Whose a Focus fan?

[sierraman]

The 2.0 is 130 bhp I think.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Is there any reason the ST170 or ST220 aren't covered in scene tax?

 

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[mercrocker]

Is there any reason the ST170 or ST220 aren't covered in scene tax?

 

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Soon will be I reckon - give it another five or so years for the generation cycle to complete from schoolkid dreams to no-kids-yet-spare-cash 30-somethings.   

 

Son in law had a 54 plate ST which had to go when kittens came.    I told him to hang on to it (he had a spare garage FFS), he had owned it from new and really looked after it. 

It was that blue colour they look best in, too. 

 

Never had any love for the things - they are styled in an idiom that I don't understand although I have a perverse preference for the booted saloon version of stuff like this. 

 

We still have a 51-plate dizzler in JRG in the pool at work.   Its fucked.

[warren t claim]

Still plenty of 02/03 plate Focus estates doing sterling service as taxis in Liverpool. Some are still on taxi rental fleets so fuck knows how many miles they've done.

[Sir Snipes]

If I had nothing better to do I'd like to reahell an RS or even just an ST into a 4-door saloon.

[cpjitservices]

Someone I know has a saloon version in that green colour, I drove it 120 miles to deliver it for him and the 2.0 engine seemed quite sluggish.

 

Wasnt quick by any means. Just didnt seem to have any get up and go. 

 

I think its a Y reg, in GHIA trim. Leccy windows front n back type thing. 

 

Most annoyingly, it had no rear view mirror. 

[purplebargeken]

They are............ ok'ish.

[stuboy]

missus has diesel, cant get comfy in drivers seat due to lack of adjustment and being ghia too.

[Cavcraft]

The Focus got rave reviews, just because it was better than the Escort. As a three wheeled skateboard with rusty nails protruding upwards would be better than an Escort, that 1) wasn't difficult and 2) doesn't make the Focus a good car.

I'll concede they do seem popular though. I just cannot see why.

[Sir Snipes]

I never understood why people are so offended by later Escorts so much. It's just a car ffs.

[sierraman]

So in summary then it's like asking if anyone likes Nissan Quashquis on PcPs then! ????

[Rusty_Rocket]

Not really.  The majority of people think they're GR9.

 

My step father had a Focus for many years.  While I thought the build quality was pretty average, the ability of the thing to absorb accident damage was quite impressive.

For reasons known only to him, the poor Fawd was involved in no less than 5 RTAs, a couple going through insurance resulting in the car being repaired, others being 'fix the damage with a hammer and carry on' types.  It seemed pretty hard to kill to be honest.  Which surprised me, because when you look beyond the funky styling and have to work on the car, you find painfully cheap components doing major jobs and all bolts, nuts and fixings made out of finest Dagenham cheese.

What killed it in the end was a worn out, smoky engine and dissolving sills.  Overall, it served him well and was a good car really, but I never thought it was overly better or worse than the competition of the time.

One thing I will say, is that if I ever have to fit and bleed a new clutch master cylinder on one of these again, I'd willing gauge my eyeballs out to avoid doing the job!

[sierraman]

You are preaching to the converted there. Took a look at it, didn't fancy laying in agony, paid the garage £30 to fit it while I went away.

[LostnotFound]

I'll stick a photo of mine on later when I've got my laptop. My only car is a 2002 Focus Chic. Not being a dwarf limited my options for a medium size car (having just written a car off insurance was an issue) so once I'd decided on a focus it was a case of choosing from the millions around.

 

From memory when looking at mk1s the 1.6 was the most popular in terms of quick enough (just) to keep up with traffic whilst still doing 40mpg.

 

There weren't a lot of 1.6 ghias about and they had a grim cloth interior, as well as being 5 door which I'd ideally avoid. so I started looking for an Ebony or Chic which were apparently aimed at young professional women.. They come with full leather including heated front seats, air con and a heated screen. The drivers seat no longer heats and the air con is knackered... I'd hate not having a heated screen for shift work in the winter tho.

