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I did a lot of research on the internet before buying, the Ford Diesel unit which the Focus uses is well tried and tested being based on an old design, a bit harsh compared to modern versions but it is strong enough to easily last to 150k miles and beyond so I wasn't too concerned buying ... Read review
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...the internet before buying, the Ford Diesel unit which the Focus uses is well tried and tested being based on an old design, a bit harsh compared to modern versions but it is strong enough to easily last to 150k miles and beyond so I wasn't too concerned buying such a high mileage unit.
It is important if buying a high miler to make sure you get service history (FSH) and my Focus has this.
The car was in general in good ... .../> The local Ford dealers have been brilliant too!
I'll update again in a few more months or if there are major traumas!
Update - 11th April 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm still driving this car and still pleased with it, not let me down yet touch wood!
Just passed it's MOT which cost £210 as the rear shock absorbers needed replacing and a couple of bulbs too. Not bad as the roads around ... more
Just a quick update as I have now owned the Focus six months, the extra information is at the end.
I have only owned my Focus for about a month so you need to bear in mind this review is based on first impressions. As with my previous car review I will update it regularly when things go wrong, hopefully not!
I bought my 1999 V plate Focus 1,8 Diesel for £4,950 which sounds very cheap, but it has done 70k miles which means it is a reasonable price.
I did a lot of research on the internet before buying, the Ford Diesel unit which the Focus uses is well tried and tested being based on an old design, a bit harsh compared to modern versions but it is strong enough to easily last to 150k miles and beyond so I wasn't too concerned buying such a high mileage unit.
It is important if buying a high miler to make sure you get service history (FSH) and my Focus has this.
The car was in general in good condition for the mileage, a few stone chips on the bonnet and the gear knob had a small scratch on top of it, nothing else too major.
I never owned a diesel before but decided to get this one as my wife is expecting and we wanted a reasonable sized car which was going to be cheap to run. The Focus is group 6 insurance and will do over 50mpg so that was a big selling point. It also just fits into my garage which is handy.
I was amazed how refined the engine seemed when test driving the car and this really sold it for me. It is a bit noisy when idling but once on the open road you really can barely hear the engine, maybe this is just down to lots of soundproofing but I certainly was impressed.
Looks -----
Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder so this is very much objective, either you like it or you don't. Personally I like the look of the car which is different to most cars out there but perhaps the back end is a bit ugly.
Also the car is getting ever more common so if you want to stand out then this is not the car to do it in. There aren't that many colours to choose from either but mine is a purpley-blue colour which is quite unusual in Focus circles.
Driving -------
This is surprisingly good, from the driving position to road holding and performance. You sit quite high up giving a commanding view but the car is very solid on the road, little body roll and what's more for a diesel it is pretty quick. Handling is very good with the power steering being just the right weight.
The bare stats of 0-60 in just over 12 seconds don't sound good and this is mainly due to 1st gear being quite short but once you get over 30mph the torque is excellent. This means you can overtake very well in 3rd gear and the car pulls well up to 70mph, I imagine it would do well towing also.
Only drawback is that you can't see the end of the bonnet as it curves away and it is a little tricky judging the position of the back of the car as the large rear pillars give a slightly claustrophobic feel. This is something you do get used to though and not a major drawback.
Economy -------
So far I am getting about 45 mpg and that is mainly town driving and when I do get on the open road I am not driving slowly so the figures are good so far.
Servicing intervals are every 10k miles or yearly and a serice will cost from £65 - £99 so this is pretty cheap as well.
Interior --------
Plenty of room in the front and the passengers I have carried in the back have commented on how spacious and comfortable the ride is. Certainly the suspension is comfortable yet firm enough to take the corners well.
The boot is a decent size and the rear seats can be folded down in numerous ways to incorporate larger payloads.
General -------
The only niggles I have are minor. I am quite tall and have banged my knee a few times getting into the car on the corner of the dashboard. Since moving the seat back this seems to have stopped happening.
The dashboard is well laid out and attractive being a leather effect but it is curved so you can't put things onto it. The glove box is big enough to take my junk however.
The steering wheel is very good, might not sound important but it's fairly small and I find it makes the car more fun to drive, not like my old Corsa with it's bus-like steering wheel!
Another niggle is the car seems quite prone to steaming up, the air conditioning sorts this out but the normal fans seem a bit weedy.
The car is very well built and has scored well in the NCap tests which is reassuring when carrying children.
There is an imobiliser as standard and other good security features like a locking bonnet.
Features --------
My Focus came with the following:
Heated front and rear screens -
very handy when it's frosty, word of caution is to check there are no stone chips in the windscreen as this can be an MOT failure and a new screen (heated) is around £400
Air Conditioning -
This is very handy when it is wet and you are getting steamed up, probably useful when it's hot too but I have yet to encounter such conditions! Careful with this as it does affect fuel consumption.
Electric mirrors and windows -
Just for lazy people like me, but very intuitive to change the mirror settings.
Overall I recommend this car to most people, being all the things you would want from a small-medium family car. I have been a bit stingy in my ratings but will change that in a few months time.
So far I have had to replace a brake lamp and the wiper blades, the usual things you expect to go wrong on any car.
6 months later -
I still think this car is great, no problems whatsoever after this length of time and another 6 thousand miles added.
I have had a service at 70k which was fine, just minor adjustments which didn't cost anything and the whole service was just over £120.
I just had some new front brake pads fitted, £75 and they should last about 30k miles.
