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.

Faults:

Not so much in 8 years and 205000 kilometers:

- 1999 the "dog-bones" had to be refitted (type fault).

- 2000 some computer problems with the ABS

- 2002 BIG problems with the paint : ( (type fault)

- 2005 Handbrake broke

- 2006 the "dog-bones" had to be refitted again (type fault)

+ New brake-parts at 180000km

+ New cooler and lower front because of a little crash with a fox in 140km/h : (

General Comments:

I'm very pleased about it. It had so few faults that I think it's much better than Golf or Corolla. The handling VERRRY GOOD, but not like my Peugeot 205 of course. ;)

When it's slippery, it's very easy to drive it (no ESP), maybe because of its long wheelbase (2610mm). It handles good on small roads too. Some times I've driven very fast on small road in the Finnish archipelago :D

The engine is quite good, but a bit lacking in torque 2000rpm >... but between 4000 and 6000 it roaaars and accelerates very quickly.

There is much room on all the seats, and the max load-space is 1600 liters. Once I slept in the car (not sitting).

The looks are great with the red pepper metallic paint.

0-100km/h 10.9s

Top Speed 185km/h

Max output 102bhp@6000

Max torque 145Nm@4000

Fuel 6,9l/100km

Faults:

Actually nothing so far.

General Comments:

I bought a second-hand Focus as an import from Italy; it was 7 years old at the time of purchase.

Changed the belts in the engine as a precaution, oil and oil filter is changed regularly.

The car is surprisingly roomy, I didn't expect it to have so much space in the interior. It is no head-turner, but the design is still OK, and it is nice to look at. Interior is interestingly and strangely designed, but very ergonomic and intuitive. It is a 5-door model, and the boot is only moderate, but enough for a family of four with small children.

However, it could have better performance in the terms of acceleration and top speed (but it is only 1.6 petrol - 100 HP, so it is OK, but my previous Alfa 33 with 107 HP was considerably faster - probably because it was lighter and had differently calculated gearbox ratios). However, the comfort and the dynamics of the car's perfect suspension is superb too many cars I have driven, including Alfa 33, Honda Accord, Golf GTI... You can play with Focus and road curves in such a manner that you don't need an electronic stability program at all, it is very benign, but still fast in sharp curves.

The brakes are very good and reliable.

Would be happy if it had better acceleration and more torque, my old Alfa was faster in climbing steep hills and overtaking. I miss that. But my family likes the Focus much more - it is easier for my wife to drive it, and even my 3-year old son thinks it's better than the Alfa Romeo.