Ford Focus 1.6 tdci or petrol? 2010 - 2012 plates
Discussion
Hi all,
Need advice ASAP before we commit to buying. We've got 2 days to find another ce and torn between a couple.
Been looking at Focus'
Any advice on which models to steer clear from and which is best, petrol or diesel? Going for a 1.6 as we want a bit of oomph but not something silly fast.
Max mileage and what would you stay away from in terms of mileage?
Seen some fab examples with amazing mot history's (ie mainly tyres and break discs etc headlights) and low ish mileage (97k being the lowest) but we know cambelts are an issue. Do we buy one that's already had it done and got the receipts or should we risk buying one without and have it done ourselves? Which is the worst model for rust and corrosion? Been told mk2 are the worst for rust but have better engines than the Mk3?
Sooo many questions and so little time! Argghh
Need advice ASAP before we commit to buying. We've got 2 days to find another ce and torn between a couple.
Been looking at Focus'
Any advice on which models to steer clear from and which is best, petrol or diesel? Going for a 1.6 as we want a bit of oomph but not something silly fast.
Max mileage and what would you stay away from in terms of mileage?
Seen some fab examples with amazing mot history's (ie mainly tyres and break discs etc headlights) and low ish mileage (97k being the lowest) but we know cambelts are an issue. Do we buy one that's already had it done and got the receipts or should we risk buying one without and have it done ourselves? Which is the worst model for rust and corrosion? Been told mk2 are the worst for rust but have better engines than the Mk3?
Sooo many questions and so little time! Argghh
Petrol for a quiet life, my cousin had the diesel 1.6 and it went pretty wrong at 80k, the petrols arent quite as quick feeling but they tend to last better due to relative simplicity, no turbo and diesel related emission systems.
That is a fairly old car though, get someone to check it who knows them, check tyres and brakes have some life left, has it had a cam belt, does the clutch slip, hows long is the MOT.
We have one but keep away from the 1.0 ecoboost, again for a quiet life, ours has been fine but know other folk who have had replacements or dodged a bullet.
That is a fairly old car though, get someone to check it who knows them, check tyres and brakes have some life left, has it had a cam belt, does the clutch slip, hows long is the MOT.
We have one but keep away from the 1.0 ecoboost, again for a quiet life, ours has been fine but know other folk who have had replacements or dodged a bullet.
Thank you both!
Been arguing with the other half for 2 days now about which one to go for. Really don't want to get stung again like we did with the last golf we had. I'm open to either, he wants a diesel. We don't travel far enough to warrant a diesel. I want something that's already had the cambelt done and good mot history and only 2 owners, he wants to get one that we can do ourselves, but not bothered about MOT history or how many owners (although he was moaning about owners on one we saw the other day)
He wants the newer stereo and don't know why because he don't have it on in the car hahah
Been arguing with the other half for 2 days now about which one to go for. Really don't want to get stung again like we did with the last golf we had. I'm open to either, he wants a diesel. We don't travel far enough to warrant a diesel. I want something that's already had the cambelt done and good mot history and only 2 owners, he wants to get one that we can do ourselves, but not bothered about MOT history or how many owners (although he was moaning about owners on one we saw the other day)
He wants the newer stereo and don't know why because he don't have it on in the car hahah
MattsCar said:
At this age/mileage. Petrol and naturally aspirated.
Yes, it might get 10 mpg less...but there are so many less diesel "gubbins" to go wrong, you'll probably come out better off in the long run.
Also, petrol is a lot smoother and quieter and also a little cheaper at the pumps
Thanks! What kind of mileage should we consider when looking at petrols? Yes, it might get 10 mpg less...but there are so many less diesel "gubbins" to go wrong, you'll probably come out better off in the long run.
Also, petrol is a lot smoother and quieter and also a little cheaper at the pumps
You shouldn’t have any rust problems unless there’s been a bodge somewhere (poor accident damage repair or just plain neglect) even on a MK2.
1.6 petrol is a solid motor if a little long in the tooth. Can drone a bit on the motorway as it revs a little high at 70mph and mpg isn’t much to write home about but it is a dependable motor. You’re looking at the last of the line mk2 at that age so all manufacturing niggles will long be ironed out. Highish mileage shouldn’t be a problem as they can take it so be picky as there’s loads of them about.
The Mk3 is a big leap forward and still looks modern. Early cars carried over the 1.6 but also came with the 1.0l ecoboost engine. They are a good engine but they have their problems which can lead to catastrophic damage. At the age you’re looking at they will be due a cambelt change and it is an expensive job (circa £1k) and not all garages can do it meaning a main dealer job hence £££ so a lot are ignored and fingers subsequently crossed. Get evidence it’s been changed or walk away.
