is this the best time to buy a used Ford Focus

ItsOnlyMe_2

Hi,
Will need to change my car in the very near future (starting to cause a few problems and likely to be costly to fix). Basically I have my eye on a Ford Focus diesel, but wondering if this is the best time to buy.

I am looking at a budget of around £5,000 and was looking at the old style, 04 plates and earlier. However I believe a new model is to be launched very soon. Is it worth waiting a little while and getting the current (soon to be outdated) model on a 05/55 plate? I would be wanting to get purchase made in next month or so.

Any advice appreciated, I am very limited due to where I live (Scottish ilsands) in that there is not many car dealers around so will probably have to travel to Scottish mainland to pick one up.

davetrousers

I thought the new model was released last year?

Why a diesel? Do you do many miles?

ItsOnlyMe_2

I am not sure, I was under impression that the new model was to be released this year - announced last year.

And yes the number of miles I do makes the diesel the more economical choice.

DealDrivers_company_representative

The facelift is in build now and has been orderable for a few weeks, first ones arrive here ready for 08 plates 1st March.

This week Ford released bonuses on most of them (any ordered from 4th Feb) EXCEPT the new 1.6 TDCI engines...there is massive demand for them as they are only £35 a year road tax.

On the outgoing shape there's been no unsold diesels left since before Xmas, apart from the occasional cancelled single order popping up. So - I don't think there'll be any 'better' time to buy as there's not much left to drive the prices down and no huge bargains yet on the new shape for the ever popular 1.6 diesels

ItsOnlyMe_2

Thanks for that very informative reply DealDrivers. So you believe now would be as good as time as any to purchase a used car - 2004/5.

I would like the current outgoing model that came in around 04/05 but fear it may just be over my budget, I was kind of hoping that prices are not reflective of the new model coming on the roads in March but I guess that is already factored into all used prices.

jeannieblue

Dagenham Motors had quite a few 'old shape' left up until a few weeks ago - quite a few bargains - I wanted auto - but didn't have any.

Recommend Auto trader as you want a slightly older one.

Got mine from great place in Sussex. They have loads of Ford ex lease cars.
Can't recommend them highly enough.

Cardelia

If you can afford a couple of days to hunt for cars, it's worth considering the entirety of Great Britain when looking. Second hand Focuses are very, very common so you're almost certain to find a model with the exact spec you're after somewhere in GB. If you're lucky then you might be able to get the car shipped up to a local mainland dealer. If not, well, at least you'll have a long drive to get used to the new car

I've noticed that Ford dealerships tend to have the best deals on both new and used cars in September, January and just before Easter. However, a few minutes on google should throw up some Ford dealers with current special offers on used cars. Bear in mind for a £5k Focus, the dealer profit margin will be in the region of £1000, so there is room to haggle over the price if you're interested.

Oh yes, don't rule out something like a second hand A3 or A-class. You'd be surprised what you can get for 5k - it's certainly worth spending a couple of hours on the net looking around.

cyclonebri1

is this the best time to buy a used Ford Focus


No, theres never a goodtime to buy a Ford !
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I'll get mi coat:rolleyes:

jeannieblue

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

is this the best time to buy a used Ford Focus


No, theres never a goodtime to buy a Ford !
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I'll get mi coat:rolleyes:

Aw - gone off you now........... I love my sucoF

deltic_2

February is a good time to look privately as people will be looking to sell their cars ahead of buying their new 08 car. A good deal whould be obtainable as their only alternative if they don't sell before they collect their new car is to part-ex it for a much lower price. You will also get a good idea of the previous owner, maintenance history etc etc.

April is a good time to buy from dealers as they will have lots of part-ex cars from March to sell. There should be lots of 3 year old '05 cars in amongst them.

danger_mouse_2

http://www.northbridge.autoweb1.co.uk/details.asp?makedrop=Ford&Submit=Show+Results&cdID=1457062

http://www.northbridge.autoweb1.co.uk/details.asp?makedrop=Ford&Submit=Show+Results&cdID=1457049


theres a couple on the links above, slightly higher than your budget but maybe you can use them as a benchmark as you compare prices/spec.....
autotrader as mentioned is pretty good if you know what you want in terms of number of doors, engine size, colour, milage etc and will give a miture of private and trade, also try the link below, not sure if its any good but theres a few cars there NOT on auttrader.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/list.asp?s=124