I Wanna Buy A Ford Focus 2nd Hand Help Pelase!!!!

kiwichick

Hi All,

Hope this is the right forum for my question.

I have recently passed my driving test (4th time lucky!) and am now looking at getting a car.

I have decided on a Ford Focus, its the right size for me and 3 kiddies.

I will be buying 2nd hand and had planned to go through a dealer but private prices seem SO MUCH CHEAPER!!!! I would love to buy private but know NOTHING about cars so would'nt know if I was being flogged a "lemon".

Do any of you know if there is anything I ought to look out for with this car. Anything that routinely goes wrong with them. We are looking to buy one from around 2000/01, a 1.4-1.6, 5 door hatchback.

Any thought/advice HUGELY appreciated.

Thanks in anticipation,
Allison.

Malky

This may help

Bertville

I would choose the 1.6 rather than 1.4. It will cope much better with having a car full of people & luggage etc and probably wouldn't cost much if anything more to run than the 1.4. This is because the 1.4 will have to work harder to pull the weight of the car and therefore use more fuel. A 1.6LX would probably give the best value for comfort & performance.

The What Car website has reviews and specifications of all models both new and used together with the facility to compare 3 cars on screen together.

Nile

Hello kiwichick

The 'Motoring & Public Transport' board readers will help you with your question so I'll move your thread across.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

Regards

Nile

Garf

http://www.ffoc.co.uk/

Ford Focus Owners Club. Use the search function in the message boards for any questions you may have!

smudger1964

Go for the diesel mine pulls like a train and gets over 50mpg

saintjanet

Bear in mind that if you buy in a private sale that you do not have the same rights in law as you have when buying from a dealer.

you may buy a cheaper car but also consider that a dealer may service the car,put right any mechanical or bodywork problems,prior to delivery and offer you a warranty.If you do buy private,you could always pay to have the car inspected by the RAC or similar,or take someone who knows motors with you,there are alot of dodgy cars around!!

Viz_2

A common problem is a leaky pollen filter cover. Its under the bonnet on the passenger side. It usually happens when either the windscreen has been replaced or the pollen filter has been replaced in a service.

I had this problem after Autoglass replaced my windscreen. You will find a damp passenger foot well and a stinky car ! Autoglass were aware of the problem and used a stronger seal. Have not had a problem since.

Today I found my fuel gauge not working, not sure on the cause yet.

Other than that, the boot release button on the dash board had a wiring fault. That was fixed under warranty.

No other problems in the almost 5 years and 65,000 miles I've had the car.

hollydays

Once looked over one from a "friend", but he was surprised that i got another friend ,a mechanic, to check it out.It had been involved in a bad accident which he claimed to know nothing about!!If thats what a friend is prepared to do,just think what a stranger would be prepared to do.We now always use the AA to check out a car if either expensive or bought privately.

Big_O

Hey Viz, that's a common Ford problem with pollen filters, not just Focuses (or is it Focii?). My Father's Mondeo had water flowing into the foot well after the local Ford dealer (they're SOOO lame - Fords are great cars, but badly let down by the dealers and the attendant workshops) changed the polen filter and seperated the membrane behind it from the bulkhead without noticing. He took it back and they sorted it. Only the one return trip to a Ford garage - pretty good!

loobs40

we have a 2000 1.8 Ford Focus import bought from Trade Sales from new. Its done 100,000 miles and we have had no problems at all. Still got the same exhaust, clutch etc