Focus estate new vs used

tomstickland

I believe that my trusty Focus is nearing the end of its life. It's a 2006 petrol estate 2.0 16v which is at 245,000 miles and still delivering 42 mpg. I'm monitoring the oil usage closely since I think it's starting to consume at a higher rate than I'm happy with.

To prepare for the inevitable I've been studying the replacement options. Via a comprehensive spreadsheet and looking atAutotrader and various discount dealers it looks like if I buy a 4 or 5 year old car or a brand new one then the total monthly cost of ownership over its life will be about the same within +/-£20. There's a new model coming out in 2018 so maybe the existing model will be offloaded by the discount brokers. Might go cheaper yet. For example, Ecoboost 125ps models are available new for £14,900 at http://www.nationwide-cars.co.uk/cars/ford/focus/10-ecoboost-125-zetec-edition-5dr-78219/ compared with the list price of around £21,000.

I'm a bit perplexed really. It looks like they're holding their value too well so 4 and 5 year old models aren't offering a lower cost of ownership. It's just a matter of if you have £15,000 ready to go or not. I was hoping there might be some 0% finance so I could keep the funds invested but the finance offers are roughly level pegging with my typical return rates.

There's a new Focus coming in 2018. Will the discount broker prices drop even lower as this approaches?

[Deleted User]

I would have thought a 3 year old car would be better value?

NBLondon

tomstickland wrote: »

There's a new Focus coming in 2018. Will the discount broker prices drop even lower as this approaches?

You'd sort of expect it to - particularly if it's an all-new rather than a facelift. When I was about to buy my Focus (2011), the 3rd generation had been out a few months and I was thinking I'd get a good deal on the last of the 2nd generation. Turned out that the discounts being offered over the summer were so good that I ended up buying a 3rd generation for not quite £4K under list price

B_M

tomstickland - that really looks like a great offer.
Using your comparison, it makes sense to go for the new car. It's a new car of course v older car.

Whether the price drops further? Who knows?
I bought a Fiesta many years back (2008) when they were upgrading the model and I paid c£7.5k. Six months earlier, they were selling at coppers under £7k. So, it could go the other way if supplies dried up and demand was still there.
Good luck and I don't know how far you may want this to drop, but if it isn't that much, is it worth the wait?
Too big a car fro myself and I'm looking for something similar (ie looking for a heavily discounted Fiesta size car where the model is changing).

forgotmyname

The days of fields full of unsold cars are a distant memory, these days a car May not be built until a customer sticks down a deposit and ticks all the boxes.

List price = ficticious price that you charge a customer that comes back year after year even though their old cars only done 1000 miles.
Must have a new car on the drive each year, cost doesnt matter.

And your £15k car will be sub £12k before you get home.

Get a 3 month only one for £12k with less than 10,000 miles on the clock.

Late 2016 car with under 20,000 miles less than £10k

Lots of savings.

LandyAndy

tomstickland wrote: »

To prepare for the inevitable I've been studying the replacement options. Via a comprehensive spreadsheet and looking atAutotrader and various discount dealers it looks like if I buy a 4 or 5 year old car or a brand new one then the total monthly cost of ownership over its life will be about the same within +/-£20. There's a new model coming out in 2018 so maybe the existing model will be offloaded by the discount brokers. Might go cheaper yet. For example, Ecoboost 125ps models are available new for £14,900 at http://www.nationwide-cars.co.uk/cars/ford/focus/10-ecoboost-125-zetec-edition-5dr-78219/ compared with the list price of around £21,000.

?

Just be sure you are happy with the reported problems of the Ecoboost engines.

tomstickland

Hmm yeah. Things have moved on a bit.

There's some 2017 1.5 TDi 120ps estates on Autotrader for £12,000 with 5000-7000 miles on them. It has better acceleration figures than the Ecoboost 125ps and I'd expect the diesel engine to soldier on for a fair old time. My spreadsheet gets that cost of ownership down to around £340 per month, from around £390 general area for most other options.

I've been advised away from the 1L ecoboost. On Autotraderif I wanted a fun car:
1.5 150ps 75K , 2011, £6.25K
1.6 180ps 19K, 2013, £9.5K.


I'd settle for a 120ps diesel though I'd rather a 1.5 Ecoboost since it has 0-60 performance that's better than my 2L 16v and better economy.

redux

How much does a gallon of oil cost? What else is wrong with the current car?

Some friends think I might be at a similar stage with my Xantia HDI, but on the other hand it might do another 100,000 miles, and there is no depreciation.

System

You use cars like I do. Buy them, run them until the doors drop off.
Low owners, ideally just one, and being looked after is the secret to getting something that'll last years.
Look at 2 years old. Its had a large chunk of depreciation, you still have a years manufacturers warranty, it'll have been regularly serviced and well looked after and one owner and it'll feel pretty much like a new car but without the year 1 and year 2 depreciation hit which are the highest.

System

forgotmyname wrote: »

The days of fields full of unsold cars are a distant memory, .

You quite clearly have never travelled down the A180 through Grimsby where cars imported from EU manufacturers like Citroen and Peugeot sit gathering dust. You'll notice a common theme with the colour. Most of these end up getting sold as pre-registered cars when there's a model change.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.5780196,-0.0923186,945m/data=!3m1!1e3

Less than an hour down the road anyone want a used car?

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.5684906,-0.8563319,505m/data=!3m1!1e3

System

tomstickland wrote: »

I'd settle for a 120ps diesel though I'd rather a 1.5 Ecoboost since it has 0-60 performance that's better than my 2L 16v and better economy.

You need to be wringing the necks off the Ecoboosts over 4000RPM to get the performance whereas with the diesel its there from below 2000RPM. Whilst the Ecoboost probably has the better 0-60 acceleration the diesel will have better 40-70MPH acceleration and be better for doing overtakes which in my view is far more useful than 0-60 which you very rarely ever do. My 2 litre Mondeo diesel can outdrag a BMW 328i 40-70 without me needing to change out of 4th gear I started in and its given a good account of itself against a bog standard second generation Subaru Impreza WRX at those same speeds.