MODERN CONTENT: Focus 1.8. The first 6 months

[saucedoctor]

These are starting to enter cheapish territory, while still being modern enough to be a usable daily. Having given my Jaguar to my father, and got shot of the V50, I needed a modern-ish car. Much as I loved my Rover 25, after 14 years, and some parts starting to become scarce, it was time to let go. I loved that little Rover, and we had some great times together. He (for it is a he, a Rover is never, ever ​a girl), needed a new owner, who'd take care of him. (more of that later). So I went looking.

 

Mindful of the parts situation, I thought I'd get something that I'd never struggle to find in a breakers. Why not get one of the most popular cars in the world?

 

Enter the Focus.

 

 

"You were sitting in an MG Dealer as a used car, when I met you..."

 

I'd been looking on AutoTrader for ages, and all that was turning up were black Zetec S models (I'll be in a black car soon enough, thank you, on my final journey), or those horrid diesels. Then this one popped up. 7 miles away, ex-Ford (and British Leyland) dealer, run by a bloke who I regularly beat buying snotters at Wilson's Mallusk Auctions.

​I rang the guy. "Hey Willy, what about ye? What's the script with the silver Focus?"

 

​"Alright Andy. 1 owner, nearly out of MoT, but we'll sort it. Needs tyres and an exhaust. Who's it for?"

​"Me"

​"Ah!"

​"Is there a problem, Willy?"

​"No, no. Car's spot on but you're gonna skin me aren't you?"

​"Haha, no mate. Need a newer car. I only want four grand for my Rover 25"

​"Shit off you eejit! Bring it round and let me see."

​Now, it's worth pointing out that dealers sometimes get a bad rap. You may feel somewhat aggrieved about the (unrealistic) value that you place on your old nail, but bear in mind that they have a shit ton of paperwork to do, and still have to find some mug to buy it, run it through the auction, or cube it. My Uncle had a 2001 Rover 75 Conny CDTi that he wanted to trade in. Owned from new, with full supplying dealer service history, an NO ONE would take it. He ended up giving it away to a neighbour's son.

​Took the 25 round anyway.

​"£250 mate", which is more or less a no-trade in discount on a used car.
​"Done. How much do I need to give you to own that Focus?"
"£4500."
​"Give you £4250 right now, on my debit card."
"Done! Damn, that was easy! Do you not want to drive it?
​"Nah, I'll torture you if it's a turkey"
"Not fancy an MG3?"
​"Foxtrot Oscar!"
 

 

So, they rang me when the car was ready, and I went with the Rover, and 2 ring binders of service history and receipts, and the exchange was made. Felt really sad, but excited at the same time.

​Handover done, I went to drive out the gate, and promptly stalled it. Damn. This thing idles low. All about the emissions I suppose. Gave it a boot full onto the main road, and we were away.

Driving: First Impressions

 

​Due to the fact that I'm an idiot, and haven't driven one of these before, the electro-hydraulic steering feels funny. I'm not fully paying attention until I realise that I'm doing 70 on a 40 limit, and that stationary traffic is ahead. Shit, this thing really is quiet. Fuck it, pull over at the chippy and read the handbook. Besides, the stereo (Ford 6000CD) keeps spitting my Van Halen CD out. Easily solved: in my excitement, I'd put it in upside down.

​The Duratec HE 1800 needs a bit of RPM when you're taking off. Not loads, but the biting point is a bit muffled, for want of a better word. The Focus is a good 250 kilos heavier than the R3. You don't get the mechanical feel of the Rover. Also, the Ford is drive by wire - the Rover had a big ol' throttle cable acting on the throttle body. If I put my foot down hard, there was no delay. Mr. Ford needs a split second to react.

Driving: Home

 

​My folks are keen to see the new motor, so that's my first stop. Heading up the main road to where I grew up, I see a couple of folks I know, and wave. Nope. No-one sees a silver Ford Focus. Contemplate bank robbery.

