A girl I know is selling her car later this month, and has agreed a sale with her friend. She is looking for a mid size hatch or estate and with a £5k budget the Focus is her favourite option.
She commutes 60 miles daily, with greater distances (300miles+) monthly visiting friends. Her initial thought was to get a diesel, but I suggested a 2.0 petrol as repairs to a TDCi unit could prove expensive, with less servicing required on the petrol and possibly a newer model for her budget. There are so many different engine options she could spend all her spare time test driving them! She is a 'spirited driver' and wondered what would be the best option for a good blend of overtaking performance and ride comfort. MPG is not critical, but 35+ on a run would be good!
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 15/10/2007 at 14:41
|
|
If she's a 'spirited' driver surely a petrol? Even a 2 litre should manage 35mpg on a run, I get 29-30mpg regularly on a long run with a 3 litre petrol. No smelly hands at fill up time either!
|
No smelly hands at fill up time either!
>>
Yeah ! Keep away from LPG, nasty stuff :)
What do you mean 'spirited' driver ? You can rag the nuts off any car regardless of the engine size.
|
|
I don't think 'spirited' means ragging the nuts off a car. That's just a lack of mechanical sympathy.
|
my definition of a spirited driver?
one who pulls out in front of you at a t junction makes you brake and then to put tobacco on the rotten tooth they drive slower than the specified speed
anyway...........
get a petrol focust for £5 dollops ---------- lots less bover than a hover
|
just to clarify 'spirited'.....
She is a fully paid up member of the IAM and likes to make progess when conditions allow. Whenever I have been driven by her she makes me look an amateur.....very smooth rapid progress with minimal use of the brakes because she reads the road so far ahead....and she hates people pulling out in front of her from sideroads who simply cannot judge speed and distance, then mimsing away when the NSL is 60mph (and she is allowing 10% + 3mph for speedo overread!)
And diesel smell on her hands is no problem....she is ex Forces so has endured worse.
|
I did 70,000 mile in a Mk1 diesel Focus Estate, and enjoyed pretty much all of it - probably unrefined compared with modern diesels but surprisingly quick and very economical - 50mpg over the lifetime. If your driver reads the road well (which she does) then pressing on and overtaking wouldn't be a problem.
Only broke down once, on Christmas Eve but that's another story.
|
thanks for the positive feedback Wilco (P)
What was the engine size please?
There seem to be several variants 90, 110, 115 and even a 2.0litre with 135bhp, although I doubt that would be within her budget. Are my concerns for her regarding buying a higher mileage TDCi unit over a petrol misplaced? I have only ever driven diesel commercials myself and I think she would prefer a free revving petrol unit.
|
What was the engine size please?
'Twas the old TDDi 1.8 - 90hp. Thoroughly unrefined but then I'd driven a Mk 1 Mondeo diesel previously!
|
|
|
|
|
She obviously knows what she's talking about, so she should try a 1.8 or 2.0 petrol and a 2.0 TDCI and see which she prefers - the refinement and top-end performance of the petrol or the low-end torque of the diesel. It'll be a matter of personal preference: if she likes both, the TDCI has the advantage given the high mileage she does, although as you say repairs to a £5k car could cance out the advantage.
|
I put 100k on a company mk1 TDDi (90PS). Underpowered on an open road, but otherwise okay, and utterly reliable. One non-service/consumable replacement in 100,000 miles and it was not driven gently. Averaged around 45 mpg.
Nobody who appreciates a good chassis will be disappointed with the handling and feel of any mk1 Focus, but the Zetec model gets tauter damping and less roll without too much of a ride penalty.
Equipment can be stingy for a Ford. Air-con was a cost option until quite late on, as was a CD player. Many (including the one I had) were specced with the climate pack which gets you air con, heated mirrors, and the superb Quickclear windscreen.
Oh, and the seats in the LX model are just dreadful - avoid at all costs!!
Great car though. Beats the pants off any contemporary rival to drive in my opinion, and as durable and well screwed together as anything else of comparable price.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
|
Well
She has had a test drive in a 1.8 TDCi this evening and not overly impressed. Lovely handling and balance but she said it was a very different beast to her old Honda CRX and 340K kilometre Corrado 16V which died last year.
The 2.0 TDCi variant is well over budget, so she is test driving a 2.0 petrol Focus next...and she prefers a sunroof to aircon but is having trouble sourcing one.
I think she still hankers after a SWB lightweight LR V8, but without the refuelling costs...previously paid for by HMG.
|
"I think she still hankers after a SWB lightweight LR V8, but without the refuelling costs...previously paid for by HMG."
I can imagine why that may be better than any Focus !! (TIC of course)
|
|
|
|
