Ford Focus - Second Hand Car Buying help Needed !!

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Sun 7 Feb 2021 17:08
Ford Focus - Second Hand Car Buying help Needed !! - Steveuk

Hi all

I need some help from anyone that knows anything about buying used cars as I'm not a total beginner but my knowledge is limited. If this post is in the wrong place I apologise also.

So here it is , I'm looking to buy a 2nd hand car mainly for work travel but also will be used daily for social visits etc. I have always had fords before but i have a limited budget currently with covid still messing things up , I can spend max of £2000 and I've narrowed my choice down to 07 ford focus , 06+ vauxhall astra or golf after originally i was interested in a civic but they seem for the price i can spend to have stupid mileage.

Can anyone tell me primarily about decent mileage to look for on the sort of age cars etc , my ex wife and i had a 2012 focus tdci and i loved it but i'm liking the look of the astra , still not 100% sure on the golf but also been looking at the peugeot 308 as i found one that has 70 odd thoudand miles. If anyone has any prior knowledge on these it would help me loads.

Obviously I'd like a nice looking car but needs to be reasonable on mpg and extremely reliable.Thanks in advance

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Sun 7 Feb 2021 17:44
Ford Focus - Second Hand Car Buying help Needed !! - badbusdriver

You cannot guarantee a reliable car for £2k. How reliable a car is long term, is, at least in part, determined by how well it has been looked after and driven/treated.

Having said that, a Focus 1.6 petrol is going to a pretty good bet as they are fundamentally sound. Not sure if your budget would get you into a 1.0 Ecoboost, if so, do not be tempted!. Stick with the 1.6, 1.8 or 2.0 petrol. An Astra 1.6 petrol would also be a good shout, but also the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla/Auris (all with petrol).

You are going to be looking at 12-15 year old cars, so I wouldn't get too hung up on miles (within reason), condition is everything. A 100k mile car with evidence of regular servicing is going to be a much better bet that a 50k mile car with little or no history.

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Sun 7 Feb 2021 18:14
Ford Focus - Second Hand Car Buying help Needed !! - Steveuk

Thank you very much for the advice pal , appreciate it.

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Sun 7 Feb 2021 18:42
Ford Focus - Second Hand Car Buying help Needed !! - elekie&a/c doctor
Firstly, newer is not necessarily better . I would look for a mk1 Focus up to 2005 , petrol and manual gearbox . There are some really excellent examples out there for £1500 or less .
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Sun 7 Feb 2021 18:53
Ford Focus - Second Hand Car Buying help Needed !! - Steveuk

Thanks I'll take a look.

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Sun 7 Feb 2021 19:53
Ford Focus - Second Hand Car Buying help Needed !! - SLO76
On such a tight budget you need to cast the net as wide as possible to haul in a reliable car. Forget looks or image and buy based on condition and history first. Look only at simple mass market petrol engines cars and keep it as simple as possible. I’d forget the Peugeot 308 though as the VTi petrol motors are notorious for eating timing chains.

Here’s a wee list of cars I’d include in any shortlist under £2k.

Ford Focus 1.6 petrol
Mazda 3 1.6 petrol
Toyota Auris 1.33/1.6 petrol
Vauxhall Astra 1.6 petrol
Honda Civic 1.6 EP3 (in to 2005)
Honda Civic 1.8 (post 2005) you’ll struggle to get a good one at this money
Honda Accord 2.0 petrol
Toyota Avensis 1.8 petrol
Mazda 6 1.8/2.0 petrol
Kia Cee’d 1.4/1.6 petrol (watch for underbody rot)
Hyundai i30 1.4/1.6 petrol (watch for underbody rot)


Edited by SLO76 on 07/02/2021 at 19:54

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Thu 11 Feb 2021 18:29
Ford Focus - Second Hand Car Buying help Needed !! - Steveuk

Thank you for this , appreciate it.

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Sun 7 Feb 2021 19:55
Ford Focus - Second Hand Car Buying help Needed !! - bathtub tom

Two things:

1. Rule out any make ' I have always had fords before'.

2 Rule out: 'I'd like a nice looking car'.

At £2K, you're in banger territory. Ignore milege, go for the best sounding engine and service history you can find. A private sale may be your best bet. Take a knowledgeable friend with you.

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