 

This year is the 1st time I've had to spend money on it, I'd ended up having to borrow my parents car for a week to get me to work so chucking cash at it was the only option really, even then in the scheme of things it was only 2 pcp payment equivalents so I guess not that bad for a car I have faith in.

 

So, massively comfortable and cheap to buy and run. Hard to beat if you just need transport.

[Hendry]

I'll stick a photo of mine on later when I've got my laptop. My only car is a 2002 Focus Chic. Not being a dwarf limited my options for a medium size car (having just written a car off insurance was an issue) so once I'd decided on a focus it was a case of choosing from the millions around.

 

From memory when looking at mk1s the 1.6 was the most popular in terms of quick enough (just) to keep up with traffic whilst still doing 40mpg.

 

There weren't a lot of 1.6 ghias about and they had a grim cloth interior, as well as being 5 door which I'd ideally avoid. so I started looking for an Ebony or Chic which were apparently aimed at young professional women.. They come with full leather including heated front seats, air con and a heated screen. The drivers seat no longer heats and the air con is knackered... I'd hate not having a heated screen for shift work in the winter tho.

 

This year is the 1st time I've had to spend money on it, I'd ended up having to borrow my parents car for a week to get me to work so chucking cash at it was the only option really, even then in the scheme of things it was only 2 pcp payment equivalents so I guess not that bad for a car I have faith in.

 

So, massively comfortable and cheap to buy and run. Hard to beat if you just need transport.

 

The Chic, Ebony and Elle are probably the only mk1 Focus facelifts I like, except from the run out "Sport" spec which was effectively a 1.8 diesel engined ST170, had the bullet style fogs etc. 

 

The mk1 prefacelift I always liked the pacific green 3 door Zetecs.

 

But that said I really really do like mk5/mk5b/mk6 Escorts and certainly a lot of people round here did as they seemed to sell better than Focii when they were sold alongside each other, although maybe thats because a 1.6 Finesse Escort with metallic paint, alloys, boot spoiler, front fogs, cd player, air con, etc. was a grand cheaper than a base Focus 1.4 CL. 

 

People say they are great to drive and much better than other similar aged cars in that class, i dont see it personally, but then maybe all the ones ive driven were old, worn, fucked and not that fresh. 

[sierraman]

They are superb to drive. Gearbox is nice and sweet, quite like the action of the gate from 2nd to 3rd, seemed a bit truck like at first but I like it.

 

On a good set of tyres they grip and grip through the bends, steering is very accurate. Found the old Escort a bit wayward in this department.

[JohnK]

I've had a few Focus' now... 3 MK1's, a MK2 ST and a MK3 Diesel.

 

In terms of MK1's, all of mine have been 1.8 petrols, varying from an S plate Ghia, V reg Zetec to an 04 Ghia.

 

All drove well, particularly the 04 Ghia I had last year. I paid £600 for it with 65k, full history and fully loaded. Would do 40mpg and was a competent daily and ideal family car. Even as a hatch with the seats down it helped move a lot of items when I was moving in September last year.

 

IMO however they are a bit boring and lacklustre to drive. Whilst they do handle well, I think some of the 'rave reviews' about them are absolute bollocks.

 

Still, as cheap, capable transport/family runabout, I would have another if the need arose.

[LostnotFound]

As promised, this may well be from her good side...

 

 

[Split_Pin]

My mate got one as a company car back in 2000, 1.8 Zetec in yellowy gold and then another 2 in the next 4 years.

 

I thought the styling was fantastic then, just right for the new millennium and my opinion hasn't changed. It was quick, smooth, handled great and we both thought all other car dashboards were rubbish from then on.

 

A MK1 prefacelift example is still something I see very regularly which must indicate the last well.

 

Vauxhall must have been pissed when Ford released it after the MK4 Astra which is clinically dull in comparison.

 

No experience of the MK 2 other than an older guy with whom my ex was infatuated had one when they first came out. I thought they were a backward step in the styling stakes.

[Pete-M]

I do like a good Focus Mk1. Had a 2.0 Ghia estate and an ST170.

 

Ran a hire fleet of 100 odd of them back in 99.