I've currently got a 02 reg Focus 1.6 Zetec, great car but now hitting 156000 miles its time for a change...

Having looked round the local dealers, it seems the best two are a 57 reg 1.8 Diesel Focus Estate with 55000 on the clock or a 08 facelifted 1.6TDCI 90bhp Diesel Focus Estate with 68000 on the clock.

Now there are horror stories on the net about Ford Diesels, I was edging towards the Facelifted 08 model but would that be a mistake?! Both have FSH....

Help!!!!

Avoid the 1.6 like the plague.

The 1.8 is a more basic engine but is far more reliable with less inherent problems.

1.6 problems-

Turbo oil pickup is a design flaw which leads to fragged turbos.

The DPF is a pig to keep operational and frags the engine.

The engine is basically a Peugeot block with a few Ford logos.

If you can find a facelift 1.8 with good mileage then it's a far better option.

As above hold out for the face lift model

Do you do the mileage to warrant a diesel? If not its a false economy buying one if you do just from what I've seen posted on here the 1.8 engine the 1.6 seems to have a lot of issues

after quite a lot of effort tweeking the 1.6 to reduce the potential problems, ive noticed an almost complete removal of carbon deposits building up in the oil, these being the biggest problem that engine has, if i could go back in time id go for a 1.8, the 1.6 is fine though it just needs more TLC.

I'd have the 2.0 if I could chose again!! I've had many 2.0 HDi Peugeots without any engine faults (the cars fell apart around the engine!) and the 2.0 in the Focus is essentially the same with a few tweaks so I wish I'd gone for one of those now.

Disappointed with the 1.6 if I'm honest, gutting really as the rest of the car is ideal for me! That said I'm not keen on the 1.8 either, old and unrefined, and does still have problems, mainly around injectors and DMF. Also, the 90bhp 1.6s DO NOT have a DPF, so that's one thing you don't have to worry about. It's a heavy car for just 90bhp though, so make sure you're happy with the 'pull' on short slip roads etc.

It's also worth noting that you get a 6 speed gearbox with the 2.0, where the 1.6 and 1.8 are 5 speed. Plus on the hatch models you only get rear disc brakes and bigger font brakes on the 1.8 and 2.0, though the estates are fittd with larger brakes regardless of engine size.