​It's a good looking old Hector. I think the back lights are the best feature



Accommodation

​Doors are a good size, seats 5 well, blah blah. Boot is decent, and ginormous when you put the seats down. Proper 2 piece folder too, like an Metro. Arse part goes up first, then the backrests. Dashboard is easy to read. Seats are comfy, and rear passengers say the seats are good, and the car is quiet (Like I care you're getting a lift, shut up)

 

STUFF:

​Stuff is important. Duratec, so no timing belt. It is a very smooth engine. Big valve head yada yada. Tell you what, though, it goes like fuck if you give it the shoe, and not that thirsty on a run.

 

Dead easy to work on. Going back to my Ford roots with this one. I'm going to put on a TDCi midsection on the exhaust, as it's the same shape, but minus a silencer.

​Conclusion:

​The Ford Focus mark 2.5 1.8 Zetec is a bloody nice car. This is my report, and I commend it to the House.





​Dicking about aside, I'm very pleased with the Focus, and I think I might buy another, additional one, maybe an RS. Post 2008 build quality is first class.

​As promised, more news on the Rover. The dealer used him as a parts chaser for a few weeks. Then, they had a think, fixed up the grotty wings, MoT'd him and sold him for a very respectable £1100. Willy ( the dealer) phoned me to ask about the timing belt (it was in the receipt folders I gave him, he'd missed it). New owner very happy. Pic taken shortly before I changed the car.




 

[hairnet]

120 on the westlink??

 

how bout ye

[saucedoctor]

It was the road outside Newtownabbey Tech. Proper scared myself! Oops!

[saucedoctor]

120 on the westlink??

 

how bout ye

 

Ah, you mean the VF 500 FII!

[Junkman]

I needed a modern-ish car.

I've never read that much concentrated horseshit in my life.

[Jazoli]

They are nice cars, I have a slightly older pre facelift one and it does everything I ask of it, a few issues have arisen such as the heater o rings failing under the dash, the thermostat and housing failing, a couple of coil packs but it's has been very cheap to fix.

 

It is starting to rust on the bottom of the front wings already which is annoying but apart from that it seems well made, they drive very well for a mainstream hatch.

[carlo]

Interesting post, I do keep an eye on Focuses as a potential 405 replacement eventually.  All your comments about the remoteness of the driving experience do make me wonder if I'll ever take to a 'modern'; this was supposed to be one of the best cars dynamically you could buy at the time apparently!

 

However a nice Mk I/II Focus 2.0 Ghia 4dr automatic might be quite appealing at some stage of my career.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Both my dad and sister have one of these each in 1.6 pez flavour. Seem well made reliable motors. Dad reckons it doesn't handle as well as his mk1 focus, do the newer ones still have the fancy rear suspension setup or was it binned?

 

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[Angrydicky]

Nasty blob.

[pshome]

.. while still being modern enough to be a usable daily.

 

 

so it is only a few years since cars became usable daily? Makes me wonder what people used them for the other 120 years cars have been around...

[SiC]

I think he means that as cars get older, they get more troublesome and require more love and attention. While stuff relatively fresh out the factory are generally going to need less stuff fixing.

[smellypoo]

I think he means that as cars get older, that get more troublesome and require more love and attention. While stuff relatively fresh out the factory are generally going to need less stuff fixing.

 

I partly agree with this, but that also depends on the initial quality of the car as well as how well it has been maintained - you can get away for many years with just servicing and consumables.

 

However it really does depend on what you're doing with the car - one person's need as a 'daily driver' isn't always the same as the next person's need. 

 

I know 'all modernz r shite' etc, but the reality kicks in that most other cars on the road are moderns - a paranoid view of the world would be they're all driven by w*nkers who want to kill you and your passengers in a big crashy crunchy squishy death. For example, if it's a daily for use for say commuting anywhere within a 30 mile radius of London on A roads/M way, I'd prefer modern shite over some older shite. 

 

Until very recently, Mrs SP had a Mk2 Focus 1.6 which has now been given to her dad (after his MK2 Mondeo clutch died and was sent to the bridge). It's still going strong, a comfortable, quiet ride. That was bought originally to replace a K11 Micra which got a bit battered near the tollgates for the Dartford Crossing (not her fault but someone in a car changed lanes without looking, the Transit flatbed that spun her car around tried to avoid that car and hit her car instead). 

