For Sale Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec 5dr. manual. Year: 2000. Miles: 64k - £1,299

[rantingYoof]

Serious car enthusiasts value cars all the way from £0 to £a squillion billion, and can see that pricing a not-particularly-special runabout in good nick with a low mileage at £500 will get a near instantaneous sale. But as a lot of regular car users in the country probably don't expect any vehicle to sink lower than £1000 as a base value, and view anything at this price or within negotiating distance of this price is 'rock bottom', I'd say fair play to a dealer that chooses to play the slightly longer game.

 

Even my sister's 170k 2003 1.6 Zetec in a surprisingly nice light blue colour, if valeted to within an inch of its life and given a cambelt, could probably be advertised at £995 and fetch near that from someone who doesn't expect cars to go much lower. But when it comes to it a quick sale will be wanted and cambelt roulette will feature so a sub £500 asking price is more realistic. When I can get her to bloody well sell it and look for another car, that is. Not that I blame her for hanging onto a car that's had 35k put on it in well under three years with minimal fuss.

 

 

Incidentally, I imagine an early base-spec Focus would now be a most attractive prospect to the Autoshite collective. Would this take the form of a 1.4 ZX, or were there any spectacular 'special edition' models (i.e. Aspen?) that took misery spec to a new level?

[Bfg]

.

One of the things about Cattermoles Garage is that they have the strictest MOT inspector I've ever come across. Even their own mechanics think he's sometimes a pain in the a....  If there's any thing wrong with the car from that point of view, he'll pick it up ..I'd have the seller put a new MOT on it, insisting it's done by with him. 

[Bren]

Location is a factor - cars in largely rural areas sell for more than in urban areas due to supply and demand. That's why here in the north west you have your work cut out selling - many others available.

 

It might sell for close to the asking price. But for £1200 for an early focus it would have to be totally rot free - if it was'nt I'd be looking for something else.

[DaveDorson]

I think if I was buying another Focus I'd probably go for the 1.8. Slightly worse fuel economy, but doesn't seem to have the problem with weak valves that can occur with the 1.6, yet avoiding the expensive road tax of the 2.0.

I was looking at a daily recently and then decided to say to hell with it and bought the 2.0 ST170 model. I REGRET NOTHING! ðŸ˜

[DaveDorson]

I think if I was buying another Focus I'd probably go for the 1.8. Slightly worse fuel economy, but doesn't seem to have the problem with weak valves that can occur with the 1.6, yet avoiding the expensive road tax of the 2.0.

I was looking at a daily recently and then decided to say to hell with it and bought the 2.0 ST170 model. I REGRET NOTHING! ðŸ˜

[Felly Magic]

Cattermoles used stock always seems to be way above book tbh, its a £600 car on a normal forecourt, not a snowflake's chance in hell at that selling anytime within the next millennium. I paid half that over a year ago for a Y reg'd fully loaded 1.8 Ghia with FSH that was very near mint 

[trigger]

I'm having to laugh at this thread, the MOT tester your talking about is Oldford of this forum! John did fail his own Sierra last year to be fair!

 

Cattermoles are expensive but they do provide a very good aftermarket warranty, so basically your paying for the aftersale service, plus there's always a deal to be had if you talk to Graham.

[BorniteIdentity]

There's also the phenomenon of "Reassuringly Expensive".

 

I'm pretty sure it secured me about £800 extra for my 190e last year which, whilst nice, wasn't an awful lot better than some £1500 examples on the market.

[Cavcraft]

I'm having to laugh at this thread, the MOT tester your talking about is Oldford of this forum! John did fail his own Sierra last year to be fair!

 

Cattermoles are expensive but they do provide a very good aftermarket warranty, so basically your paying for the aftersale service, plus there's always a deal to be had if you talk to Graham.

 

This is brilliant, it's like reading some rubbish newspaper that is forced to admit the truth about their headline story.

[scaryoldcortina]

I'm having to laugh at this thread, the MOT tester your talking about is Oldford of this forum! John did fail his own Sierra last year to be fair!

 

There is nothing more annoying than having to fail your own car because you found something on MoT that you had missed while servicing!

[HillmanImp]

There's also the phenomenon of "Reassuringly Expensive".

I'm normally ripped to the tits on Stella when I buy a car online these days, although I'm not sure thats what you mean.