new car

The Northern Monkey

Surf-Matt wrote:

Waylander - a guy at work had a new Cerbera a while back. Within two months rain soaked the inside, the clutch cable snapped and loads of bits fell off. A lovely car but very flawed.

typical Blackpool.

I know the guy that would have most probably done the upholstery in the car though

Thewaylander

Totally..

but the Tuscan is a far more Viscous bag... the S was a total track car and insane! cheap tat i agree but god that noise... I admit the 991 twin turbo job he has now feels faster(its the turbo's booting you in the Butt) and its really well built and fantastic to drive all the time... bu its just not so devastatingly stunning or evil... though im not sure by evil i meant the nasty resonance it had at between 70-90... (annoying on the motorway lol)

mudsucker

anyway, back on topic. I have owned a Focus 1.8 zetec for 4 years now and its been great. Only thing that has gone wrong was the fuel pump last year but as the car is 10 years old i can't really complain. Its comfortable, well equiped, fast enough, roomy enough for my bike to go in and cheapish to run even with my heavy right foot

I've always been a fan of the blue oval from a young age as my parents have owned 2 escorts, a siera, a mondeo and now have a mk 2 focus! All were very reliable except the siera which cracked a cylinder head between valves at about 120K (common fault so i'm told).

realnumber 1

TheRevOlutionary wrote:

Surf-Matt wrote:

I really rate the Focus and have recommended them to many over a Golf or a Civic. They are actually well made, handle brilliantly and are cheap to run.

Three mates are still chuffed with theirs after I found them a suitable one.

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Golf & Civic are infinately better than any Ford on the road. In fact any German or Jap car would out-last and out-value a Ford over the term of ownership.

I have worked in the Motor Trade for about 15years now, and will never again buy Ford, Alfa, Saab or ANY French car... There are good and bad in every brand, but more bad than good with the aforementioned makes.

WOW That's a bold and very untrue statement lol.
And for the record my dad has been driving French cars for around 20 years without any breakdowns as have I for the last 10 years. They aren't all bad.

TheRevOlutionary

realnumber 1 wrote:

TheRev wrote:

Surf-Matt wrote:

I really rate the Focus and have recommended them to many over a Golf or a Civic. They are actually well made, handle brilliantly and are cheap to run.

Three mates are still chuffed with theirs after I found them a suitable one.

:shock: :shock: :shock:

Golf & Civic are infinately better than any Ford on the road. In fact any German or Jap car would out-last and out-value a Ford over the term of ownership.

I have worked in the Motor Trade for about 15years now, and will never again buy Ford, Alfa, Saab or ANY French car... There are good and bad in every brand, but more bad than good with the aforementioned makes.

WOW That's a bold and very untrue statement lol.
And for the record my dad has been driving French cars for around 20 years without any breakdowns as have I for the last 10 years. They aren't all bad.

...and I stand by that bold statement, but in context it is defined by;

TheRev wrote:

we are all entitled to our opinions I have driven thousands of cars in my years, new & old, and in my humble opinion German & Jap have the best 'overall' package. By that I include handling, maintenance, servicing, reliability, resale value, warrenty etc...

Having worked for Renault & Peugeot over the years Ive seen the troubles they can be, and driven enough to have experienced a few too! As Ive said before, there are good and bad for every make but im thinking you found one of the good ones if you've had French cars for 20years without fault??? Did you actually drive it or just leave it in the garage :roll:

Thewaylander

Sorry to revive this conversation.

But just made me laugh this morning as i was leaving my estate heading to work, stuck on the round about not even away from home, Was an AA van fixing a broken down Focus... (just thought it ammusing the day after chatting here)

robmanic1

Mrs manic has a 9 year old 1.8 Zetec, which has cost us bugger all in repairs and has been a great car.

I have a 3 year old 1.6TDCI Zetec company car which has also been very reliable (albeit a little gutless).

Would I buy another? Well the civic is on the new list and the mrs fancies the new punto, otherwise, probably.

TheRevOlutionary

Punto? :?

robmanic1

TheRevOlutionary wrote:

Punto? :?

She thinks they have a "pretty face"> :oops:

TheRevOlutionary

Robmanic1 wrote:

TheRevOlutionary wrote:

Punto? :?

She thinks they have a "pretty face"> :oops:

...and I bet likes the colour!? It could drive like a sack of spuds but as long as it looks nice it's ok :roll:

milkywhite

Surf-Matt wrote:

Waylander - a guy at work had a new Cerbera a while back. Within two months rain soaked the inside, the clutch cable snapped and loads of bits fell off. A lovely car but very flawed.


Fastest car? Evo FQ360 - I nearly bought one but sense came and tapped me on the shoulder. Mind bogglingly quick and capable but a wee bit thirsty.

Noooooooooo.....don't say that!!! I did a track 2 weeks ago and fell in love with a Cerbera. Every time I saw it drive past when I was watching from the pits, all sleek and smooth and sexy, with a V8 burble, I just drooled.

As for the Evo, I can't help feeling a little cold towards them. Massive leveles of grip, and hugely capable, but they just look so dull on the track.

Hardly a sensible argument for buying a road car, but I'm not that sensible.

Surf-Matt

Milky - for some odd reason I actually prefer the Speed Six version. No rational reason, just love that engine. I usually prefer V8s.

The Evo is quite clinical but with 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and grip that makes you giggle like a little girl, who cares?!

jamescw

I've had a mk1 Focus (1.8 Zetec) for three years and would definitely recommend it.

I've had very few problems. There was a dodgy patch where the engine had a habit of cutting out on corners but that was traced to a faulty engine speed sensor. Other than that, all I've had to do is replace a couple of wheel bearings. Not bad for a car with 100,000+ on the clock.

It handles well, has plenty of room for a couple of bikes in the back and was a lot cheaper than a Golf or Civic.

nby

I have had an 01' focus 1.6 (facelift) for 4 years and it is yet to cost/fail me at all, most i've spent on it is on a set of 4 goodyear eagle f1's and a set of 17" focus "mp3" alloys.

I couldnt recomend them highly enough, I have however experienced the dreaded clock failure once where your happily cruzing along at 70mph and the dials suddenly all read zero! scary stuff, its been featured on watchdog and you can get this replaced via ford for £99 or free I cant remember. Focus's also have an anti corrosion warranty whereby if the car rusts from the inside out it will be repaired free of charge (this does not cover exterior rusting from stone chips etc)

best forum for advise as previously stated is ffoc, as there is tons of information to read

adun1408

I've been away with work all week so just been checking all the replies now. I have got a test drive booked for tomorrow so we will see how it goes.