from a breakers yard. I damaged the passenger door (took a corner too tight and hit a stone pier ) but was way too expensive to fix.

Trading it in now because timing belt needs to be done and I want something better. Hoping to get 3-400 trade on it against a BMW. If I wanted a 1.4 or 1.6 car that I know I could rely on I would get a focus. Great great car.

P.S. OP if you want a cheap 01 gold 1.4 focus I'm open to offers

homeless student

adocholiday wrote: »

I have a 01 Focus, bought with 69k miles on clock in 2010. I was in college and couldn't afford to have it properly serviced (but did do oil and filter changes myself) and it now has 101k miles and still going great. The only thing that went was the power steering pump that cost €50 to replace from a breakers yard. I damaged the passenger door (took a corner too tight and hit a stone pier ) but was way too expensive to fix.

Trading it in now because timing belt needs to be done and I want something better. Hoping to get 3-400 trade on it against a BMW. If I wanted a 1.4 or 1.6 car that I know I could rely on I would get a focus. Great great car.

P.S. OP if you want a cheap 01 gold 1.4 focus I'm open to offers

wouldnt fancy fixing the door or replacing the timing belt, cheers for the replay though.

Alanstrainor

Regardless of mileage a ten year old focus should have its belt done. Its 10 years, or 100k whichever comes first. I would wager most do not have the belt done.

djimi

homeless student wrote: »

hi, im looking at a 00 and 01 ford focus, both have 100,000 miles on them. sick of car searching at this stage so think im gonna just buy 1 of them, have had really bad look with corolla's, have seen about 10 and most were in bad condition so iv really been put off the 02-05 corolla's, wont go near them ever again. so is like to hear from focus owner to see what they are like.

don't want any crap about look you have asked this before, if you dont want to reply thats fine, save your insults for someone who cares, im entitled to ask. this buy is very important to me.

the 00 focus is going for 1300, good price?

Unfortunately a lot of second hand cars in that sort of price range are not going to be in great nick; youre just as likely to find a handful of rubbish Focus for €1500 as you are Corollas. Its just a case of sticking with it until you find a car that you and your mechanic are happy with. Asking for advise on a particular brand is probably not going to help; I could tell you to go out and take a look at Civics, but I have no idea what you will find when you go looking at Civics in that price range.

adocholiday

homeless student wrote: »

wouldnt fancy fixing the door or replacing the timing belt, cheers for the replay though.

Was more of a joke than a serious offer

Seriously though I would highly recommend the focus. There are some very clean, well maintained ones for sale for fairly cheap money. Mine doesn't burn a drop of oil and has never needed anything except basic maintenance.

The timing belt is good up to about 120k miles or 10 years according to the manual so be aware of that when purchasing. Good look with the search OP

barura

adocholiday wrote: »

I have a 01 Focus, bought with 69k miles on clock in 2010. I was in college and couldn't afford to have it properly serviced (but did do oil and filter changes myself) and it now has 101k miles and still going great. The only thing that went was the power steering pump that cost €50 to replace from a breakers yard. I damaged the passenger door (took a corner too tight and hit a stone pier ) but was way too expensive to fix.

Trading it in now because timing belt needs to be done and I want something better. Hoping to get 3-400 trade on it against a BMW. If I wanted a 1.4 or 1.6 car that I know I could rely on I would get a focus. Great great car.

P.S. OP if you want a cheap 01 gold 1.4 focus I'm open to offers

Can I be considered to buy this focus so?

homeless student

how do you know for sure that the timing belt has been changed? would a mechanic know by looking at the engine?

adocholiday

barura wrote: »

Can I be considered to buy this focus so?

If you're serious send me a PM

barura

adocholiday wrote: »

If you're serious send me a PM

Done!

jonski

The best thing I could say about the ford focus is that when something does go wrong with them they are usually cheap to fix and can be fixed by your local mechanic .

I have just done the 100k service on mine , timing belt water pump fan belt and all the filters and I plan on keeping it for another good few years .

adocholiday

homeless student wrote: »

how do you know for sure that the timing belt has been changed? would a mechanic know by looking at the engine?

A mechanic would have an idea by looking at the belt if it was relatively new but would depend on how new the belt is. On the other hand a worn belt can be easy to spot because the rubber would be cracked etc.

