A most un-PH car. The Ford C-Max "funbus".
Discussion
Blimey, its a C-Max. The anti-car of cars, most definately nowhere in sight of anyones dream car desires. But we've bought it!
TLDR
Long story short, we sold our fairly new Beetle cabrio (driven by Mrs Cloudy) to give us some equity for the new house purchase and purchased a mk1 Audi TT as a stop-gap - a car that was on my to-own list and the mrs also liked the idea of bezzing about in a little sporty Audi, but that hasn't worked out, so the Audi for sale and this is a stop gap.
Longer version
With the Mrs having a long term shoulder injury and a commute being introduced due to a job change, the seating position on the Audi made her shoulder pain worse, even on a short commute. The seating position just isn't right for her either. As for me, I'm tall but suffer from a bad back and so can barely get in the thing in a morning. It also wasn't practical for our aging parents either and so, as much fun as it is to drive (and it is) we needed to change it once we moved house. Top tip, buy all your sports cars when you are young!
With the house move completed, and money draining out of the bank account quicker than we can earn it a newer car is out of the question for now. But one evening a few weeks ago a friend of mine announced he had bought a new car and does anyone want his C-MAX for the We Buy Any Car price of £900. My wife said immediatley "I'll have it!", without even seeing a picture or really knowing what the car is. And so... we have it!
He brought it up to our house to let us run about in it for a few days and see if we like it, which, I'm reluctant to say, we actually really do like it! It has 78,000 miles or so with a good service history, recent breaks, tyres and service.
Positives:
It cost £900.
Its a Ford. They are my favourite manufacturer.
Fords have great seats for tall people, this one is no exception.
Driving position is great.
Steering is light for wifeys shoulder.
Its very roomy for a not-that-big car.
It has aeroplane style tables in the back (8 year old daughter LOVES this feature).
It also has rollup window blinds build into the doors in the back (also a hit with daughter).
Lots of cubby holes, this car has been thoughtfully designed with families in mind. Has more day-to-day practicalities than my Cayenne.
Parking in Asda and other supermarkets is no longer a worry.
1.6 engine is perky enough for the job. Result is 35-40mpg, waaaay better than my Cayenne's 19mpg.
Negatives:
It is in undercoat blue. Dear god its like the original buyer chose the most boring car in Ford's lineup, then selected the most boring colour to match.
You couldn't feel more like an old duffer or an uninspired mother of three just going through the motions of life if you tried.
Its a car devoid of any kind of image or style, but it is surprisingly comfortable and roomy with great design features. It was ironically labelled as 'the fun bus' by my mate who owned it before us, and we've retained that moniker.
So whilst I sort out the Audi's plate transfer, we are now a 4 car family. An indulengence indeed but also quite fun having a selection of cars to choose from - although the funbus is actually getting used far more than any other car over the festive period. I estimate it'll be with us for about 6 months whilst we get the house sorted out, then will move it on for something with a little more pazzaz.
Costs so far:
£900 purchase price
£64 insurance
£15 carpet mats from Halfords (which are absolute s
te)
£110 for 6 months tax.
TLDR
Long story short, we sold our fairly new Beetle cabrio (driven by Mrs Cloudy) to give us some equity for the new house purchase and purchased a mk1 Audi TT as a stop-gap - a car that was on my to-own list and the mrs also liked the idea of bezzing about in a little sporty Audi, but that hasn't worked out, so the Audi for sale and this is a stop gap.
Longer version
With the Mrs having a long term shoulder injury and a commute being introduced due to a job change, the seating position on the Audi made her shoulder pain worse, even on a short commute. The seating position just isn't right for her either. As for me, I'm tall but suffer from a bad back and so can barely get in the thing in a morning. It also wasn't practical for our aging parents either and so, as much fun as it is to drive (and it is) we needed to change it once we moved house. Top tip, buy all your sports cars when you are young!
With the house move completed, and money draining out of the bank account quicker than we can earn it a newer car is out of the question for now. But one evening a few weeks ago a friend of mine announced he had bought a new car and does anyone want his C-MAX for the We Buy Any Car price of £900. My wife said immediatley "I'll have it!", without even seeing a picture or really knowing what the car is. And so... we have it!
He brought it up to our house to let us run about in it for a few days and see if we like it, which, I'm reluctant to say, we actually really do like it! It has 78,000 miles or so with a good service history, recent breaks, tyres and service.
Positives:
It cost £900.
Its a Ford. They are my favourite manufacturer.
Fords have great seats for tall people, this one is no exception.
Driving position is great.
Steering is light for wifeys shoulder.
Its very roomy for a not-that-big car.
It has aeroplane style tables in the back (8 year old daughter LOVES this feature).
