2001 Ford Focus 1.6 petrol Zetec

Summary:

It's OK, nothing more

Faults:

Rear suspension, wheel bearings, brake calipers rusted, the distributor literally cracked, the motor controlling the wipers, wire for opening the door, door locks.

General Comments:

It was a decent car to begin with, OK on fuel usage, good comfort, spacious.

The heated windshield was awesome to have in the winter!

Great heater in this car, never once froze in it.

Very quiet on the roads, easy for a baby to sleep in it :).

But here comes the negative: The car decays, and it decays fast! I had barely replaced the brake calipers before I needed to replace them again, the brakes in the back wouldn't release, wheel bearings said bye bye.

A week later I threw it away. It felt more like sailing a boat than driving a car at this point. Not my plan to empty my wallet over a car I got for around 1k USD.

If you've got some extra cash for parts (a lot of parts), then it's a good car. If you want a car that you don't need to spend a lot on, don't go with this.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th November, 2016

5th Nov 2016, 00:27

As has been said more than twice on this site... you bought a 16 year old car and expected it to behave as if had come through a time warp directly from the factory.

In reply to 5th Nov 2016, 00:27

10th Nov 2016, 12:10

No, you're pretty damn mistaken.

Do note that I had already repaired several errors, only for them to come back rather fast. And don't give me that "Old car, expect repairs", I've driven everything from 40 year old Japanese cars to the newest BMWs.

Take for instance the 3 cars I have at the moment:

A 1998 Celica which I just replaced brakes on, rear and front (98 is older than 2001, mind you).

A 1998 Mercedes E200, brakes, water pump and a couple of hoses.

A 1999 VW Passat, a few wires here and there, regular maintenance.

All of the cars I own now are older, as you can see, requiring less work than the Focus... hell, all 3 of them together require less! Catch my drift?

To go even further, I had a 1983 Toyota Corolla that had been standing in a barn for 20 years, requiring only new cables for the spark plugs, plugs, capacitor, suspension all around the car... and of course brakes (that was in 2015).

Or my old '94 W124 E250d. Drove it 300000 (yes, 300k), requiring only general maintenance, power steering pump (twice), and new return-hoses (the old was leaky, letting air in).

So, by your logic, how did all of those cars require less work than a newer Ford Focus?

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2007 Ford Focus Titanium 1.6 TDCi turbo diesel

Summary:

Good to drive, good mileage, expensive to keep it running. Unreliable

Faults:

Rear suspension rod, DPF filter, one of the diesel injectors, gas-adjustment-housing(?), low compression.

I paid around $9000 and have spent $7000 on repairs. The most expensive car I have ever owned; I have nearly paid the price of the car in repairs the last two years. Just waiting for the next problem to show up.

General Comments:

OK to drive. Repairs are expensive. It's possible to do your own repairs if you want. Parts are easy to find, but because of all the small changes in every model, it can be hard to find the correct part. Will now buy a new car because I want the warranty and four wheel drive for taking us up to our cabin, even in a foot of snow.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th October, 2016

2006 Ford Focus Trend 1.6

Summary:

Very reliable, but somewhat basic

Faults:

Really, nothing.

Not joking, the only things I've replaced are a couple of light bulbs. The engine is however sweating some oil from around of the base of the dip stick, but not much. Haven't bothered to do anything about it, and the dealer didn't bother to do anything about it either.

General Comments:

Some negatives: Pretty slow with its base 1.6L engine and "old style" 4 speed auto (no DSG, exactly) but that's as expected. Also a lot of tyre noise, unfortunately. I'd give it a 10/10 for running costs, but it's somewhat thirsty considering its engine size.

Positives: 100% reliable and starts even without a hesitation at -27 deg below freezing, and it's fault free. Good heating system, but the A/C is not very efficient if the car has been left out in the sun. And at 6 years, the paint work is almost as good as when it left the factory. No rust whatsoever. Also, the interior keeps up really well, and the car feels very tight and rattle free. Drives very well, and is spacious enough for 2 adults and 2 children, including luggage.

I know it's not exactly a high mileage car, being basically used as a "grocery getter", but still very clean for its age.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th September, 2012