If it was done by ford, the service book would have a stamp. Sometimes when a belt is changed, the mechanic writes it on the belt cover, but this is far from a reliable indicator

T-Maxx

If you'd listen to the inputs given in your previous "Homeless Student needs a car but it must be a Corolla, blah, blah, blah" I'm sure people wouldn't mind chirping in again for some advice, but frankly you've just about ignored all of it. Don't expect much this time around.

djimi

homeless student wrote: »

how do you know for sure that the timing belt has been changed? would a mechanic know by looking at the engine?

The only way to know for sure is if the seller can provide some kind of evidence (garage and parts receipts) to say that it has been done. Most mechanics I have asked have told me that its not that easy to say for sure when a belt was done, and if in any doubt the best thing to do is change it yourself when you buy the car.

keithclancy

Get the Ford Focus Estate version, that way it will be more comfortable to live in.

Viper_JB

With your budget I don't think you should be looking at one specific type of car, see what's on the market in or around what you're willing to pay, reliability doesn't come into play so much with older cars, it's all about how they were maintained, the Skoda's seem to be doing well in the second hand market but again, I wouldn't be looking for one specific model of car unless your heart is absolutely set on owning a focus.

homeless student

Viper_JB wrote: »

With your budget I don't think you should be looking at one specific type of car, see what's on the market in or around what you're willing to pay, reliability doesn't come into play so much with older cars, it's all about how they were maintained, the Skoda's seem to be doing well in the second hand market but again, I wouldn't be looking for one specific model of car unless your heart is absolutely set on owning a focus.

no im open to all suggestions again.

JohnBoy26

homeless student wrote: »

hi, im looking at a 00 and 01 ford focus, both have 100,000 miles on them. sick of car searching at this stage so think im gonna just buy 1 of them, have had really bad look with corolla's, have seen about 10 and most were in bad condition so iv really been put off the 02-05 corolla's, wont go near them ever again. so is like to hear from focus owner to see what they are like.

don't want any crap about look you have asked this before, if you dont want to reply thats fine, save your insults for someone who cares, im entitled to ask. this buy is very important to me.

the 00 focus is going for 1300, good price?

How have you had bad ''look'' with Corolla's when you have never owned one?

And saying you will never go near them ''ever again'' just because the 10 you went to see(out of hundreds for sale) were in bad condition is a ridiculous statement imo.

There are plenty of good examples of Corollas out there. If you weren't in such a rush and had done your homework properly by picking out the genuinely good examples from the rest you would have a car bought already;).

Tbh your going to have the same issue when going to view Focus's if your just going to rush out and view any old yoke that pops up on donedeal.

George Dalton

Maybe if you spent less time posting threads about looking at cars and more time actually looking at cars you might actually have a car by now.

As posted above, most cheap cars are in bad condition, not just Corollas. That's why cheap cars are are cheap. You will need to look at a lot of cars before you find a decent one. I also wouldn't rule out any particular Focus just because it is due a timing belt. The timing belt is potentially the least of your worries with a 12 year old Focus.

homeless student

George Dalton wrote: »

Maybe if you spent less time posting threads about looking at cars and more time actually looking at cars you might actually have a car by now.

how do you know how much time i have spent looking at cars? I have viewed a lot of them at this stage, all over the country, i just keep coming across cowboys with $hit cars.

As posted above, most cheap cars are in bad condition, not just Corollas. That's why cheap cars are are cheap. You will need to look at a lot of cars before you find a decent one. I also wouldn't rule out any particular Focus just because it is due a timing belt. The timing belt is potentially the least of your worries with a 12 year old Focus.

I don't think all cheap cars are in bad condition, its just the year of the car usually that dictates the price.

homeless student

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

How have you had bad ''look'' with Corolla's when you have never owned one?

And saying you will never go near them ''ever again'' just because the 10 you went to see(out of hundreds for sale) were in bad condition is a ridiculous statement imo.

There are plenty of good examples of Corollas out there. If you weren't in such a rush and had done your homework properly by picking out the genuinely good examples from the rest you would have a car bought already;).

Tbh your going to have the same issue when going to view Focus's if your just going to rush out and view any old yoke that pops up on donedeal.

how exactly can you do your homework on a car on done deal? you go look at a car then decide.

