I'm going to look at getting another C5 tomorrow as I'm fed up with my Focus.
The car in question is an 02 plate 2.2HDi SX in metallic black with 59k on the clock. Not seen it yet so I'm unsure of condition, but unless its near perfect I won't buy it.
Dealer is asking £7995, is that a fair price?
I'll be looking to trade in my W reg Focus 1.8 Ghia with 42k on the clock, I was thinking mine plus £3k would be a good deal, or is that a bit optimistic?
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I would say that it is too much, taking into account the mileage it has done.
Available Car Supermarket have an 02/02 2.2 HDI SX, with just under 40,000 miles, for £7799. These cars are very plentiful, so if you are keen on getting one, be prepared to shop around, or haggle over the price of the one you are going to see. The engines are very good, but it is a relatively high mileage for a car of that age.
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I think you're overvalying both cars by a £500 - £750; I'd value the Focus at £4,300 as a trade-in assuming it's not gold, purple, white... and not a saloon.
In the end you shouldn't really care what your car gets as a trade in, or what you are charged for the new one. As far as I'm concerned, the dealer can charge £13k for the C5 as long as he offers you £10k for the swapper, so your cost to change is about right - a bad move for tax and VAT purposes as far as the dealer's concerned, but you get my point.
Mind if I ask what it is you're fed up with about the Focus?
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I'll go for a look and a drive tomorrow, but having seen what else is on the market I won't go above £3k to change.
C5 values seem a bit unsettled, I'm in no panic to buy and there may be some merit in waiting for a nice Exclusive to come available but the SX has all the essentials.
I have owned a C5 2.2HDi SX previously, it was written off in an accident and due to work circumstances changing I didn't feel the need for a decent big car, I ran a Xantia for a bit then got the Focus.
I'm fed up with it essentially because its not a patch on the C5 I had! There's nothing specifically wrong with it and its cost me nowt bar an oil change, but I struggle to get truely comfortable in it, I find the seats a bit hard and in comparision its something of a chore to drive at times. I'm stuck on diesels now, wouldn't touch a petrol again.
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Mileage certainly seems a bit high. My one is a 02 plate too (2.2 Exclusive trim) It's covered about 33,500 miles.
Bear in mind too that the 02 plates could be quite early builds (my one was actually a July 2001 build!) These early cars needed several upgrades to clear initial glitches (back suspension in particular should have had spheres replaced, sound deadening added and the whole back 'axle' replaced to prevent poor tyre wear. Many of these operations would only have been done 'if the customer complained'.
Of course you should have the remainder of the 3 year warranty available to get these things done yet PROVIDED the car has been properly serviced by the dealership. Check this out carefully.
Join the yahoo group for C5s, which is C5-L@yahoogroups.com
You'll find a wealth of knowledge about these cars.
Provided it has been properly sorted the car should be great. 59,000 miles is still just a fleabite for these HDIs.
Be sure to drive the car - over all sorts of road surfaces. Listen out for rattles from the back suspension (a sign the upgrades haven't been done.)
Check tyre wear - especially back ones - uneven wear means back axle hasn't been sorted.
Try all the toys - make sure they work. There have been software upgrades too to cure minor electrical glitches.
Don't go for an automatic. Early ones, in particular had jerky shifts. There were software upgrades, but not always totally successful.
Oh - one last thing, the 2.2 needs its particle filter serviced at 50,000 miles. Check this has been done. If not, the dealer charge is around £300. This could be a bargaining point when buying.
Hope this doesn't put you off! When properly sorted they are great cars - and reliable.
Graeme
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It is a bit up on the mileage, but if someones managed to drive 59k in 2 years I'm thinking it must be a reliable example.
I never had any bother with the one I had previously, but that was an 03 plate built Jan 03.
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