With the prices as they are, its highly likely i will buy another Ford Focus !

 

current one is coming to 8 years old now..

 

So around the same sort of prices on Auto Trader , i see the following (all under 60K)

 

2012 1.6 EB @ £7500

2013 1.0 EB @ £7500

 

2014 (Facelift) 1.0 EB @ £9000

 

2014 Navigator 1.0 EB @ £7000

 

bit confused, as the navigator one is the better one (pre facelift) as it adds sat nav ?

 

but then you could put 2K on to it and get a facelift

 

 

i personally want a 1.6 EB, Titanium X...

 

not sure what's best?

 

 

Check the power levels on the 1.0 EB's.  The 100ps models are generally cheaper than the 125ps models.  

Also 'TX Navigator' was a specific trim level, but you could also spec Nav onto the 'standard' trim when new.  So just because it doesn't say Nav, doesn't mean it doesn't have it.

As I'm sure you'll know, all of these cars will be due cambelts soon, with a recommended 10 year interval.  1.0 more expensive than 1.6, but neither exactly cheap!

And Mk3s are well known for water leaks around the boot, faulty AC and dodgy electrics.

Personally, there's no way I'd be paying £7.5k for a 10 year old Mk3.  I struggled to get £5k for my 45k 2012 Titanium back in 2018.  I know car prices are ridiculous at the moment but if there's nothing wrong with your current car, you might be better off keeping it.  I didn't find the Mk3 to be any sort of 'upgrade' from the Mk2.5, and was ultimately so awful I sold it and bought a written off Golf with twice as many miles, much more comfort and none of the faults the Focus had.

On 5/1/2022 at 1:58 PM, shiwarrior said:

i personally want a 1.6 EB, Titanium X...

Yes go for the 1.6, not because I think you will get loads more power, just in my opinion the 1.0 is like buying a hand grenade with the pin half pulled out.

10 minutes ago, unofix said:

Yes go for the 1.6, not because I think you will get loads more power, just in my opinion the 1.0 is like buying a hand grenade that might have already had the pin pulled out.

You know the early 1.6 EB's catch fire right?

There was a recall to add a low coolant warning on the dash...but I'd hardly consider that a fix!  

9 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

but I'd hardly consider that a fix! 

quite agree !!

They should have installed a Fire Extinguisher in the boot 🤣

40 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

You know the early 1.6 EB's catch fire right?

There was a recall to add a low coolant warning on the dash...but I'd hardly consider that a fix!  

 

1.6 EBs catch fire ?

I thought it was the 1L (3 cylinder) engine ? that did this

 

Are you telling me a should avoid Ford altogether then ? 😉 lol

 

my Brothers other half has a 17 plate Zetec S 1.0 EB since 2018 and its been brilliant

my sister has a 1.0 EB Fiesta that she bought new in 2014 (64 plate) and its been perfect too

 

 

10 minutes ago, shiwarrior said:

1.6 EBs catch fire ?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45628325

Thanks

 

so what do you guys suggest ?

Ecoblue ?

1 minute ago, shiwarrior said:

Thanks

 

so what do you guys suggest ?

If you really want a Mk3, the 1.6 Ti-VCT is pretty reliable.  Same 125bhp as the 1.0 but higher running costs.

Personally, I'd only consider a 2.0 TDCi if you're absolutely set on a Mk3.  But I seem to remember you mainly do short journeys from a previous thread, so DPF would be an issue.

yeah short journeys, i wouldnt want a Diesel anyway

 

i want to stick with a titanium X though

 

 

 

 

12 minutes ago, shiwarrior said:

yeah short journeys, i wouldnt want a Diesel anyway

i want to stick with a titanium X though

If you can push the budget a little, you can get a 1.5 EcoBoost in the facelifts (64 plate onwards). 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204164713156?

i know they are 1.5, do they not suffer the same problems as the 1.6 ?

 

what about the 1.0 facelift ?

23 minutes ago, shiwarrior said:

i know they are 1.5, do they not suffer the same problems as the 1.6 ?

 

what about the 1.0 facelift ?