George Dalton

homeless student wrote: »

I don't think all cheap cars are in bad condition, its just the year of the car usually that dictates the price.

The year of the car, the mileage and condition of the car and how desirable the car is are the main factors that determine price. Year alone does not dictate the price.

I didn't say all cheap cars are in bad condition, I said most cheap cars are in bad condition. Cheap good cars are very scarce, as you are finding out on your search.

neddynasty

homeless student wrote: »

have had really bad look with corolla's, have seen about 10 and most were in bad condition

Define bad condition? Was there no service history, were they not hoovered and washed, were they all dented and scratched, did the interior appear worn?

Just trying to figure out what your expectations of a 10 -12 year old cheap car are.

homeless student

neddynasty wrote: »

Define bad condition? Was there no service history, were they not hoovered and washed, were they all dented and scratched, did the interior appear worn?

Just trying to figure out what your expectations of a 10 -12 year old cheap car are.

ok, 1 corolla was dented all over, alloys were in bad condition, clutch about to go,cd player not working, 1 of the front lamps was in really bad condition.
another 1 was dented, clutch was really hard, changing gears wasn't smooth.
the last 1 i viewed said it had 50,000 miles, more like 150,000 id say, clutch again really hard, gear box was rough, dents(when the dealer assured me there was none on it)i had said i wouldn't travel to c it if there was any major dents on it.1 of the doors was really creaking(same door that had the dent)signs of serious wear on the steering wheel, rubber at driver door ripped.

homeless student

neddynasty wrote: »

Define bad condition? Was there no service history, were they not hoovered and washed, were they all dented and scratched, did the interior appear worn?

Just trying to figure out what your expectations of a 10 -12 year old cheap car are.

i wouldnt call 4k cheap

homeless student

anyone know do the 00-02 focus have abs brakes?

George Dalton

It wasn't standard on them so not many of them have ABS no.

MuppetCheck

homeless student wrote: »

anyone know do the 00-02 focus have abs brakes?

Was optional on most mark 1 focus models. I *think* later Ghias may have had it.

bazz26

ABS was not made manditory on cars until 2004. Upto that point it would only have been stardard on cars the size of a Mondeo or similar.

If the car has ABS fitted it will have an ABS light on the dashboard that lights up for about 10 seconds when the ignition is switched on

af_thefragile

Well 2yrs ago I bought a fairly sorry looking Ford Puma. Although it only had 69K miles on its clock, its wasn't maintained very well by its previous owner, I still bought it cuz it was cheap at that time.
Now after 2yrs of owning it, the car has given little troubles you'ld expect from a 10+ yr old car but the engine never once gave any trouble. Always started on the first turn of the key and even after putting more than 20K miles over the past 2yrs, many of which I trashed it around, the engine still runs very well.

So from personal experience I can say Ford makes some good engines that can easy do over 100k even when poorly looked after!

homeless student

drove a 2001 1.4 focus today, 1st time i ever drove one. found it to be very sturdy and comfortable but couldn't believe how sluggish it was,was thinking of getting a 1.6 focus hatch but heard they are bad sellers so i might get stuck with it? might still go for the 1.4 focus but ill just have to never try to overtake in it.

Mister Jingles

homeless student wrote: »

drove a 2001 1.4 focus today, 1st time i ever drove one. found it to be very sturdy and comfortable but couldn't believe how sluggish it was,was thinking of getting a 1.6 focus hatch but heard they are bad sellers so i might get stuck with it? might still go for the 1.4 focus but ill just have to never try to overtake in it.

That should be the least of your worries at the moment.

The 1.4 Ford engine is also not as bad on power as many people here and elsewhere claim it to be

Will this be your first car ?

George Dalton

A facelift 1.4 isn't as bad as the pre facelift. Facelift is also better on petrol.

The pre facelift 1.6 is much nicer to drive than the 1.4 but is also a good bit harder on petrol.

homeless student

Mister Jingles wrote: »

That should be the least of your worries at the moment.

The 1.4 Ford engine is also not as bad on power as many people here and elsewhere claim it to be

Will this be your first car ?

no, my second car. had a 95 astra.

homeless student

George Dalton wrote: »

A facelift 1.4 isn't as bad as the pre facelift. Facelift is also better on petrol.

