Ford Focus Estate - Ford Focus Mk1 - Petrol or Diesel?

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Sat 27 Oct 2012 15:01
Ford Focus Estate - Ford Focus Mk1 - Petrol or Diesel? - kerfuffle12

Hi all, seeking advice. I am looking to buy a 200-2001 Ford Focus Estate to replace a recently dead Renault 19 diesel. I like the fuel economy of the Focus diesels (hj's real mpg suggests 36mpg petrol vs 48mpg diesel) but I'm worried about the horror stories of older diesels failing expensively (the DMF problem).

My choice for the Mk1's (and Mk 1.5's) seem to either of 2 diesel engines, the 1.8TDDi and the 1.8 TDCi, or the 1.6 petrol engine. I would appreciate any comments or advise on which is the better to buy.

I do about 10,000 miles/year, including long runs from East Anglia to Scotland 4-5 times a year

Edited by kerfuffle12 on 27/10/2012 at 15:02

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Sat 27 Oct 2012 18:15
Ford Focus Estate - Ford Focus Mk1 - Petrol or Diesel? - mrnikko

The older Focus is a fairly robust car my local Ford garage has one in which they happily use as a courtesy car that has 200,000 miles on the clock showing customers that if a car is looked after it will last.

My own experiance with a 2002 Focus Ghia 1.8 TDCi has been good, bought last year as a car to commute to work so far I have taken it from 43,000 miles to 74,000 miles and mechanicly wise no problems give 53 mpg mostly motorway driving at 65 to 70 only other costs have been two new tyres and a new timing belt tensioner that i thought was a slipplng fanbelt to say I am happy with the car is an understatement.

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Sat 27 Oct 2012 18:38
Ford Focus Estate - Ford Focus Mk1 - Petrol or Diesel? - elekie&a/c doctor

A diesel Focus Tdci of this age could be total money pit.A Tddi is likely to be more reliable and cheaper to fix ,but there are very few around now.If you are only doing 10K per year,I would opt for the 1.6 petrol,unless you can find a very low mileage diesel model.hth

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Sat 27 Oct 2012 18:39
Ford Focus Estate - Ford Focus Mk1 - Petrol or Diesel? - skidpan

Buying a 10 or 12 year old car is pretty much a gamble, you may get a good one or you may get a money pit. Buy on condition not on model or spec plus if there is something you are not sure about walk away, there are plenty more.

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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?