Honda Civic or Ford Focus

cheggers

I am looking at getting a 2 year old Honda Civic or a Ford Focus, anyone tips or advise.

I am looking at the diesel version. £8500/8995

I was looking at a golf 1.9 TDI but they are too expensive and most I've seen are very high mileage.

zacspeed_2

Absolutely definitely positively undoubtedly unequivocally Honda!!!!!
Don’t waste your time with the Ford (I’m sure they’re a good car) but the Honda will serve you much better in the long-run.

Pink.

Hi cheggers,

You'll probably get more replies to your thread on the motoring board, so I hope that you don't mind if I move it over there.

Pink

Mr_Skint_2

Civic 100% as no matter what colour Ford you get it will end up suburst orange.

mr_accountant

If the civic like for like spec is same price as the focus (unlikely, as Honda are normally far more expensive) the Honda anyday, an absolute no brainer.

On the other hand, if civic lot more expensive then you need to make the choice if you want to buy top notch Japanese or another brand. Having said that the focus seems to be reliable and fairly well built
.

charlesh

I have a 51 reg Focus TDCI, but I'll try to keep this post objective! No problems to report on the engine, which averages around 42 mpg.

As for the bodywork, make sure you check around the bootlid and below the mirrors. The plastic mouldings of the mirrors and the chrome strip (on Ghia models) above the number plate can rub on the body causing paint to bubble over time. There are fixes for these problems, and you can get it fixed under warranty if the car is less than 3 yrs old.

Check out https://www.ffoc.co.uk for more buying advice on Focuses.

As for the Honda, a new model Civic is due out very soon, so I wouldn't buy a current shape one now (even 2 yrs old) as their resale value will drop as soon as the new model is out. Getting a 2yr old Focus would mean someone else has already taken that pain since the new model came out at the start of the year.

The CTDI engine in the Honda does not have a great reputation for smoothness or power. Not sure about it's economy. You'll also pay more for servicing a Honda than a Ford, and if you go to an independant garage then I would expect spare parts to still cost more for the Honda. Insurance groups are the same.

Final tip - use the car by car breakdown on https://www.honestjohn.co.uk to compare the different models you're interested in.

charlesh

One other suggestion which may be within reach of your budget - a Skoda Fabia vRS... Expect to easily achieve more than 50mpg.

MINMOUSE

Go for the Civic, we had one which we loved but needed something bigger ( due to having 3 kids) and again opted for a Honda again (Accord this time). I find that initially Honda's are a bit more expensive but they make up for that in reliability and they keep there value better than Ford's.

mr_accountant

charlesh wrote:

I have a 51 reg Focus TDCI, but I'll try to keep this post objective! No problems to report on the engine, which averages around 42 mpg.

As for the bodywork, make sure you check around the bootlid and below the mirrors. The plastic mouldings of the mirrors and the chrome strip (on Ghia models) above the number plate can rub on the body causing paint to bubble over time. There are fixes for these problems, and you can get it fixed under warranty if the car is less than 3 yrs old.

Check out https://www.ffoc.co.uk for more buying advice on Focuses.

As for the Honda, a new model Civic is due out very soon, so I wouldn't buy a current shape one now (even 2 yrs old) as their resale value will drop as soon as the new model is out. Getting a 2yr old Focus would mean someone else has already taken that pain since the new model came out at the start of the year.

The CTDI engine in the Honda does not have a great reputation for smoothness or power. Not sure about it's economy. You'll also pay more for servicing a Honda than a Ford, and if you go to an independant garage then I would expect spare parts to still cost more for the Honda. Insurance groups are the same.

Final tip - use the car by car breakdown on https://www.honestjohn.co.uk to compare the different models you're interested in.

WHAT, talk about bias, let me put the record straight!


The Honda TDCi is widely recognized in the industry as being not one of the most smooth and powerful, BUT the MOST smooth and powerful, and it will be as realiable as the a modern complex diesel can get. ALL Honda engines are fantastically frugal too.


Re servicing costs yes the Honda will be slightly more expensive, but certainly not hugely more, plus customer service will be far far superior than Ford. Having said that I would not touch any main dealer of any manufacturer with a bargepole, I have heard too many bad stories.


Re the new civic, yes its out very soon but Honda do not plummet in depreciation when a new model comes out, unlike American cars. Honda lives and die by its reputation on reliability, this civic and Honda live. This is one reason why buying now wont have a huge impact on depreciation, plus of course you will benefit from a greater retained value on sale time.

Incredibly some fords (albeit a small amount) still rust, so check carefully if you want to buy the focus.

Good luck

Dave_G_5

I've owned several honda's and a focus over the years, though none have been diesels. The Focus was a very good car, very nice to drive, good interior with a lot of touchy feely plastics that were good to use, and I wouldn't worry about owning another one, though I have recently seen a few with some rust, though not at the age you are looking at.

The Honda's are very good cars, usually well specced, excellent engines, ultra reliable, some plastics can be a bit hard but that has been mainly on older models (not much experience of the latest Civic I'm afraid). The current Honda diesels are known to be some of the best in the world and have set the standards for other manufactures to follow, but the diesel in the Civic isn't a Honda engine. That doesn't mean it is a bad engine, just not a Honda one. I think they are developing one for the new shape Civic.

Honda always changes the shape every 4 years, but as said above it doesn't usually affect the values of the old shape.

If it was my money, I'd buy the Civic.

charlesh

For Mr_accountant (do you own a Civic CTDI by the way?), What Car offer a different opinion on the Honda 1.7 CTDI engine, stating "the diesel isn't flexible enough - let the revs drop and it's sluggish. Road and engine noise are considerable". This is borne out by the engine stats:

Honda Civic 1.7 CTDI 99bhp, 162 LbFt

Ford Focus 1.8 TDCI 113bhp, 184 LbFt

I think Cheggers needs to assess what his priorities are for the car. The Honda is undoubtedly reliable, spacious and well equipped, but negative points for me are the looks and performance. I am not committed to the Ford brand at all costs, but I find the Focus a great car. You'll notice I suggested the Skoda Fabia as another possible alternative.