Ah, thank you. Yes, would be great to broaden the options.
I had heard the following, which made me want to search for the 1.8 only:
- The 1.8 is the Mazda engine
- The 1.8 is cam-chain rather than cam belt.
- The 1.6 can suffer wiring faults on the coil packs
- The 1.6 can be bad on fuel; struggles on getting over 30mpg.
If all these are just myths then that'd really help!
If you accept that it (the 1.6) isn't particularly powerful and drive it as such, it is efficient enough. But if you drive it wishing it had an extra 50bhp or more, i.e, foot to the floor constantly, then I'd imagine the economy could certainly drop to 30 or less mpg.
The 1.6 is (I believe) a Yamaha designed motor, and as far as I am aware, very reliable. The forum's resident ex motor trader (currently on a sabbatical!) is always recommending them as a good budget car, which is good enough for me. Not sure about the origins of the 1.8, but as Ford owned a big chunk of Mazda at the time, that could well be the case. Be aware though that chain drive is not the be all and end all. In order to avoid problems, the service schedule needs to have been stuck to, especially oil changes. Worth bearing in mind on a £1500 car. The belt for the 1.6 is, AFAIK, quick, easy and fairly cheap to change, which could well be a better option.
Just thought about the Ford C Max and Mazda 5 as other options. Both use the same underpinnings as the Focus, but in a more practical body. C Max is 5 seat only, but the Mazda is a 7 seater, albeit with 3rd row seats which wouldn't be comfortable for an adult. Could come in handy though?.
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Hi there.
I'm still on the hunt for this blumming Focus! I've seen one today though and would appreciate some thoughts/advice please.
THE CAR
It's a 59 reg, black, Focus, 1.6l. 93k miles. £1695.
Here's the ad: www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104211635303?a...3
PROS
- In good condition. For 12 years old, it looked like it had been taken care of. Nothing major, just a few minor scratches around the driver's door handle, etc.
- Drives well from the test drive I had. No obviously odd noises or gear box issues. The brakes seemed to crunch a bit on the first go, but didn't thereafter.
- Basically, nothing obviously wrong.
CONS
- Trader didn't know when the cam belt was last done, if at all.
- Recent MOT mentioned the brake pad (dangerous and reason for failure) and axle imbalance and disc issue (advisory) but then passed without the advisories. Would they have sorted everything out if there are not any more advisories, or could the discs just not have been mentioned when it finally passed? Excuse my naievity here.
- Slight smell of petrol near the driver's side. Nothing too obvious but seemed present. There wasn't a petrol cap. Trader said Ford's don't come with petrol caps. Is that right?
WARRANTY
I feel as though the car is pretty good, on the surface, for the price and model. And I absolutely appreciate you'll never be 100% bowled over by this kind of price. However, I do want piece of mind so wondered what are the thoughts on this?
- The trader offers one month's warranty for engine and gearbox. This doesn't seem that helpful. Could I ask him to cover brakes and cam belt as well, or is this unlikely?
- My local garage are very good and would look over the car during the warranty period for £30. Is there any catch to this?
- I could get a third party warranty for a longer period to cover cam belt and brakes too but obviously for a cost.
- What's the best approach here please?
I asked if he'd sell for £1500 and he said no. Said his prices were fixed. I walked away so have nothing invested in it (albeit it was further away from home than I'd have liked! And I'm keen to finally get a Focus as I'm in need).
Would be great to hear thoughts.
Thanks.
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The fact there's no history of the cambelt being changed would rule it out for me. That cost will be around £350 so you need to factor that in.
I would look for the 1.8 - I have the Yamaha 1.6 and have driven the Mazda 1.8 in a friend's Focus, the latter is my preference but I think it might be a higher tax band so you might want to look into that.
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Thanks for this. That makes sense. I just wondered if it's about taking a risk given I think it's a car on the cheaper side of what they usually are for this age and mileage and condition. But the cam belt would be almost a fifth of the price alone so fair enough.
By the way, would does "local ford dealer part exchange" mean on the advert? Does that mean that they got it from the Ford dealer? Is that any reason for comfort?!
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It means the owner traded it in at the local Ford dealer, presumably for another Ford. I think that's a good sign, the previous owner must have been sufficiently satisfied with it to consider another Ford. It's always possible they bought another make from the forecourt, the Ford dealer local to me has other makes but not many. This Focus would be too old for a dealer to sell so it's been passed on in the trade.
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Ah ha, semi-reassuring! Thank you.