 

 

Good thing you bought the 1.8 though as it feels like a really heavy car compared to the MK1, (I had one of those as a 1.6 which just seemed a bit lighter/more nimble to drive) and the 1.8 Duratec is supposed to be a bit more reliable as I understand it (smaller appetite for coil packs and the engine cover means the spark plug channel doesn't collect water from the washer jet area and eventually rot out the core plugs).

[Jazoli]

so it is only a few years since cars became usable daily? Makes me wonder what people used them for the other 120 years cars have been around...

Not everyone wants to drive a car that needs starting with a crank handle everyday, there's some pretty blinkered views on here at times, I want a modern safe car for daily use that has ac, Bluetooth and a heated front screen for winter mornings, I might have another rusty piece of shit on the drive for 'fun' but the constant all new cars are shit or horrible blob comments just strike me as petty jealousy sometimes.

[oldcars]

Not everyone wants to drive a car that needs starting with a crank handle everyday, there's some pretty blinkered views on here at times, I want a modern safe car for daily use that has ac, Bluetooth and a heated front screen for winter mornings, I might have another rusty piece of shit on the drive for 'fun' but the constant all new cars are shit or horrible blob comments just strike me as petty jealousy sometimes.

Heated screens are the business, really miss mine now the Santa Fe has gone. Never mind so far this winter not needed to de ice the inside of the reliant yet 

[forddeliveryboy]

I've never read that much concentrated horseshit in my life.

 

Even horseshit comes in varying qualities. I enjoyed reading this, modern or not. 

[SiC]

Heated screens are the business, really miss mine now the Santa Fe has gone. Never mind so far this winter not needed to de ice the inside of the reliant yet

I'm not a huge fan of them tbh. I always can't unsee the wiggly lines, they make oncoming headlights more blurry and the Laguna ones seem to let off heatwaves when they're on.

 

Ace for getting the car ready asap though!

[Longblackcoat]

I had the latest version (the 1.0 turbo one) as a hire car for two weeks and really didn't like it. Nothing to do with the mechanicals (though the electric steering feels weird), more the layout of the dash, the instrumentations etc. Thirsty round town too. But as an everyday conveniencebox, it was great. Ideal to buy at maybe three or four years, flog on three years later before the more expensive niggles start.

 

My 10-year-old cars are now at the stage that they need a bit more than routine servicing and it's either extraordinarily expensive (try getting hold of CV joints for a GL420 - Mercedes only sell complete driveshafts at over £1k+VAT each) or it takes ages (I've got a bloke in the West Midlands reworking them for waaay less, but it means time off the road). Either way, it's a good thing that I have other cars to drive.

 

My rule of thumb is that a car is 'usable daily' if anything that needs doing (other than a very unfortunate thing like a fucked engine or gearbox) can be sorted with a day in the garage. New suspension bushes, discs - that's all fine. Torque converter rebuild, sorting out CVs/driveshafts, new turbo - these sorts of things mean you may need somewhere other than your normal servicing garage and it can often mean leaving your car somewhere for a week. Not a problem if you have another one, or if you don't use it every day, or if you can borrow/rent, but for a lot of people it's an inconvenience they just can't be arsed with. 

[SiC]

Most garages now are so versed with changing turbos though, that it's not a major job as it once was!

 

This is where common, regular, mass-produced cars are their best. When they do go wrong, garages are willing to work on them and probably have done the job plenty of times before. Also loads of parts available same day.

[sierraman]

I like these, decent size, good on the juice, cheap parts, easy to insure, easy to work on... need I go on?

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you want a car that does everything no fuss get a Focus. I appreciate it's not everyone's cup of tea if you want to be a bit different but by the same token not everybody wants to be sat on the hard shoulder after the 1985 Montego has thrown its crank and you are scouring EBay for an A-Series to chuck in over the weekend. As a car for knocking about in as a daily you'll not go wrong with a Focus, keep the shite for pleasure.

 

The 1.8 in the mk1 was a bit of a dud, fairly expensive on the tax but not much quicker on the performance front, however the 1.8 duratec in the mk2 makes a lot of sense.

