Faults:

Oil leak at rocker cover.

Power steering noise.

Rear windows jammed.

Minor electronic issues.

Plus the usual consumables. I looked after the car well, all services and belt changes.

Rust got the better of it at 12 years old and it was scrapped.

General Comments:

Loved this early Focus - it was one of my first cars.

Fantastic handling, very nice to drive. Gearbox slick to use. Liked driving this car.

1.8 16v Zetec performance was not bad and it did 35 - 38 MPG.

Good visibility. Comfortable seats.

Exterior best in dark blue with original Ford alloys.

Ford dealers were a bit expensive for service and repair; I found a trusted independent garage in its final years as it was an older car.

Shame rust got the better of it - but it did live most of its life on the rainy west coast of Scotland. I miss this fun little car, and when cars were still nice and simple.

Faults:

Heater fan speed pack was burnt out when I bought the car.

The rear wash didn't work, but the wiper does.

And after not spotting it in the test drive, one of the alloys had a slight buckle.

All of this was sorted out for £75.00, which is a lot less than my previous car cost in the first week of ownership.

General Comments:

I'm a light user of a car, using it Monday mornings and Friday evenings to commute to work, then at the weekends.

The fuel consumption is excellent at around 51mpg, once I've worked it out on paper.

The seats are supportive, and the controls are in the right position.

The dash lights could be a little brighter, and the L/H headlight could be a little easier to change.

The boot is bigger than my previous car, yet cheaper to insure.

Faults:

Injectors had to be replaced at 58500.

Dual mass flywheel had to be replaced at 59000.

Car frequently stalls during first few miles, no problem once warm. Dealers unable to find fault.

Front tyres wear quickly.

General Comments:

It's a very fast car.

Nothing special about the economy.

Parts are a reasonable price.

Faults:

Where do I start?

Warped brake discs.

Fumes pumping back into the main cabin.

Alternator.

Bearings.

Coil pack.

Shock absorbers.

Faulty sensors.

Catalytic converter.

Faulty coolant cap (watching steam come out of the engine bay is not fun; it could have been anything really).

General Comments:

Hmmmm...

This was my first car, and I bought it because I needed to get to work (as many people need to). So on the first day, I took it to work, and at the end of the road I lost power. The coil pack had gone, so I got it fixed and thought it would be best to get it serviced, which cost me a little over £1000.

Now this has really put me off, I've heard a lot of people that swear by their Focus, and a lot of people just tear their hair out because of the problems that arise with Fords in general. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not manufacturer biased, I don't care who makes it as long as it is a good car. I enjoyed the way it drove far better than my current Vectra (1.8), and the interior was better (the plastics in my current Vectra are shocking, but a nice stereo makes up for it).

But stay away from the 1.4, the car is heavy and it picks up speed like a 3 ton whale glued to the patio.

The car was an ex disabled with under 30K on the clock, so I thought it would be reliable. I should have guessed again.

I am now getting rid of my Vectra, which makes me happy and I want to buy a 2.0 litre Focus... I just don't know if I dare.