Advice on buying a 2008 focus

[Rflx95]

I want to switch from my fiesta to a focus, found a 2008 2l tdci titanium, 117k on the clock and will cost about £1600. Test drove it and it was really nice, came home to do some research only to see apparently it's one of the worst years for a focus ? Anyone have any experience with the tyre wear problem? Is it really that bad?

Or any other problems really that could end up making this very expensive 

[andypsp]

i had a 2008 1.6l petrol focus had it for 4yrs no problems at all, sold it nearly 8yrs ago to a good friend and it`s still going strong with 157k on the clock.

if i was you check the mot history on the car you test drove, ask the seller about the service history. i always do oil and filter change every 6months and all filters once a yr.

as for tyres most of the time it`s down to if they have been tracked correct etc

[Rflx95]

That's good to know thank you, I've had a look at the MOT history and it is 90% tyres lol 

He said it's got a full service history but I will double check that tomorrow when I look at it again

[TomsFocus]

The Focus uses an independent rear suspension setup.  This means that the rear wheels have to be aligned as well as the fronts.  People cheap out on this, only having the fronts aligned, and then complain that the rear tyres keep wearing on the edges!

I had a 2008 Focus for 3.5 years, only replaced all 4 tyres once in that time.

The main problems with these now is rust on the chassis (will be noted on the MOT if there is any) and electrical faults from the dash cluster or GEM due to lead-free solder which cracks over time and creates poor connections.

[Rflx95]

1 minute ago, TomsFocus said:

The Focus uses an independent rear suspension setup.  This means that the rear wheels have to be aligned as well as the fronts.  

People cheap out on this, only having the fronts aligned, and then complain that the rear tyres keep wearing on the edges!

I had a 2008 Focus for 3.5 years, only replaced all 4 tyres once in that time.

The main problems with these now is rust on the chassis (will be noted on the MOT if there is any) and electrical faults from the dash cluster or GEM due to lead-free solder which cracks over time and creates poor connections.

I see, that makes sense. I popped my head under the car and from what I could see there seemed to mostly just be surface rust but its getting a fresh MOT so we'll see what comes up. I guess its just luck of the draw with electrical faults

[F0CUE]

I had one also the rear tyres just get dragged so last longer if all bushes in the rear are good. The fronts last well if you don't wheel spin too much and all bushes are tight. The front control arms bushes eventually go if they have not been recently renewed which can cause problems with alignment/tyres. Sway bar links it eats through them but they are cheap enough you will hear creaking/clattering through the strut. Check the exhaust is secure the mounts attached to it can rust and break off. Rust works it way up the rear arches just behind the passenger doors, on the rear hatch around the chrome/painted trim and the rear bumper rubs the paint off at the back of the rear arches at some point. Rear upper arm bushes will go at some point and you will hear a banging sound when taking off which sounds like its from the front due to the travel of sound across the body. It would of been well past it's time to get the timing belt done so check the history. They are very spacious you can get a lot in there with the seats down I miss how much room mines had the newer ones are smaller. I had mines for 5 years and the only problem that stopped me driving it is when the battery died and that had lasted 8 years it was the ford original one. Wheel bearings you will defo know when one of them goes they get noisy. Keep on top of oil and filter changes and you will find they are generally good cars and somewhat addictive to drive.