The 4 cyl 1.5 featured (amongst other changes) a redesigned cylinder head that does not appear to have had the same issues as the 1.6:

https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=133

The 1.0 cooling issues were addressed on the facelift (Mk 3.5) by changes to the hoses which can retrofitted to earlier cars. That leaves the wet belt issues (on which there are many threads) which seem to mainly affect cars where regular oil changes have been neglected, incorrect grade of oil has been used, or have had an engine flush.

 

 

so the 1Litre is ok, as long as i do my homework ?

i don't mind buying a new hose kit (performance ones you get that are silicone etc)

 

im just thinking i don't want to be spending all my savings on a new car, for the prices to crash and loose it all lol (so to speak)

 

56 minutes ago, shiwarrior said:

 just thinking i don't want to be spending all my savings on a new car, for the prices to crash and loose it all lol (so to speak)

This is a big consideration for me too as I'm currently looking for a nearly new car.

Id say the 1.0 is too common, and too many reports of wetbelt failure, for them to hold value once the prices drop.  1.5EB is much rarer, more reliable, and likely to lose less value when the prices drop in my opinion.

The cooling issues on the 1.0 were mostly fixed by the new style hoses.  But the wetbelt will always be a risk on a used car...in 8 years it's likely to have missed a service, sat around unused for a while or had an engine flush...  And of course, there's only 2 years really before having to pay out out for the belt change anyway.

7 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

This is a big consideration for me too as I'm currently looking for a nearly new car.

Id say the 1.0 is too common, and too many reports of wetbelt failure, for them to hold value once the prices drop.  1.5EB is much rarer, more reliable, and likely to lose less value when the prices drop in my opinion.

The cooling issues on the 1.0 were mostly fixed by the new style hoses.  But the wetbelt will always be a risk on a used car...in 8 years it's likely to have missed a service, sat around unused for a while or had an engine flush...  And of course, there's only 2 years really before having to pay out out for the belt change anyway.

 

wetbelt meaning cambelt ?

if the paperwork backs up the replacements in the schedule it should be ok ?

32 minutes ago, shiwarrior said:

 

wetbelt meaning cambelt ?

Yes, sorry if we didn't make that clear. As Tom mentions, an 8 year old  is going to need a belt change in a couple of years and you're talking £1,000+ on the 1.0.

33 minutes ago, shiwarrior said:

 

if the paperwork backs up the replacements in the schedule it should be ok ?

Not sure what replacements you mean here, but the hoses mentioned on the pre-facelift 1.0 are as discussed on this thread:

https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/109308-ford-focus-ecboost-degas-hose/

 

Personally, I would suggest that you don't rule out other marques - just my two euros worth...

You might find a model that ticks all your boxes.  I've been happy with a couple of VWs (one owned from 15k - 95k, one from 60k - 125k) and a Japanese car, though they weren't perfect (actually the Jap car was nearly perfect, but we owned it from 30k miles to 65k miles, so not a fair comparison!)  And although Peugeots used to have a poor reliability reputation, a few people I know have had them recently and been very pleased overall. 

You could have a look on other owners' forums to see if those cars have any particular Achilles heel BEFORE you buy it! 

4 minutes ago, alanfp said:

Personally, I would suggest that you don't rule out other marques - just my two euros worth.

You could have a look on other owners' forums to see if those cars have any particular Achilles heel BEFORE you buy it! 

Absolutely - plenty of other fish in the sea. Anecdotal evidence and used car surveys seem to point towards brands like Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Suzuki etc with some regularity.

well, thanks guys, so a 1L one at that age will require cambelt (wetbelt) change at a cost of say 1500

that pushes the price up from 7000 to 8500 ish ?

that then pushes the money into the territory for a facelift

1 hour ago, shiwarrior said:

wetbelt meaning cambelt ?

Yes.  The cambelt runs in oil on the 1.0 EcoBoost so termed 'wet'.  The cambelt on the 1.5 is a conventional dry belt so cheaper to replace.

Had a good think at work today

 

first of all, id like to thank everyone who posted their advice, really appreciated it

 

If/when i need to change car, ill probably get a 1.6 VTi (preferably the 125 engine) until the price of the 1.5 facelift ones come down ion price..

 

or I could get another mk 2, but frankly I've had 8 years of it, I've had enough now and its getting old..

 

ill see how it develops

 

cheers