Citroen versus Ford

melly84

I'd go for the fords, i'm no car expert but ithink they look better and are better value for money, i'm hoping to get a focus next year, i've got a crap peugeot at the moment, i'd never buy a peugeot or citroen again.

Punked_2

The Ford Focus according to one of the online Car guides is set for another revamp so they may well be looking to clear out older models from the forecourt.

DealDrivers_company_representative

I don't know how much you are borrowing to get those finance figures but if your finance quotes are PCP (a ballloon at the end) tell them no way..that is poor finance (as a comparison we can get brand new 57 plate Focus Zetec Climate 1.6 diesels in metallics for under £230 a month if you have a 10% deposit).

If it is HP and you own the car after 48mths then its better but still not a mega deal. Try not to feel obliged to take the dealer's finance too...ask them for the price of the car, teh prices on the PX's and get some comparative finance quotes elsewhere on the difference.

mouthscradle

We bought a 1.6 2004 Focus at an auction last week, 19k miles on the clock, and I have to say we absolutely love it. We did a lot of research before buying a Focus, and almost everywhere we looked had nothing but good to say about it compared to many similar sized/budget cars. And so far, the drive has exceeded our expectations Good luck with it, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Focus to you (I also love C3's, but I've read alot about their lack of reliability and flimsy build quality).

Martin_OB

Hello again everyone - and thanks for your comments! I'm reading them with interest.

The quotes are for HP - and not PCP. Deal Drivers - based on your experiences what should I be looking to turn an average deal into a mega one?

We're thinking of visiting the two garages on the same day (one day next week). For argument's sake, if we prefer the Fords (before the test drive), would you go to that dealership first or second?

And in the meantime - does anyone have any tips for getting the prices down even before we enter the showroom?

DealDrivers_company_representative

Just don't assume manuf'r finance is the best deal. Having said that Ford's own dealership hp deals are pretty sharp at the moment ...just shop around before you visit showrooms and get a abalance of i) monthly payment amount, ii) apr% and iii) any applicable fees on top which you need to caluclate into the overall total.

HP is usually cheapest on the high st (banks/building societies...just look on moneysupermarket.com for the cheapest HP loans on the amount you want to borrow). Arranging your finance yourself outside of the car purchase means no-one's taking a commission from the finance sale.

Ask the dealer for the car price then go and find the cheapest hp loan to pay it off with. If the dealer apr is not attractive buy the money elsewhere! Se the car and the finance as two seperate items.

I'd go to the dealere you think you'll buy from first, leave him sweating, then visit the 2nd choice...affirm your thoughts on choice, go back to the first guy and tell him your 'choice dilemma'!

Dread

Remember that the salesman is getting a cut of the finance deal which, evidently, often exceeds any comission they make on the car themselves so there is room to negotiate there. Cash is not always king.

I believe that doing a deal near the end of the month is liable to mean sales staff are trying to reach their targets so will be prepared to bargain a bit more.

If you can get a loan from a finance company, negotiate the deal with the dealers finance then as soon as the deals done, pay off the car in full you get the advantage of driving down the car price because of the salesmans comission but not having to pay the extra interest, obviously on HP only.

Hope it helps.

nick74

Something to consider here is that both Ford and Citroen get their 1.4 & 1.6 diesel engines from Peugeot, so you're getting the same engine whether you buy a Focus or a C4 !

mrcow

Loved my Ford Focus! :j:j:j It was zippy and comfortable.



Can't say the same for the only Citroen car I've ever owned. I finally got rid of it when green ooze started dripping out of the dashboard