It also has rollup window blinds build into the doors in the back (also a hit with daughter).
Lots of cubby holes, this car has been thoughtfully designed with families in mind. Has more day-to-day practicalities than my Cayenne.
Parking in Asda and other supermarkets is no longer a worry.
1.6 engine is perky enough for the job. Result is 35-40mpg, waaaay better than my Cayenne's 19mpg.
Negatives:
It is in undercoat blue. Dear god its like the original buyer chose the most boring car in Ford's lineup, then selected the most boring colour to match.
You couldn't feel more like an old duffer or an uninspired mother of three just going through the motions of life if you tried.
Its a car devoid of any kind of image or style, but it is surprisingly comfortable and roomy with great design features. It was ironically labelled as 'the fun bus' by my mate who owned it before us, and we've retained that moniker.
So whilst I sort out the Audi's plate transfer, we are now a 4 car family. An indulengence indeed but also quite fun having a selection of cars to choose from - although the funbus is actually getting used far more than any other car over the festive period. I estimate it'll be with us for about 6 months whilst we get the house sorted out, then will move it on for something with a little more pazzaz.
Costs so far:
£900 purchase price
£64 insurance
£15 carpet mats from Halfords (which are absolute s
te)£110 for 6 months tax.
When the better half and I were getting serious, I had a small windfall, and wanted to spend it on replacing my old, beloved 'birth year' MGB GT that was just dissolving before my eyes, regardless of what I did.
There was a freshly, lightly restored 60s Alfa Guilia stepnose for sale for a bargain price. As you can tell, I've a slight penchant for owning cars made of tinworm food, and it's one of my all time favourite looking cars...
However, the better half came with two very young kids... First big test - she wasn't having it!
So, I did the right thing, and spent the same money on a couple year old mk1 CMax. 2l petrol, ex dealer demonstrator with every option you could possibly tick.
I absolutely loved it. Steering was superb, driving position, visibility, toys for the kids (lap trays and blinds as you've mentioned, we also had the roof mounted dvd player), and so ridiculously practical.
I'm actually quite tempted to get another one of your vintage, just because it holds a little sentimental appeal - and for that price, I can't see a downside.
Enjoy, and hope your wife's shoulder (and your back) improve OP.
There was a freshly, lightly restored 60s Alfa Guilia stepnose for sale for a bargain price. As you can tell, I've a slight penchant for owning cars made of tinworm food, and it's one of my all time favourite looking cars...
However, the better half came with two very young kids... First big test - she wasn't having it!
So, I did the right thing, and spent the same money on a couple year old mk1 CMax. 2l petrol, ex dealer demonstrator with every option you could possibly tick.
I absolutely loved it. Steering was superb, driving position, visibility, toys for the kids (lap trays and blinds as you've mentioned, we also had the roof mounted dvd player), and so ridiculously practical.
I'm actually quite tempted to get another one of your vintage, just because it holds a little sentimental appeal - and for that price, I can't see a downside.
Enjoy, and hope your wife's shoulder (and your back) improve OP.
Agila b 6yr 6k said:
Looks like you've dropped on there.
What year is it?
I'd guess around 2009 as its the facelift and the Style model. Pre facelift Zetecs allowed you to fold the centre seat into the boot and turn it into a large 4 seater. One of these with a 2.5 from the ST would be fun.What year is it?
stevemcs said:
Agila b 6yr 6k said:
Looks like you've dropped on there.
What year is it?
I'd guess around 2009 as its the facelift and the Style model. Pre facelift Zetecs allowed you to fold the centre seat into the boot and turn it into a large 4 seater. One of these with a 2.5 from the ST would be fun.What year is it?
Really well thought out motor, the CMax.
Sway said:
Hoofy said:
Sway said:
So, I did the right thing
Oh, I was expecting you to write something else after this.However, it's lead to more than a decade with a woman I adore and two kids I cherish as my own...
Some things are more important than cars... Sacrilege I know!
Hand in your PH card at the door.
We've had ours for approaching14years! It is a 2005 2.0TDCI Ghia with the 6 speed manual gearbox. An excellent combination. We have the tables, the blinds, and also heated leather so there! We also have the PoS electronic parking brake but the less said about that the better.
It replaced a Leon 20VT when our daughter was born and we wanted square doors with easy access for car seat etc. It has been an absolutely belting family car and also great to drive. C-Max's are way better cars than they look.
I doubt we will ever own a car as long as our CMax ever again. It's a cat-N now (paid out by and bought back from insurer) and it gives me a daily "steering assistance failure" message at start-up , which goes away, but the end is nigh. It will be replaced by an RX400H in the near future.
I hope you enjoy yours. They are great cars.
