Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - 2004 mk1 1.6 - any good?

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Wed 27 Feb 2008 00:45
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - Tistin
Hello to all car nuts.
Recently I have been trying to decide if I should get a pre 2004 1.6 focus. All the sites I have been on have been a little vague on fuel economy and performance. I want a car which is fun to drive but not to thirsty. Could any owners give me a heads up on these issues or would a pre 2002 fiesta be better!
Is the zetec focus better than an LX, whats the difference in performance and costs.

Edited by Webmaster on 27/02/2008 at 00:55

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Wed 27 Feb 2008 09:13
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - I'm a Pane
Depending on budget, I'd go with the focus any day. 1.6 is fine for economy (40+mpg) and performance is reasonable( 0-60 11ish secs) in what was not a particularly heavy car. Best handling 'sensible' car you could buy. Wouldn't touch the Fiesta if comparing like for like on price v quality. Zetec normally prefered - has alloys/firmer suspension, but often not a/c - which perversely many lx's did have. Lx normlly slightly cheaper, but plenty of choice about in all guises. Look at both and discount neither...
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Wed 27 Feb 2008 09:32
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - Tistin
Thanks for the info everest pete, very useful.
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Wed 27 Feb 2008 10:07
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - Waino
Wife's 1.6 petrol, 52 reg Focus (spec edition based on Zetec) has averaged, over 4 years, 37mpg. On a steady run, it will easily do 42mpg, but this is brought down on town/short journeys and if it is driven harder.

In this one, the seats are leather and very comfortable though rumour has it that the LX seats are rather less comfortable.

It's a brilliant car, the only downsides being cabin noise (seems to depend on tyre selection) and the paint seems pretty thin.
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Wed 27 Feb 2008 12:01
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - MikeTorque
I had a Focus mk1 1998 reg 1.6 LX and have driven a number of Zetecs as well. Fuel economy was good, average of 40+ in winter and 43+ non-winter, reliability was 100% all I had was normal servicing bills and tyre changes. The LX offers a comfortable ride and as such leans slightly on the bends whereas the Zetec has a firmer suspension setup and hence the ride is slightly firmer but still acceptable and the handling is superb.

The seats in the LX are fairly wide and a slim person may have a tendency to lean when driving a bend assertively, whereas the Zetec seats are more bucket like and hold you in place better on the bends.

As already mentioned tyre choice is important otherwise you may notice additional road noise, there are a number of good quality tyres available that offer a quieter ride for the Focus.

I'd suggest you ensure the car has a full service history & MOT and you take it for a good test drive before you buy, and inspect as much as possible including how well doors, hatches bonnets close etc. Also if the car has been in any accidents and if so has the repair work been carried out correctly, otherwise walk away from it. There is a lot of choice out there and plenty of colours to choose from so don't settle for 2nd best when you should be able to find your first choice.
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Thu 28 Feb 2008 12:48
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - L'escargot
the Zetec seats are more bucket
like and hold you in place better .........


Pressure on the thighs from seat cushion bolsters can lead to bursitis, which is painful and long-lasting. I had to stop buying cars with bolstered seats because of this. After I changed to a Focus Ghia which has flatter, more comfortable, seats the bursitis disappeared.
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Sun 2 Mar 2008 13:33
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - AndyT
the Zetec seats are more bucket
like and hold you in place better .........
Pressure on the thighs from seat cushion bolsters can lead to bursitis which is painful
and long-lasting.


I second that about the Zetec seats. I had a pain to the side of my right thigh for a long time, before I twigged it was the car seat causing it. If you press down with a thumb on the bolster, the side rail can be felt pretty easily. Having said that, I still rate it as a great motor.
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Wed 27 Feb 2008 12:35
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - shawad
Hi,

I recently traded in a 1.6 LX 02 for a Vauxhall Zaf as it was too small for wife, new child and everything that entails.

It was a great car - I did 80000 miles in it, with the only reliability problem being the coil pack went at around 70k, taking the leads and plugs with it.

Other than that, the only thing I'd say to watch out for is rust. Despite Ford saying the car is galvanised, it clearly isn't. Rust has been common in the following places:

Around the black bar above the rear number plate, esp underneath - mine had just started to bubble in the paint around here when I got rid of it.

hatchback hinges area

Under the mirrors (mine was repaired under warranty after 1.5 years) where the housing rubs a hole in the paint

Agree about the LX seats being a tad wide, I found I had to lean to one side to get support if I was cornering hard. A plus point for the LX (which was at the time the more expensive model over the Zetec) is that it came with A/C and the best thing since sliced bread - a heated windscreen. I've no idea why other manufacturers didn't copy this - not having to scrape the ice off the windscreen on a frosty morning was bliss! Also the 'facelift' models LX had alloys (from the previous Ghia model) although not as 'sporty' looking at the Zetec ones.

I was getting around 450 miles from a tank (can't remember how much it held) which was 175 miles of commuting a week (50/50 town/m-way) + weekend trips

Edited by shawad on 27/02/2008 at 12:38

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Wed 27 Feb 2008 12:58
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - ijws15
Daughter ran an 03 LX for a while - no issues with it.

It did take a long time to find one that was dry inside, most we looked at had soaking carpets (pollen filter), she bought the only dry one we found in the colour she wanted.

Changed it because she decided it was too big for her.

The LX is more the comfort spec with heated screen and air con. The Zetec is the sporty one with different alloys/suspension/fog lamps instead (IIRC no heated screen or air con).
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Wed 27 Feb 2008 23:19
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - focusman
hi
i have a 1.6 zetec climate. 03 plate, it has aircon, heated front and back screens, heated door mirrors and heated washers. mine is the automatic and have had this for 4 years with no problems. as previous post, tyre noise is the main bugbear though liveable. also the pollen filter, check the seal if you buy a focus to see if has been sealed correctly.
plenty out there. take your time and get a good one also prices seem to vary wildly. do some research on autotrader on prices and spec.
cheers
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Thu 28 Feb 2008 08:40
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - Roly93
I think the 2004 Focus would be a mark 2, as we have one of these.
Superb car, never gone wrong, will do mid 40's mpg on a run. Drives great runs smoothly and very practical. The only downside is slight tyre noise, but this is affected by tyre choice, we find Goodyear NCT's better than the original Continentals the car came with in this respect.
Would highly recommend.
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Thu 28 Feb 2008 09:13
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - Blue {P}
2004 was the changeover year, you can find MK1 Focus registered up to 2005 05 plates.

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Sun 2 Mar 2008 10:58
2004 mk1 1.6 - any good? - gpmartin
I have a 1.6 Focus LX from 1999 (T reg). It has air conditioning and the heated windscreen and mirrors, though I think the latter were optional on the early LX models. Performance is fine for me (though bear in mind that my previous car was a non-turbo 205 1.8 diesel), and it's a good engine to rev in second and third gears. Fifth is relatively high (<3000rpm @70mph), which probably helps economy and certainly makes motorway cruising quite relaxed.

OK, here comes the sad bit: I have meticulously tracked fuel consumption throughout my 58,481 miles in the car, filling it up to two clicks each time. The lowest I have achieved in a tankful is 33.86mpg, and the highest 45.15mpg, and the overall average is 39.94mpg. Probably about 70:30 rural:urban driving.

Oh dear, I've only just joined the forum and I've already revealed myself as a geek :)
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