Faults:

Wiper linkage fell to bits.

Hard to find third gear.

Right hand front indicator worked when it felt like it.

Heater blower switch would only work on position 3.

Doors creaked badly.

Remote locking wouldn't work.

Car would sometimes misfire at low revs.

General Comments:

The Ford Focus is generally looked upon to be one of the best cars Ford has ever made; certainly they flew out of the showrooms, and nearly every street in the country has one, but the reality is that once up in years, they are just another used car. A chap I work with, has had a number of Focuses (should that be Foci?) and rated them very highly, however he's the sort of chap whose cars never reach MOT age, so his view may have been a big biased. My own well used example was of 1999 vintage, with 120000 miles on the clock, a 1.8 Ghia no less.

First thing I noticed was that the Ghia badge immediately added two groups to the insurance, all for a few bits of faux wood trim that quite frankly looked terrible. Yes, there was air con and a heated front screen, things that a Mondeo LX of similar age would have, but apart from that, nothing special in the interior dept, just the usual oversize Ford audio that doesn't work on medium wave, and barely works on FM, complete with cassette player, and this is the top of the range in 1999?

Almost immediately, things started failing; the heater would only work on position 3, a quick google suggested it may be a resistor, but if you fiddled with the switch, it would work in the other position, and eventually I gave up.

Then, in the middle of a torrential downpour on the motorway, the wipers packed up; the linkage had decide to die, of course both wiper arms and a fair amount of plastic trim needed to be pulled off before the linkage was bodged with a bungee cord I found in the boot. Eventually, soaked to the bone, I was able to drive again. Fortunately the air con helped dry the steam rising from me as I warmed up.

The driver's side front indicator had a mind of its own. Twice it failed at exactly the same spot. I removed and cleaned the corroded bulb holder, and it worked fine after that.

Driving the car was not as good as I had expected; despite having the same engine as my old Mondeo, and fewer miles on it, it did not feel much quicker, in fact it didn't feel any quicker, and seemed a lot less happy at high speeds. At low speeds it was worse, and sometimes at low revs, it would have a huge hiccup, and if you tried to change quickly from second to third, you'd either end up back in first, or bogged down in fifth.

Handling was a disappointment; certainly no better than a 306, and above 75 it felt a bit skittish, was something bent? I don't know, but you always felt it would go pear shaped quickly; maybe the much vaunted control blade suspension doesn't wear well?

The rear visibility is awful; a large number of Focuses in my area all have damage on the driver's side rear corner, due to the enormous blind spot here.

Build quality is not up to Mondeo standards. Rust was breaking out on the tailgate, paint was flaking off the bumpers, and the doors let out an audible groan when opening or closing; it just didn't feel "tight"

All in all, it was an OK car, but to be honest, it didn't have any character, didn't do anything badly, but it wasn't spectacular either!

Faults:

Nothing major considering the age and mileage.

Petrol pump (80,000 miles).

Ignition coil and ECU part (93,000 miles).

Rear wheel bearings (cheap and easy to fix).

Front and rear anti-roll bar drop links (a common Focus problem, cheap and easy to fix).

General Comments:

The car handles very well and is very stable on the road.

Interior is not as tactile as a Golf, but it is well put together and durable. At 99,000 miles, the seat upholstery is perfect and all of the components operate perfectly.

Engine performance is fine for day to day use in Ireland, and economy is very good 40+mpg. Given a choice, a 1.6 would be good.

Overall, I'm more surprised with the Focus than anyone else. I had an image of Ford from their cars of old, but the Focus is one good car. It's easy to live with, and the more I drove the car, the more I liked it.