The pre facelift 1.6 is much nicer to drive than the 1.4 but is also a good bit harder on petrol.

i dont do a lot of driving so the 1.6 might suit me?
is there much difference in power in the 1.4 and 1.6?

homeless student

Mister Jingles wrote: »

That should be the least of your worries at the moment.

The 1.4 Ford engine is also not as bad on power as many people here and elsewhere claim it to be

Will this be your first car ?

i disagree, id be more confident passing out in a 1 litre corsa than the 1.4 focus to be honest.0-60 mph = very sluggish.

George Dalton

homeless student wrote: »

i dont do a lot of driving so the 1.6 might suit me?
is there much difference in power in the 1.4 and 1.6?

Yes there is quite a big difference between the 1.4 and 1.6. The 1.6 is 100bhp vs the 1.4's 75bhp.

homeless student

George Dalton wrote: »

Yes there is quite a big difference between the 1.4 and 1.6. The 1.6 is 100bhp vs the 1.4's 75bhp.

are they a bad seller though? iv heard they are because of the higher tax on them.

Mister Jingles

homeless student wrote: »

i disagree, id be more confident passing out in a 1 litre corsa than the 1.4 focus to be honest.0-60 mph = very sluggish.

That's your opinion of course, I drove a fusion (similar weight to the focus I'd imagine) for almost a year with the same engine and found it fine, fully loaded with 3/4 passengers and luggage in the boot you'd notice the difference like a lot of small engines but otherwise grand.

If the 1.6 is what you want go for it. Work out tax, insurance ect first. There not as common in hatchback as the 1.4 is but you might get lucky and find a decent one.

Best of luck

Cee-Jay-Cee

You don't want to hear this but I'd go for an 02-04 corolla over a Focus any day. Ok so the ones you looked at weren't great but that doesn't mean they're bad cars, it just means the ones you looked at were.

You need to be realistic about things, it appears to me that your looking for something that's going to be in perfect mechanic and cosmetic condition yet only willing to spend pennies. €1200 isn't going to get you anything that's perfect however it will get you something middling that may need a bit of work to make it good. €1200 will only buy you a crappy corolla as a good 02 will cost you at least 2500. They're good cars and therefore expect to pay more for them. My wife has an 02 corolla with 101k miles on it, it's mechanically and cosmetically perfect and worth at least €2500 if not more...in fact it's worth more to her than that as she'd have to spend considerably more to buy something as good but move up a few years. J

homeless student

CJC999 wrote: »

You don't want to hear this but I'd go for an 02-04 corolla over a Focus any day. Ok so the ones you looked at weren't great but that doesn't mean they're bad cars, it just means the ones you looked at were.

You need to be realistic about things, it appears to me that your looking for something that's going to be in perfect mechanic and cosmetic condition yet only willing to spend pennies. €1200 isn't going to get you anything that's perfect however it will get you something middling that may need a bit of work to make it good. €1200 will only buy you a crappy corolla as a good 02 will cost you at least 2500. They're good cars and therefore expect to pay more for them. My wife has an 02 corolla with 101k miles on it, it's mechanically and cosmetically perfect and worth at least €2500 if not more...in fact it's worth more to her than that as she'd have to spend considerably more to buy something as good but move up a few years. J

the focus i drover today is a few hundred more than 1200

bazz26

A 1.6 litre Focus is not a bad seller. The reason there are more 1.4 litre Focus on the road is because like most cars the majority of them bought by the Irish were entry level models. The 1.6 litre engine is better suited to the Focus than the 1.4 litre too.

The Maverick

I drive a 1.4 01 Focus and I'm very happy. I was originally looking for a 1.6 but a combination of high insurance and the ones I saw being in poor condition lead me to buying the 1.4.

It's not as horrendous power wise as some make out but at the same time it's not going to win any races either. The lack of power is most noticeable when overtaking and joining the motorway. However, once it gets going it's grand, well able to keep up with traffic and is ok on petrol.

Mine had 103,000 miles on it when I bought it. There's some minor electrical faults (boot release switch doesn't always work, central locking doesn't work on one door) and recently I has to get a seal replaced on the gearbox but that's it. Passed the NCT first time no problem.