[Longblackcoat]

You're right SiC, it's just my luck that the car I bought is as rare as rocking-horse poo. There are about 600 left in the UK and Mercedes are starting to run a bit thin on parts - they'll make one for you, but it's at a bend-you-over-the-sofa-and-have-my-way sort of price, and there can be long lead times. 

 

Whereas a turbo for an E220, a 320d, a Passat TDI - as you say, they're easy enough to do by most garages and don't cost the earth. By the time the car needs one, however, it might still be a significant proportion of the value of the car, so even a £700 turbo swap might well write the car off, sad to say.

[danthecapriman]

I rate Focus's, they are good cars despite what some people say about them.

 

My mum had an 02 reg 1.6 zetec one that was owned from new until last year. It was faultless. All it needed was servicing and consumables like tyres. Once it got older it needed a plate on the sill (easy fix and couldn't be seen) and it needed a speed sensor and the instrument cluster re soldering which is a common fault as they age and a cheap fix. It never failed to start and did well for it's 150k odd miles it had when we sold it on (for £750) and I still see it driving around locally.

She then got an 08 reg 1.8 like the op one but in black. This one needed the ECU software re installing after someone apparently had screwed up an update but once that and the EGR valve were done it was a really nice car. It was quick too! I did briefly consider having it myself when she decided to downsize to a Fiesta but it's way too new for my tastes.

If I needed a newish car a Focus is an excellent choice IMHO and I'd happily have one any day.

 

Ps, I actually like the 16 reg Fiesta 1.25 she's got now. Same old zetec s engine and dead easy to look after.

[sierraman]

I really rate the Zetec/Duratec engine. Easy to work on, good strong bottom end. Some have trouble with the rings going but it's not fatal while ever you are happy to chuck a bit of oil in from time to time. Not the most refined unit but still a lot better than some. The 2.0 Duratec I sold recently was quiet as a mouse at tickover as was the 1.8 Zetec. Not a great deal of low end torque but once you give them some stick they'll pull and pull.

[SiC]

Ps, I actually like the 16 reg Fiesta 1.25 she's got now. Same old zetec s engine and dead easy to look after.

That flippin yahama designed engine has been powering Fords for years. Used to be great in the light weight Fiestas mk4/mk5, however I don't imagine it's as rev happy in the newer fatter Fiestas.

[AMC Rebel]

Not everyone wants to drive a car that needs starting with a crank handle everyday,

 Bollocks

[danthecapriman]

That flippin yahama designed engine has been powering Fords for years. Used to be great in the light weight Fiestas mk4/mk5, however I don't imagine it's as rev happy in the newer fatter Fiestas.

It's not!

My sister had a 1.25 mk4 Fiesta S reg I think it was, that little thing flew along.

She has a 1.25 mk6 now which goes alright too but my mums 16 reg one is nowhere near as fast. As you say, it's a much bigger heavier car. It's funny though, when you open the bonnet it is still instantly recognisable as that old engine. A bit like the old Valencia engine that seemed fitted to every type of small Ford for years, now it's the zetec s instead.

It's still ok though and the good thing is that it's familiar and a proven engine that's pretty easy and cheap to keep going.

[Pillock]

Don't suppose you want a free set of roof bars for this do you?

 

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[SiC]

It used to pretty tightly crammed into my mates fiesta mk4 when I was 18. That car+engine felt like a sports car back then! My Clio II with the same bhp felt much slower, however on a drag race, they were pretty similar (unsurprisingly). I think it was how it was geared, so revs built quickly and the lack of any decent NVH made it sound fast. He did manage to destroy 3 clutches, handbrake cable, 2 tyres and 2 sets of brake pads in 20k and 2 years of ownership...

[sierraman]

The Mk4 Fiesta we had felt really quick. It obviously wasn't, but given the boomy nature of the engine at speed it certainly felt it. Put up with some right abuse as well.

[Bren]

These are nice to drive but lack the sharp looks of the mk1.

 

And that 1.6 tdci is a dog.

[warren t claim]

If the electro hydraulic steering isn't to your taste you can adjust it via the menu settings.