Ford Focus Estate 1.6 TDCi

...was changed by the local Ford dealer. (would have cost in the region of £50)
After 29000 miles, I noticed a clunking from the front of the car, even on minor bumps on the road. Again, up to the local Ford dealer where they promptly identified that the steering rack was faulty. In this case I was just unlucky as this doesn't seem to be a common problem (according to Ford). Actual cost would have been approx £700.

One very good ...
...covered a lot of areas of the car and did not require the vehicle to be serviced.

So, not a lot of problems and already that's the negative part out of the way.

Oh, I've just changed all 4 tyres as they were close to the legel limit (1.8mm - 2mm left). So, effectively they've managed about 30000 miles.

One small niggle is that when you put the fan/heater on and select the windscreen demist setting, the ... more

I own the 2005 (05) version which I bought at one year old with 14500 miles on the clock.

So, after almost two years of ownership and me adding a further 18000 miles, would I recommend it?

After trading in my Honda Civic (1996 reg), I can quite comfortably say that this car is miles better. But that is what is expected, given that technology moves on.

The most obvious place to start is the problems I've had.

Repairs under warranty :-
After about 27000 miles, the hose pipe at the Exhaust Gas Regulator (EGR) had began to erode( can be a common problem). The tell tail sign is huge amounts of black smoke when accelerating. This was changed by the local Ford dealer. (would have cost in the region of £50)
After 29000 miles, I noticed a clunking from the front of the car, even on minor bumps on the road. Again, up to the local Ford dealer where they promptly identified that the steering rack was faulty. In this case I was just unlucky as this doesn't seem to be a common problem (according to Ford). Actual cost would have been approx £700.

One very good point, however, is that the standard 3 year Ford warranty covered a lot of areas of the car and did not require the vehicle to be serviced.

So, not a lot of problems and already that's the negative part out of the way.

Oh, I've just changed all 4 tyres as they were close to the legel limit (1.8mm - 2mm left). So, effectively they've managed about 30000 miles.

One small niggle is that when you put the fan/heater on and select the windscreen demist setting, the air con automatically comes on. You then have to switch it off if you don't want it. If the selector is left in this position, then the next time you get in the car and start up, the air con is activated.

Child Car seat - Something I feel I should mention is that the rear seats are NOT compatable with the new ISOFIX system. I believe you need an additional bracket system from Ford, which is attached under the rear seats.

Positives:-
I travel a lot in and around the city and have found the car to be very comfortable, quiet and economical (35-40mpg). When the family went to Skye for a holiday in September last year (total travel of 2000 miles over 2 weeks), I was easily averaging 50mpg on the motorways and A roads.

A handy addition is the 12V DC power socket (cigarette lighter) in the boot space, which I used for a portable fridge.

The boot is a good size and with the seats folded down, is even better.
There is enough torque and power for everyday use, so overtaking without changing gear is not a problem. I've had approx 300kg of soil ,in bags, for the garden in the boot with the seats down. No problems.

I could easily drive this car for 300 miles without any urge to stop...it's that good to drive. In fact, just to prove it, that's exactly what I did.

This is a very good car, and very adaptable.

If you are thinking about buying a diesel estate, then give this a serious consideration...although I would recommend going for a newer model as the list of standard features was modified to provide some of the original extras. 

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