Ok thanks for your reply. Yes we were looking at Focuses as well. Would you say a twelve year old Focus is a better option than 12 year old A150?

Ok thanks for your reply. Yes we were looking at Focuses as well. Would you say a twelve year old Focus is a better option than 12 year old A150?

Not necessarily. A battered 12 year old Focus would be a waste of money. But during your ownership it a good bet that if either car goes wrong (and they will) the Focus will cost far less to fix.

I would expect your ££££'s to buy a far newer Focus than an A150 for starters. Remember all you are buying with the Merc is that badge stuck to a very average car. The Focus is an excellent car with a Ford badge.

an established garage rather than a dealership with just a yard/parking lot. -

A big shiny sign above the door with the associated expenses will not alter the fact that its an old car. No reason for this to mean their stock is any better than an indepedent trader with a less salubrious set up.

I wouldn't focus too much on mileage. I would see a 53,000 miles 12 yr old car as a negative. An annual average of 4,400 miles would indicate a lot of short runs, and that is most certainly a bad thing for a car. I would much prefer to buy a car with 120,000 on the clock with 11 service stamps. Regular use and frequent servicing are important and increase your chances of buying a better/more reliable car.

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If you don't fancy a Focus the Gen 2 Mazda 3 is a nice alternative. It is similar to the Focus (Ford had only recently pulled out of Mazda) but looks nicer and is very reliable (petrol only). The money you would have spent on the A150 should buy a good one several years younger.

This question has now appeared on the main answers column so the forum may become a bit of an after thought?