The car is still good to drive, never let me down so far touch wood and I am getting about 550 miles to a tank of diesel - I still haven't forgotten it's a diesel luckily!
Now I am a proud father for the first time, I am glad we got the larger car as the boot is plenty big enough for prams, travel cots, moses baskets etc.
The local Ford dealers have been brilliant too!
I'll update again in a few more months or if there are major traumas!
Update - 11th April 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm still driving this car and still pleased with it, not let me down yet touch wood!
Just passed it's MOT which cost £210 as the rear shock absorbers needed replacing and a couple of bulbs too. Not bad as the roads around here are terrible. The car is now 8 and a half years old with 125k miles on the clock and starts first time every time.
I've had a couple of flat tyres but that's pretty much it, had the timing chain replaced at around 100k miles which cost just over £100.
I'm getting around 50mpg which is good considering fuel prices, when I bought this car diesel was about 70p a litre and the same price as unleaded. Now it's around £1.15 and about 9p a litre more than unleaded, typical!
I'm going to run this car until it gets too pricey to MoT or it starts having things go wrong and then get a Focus C Max.
Final Update ~~~~~~~~~~
I sold my Focus in January 1999, the car was 10 years old and had covered 135k miles thereabouts.
I got rid mainly as I needed something a bit bigger for my two children who were also getting bigger, the car had still been providing good reliable service. Only faults were some minor rust around the door sills and low down on the boot.
I got £650 for it on eBay and would recommend these cars to anyone based on my experience. I've been so impressed with Ford that I bought a CMax and now a Mondeo - time to write some more reviews!
Advantages: Brilliant acceleration, good top speed, responsive in all gears Disadvantages: None as of yet
I have now owned a Ford Focus for about 4-5 months now, and this car is AMAZING! I can honestly say it is the best car i have ever owned. The drive of this car is made to feel like you are racing, therefore it feels as though you are going faster than you actually are! So far, i have had no faults or any problems with the car, so i am guessing that it is quite reliable. I must also stress that i got the car second hand, after it had driven around ... ...to its big opening which Ford invited me to. It was all very big and exciting and i was a bit curious to find out more about the car. After looking around the net, and talking to people i eventually bought the car, and it is fabulous! The acceleration on the car is outstanding, which in my mind, i would have thought that it would fade away when getting to top speeds, but to be honest, it is VERY responsive in 5th gear, and i reckon if you had enough ...
Shammy 06.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Focus 1.8 DI
Advantages: An excellant car which has loads of stuff and relatively cheap. Disadvantages: Beware of the Ford Garage and the problems stated inside.
So, we have owned a Ford Focus since they were first released, and not without a few hiccups on the way. Its a great car, a bit cramped for five people, but it makes reasonable use of the space available. The car comes with loads of stuff for a reasonable price, and it is a step up from the Escort it has developed from.
The hiccups we have had have been:
Boot opening at random times.
2 re-calls which have sorted out some problems.
Exhaust rusted ... ...been sorted.
Front tyres wearing out due to incorrect geometrys.
And other bits and bobs.
Apart from these problems, which the garage has not been very helpful, the car has been very good. Its a very easy car to drive, and its well worth the money. Most of the problems stated are how rectified on new models, but beware of some salesmen!
Just to add that supposedly, you have to drive the Focus flat-out down the motorway to clear all the crud out ...
andy500 14.06.2001 (24.06.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Focus 1.8 DI
Advantages: Looks, design, engine Disadvantages: No air conditioning or sunroof
The Focus has got a modern design to it, from the headlights to the wheel trims. It looks good, but it doesn't turn many heads now than it used to when it first came out. The 1.8i Zetec is good value, as it costs the same as the 1.6 version. It's got sporty touches such as alloy wheels and an aluminium dash. It's fairly well equipped with remote central locking, driver's and passenger's airbags, electric front windows, radio and an adjustable steering ...
christopher 13.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Focus 1.8 DI
Advantages: Handling & Quality Disadvantages: Nothing Major
.../ models before finding the Ford Focus, to be honest I hadn't heard much about them before, because they hadn't been around that long. But once I drove it I was happily surprised!
The handling is very responsive and can take corners at quite a pace without feeling like your losing control. And like other more expensive cars it is very quiet and smooth at any speed, even in too higher gear.
It's even quite spacious, I'm 6ft and even sitting in the ... ...the boot is rather deceptive, going away for weekend breaks with the family I was worried we'd never fit it all in, but it's like a tardis!
The only drawback I've found is if you have air-con on with recycled air, the next time you turn the electric's on there is an annoying clicking noise as the system resets itself - but hey I can live with that seeing as the car only cost just over £10,000 ...
LS 09.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Focus 1.8 DI
Advantages: Ageless Looks.Easy to drive. Very economical.Cheap Available parts. Disadvantages: None as yet.
Didn't like the Focus when it first came out but you have to drive it toappreciate its flexibility and handling.1st driven as a hire car on holiday and was very impressed.Its looks and styling are ageless.Its power is unbelievable for a diesel coupled with great economy. The five door has to be the best family car I have had because it is spacious and has a boot big enough for the holiday luggage. It has never let me down yet. I am aware of at least ... ...of them having done over 250,000 miles. The other advantage has to be the low insurance group which again contributes to the fact that the car is cheap to run and maintain. It is the first Focus that I have owned and would not hesitate in buying another one once this one has passed the 250,000 miles mark. ...
phay43 30.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Focus 1.8 DI