I’ve had both mk2 and 3 (only petrol though so can’t speak for the diesels but make sure you do enough mileage to warrant the diesel as the emissions gubbins can gum up if you don’t do enough miles) and the Mk3 was nicer to drive and to sit in with better materials and a more modern feel but the mk2 felt more robust but both were reliable.
1.6 petrol is a solid motor if a little long in the tooth. Can drone a bit on the motorway as it revs a little high at 70mph and mpg isn’t much to write home about but it is a dependable motor. You’re looking at the last of the line mk2 at that age so all manufacturing niggles will long be ironed out. Highish mileage shouldn’t be a problem as they can take it so be picky as there’s loads of them about.
The Mk3 is a big leap forward and still looks modern. Early cars carried over the 1.6 but also came with the 1.0l ecoboost engine. They are a good engine but they have their problems which can lead to catastrophic damage. At the age you’re looking at they will be due a cambelt change and it is an expensive job (circa £1k) and not all garages can do it meaning a main dealer job hence £££ so a lot are ignored and fingers subsequently crossed. Get evidence it’s been changed or walk away.
I’ve had both mk2 and 3 (only petrol though so can’t speak for the diesels but make sure you do enough mileage to warrant the diesel as the emissions gubbins can gum up if you don’t do enough miles) and the Mk3 was nicer to drive and to sit in with better materials and a more modern feel but the mk2 felt more robust but both were reliable.
One thing to also think of is if you live near or regularly travel in a low emission zone. If your travel regularly into these zones you'll be better off with petrol at that age. LEZ in England are daily charges to go in. In Scotland it's fines only. Starting at £60 for first infringement and then doubling every other infringement, capped at £480 I believe.
I had a 55 plate Mk2 1.6TDCi Focus as a company car. It died at 55k miles after it cracked the head and turbo failed (not sure which order things happened in, but it wasn't pretty!).
On that sample of 1 I'd go petrol
Plus at that age Diesels are very likely to be spewing out all sorts of horrible emissions.
On that sample of 1 I'd go petrol
Plus at that age Diesels are very likely to be spewing out all sorts of horrible emissions.
Have you considered a Mk1 - the 1.8 petrol Mk 1 I had was great. Brilliant drive, far nicer than the Mk 2 in my opinion. Really nice steering weight - I had one whilst I was at uni and only got rid of it when I got a company car - took it from 19,000 to 107,000 miles and the only things that went wrong were the spring that self locates the gearlever to the middle of the gate snapped, and the thermostat housing started leaking. Couple of quid and a couple of mins to sort the spring and picked up a housing from a scrappy and job done.
Most reliable car I ever had (apart from EVs I've got now) by quite some margin and, being in my very early twenties when pennies were directed towards beer rather than maintenance, it had a pretty hard life. Great car!
Most reliable car I ever had (apart from EVs I've got now) by quite some margin and, being in my very early twenties when pennies were directed towards beer rather than maintenance, it had a pretty hard life. Great car!
plfrench said:
Have you considered a Mk1 - the 1.8 petrol Mk 1 I had was great. Brilliant drive, far nicer than the Mk 2 in my opinion. Really nice steering weight - I had one whilst I was at uni and only got rid of it when I got a company car - took it from 19,000 to 107,000 miles and the only things that went wrong were the spring that self locates the gearlever to the middle of the gate snapped, and the thermostat housing started leaking. Couple of quid and a couple of mins to sort the spring and picked up a housing from a scrappy and job done.
Most reliable car I ever had (apart from EVs I've got now) by quite some margin and, being in my very early twenties when pennies were directed towards beer rather than maintenance, it had a pretty hard life. Great car!
I've seen a few mk1s wit pretty low mileage on tbh. They do look really nice, not gojng to lie. Fancy something a little bit newer though Most reliable car I ever had (apart from EVs I've got now) by quite some margin and, being in my very early twenties when pennies were directed towards beer rather than maintenance, it had a pretty hard life. Great car!
I've seen a tdci with 97k on the clock, mk2 I believe (2010).brilliant MOT history, just a little rust on the rear arches but then nothing on the MOT to suggest any corrosion etc underneath. However, no cambelt been changed
Also been looking at an 11 plate. Tdci again. 105k on, 2 owners from new, amazing MOT and FSH with cambelt and water pump changed.
We don't do enough miles to warrant a diesel but other half for some reason prefers them. Only go far when taking son to away football matches at weekends and then it's only every other weekend but motorway mainly and can be anything from a 90.minute round trip to a 2 and half hour round trip depending on where he's playing
Also been looking at an 11 plate. Tdci again. 105k on, 2 owners from new, amazing MOT and FSH with cambelt and water pump changed.
