Just spotted this article. Really good reasons for it's reliability is similar to my old Mk2. It's a very basic car! Stands to reason the more 'gizmos' you add, the more things likely to go wrong. My car still works with a twist of the key, how cool is that. (No button, keyless entry, passive starting etc etc). The most exotic part is electric mirrors, even then, that is for adjusting glass angle, not folding LOL

https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/mechanic-reveals-most-reliable-car-35455789

 

10 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Just spotted this article. Really good reasons for it's reliability is similar to my old Mk2. It's a very basic car! Stands to reason the more 'gizmos' you add, the more things likely to go wrong. My car still works with a twist of the key, how cool is that. (No button, keyless entry, passive starting etc etc). The most exotic part is electric mirrors, even then, that is for adjusting glass angle, not folding LOL

https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/mechanic-reveals-most-reliable-car-35455789

 

Agree 100 percent with you.  Our tit x C Max has all the toys alongside far to much crap to go wrong.

2 hours ago, StephenFord said:

The most exotic part is electric mirrors, even then, that is for adjusting glass angle, not folding LOL

Ah! So this is why Ford removed so much stuff (powerfold, heating, puddle lamps, etc, from the Mk 8.5 Fiesta. It was to increase reliability! And we cynics thought it was just to save a few quid!😄

2 hours ago, StephenFord said:

My car still works with a twist of the key, how cool is that. (No button...)

That's only possible because of an electrical ignition switch behind the key barrel.  That switch isn't any more reliable than a start button.  Also key barrels wear out and jam up eventually.

I agree there's lot of stuff on modern cars that is less reliable.  But not that part.  

My first car ('62 Mini) had a key but only to switch the car "on". The starter button was on the floor. I've read they did that to save (money and weight) on heavy duty cabling, as it was in the main run from the boot mounted battery to the engine bay.

They did go wrong occasionally, I believe (mine didn't). You can still get a replacement (repro or new old stock) from under £40 last time I looked.

(Every time I go to a classic show, I end up wondering if you can still get this or that bit, and if so, how much. In many cases its easier and cheaper to get bits for something 60 years old than something current!) 

I modded my ST170 to start from a push button, using a Honda S2000 start button mounted in the cigarette lighter socket in the dash. That needed a couple of relays, to handle the starting current and an interlock so it wouldn’t fire the starter if you pressed it with the engine already running

The Mk1 Focus was a very good car, there's no denying it.

I loved all three of mine

To be fair, it's probably one of the best (if not the best) car Ford ever built.

7 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

To be fair, it's probably one of the best (if not the best) car Ford ever built.

 

Apart from the Escort RS Cosworth 🤣

I had 2 ST170’s, sadly the first one was one of the early versions and had lots of niggly faults. From memory an alloy that wasn’t painted properly, brakes that lost servo assistance if used excessively from a cold start up (recall on that issue) the cable breaking off the variable intake manifold, vibrating throttle pedal due to cable routing, one of needles in the cluster not lighting up any more, tailgate badge coming off, transport blocks left in front springs causing damage to ABS wiring etc which along with some ludicrous responses from the dealer service department was enough for me to trade it in for a Fiesta 1.6

ST170 #2 was miles better and looked the business in Imperial Blue 😎

How has no-one mentioned rust so far?

I never did like the Mk1 I'm afraid.  Found the wonky dash vents irritating, and the way the speedo overlapped the rev counter.  Admittedly nothing to do with reliability, but things you have to look at constantly.

I do like the exterior looks of the ST170 though.  But I also like the looks of the Mk4 Golf GTI, the direct rival at the time.  Honestly not sure which I'd have bought new if I had the chance.  (Ok, it probably would still have been the Golf, I'm not so bothered about handling.  )

ST170 was a bit of a letdown compared to the Golf, Civic Type R and other comparable hot hatches at that time. Performance wasn’t startling and no easy way to unlock much more. The 6 speed gearbox ticked boxes for brochure points but was stiff to use and the ratios weren’t practical at all. If you were in top gear and wanted to get shifting in a hurry you needed to try and find 3rd gear 😬 it was a nice looking car though and handled really well. I managed to get a Focus RS upper grille for mine which along with painting the lower grille and fog surrounds in satin black helped look it subtly different. 
 

Was happy with my second ST170 until Ford released the ST version of the Mk2……

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

How has no-one mentioned rust so far?

They did quite well though, considering.

You were lucky to get to the third MOT in a MK2 Escort or a Cortina

On 7/7/2025 at 9:20 AM, TomsFocus said:

How has no-one mentioned rust so far?

Rust! There you go!😀

On 7/7/2025 at 11:03 AM, DaveT70 said:

You were lucky to get to the third MOT in a MK2 Escort or a Cortina

My Mk 1 Cortina got through its sixth (much welding of strut tops and spring hangers pre-MOT of course). Then I sold it to a mate who promptly wrote it off. (He had form - he'd already written off a Viva HA, an Austin 1100, and another Cortina.) 

12 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Rust! There you go!😀

My Mk 1 Cortina got through its sixth (much welding of strut tops and spring hangers pre-MOT of course). Then I sold it to a mate who promptly wrote it off. (He had form - he'd already written off a Viva HA, an Austin 1100, and another Cortina.) 

Exactly, lots of MK1 Focuses got to their 15th MOT with no welding (apart from RS of course)

26 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

Exactly, lots of MK1 Focuses got to their 15th MOT with no welding (apart from RS of course)

Not near me they didn't!!  (Admittedly coastal...but other brands of the same age were visibly less rusty).

Still see some MK1.5s going around here in relatively good condition.

Not many MK1s though

Mk1s are pretty rare round these parts though I do see a fair amount of Mk2s. Most have both front wings rusted through (I replaced both of mine) along with a bit of MOT welding round the rear driver wheel arch.

The biggest claim to fame is watching a YouTube on the restoration of a crashed Lamborghini Mercielago, were both front indicators needed replaced. Lamborghini wanted £300+ for each one! The guy discovered, after spotting the Ford logo stamped on them they were the indicators from a Mk1 Focus, where he got a pair for £6 🤣

1 hour ago, DaveT70 said:

Still see some MK1.5s going around here in relatively good condition.

Not many MK1s though

Could probably count the number of Mk1/1.5's I see locally on my fingers.  There are a few Mk2's left, but they're pretty much all rough as well now, wings and/or sills rotting, duct tape on various parts.  Must admit I am surprised the Mk3's seem to be holding up so far, there are loads of those around.  They were all leaking when I had mine at around 6 years old, so I was expecting them to rust from the inside out.

Don't see many MK1's around any more  sadly, but I can totally understand why it's considered "the most reliable"... it was a pretty simple design and build, the Zetec-SE/Duratec engines were pretty bulletproof, the TDCi's were actually bulletproof, overall easy to maintain, relatively simple electrics, and had that amazing Ford chassis feel which meant they were better to drive than most of their competitors, parts were relatively cheap and they were diagnosable and serviceable by basically anyone - no need to find a local specialist to work on them. That's not even getting into the sheer number of them that were sold which must skew the number sold vs number of failures statistics.

Feel like I'm writing a Ford shill piece but it's such a shame that that era of Ford seems to have gone by the wayside with the introduction of wet belts. Modern Ford's (or cars in general, tbh!) psychologically just feel fragile these days.