</Eulogy>
It replaced a Leon 20VT when our daughter was born and we wanted square doors with easy access for car seat etc. It has been an absolutely belting family car and also great to drive. C-Max's are way better cars than they look.
I doubt we will ever own a car as long as our CMax ever again. It's a cat-N now (paid out by and bought back from insurer) and it gives me a daily "steering assistance failure" message at start-up , which goes away, but the end is nigh. It will be replaced by an RX400H in the near future.
I hope you enjoy yours. They are great cars.
</Eulogy>
Thanks for all the replies everyone! Wasn't expecting so much enthusiasm for such a non-PH car!
Sway said:
When the better half and I were getting serious, I had a small windfall, and wanted to spend it on replacing my old, beloved 'birth year' MGB GT that was just dissolving before my eyes, regardless of what I did.
There was a freshly, lightly restored 60s Alfa Guilia stepnose for sale for a bargain price. As you can tell, I've a slight penchant for owning cars made of tinworm food, and it's one of my all time favourite looking cars...
However, the better half came with two very young kids... First big test - she wasn't having it!
So, I did the right thing, and spent the same money on a couple year old mk1 CMax. 2l petrol, ex dealer demonstrator with every option you could possibly tick.
I absolutely loved it. Steering was superb, driving position, visibility, toys for the kids (lap trays and blinds as you've mentioned, we also had the roof mounted dvd player), and so ridiculously practical.
I'm actually quite tempted to get another one of your vintage, just because it holds a little sentimental appeal - and for that price, I can't see a downside.
Enjoy, and hope your wife's shoulder (and your back) improve OP.
Thanks for posting Sway, great story. True love thanks to a C-Max eh! And thanks for the well wishes too. There was a freshly, lightly restored 60s Alfa Guilia stepnose for sale for a bargain price. As you can tell, I've a slight penchant for owning cars made of tinworm food, and it's one of my all time favourite looking cars...
However, the better half came with two very young kids... First big test - she wasn't having it!
So, I did the right thing, and spent the same money on a couple year old mk1 CMax. 2l petrol, ex dealer demonstrator with every option you could possibly tick.
I absolutely loved it. Steering was superb, driving position, visibility, toys for the kids (lap trays and blinds as you've mentioned, we also had the roof mounted dvd player), and so ridiculously practical.
I'm actually quite tempted to get another one of your vintage, just because it holds a little sentimental appeal - and for that price, I can't see a downside.
Enjoy, and hope your wife's shoulder (and your back) improve OP.
Agila b 6yr 6k said:
Looks like you've dropped on there.
What year is it?
Its a 2008 mate, so stevemcs was correct that it is the facelife (Just called "C-Max" I believe, rather than "Focus C-Max").What year is it?
SlowV6 said:
We've had ours for approaching14years! It is a 2005 2.0TDCI Ghia with the 6 speed manual gearbox. An excellent combination. We have the tables, the blinds, and also heated leather so there! We also have the PoS electronic parking brake but the less said about that the better.
It replaced a Leon 20VT when our daughter was born and we wanted square doors with easy access for car seat etc. It has been an absolutely belting family car and also great to drive. C-Max's are way better cars than they look.
I doubt we will ever own a car as long as our CMax ever again. It's a cat-N now (paid out by and bought back from insurer) and it gives me a daily "steering assistance failure" message at start-up , which goes away, but the end is nigh. It will be replaced by an RX400H in the near future.
I hope you enjoy yours. They are great cars.
</Eulogy>
Thanks SlowV6. Have to admit, i'm really surprised how nice this car is. It seems the cheaper the car I buy, the more satisfied I am with it. haha! what MPG do you get from yours, being a diesel?It replaced a Leon 20VT when our daughter was born and we wanted square doors with easy access for car seat etc. It has been an absolutely belting family car and also great to drive. C-Max's are way better cars than they look.
I doubt we will ever own a car as long as our CMax ever again. It's a cat-N now (paid out by and bought back from insurer) and it gives me a daily "steering assistance failure" message at start-up , which goes away, but the end is nigh. It will be replaced by an RX400H in the near future.
I hope you enjoy yours. They are great cars.
</Eulogy>
There's a lot to be said for cars like this that nail their purpose perfectly.
We recently swapped the wife's e87 1-series for a 3yr old Nissan Qashqai, a car that envisages everything I hate about SUVs. And you know what? I'm impressed... I didn't expect to like it, huge amount of space for something fractionally longer than the 1-series, enormous boot, and it's a nice place to be with great toys (panoramic glass roof, cameras all-round, sat nav etc). Fulfils the brief of being a family car perfectly and is a nice contract to my Monaro.
