My dad has asked me to search for a car to replace my mums Rover 45. I have recently bought a Fiesta and he has a Mondeo so was thinking that maybe the Focus is the car to go for. Another contender is a Fiesta 5 door but i think the Focus's are easier to find.

We would be purchasing one with higher mileage on the clock so im just starting this thread to ask is there anything to look out for when buying a Focus ?? Any common faults and fads i should be made aware of so i can find the best possible deal ?

Got a 2k budget for the car so was thinking of 2003 onwards models...

Have a look on pistonheads some great bargins on there for your budget. There are some small niggely things that can give grief but there all very easy to put right. Some of these are the speedo can stop working fix - vehicle speed sensor. The central locking can stop working, the fix for this can be either a fuse, a new central locking module or solenoid motor in the door. Another is water in the footwell which leaks through the pollen filter. The fix is to replace with a new one and change the scuttle panel below passenger wiper. The heater matrix can leak into the footwell too, that would mean replacing it. Water can accumulate in the spare wheel area, the fix is to replace tubing going to rear washer jet. That's all I can think of at the moment but should help you to look out for them.

Coolant leaks from cracked thermostat housing on Zetec engines, be cautious as the owner may have then topped up coolant repeatedly with water with the consequence of diluting the anti-freeze, which as a result decreases the anti-corrosion properties, which can cause th head gasket to corrode and lead to head gasket failure. I had experience of this with a Zetec engine on Mondeo.