2008 ford focus van - what diesel engine?

euser1984

Hi,
I'm thinking of buying one of these but I don't know anything about the engines or what tax bracket they fall into?

Is the focus a good buy or should I look at something else also?

George Dalton

Tax will be either at the commercial rate of €333 per year or if you cannot satisfy your local motor tax office's requirements to qualify for commercial tax then the van will be taxed on engine size (not CO2 as it is not a private car) So the 1.6 engine would be €514 per year and the 1.8 would be €636.

Both engines have their good points and weak points, I personally wouldn't get too hung up on which engine the van had as long as it is in good condition with good history etc.

Good points of 1.6:
It's a more modern engine than the 1.8 so it is smoother, quieter and more economical than the 1.8.
They don't tend to give much dual mass flywheel trouble
Timing belt interval is long, 200,000km and it is a relatively cheap job to do compared to the 1.8.

Bad points of the 1.6:
The main one is that they need to be serviced on time every time with the correct oil and good quality filter, otherwise they can suffer sludge buildup inside the engine which leads to turbo failure and other issues. The 1.8 is more more tolerant of neglect.
All 1.6 vans are the 90bhp version which is a bit on the slow side.


Good points of the 1.8:
It has more power than the 1.6 though some people don't like the way it is delivered.
It is a very robust engine generally.

Bad points:
Eats dual mass flywheels.
2008 and newer cars have a wet timing belt setup replacing the earlier chain. This is breaking before the recommended replacement interval of 200,000km so it would be advisable to replace it earlier. It is also an expensive job, close on twice the price of the timing belt job on the 1.6 engine.


Most facelifted Focus vans are 1.8tdci. Most of the pre facelift vans are 1.6tdci. So if you want a facelifted van (and I would if I were you) you will probably end up in a 1.8.

euser1984

Thanks for the post. I'm not thinking of using it commercially at all. Just for my own personal use so I can carry around my stuff.

Can I not get the c02 tax for this? Thanks.

Bpmull

euser1984 wrote: »

Thanks for the post. I'm not thinking of using it commercially at all. Just for my own personal use so I can carry around my stuff.

Can I not get the c02 tax for this? Thanks.

No afaik it's goes on engine size not co2 with vans regardless of the year. Unless things have changed recently.so you would be paying the rates stated in George's post.

Guy:Incognito

If your going to be paying private tax anyway, why not just get a Focus car and drop the seats. That way if you ever do want seats you have them.