We recently swapped the wife's e87 1-series for a 3yr old Nissan Qashqai, a car that envisages everything I hate about SUVs. And you know what? I'm impressed... I didn't expect to like it, huge amount of space for something fractionally longer than the 1-series, enormous boot, and it's a nice place to be with great toys (panoramic glass roof, cameras all-round, sat nav etc). Fulfils the brief of being a family car perfectly and is a nice contract to my Monaro.
Sway said:
Hoofy said:
Sway said:
So, I did the right thing
Oh, I was expecting you to write something else after this.However, it's lead to more than a decade with a woman I adore and two kids I cherish as my own...
Some things are more important than cars... Sacrilege I know!
She has often commented that was the moment she knew I was "the one"...
Seeing what's happened to prices of them since, I've often reminded her that even excluding the direct costs - she's lost me a bloody fortune!!
There's absolutely an appeal in a car that's just superbly designed and built for it's intended purpose, even if that purpose isn't necessarily exciting or appealling in itself.
I got my own back though - it got written off, and I used the insurance payout to buy a "practical pickup" to help with our house renovation.
The "practical pickup" was another vehicle that was just perfect for what it was intended...
To suggest it took a long time for her to forgive me after I turned up 26 hours later, having driven some 450 miles from collection at a top speed of 40mph - flat out, slipstreaming HGVs, and downhill!
Yes. That's a two seater, heavily modified Suzuki Samurai. As our sole family car (she didn't drive back then), with two kids living in rural Sussex...
How she's stayed with me, I shall never know - and never question!
Oh, and I doubled down on the next car purchases - 2 two seater sports cars, again with only me having a licence - and now with two rapidly growing kids!
Sorry for the hijack OP!
Seeing what's happened to prices of them since, I've often reminded her that even excluding the direct costs - she's lost me a bloody fortune!!
There's absolutely an appeal in a car that's just superbly designed and built for it's intended purpose, even if that purpose isn't necessarily exciting or appealling in itself.
I got my own back though - it got written off, and I used the insurance payout to buy a "practical pickup" to help with our house renovation.
The "practical pickup" was another vehicle that was just perfect for what it was intended...
To suggest it took a long time for her to forgive me after I turned up 26 hours later, having driven some 450 miles from collection at a top speed of 40mph - flat out, slipstreaming HGVs, and downhill!
Yes. That's a two seater, heavily modified Suzuki Samurai. As our sole family car (she didn't drive back then), with two kids living in rural Sussex...
How she's stayed with me, I shall never know - and never question!
Oh, and I doubled down on the next car purchases - 2 two seater sports cars, again with only me having a licence - and now with two rapidly growing kids!
Sorry for the hijack OP!
Edited by Sway on Tuesday 7th January 22:13
Cloudy147 said:
Thanks SlowV6. Have to admit, i'm really surprised how nice this car is. It seems the cheaper the car I buy, the more satisfied I am with it. haha! what MPG do you get from yours, being a diesel?
We get about 35 round town and 50 on a run, measured. The trip computer 
MIL had one of these 2010 with 29,000 miles on it that she only recently part-ex'd for a B-Max.
TO drive not actually too bad and pretty nippy for the 1.6 that she had, only thing that she had missing on hers was cruise control as she didn't see the point of it!
The space inside is very deceptive when you look from the outside as its interior space is vast!
TO drive not actually too bad and pretty nippy for the 1.6 that she had, only thing that she had missing on hers was cruise control as she didn't see the point of it!
The space inside is very deceptive when you look from the outside as its interior space is vast!
Had one of these as the family car from 2005 to 2016.
A brilliantly deceptive car and in many ways one of the best I’ve owned in fulfilling its intended purpose. Ours was a 1.6 diesel with Zetec trim.
Great for carrying the family around, driving holidays abroad, carrying several bikes on roof, trailer, etc. Also towed our eldest sons Kart, and carried tools and awning when he raced in Junior Rotax.
Unfortunately met it’s demise on the A1 in Yorkshire when I hit a lorry wheel/tyre at night lying in the middle of the road. Luckily we were all ok but the car ended up as an insurance write-off.
A brilliantly deceptive car and in many ways one of the best I’ve owned in fulfilling its intended purpose. Ours was a 1.6 diesel with Zetec trim.
Great for carrying the family around, driving holidays abroad, carrying several bikes on roof, trailer, etc. Also towed our eldest sons Kart, and carried tools and awning when he raced in Junior Rotax.
Unfortunately met it’s demise on the A1 in Yorkshire when I hit a lorry wheel/tyre at night lying in the middle of the road. Luckily we were all ok but the car ended up as an insurance write-off.
Edited by 61GT on Tuesday 14th January 21:51
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