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It's a 59 reg, black, Focus, 1.6l. 93k miles. £1695.
Here's the ad: www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104211635303?a...3
Obviously seeing the car in the flesh is not the same as pics. But, I wasn't overly impressed with that Focus for the money. Using the postcode of the garage selling that one as a local starting point, I had a look at other Focus's within a 30 mile radius and under £2k. TBH, i thought quite a few others either looked to be in better condition for the same money, or looked in similar condition for less money.
However, I do want piece of mind so wondered what are the thoughts on this?
Peace of mind on a £1500 car?, I'm sorry but you are dreaming!. Any warranty you get on a car like this isn't really worth the paper it is written on, there will be small print absolving the trader of responsibility for anything big going wrong, or he will be able to squirm out of it by claiming you were responsible for whatever happened. This is why, at this price, a private sale can often be a better buy, especially if it is someone who has owned the car for a number of years, and especially can provide evidence of having looked after it. But realistically, at this budget, best you can do is put the odds in your favour by going for a car known to be reliable. Be in no doubt though, at this price point, any car is a gamble to some degree.
- I could get a third party warranty for a longer period to cover cam belt and brakes too but obviously for a cost.
And I very much doubt you could get a good value (though TBH, I'm not convinced any of them are) 3rd party warranty on a car of such low value.
If you want peace of mind, you need to up your budget considerably.
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I don't think any warranty will cover a cambelt, it's a service item.
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Completely understand that. And I appreciate that the budget is low and therefore it's a gamble. I just want to make it as low a gamble as possible for the money I guess.
As for seeing it in the flesh, it was fine really. I saw another the other day and it was pretty battered, so this was an improvement, but maybe it's blinkered my view!
I will keep looking for anything private. Maybe I'm not looking far and wide enough because nothing out there is remotely good. I'm just on AutoTrader. Where else is good to look? Facebook?
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I appreciate that the budget is low and therefore it's a gamble. I just want to make it as low a gamble as possible for the money I guess.
I don't think there is any certain precaution you can take to improve your chances much. You pays your money ...
But as has been said, a private sale should be cheaper (no overheads or ?warranty to cover) and you can ask questions of someone who knows about the car. Traders of 10-year-old cars can tell you very little, unless there happens to be some service history - which is often 'missing' or at best incomplete.
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Just get an 8th gen - 2006 - 2011 - Civic 1.8, cam chain, decent-ish performance, reliable, and a real world 45 mpg, ride is a bit hard though
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Combing the thoughts below, I found this.
www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104261837888?a...c
Its:
1.8l
Private
No cam belt of course.
77k miles.
BUT, it's Category N. How much of an issue is this? Will it mean that my insurance for it goes too high?
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That one has a chequered MOT history. It’s had a succession of comments on suspension and bushes and tyres wearing out. These may be connected.
Also only done about 500 miles between Oct 19 and May 20. Even allowing for COVID where has it been?
If it’s nearby then it might be worth a look but it doesn’t look promising.
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Thank you. Is that in reference to the C Max or the Focus?
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Also, any thoughts on a C-Max?
I mentioned the C Max earlier as an option. Exactly the same under the skin as the Focus,same goes for the Volvo C30/S40/V50, also mentioned earlier.
it's Category N. How much of an issue is this? Will it mean that my insurance for it goes too high?
Personally, I'd usually steer clear of an insurance write off, but at this budget, one of the more 'minor' categories might be OK. Though I'm not sure which means what, so you'd need to look that up unless a forum member can help. Some cars can be written off for fairly minor things, depending on parts prices etc. But as long as the damage wasn't structural, assuming the price reflects this, might be a shrewd buy?. Also not sure how much, or if it affects insurance price.
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James re your post of 16.55. My comments were in reference to that C max, Aren’t you checking the online MoT history of the cars you are considering? While it’s not conclusive as to whether a car is good or not it can save you a lot of time or suggest things to look at when you see it in the flesh.
Edited by catsdad on 08/05/2021 at 05:29
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Thanks Catsdad.
Yes, have been looking at the MOT history, but thought it may have applied to the Focus I mentioned too. But thanks - good to know re the C Max.
Still intrigued by the Cat N Focus mentioned above, and they've knocked off £200 off the price so presume they're struggling to sell, maybe because of the Cat N issue. Just need to call and find out what the issue is/was I guess? And, if mentioned above, it was just something minor, it may be insignificant and therefore worth pursuing?
Thanks
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