I should have written this review 2 years ago as it might have saved readers some money and pain. IMO this car is NOT a good second-hand buy without a cast-iron warranty in place.

I bought a 29k mile, ex-lease, single owner, FSH, pristine example of a Focus 1.6 TDCi in the hope that it would be a more refined, more frugal version of the (excellent) 2001 2-litre petrol Focus I owned previously. Turns out I was completely wrong. I should have done my homework and read some reviews on this DPF-infested machine before plonking down my hard-earned cash. It ended up costing me £4000 in depreciation for 2 years motoring. In hindsight, I could have leased a car for similar. Or spent a little bit more and got a petrol Titanium version.

Don't get me wrong - I liked the 1.6TDCi Focus, but it wasn't nearly as good as I was expecting. My pro's/cons:

Pros

* Plenty of low-down torque from the variable vane turbo. Good acceleration from standstill and at motorway speeds.
* Interior was immaculate on purchase at 3yrs old and stayed looking nice
* Decent-sized boot
* Decent turning circle and user-selectable power steering responsiveness
* Quick-clear front screen very useful in the UK
* Decent (but not excellent) fuel economy. Common rail turbo diesels get really poor economy if you use all that available power.

Cons/problems

* DPF, Eolys and turbo problems rendered the car uneconomical to repair after 2 years motoring with only 60k miles on the clock - insanity. I'm used to diesel cars doing 200k miles without any engine problems.
* Ford's 58MPG average was pure fantasy for mixed driving - I got 51. Could only get 60MPG on a lengthy, 65MPH motorway run. Economy drops sharply thereafter.
* Blue paint scratched extremely easily, leaving unsightly white primer underneath
* Brake servo hissed noticeably inside the cabin while idling
* Propensity for brake discs to warp, causing steering vibration on braking at speed
* Factory '6000CD' radio was garbage. Replaced with a Pioneer head unit
* I always thought it could have done with a 6th gear - was always going for one
* Like others have said - water collects overnight in hatchback lid and pours into boot when opening. Silly design flaw.
* Headlights not very bright
* Quick-clear front screen had 3 broken wires in it, which trailed across the screen. A manufacturing defect that I didn't notice until months after purchase.

A summary of the emission systems problems that caused me to get rid of the car -

I really looked after this engine. Oil changes on schedule. Gentle driving on warm-ups. A good mix of 70MPH motorway and suburban driving over a 60-mile round trip daily commute, so the DPF should have been getting plenty of chances to regenerate. First problems appeared after nearly 2 years of ownership - initially manifest as turbo problems (power surging and turbo under/over boost codes in the ECU). Ford dealer did a forced regeneration but that didn't permanently clear the problem. Dealer said the DPF was shot @ 75k miles - £1100 parts only. Got a second opinion at an independent diesel tuner who told me the DPF was fine, but the turbo was shot (wastegate sticking and leaking; turbo failure imminent). I believe the Eolys delivery system was also faulty (and may have caused the whole thing) because when the dealer attempted to refill it after 30k miles of me driving, it was already almost full. By my calculations it should have been nearly empty.

Had I done my homework before purchase, I'd have bought a 1.6 petrol or the older 1.8 diesel version (no DPF or turbo failure problems). After some sleepless nights, I decided to cut my losses and ditch it at auction. Utterly ridiculous - I've owned 90's Cavalier and Astra turbo diesels that got 230k and 140k miles respectively before bodywork corrosion necessitated replacement. I won't buy a 2nd hand diesel again now. EU emissions regulations, Common Rail injection system and Dual Mass Flywheel weaknesses mean that you need to be saving several £k's per year in fuel cost alone to justify the risk of random, astronomical repair bills.