Ford Puma or Focus?

ArsenalFC

Looking to downgrade from a bmw coupe this summer to one of the above or others. Initially I had my mind on the focus for it value for money spec and overall a good car. But I feel its just a practical car.

The puma does look better and it is 2door coupe that I like but its more pricey than the focus. Insurance is not an issue. I know from reading reviews that the focus is a good reliable car but dont know much about the Puma in terms of reliability or value for money. Only read up on the puma on parkers.

Have £4500 to spend and looking for car of the above size. Astras are ruled out cause I dont like the looks. I'm leaning to the puma because its better looking. Anyone who have/had a puma please comment on them.

Chris_VRS

personally after owning both i'd go for a Focus everytime.

Puma is as you have said nice looking and providing you go for the 1.7 with a Lux Pack quite nippy and quite well equipped. I'm 6' 1" and found my shoulders ached after driving it any longer than about an hour, and had to have the seat as far back on the runners as it could go and then finding myself leaning forward to change gear. The front bumper & bonnet is prone to stone chips and if you lift the tailgate up after its been raining the water on the rear window will quickly deposit itself in the boot - such is the designer curve of the rear window!

Focus obviously very roomy, go for the 1.8 Zetec with A/C and it really is a fantastic allrounder...even nice looking in 3dr form & I'm sure you have read all about the fantastic chassis and handling.

I didn't have any problems with the Focus but the Pumas ECU gave up after my 3rd day of ownership (luckily under warranty!)...and I had to fit new discs and pads...car had only done 23,000miles!

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I have improved on my ford ka 1.3 and bought a ford puma 1.7. I've gotta admit never had a focus, but the road handling on this puma is awesome. It's very comfortable inside, especially when cruising down the motorway, the suspension moves into a world of it's own. I've had zero problems with either car. I love my puma!! I love it's shape, size, orginality, it's lux pack equipment (I mean how many cars for under £4000 come with a heated front windscreen). I've even treat this car to it's own private reg.

Like you said, the focus is all about practicality, were as the puma is about having a bloody good time in an affordable coupe. The puma hits illegal speed limits with ease. Go for the puma. I'll certainly get another one without a doubt.

There are plenty of websites which cover the puma. Just type in ford puma in any search engine. That's how I found quite alot out about them before i bought mine.

tomstickland

You're mad! I'd buy a mid 90s E36 3 series if you want to save money, you can pick up solid examples for £3K.

Anyway, the Puma is a Fiesta in drag, and a very well regarded car. It does suffer from the hairdresser look, but from what I've read the driving experience makes up for that, or it might not matter anyway. The various Focii have always had a good press, reliable, dependable and all that and go round corners very well. They're all front wheel drive though, so are never going to be as much fun to drive as a BM, or an MX-5 etc. But that wasn't the question.

So, both are fine enough cars. If it was me then I'd want to try a Puma and see what I thought. I reckon it would have more smile factor, but the Focus might be a more practical choice. Naah, I know what I'd buy: the Puma.

ArsenalFC

I agreed its mad to get rid of the beemer coupe. It is a mid-90 E36 318 I have. I wasn't looking to save money, would have upgraded to a BM CI coupe, but for work reasons I must have a smaller car. A few years later I would definately want to get the Ci coupe.

From what i have read, you guys also backed it up, the 1.7 puma with lux pack is the one I will get if I decided to get the puma. The puma tend to have more other small problems than the focus and also may cost more to keep it in good condition in the long run. Dont think I will keep either car for more than 2 years though.

Puma has hair dresser typo but dont bother me as I want a small good looking car. My head says focus for its better value for money and practicality and my heart says puma for it looks .

Before I got my current bmw, I shortlisted the mazda 323 and Mitsubishi FTO. My head was telling me mazda, I went with my heart and it was a great decision. I still wouldn't mind having the FTO though, really like the look of its front, not much to shout about its rear.

Thanks for all replies.

# MX5 is quite nice but im not looking for a 2 seaters, although u may say puma isn't much more than a 2seaters . I do now and again carry some passengers.

tomstickland

Is an MX-5 small enough?
I'm trying to think of other fun cars. Suzuki Cappucino (very small), Lupo GTi (not that small), Smart Roadster (expensive).

Actually, the Puma is a good compromise.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

the backseats of the puma ain't as bad as it looks. The puma has a fairly decent boot space too for a small coupe.

I don't think any fords are expensive to keep on the road. Ford parts are quite reasonable, and you can take a ford to any garage too, which is always a bonus.

By the way, make sure you get every thing included in the lux packs, don't be conned. Check out all what you expect to find in a puma with the lux pack.

Exemplar

We have a 1.7 Millenium Puma here, an S plate MX-5 and have just sold a Focus. The best drive of the lot is the MX-5, the Puma is great but it's the image with the Puma that really concerns me. The Focus was and is the sort of car that is missable in the crowd but is an excellent choice as the drive per pound is great!
Alex

candygirl

my friend got a puma a while back and they're really small in the front and in my opinion a very tinny car!!a cheapo sports wanna be car me thinks!! :j

balsingh

If you're downgrading from an E36 coupe, how about an E36 compact? I have a 318ti Sport with all the extras. Its an excellent car and RWD .... and you can get good examples in your price range. Also, in the long term, a BMW will hold its value so much better than either Ford.

ArsenalFC

Candygirl you are right about the puma, it kinda a cheap sports wanna be. It's affordable for people who wants a coupe type car without spending a fortune. It doesn't bother me one bit about its image because I just need a smaller car that also drives well and look nice too.

Regarding space, I'll need take a look into that and test drive it sometime soon. Im of slim build and not tall so maybe it wouldn't be a problem for me. Back seat passenger space dont bother me as I dont normally have more than one passenger most of the time.

Not looking to get the BM compact. It has to be the Ci coupe when I get the BM again. The problem is there are very limited sporty cars with decent looks in the size that I want and to suit my budget. Need to do more reading and research before the summer.

Thanks for all replies.