Is buying a 6 year old Focus 1.8 petrol with 100K a risky thing to do? It's immaculate and has FFSH. What big bills might be looming around the corner, or are these very reliable?
Adam, how many miles has yours done?
(it's not for me BTW)
X
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My 5 yr old Focus 1.8 has done 75k, and is proving very reliable. Only two faults so far - new PAS pump under warranty and the common gearlever spring replacement. Ive also had to have the aircon regassed.
The only risk is damage to the wallet due to the high thirst of this particular engine, though I am happy with the performance trade off.
Oh,and make sure the cambelt/tensioners have been replaced as its due at 100k/10years.
Hope thats helpful.
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No risk at all provided its been looked after. Buy it and enjoy a great car at a great price.
My Mondeo is now on about 125k and it's still great. The Focus will be the same, as many of the parts are similar.
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The 'new' Escorts I've taken a glance at in the last few months are showing signs of corrosion at the sill. A 'T' plate on a garage forecourt was devoid of this but had surface rust under the floor.
I've yet to see a rusty Focus (bar hearing stories of tailgates...), though perhaps I need to look harder.
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Mike Farrow
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Personally I would n't touch an Escort. They belong to a previous age. The Focus, however will prove an excellent buy and will have a resale value for several years to come (assuming you're looking at the early Focus).
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"(assuming you're looking at the early Focus)"
Sorry ..... just seen it in original post!
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I've had both and I reckon it's no contest ~ Focus.
--
L\'escargot.
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Personally I would n't touch an Escort. They belong to a previous age. The Focus, however will prove an excellent buy and will have a resale value for several years to come (assuming you're looking at the early Focus).
Absolutely right !
I've owned both over the years and comparing a Focus to an Escort of any sort is like comparing a Boeing 747 to the Wright Brothers Flier !
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Thanks. The responses are pretty much in line with what I was expecting. However it's good to get the views of those who've actually driven them.
I've seen a low mileage Escort estate for the same money as a newer but higher mileage Focus. I was distracted by the low mileage of the Escort. However judging from what you say, the Focus is the best buy.
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I would sooner pay £3000 for a 160k mile Focus than £10 for a 10k mile T plate Escort.
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Isn't the Focus Autotraders most 'searched' vehicle??
Must mean something!!
www.ffoc.co.uk looks interesting.
& although Escorts we're once our best selling vans, I hated them!!
VB
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For years I was put off Fords by a nasty 1.8TD Escort, with its grim turbo lag and enough noise to wake the dead. However I have read enough on this site to learn that modern Fords are in fact hugely improved.
This Focus is not for me, it's for a friend who has no money. I seem to attract friends who are skint, so I usually end up buying them a car. I shall have to make sure the cambelt change and tensioner has been done, it's on 99K - maybe that's why the owner is getting rid. However I wouldn't think this would be too expensive on a Ford, is it?
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X,
Mine is about to hit 73k.
What to watch out for (comomon faults I've found):
Wheel bearings. It eats them. Not a difficult job but if it starts groaning, that's what it is.
Gear lever return spring. Basically the springiness of the gearlever is gone when this snaps. £3 spring from Ford and I changed the spring in 5 minutes! Yes - me! Common fault but thankfully, very cheap to fix.
Erm....really struggling to think now. I don't think anything else has gone wrong. I needed new discs but that says more about my driving style more than anything else. Oh - the pollen filter/passenger water leak problem. Leave the pollen filter alone and you'll be fine!
And I really think that is it. Nothing's jumping out at me. As you already know, the Focus wins hands down. Not only do I wish I had a friend like you, I think your mate will thank you when he gets one and sees how good it is for himself. Just make sure that the tops of the doors when you open them aren't rusty. There aren't many cars affected by this - I think it was a dodgy batch of doors or something so thankfully that problem is quite rare. If they look ok then they'll be fine.
(P.S. - Cambelt change - easy peasy. Got my car serviced with the belt change for 140 quid I think. Job Done)
Good luck
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