We don't do enough miles to warrant a diesel but other half for some reason prefers them. Only go far when taking son to away football matches at weekends and then it's only every other weekend but motorway mainly and can be anything from a 90.minute round trip to a 2 and half hour round trip depending on where he's playing
I had a 2007 TDCi convertible that’s still in the family. That’s the 2.0 engine rather than the 1.6. In terms of significant faults over the last few years, it had an issue with the DPF fluid system that cost several hundred quid to sort out, the root cause apparently was that the magnet in the filler door that allows it to count refuellings had come adrift and the hidden tank of fuel additive was empty. The additive is astronomically expensive and it took a master tech running a full engine self-test to get to the bottom of the issue. Recently we’d been told that the variable vane turbo wasn’t varying properly, root cause was actually a vacuum pipe that had been knocked off during a service (at a main dealer!) and since it’s been replaced it’s running fine. It was still perfectly drivable in the interim. One issue with these that the Haynes manual comments on is that the 2.0 diesel is a pretty tight fit in the engine bay, so some components aren’t accessible without either removing the scuttle (e.g. the turbo), or lifting the engine (the cambelt). Unfortunately the cambelt job doesn’t seem to be on Ford’s fixed price menu any more. Also worth saying that this car is banned from the Scottish LEZs as it’s Euro 4.
I’ve only driven the 1.6 TDCi for a few weeks, it was fine albeit not that exciting. 5 speed box vs 6 for the 2.0 IIRC, engine is the opposite way round so it’s easier to get to the turbo etc. I’ve heard horror stories about them being prone to oil starvation due to services being done late and crud in the oil blocking pipe work. In short, the petrol is probably a simpler proposition and more likely to be LEZ friendly. Hope you get something decent soon!
I’ve only driven the 1.6 TDCi for a few weeks, it was fine albeit not that exciting. 5 speed box vs 6 for the 2.0 IIRC, engine is the opposite way round so it’s easier to get to the turbo etc. I’ve heard horror stories about them being prone to oil starvation due to services being done late and crud in the oil blocking pipe work. In short, the petrol is probably a simpler proposition and more likely to be LEZ friendly. Hope you get something decent soon!
Just saw this article and thought of this thread. Pressure is mounting to ditch Diesel more quickly, especially in various cities - don't know if this would affect the OP in terms of driving in cities, but might be food for thought to convince the other half petrol is probably a safer bet!
https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/call-for-early-ba...
https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/call-for-early-ba...
You are at the change point between mk2 and Mk3 models at that age. I've had a mk3 (61 plate) 1.6T petrol ecoboost estate for 4.5 years (now on 110k miles) and it's been generally very good.
It's timing belt had been changed just before i bought it, and aside from servicing it's only had a couple of wheel speed sensors, a parking sensor and some brake pads.
MPG for me has varied between 35 and 45 real world depending on driving profile. It's not a very interesting car but I can't fault the price per mile. it's a Titanium X model so comes pretty well equipped as standard.
It's timing belt had been changed just before i bought it, and aside from servicing it's only had a couple of wheel speed sensors, a parking sensor and some brake pads.
MPG for me has varied between 35 and 45 real world depending on driving profile. It's not a very interesting car but I can't fault the price per mile. it's a Titanium X model so comes pretty well equipped as standard.
Daisyjukes81 said:
Thank you both!
Been arguing with the other half for 2 days now about which one to go for. Really don't want to get stung again like we did with the last golf we had. I'm open to either, he wants a diesel. We don't travel far enough to warrant a diesel. I want something that's already had the cambelt done and good mot history and only 2 owners, he wants to get one that we can do ourselves, but not bothered about MOT history or how many owners (although he was moaning about owners on one we saw the other day)
He wants the newer stereo and don't know why because he don't have it on in the car hahah
You can just change the head unit, which is actually the better option as it means you can have Carplay/Android auto.Been arguing with the other half for 2 days now about which one to go for. Really don't want to get stung again like we did with the last golf we had. I'm open to either, he wants a diesel. We don't travel far enough to warrant a diesel. I want something that's already had the cambelt done and good mot history and only 2 owners, he wants to get one that we can do ourselves, but not bothered about MOT history or how many owners (although he was moaning about owners on one we saw the other day)
He wants the newer stereo and don't know why because he don't have it on in the car hahah
If your usage doesn't suit a diesel then the answer is a petrol, look for a Titanium spec one.
Daisyjukes81 said:
MattsCar said:
At this age/mileage. Petrol and naturally aspirated.
Yes, it might get 10 mpg less...but there are so many less diesel "gubbins" to go wrong, you'll probably come out better off in the long run.
Also, petrol is a lot smoother and quieter and also a little cheaper at the pumps
Thanks! What kind of mileage should we consider when looking at petrols? Yes, it might get 10 mpg less...but there are so many less diesel "gubbins" to go wrong, you'll probably come out better off in the long run.
Also, petrol is a lot smoother and quieter and also a little cheaper at the pumps
And while the MK1 is a brilliant car finding a good rust free one would require a bit of effort these days.
I'll be honest, don't narrow yourself down to a Focus. Open yourself up to civics, Auris etc but looks at how the car has been looked after.
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