The rusty £150 focus

[Tock]

Until now ive been driving around in a 3 door 231k mk4 golf tdi.

But with having a 13 year old step daughter and as a family we like to go camping once a year.

The golf with its comically small boot was just way to small.

This came in for an mot at my works.

From the front its okay but its gone where all mk1 focuses go in the inner wheel arches.

Its a one owner 143k 2.0 zetec estate.

If it lives it lives if its just too bad rot wise it will by cubed.

Also i need to do discs and pads on the front and sort out the rear handbrake as the osr is doing jack all.

 

Am i brave?

Am i stupid?

For £150 its a gamble that may well pay off!

 

Comments critisms and questions most welcome!

[Tock]

Hopefully the pictures come out better now!

[timolloyd]

Looks a great buy. And you clearly know what you’re doing so it has to end up being a bargain.

A mate of mine swears by his Focus estate for cheap motoring.

[bezzabsa]

are you really gaining any boot room, as they don't look huge...

and its only welding, get it done!!!

[Tock]

Looks a great buy. And you clearly know what you’re doing so it has to end up being a bargain.
A mate of mine swears by his Focus estate for cheap motoring.

Its very rusty and that maybe its undoing.
Going to the welders this tuesday.
Great cars but boy the know how to rot!!

[Tock]

are you really gaining any boot room, as they don't look huge...
and its only welding, get it done!!!

Massively so.
A mk4 is so small in that department.

[bezzabsa]

1 minute ago, Tock said:

Massively so.
A mk4 is so small in that department.

really ...well you learn summat new every day!!!

[Tock]

really ...well you learn summat new every day!!!

Honestly ill take a picture of them both when shes done!

[Tock]

The golf on isle of weight camping last year

[sierraman]

I’ve seen worse. Those 2.0 are bloody thirsty for what they are though. You are doing it right way though plate it from inside then paste seam sealer on it from inside arches. 

Assuming cause it’s a 2.0 it’ll be discs on the back? Could be the callipers but just as likely to be the cable seized in the sheathing. 

[Tock]

Yeah its got discs on the rear.
Im not pissing around with the brakes its having discs and pads all round and new handbrake cables , osr caliper.
I maintain my cars to a very high standard.

[sloth]

my old man got a 1.6 zetec on an 03 plate brand new on motab. he handed it back 3 years later with 489 miles on the clock.  it had actually done 18,000 but the speedo failed the week before handover. new speedo fitted. on handover day  (for a fucking cmax that was dogshit) the sales manager thought the 489 miles was genuine and asked my old man why he handt driven it. im sure they sold it as new.....

[Cookiesouwest]

Well done.

I've had 3 focus estates and they are brilliant cars.

All 3 went over the bridge, due to uneconomic welding requirements

Really hope you save it.

 

[Tetleysmooth]

If you do save it and weld it, make sure it's done to a really high standard. One good smack up the arse and the tailgate will end up level with the dashboard with the family in between.

Good luck with it, I hope if you have it, it serves you well.

[Tock]

So this got sent for welding today and this happened.
Thats that then!

[twosmoke300]

Jesus Christ ! That’s gonna be awkward - what are they paying you ?

[Bitzer]

Awwww, my condolences. On the more positive note, seats for Mk1 Focus are readily available and the upjolstery textile looks like very common pattern.

Too late for such good advice*, but I think the rot was not exactly terminal and I would personally be happy with a handful of bean cans, a tube of a generic body caulk and a box of pop rivets to prevent water ingress.

Do not give up, the car looks worth saving. Fingers crossed.

[Shirley Knott]

I always thought the Mk4 Golf boots were pretty generous, and I've got two of them (And a Volvo) Honestly I've never looked at a Focus but I'm guessing they're pretty impressive. 

I assume you're keeping the Golf to run alongside this? At 231k it's just run in shirley?

[twosmoke300]

40 minutes ago, Bitzer said:

Awwww, my condolences. On the more positive note, seats for Mk1 Focus are readily available and the upjolstery textile looks like very common pattern.

Too late for such good advice*, but I think the rot was not exactly terminal and I would personally be happy with a handful of bean cans, a tube of a generic body caulk and a box of pop rivets to prevent water ingress.

Do not give up, the car looks worth saving. Fingers crossed.

Right by a rear seat belt mount ? 
Note to self - don’t buy a car off you !!! 

[stuboy]

shame it got toasted

[Floatylight]

Would it of been too difficult for the garage to pull the seat out, only 4 bolts FFS!

[goosey]

Hopefully you can save this. 

I had 3 focus estates as company cars they were great 

NG02UFD

AV53???

BG04WVX 

the last one locked me out the car with the engine running, I’d nipped into the gatehouse at a customers to sign in, went back to the car and it was locked. Had to wait 3 hours for the AA man to turn up and we wedged the drivers door open slightly and used a long metal rod to press the boot open button on the dash to get in through the boot. 
 

All mine had zero rust but to be fair they were brand new at the time 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

I would think that the smell of burnt plastic ingrained in the rest of the interior would be enough to fuck it off now. Good excuse for a leather swap godammit.

[sierraman]

I can’t imagine an interior for a Mk1 Focus Estate is going to cost much at the breakers. I was due to look at a Mk1 Ghia today with 56k on the clock but the buggers didn’t get back to me. 

[Tock]

I stripped all the rear interior out before i sent it off to be welded.
Ive got all the other mot fail parts to fix her.
Tomorrow is the decideing day.
Im abit miffed but thats sods law..

[Tock]

Right by a rear seat belt mount ? 
Note to self - don’t buy a car off you !!! 

Within 30cm of seat belt mounting point.
Not worth my license and thats why testers lose there jobs.
Theres only one way to repair that and thats a countinous seam weld.

[Tock]

So far its to have the welding for free or he gives me scrap value.
As it stands she owes me £350

[Tock]

If you have a look at this picture the headlineing almost caught fire.
Scary close to being a real disaster

[Tock]

I always thought the Mk4 Golf boots were pretty generous, and I've got two of them (And a Volvo) Honestly I've never looked at a Focus but I'm guessing they're pretty impressive. 
I assume you're keeping the Golf to run alongside this? At 231k it's just run in shirley?

The golf would of been sold or scraped.
Its abit tappy but still pulls like a train and does 50mpg every where.

[UltraWomble]

Argos seat covers and some offcuts of Axminster from the carpet shop is surely the shitters way