thesaint sfc Posted 15 December, 2013 Share Posted 15 December, 2013 Hi Guys, Looking to buy this for whilst I'm back in the UK a few days a month: http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/2004-ford-focus-18-lx-5dr/1040566269#photo-content To the car savvy guys on here - does this look a reasonable purchase? I've negotiated down to £1000 with the seller. I'm aware the cambelt will need changing once I've bought it which will cost me about £200 I believe - could anyone confirm this? Is there anything else I should check has been done before I buy it? Cheers! tss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrensup Posted 15 December, 2013 Share Posted 15 December, 2013 You want a cheap run about yeah? That being a 1.8 I can imagine it being heavy on fuel buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Boy Saint Posted 15 December, 2013 Share Posted 15 December, 2013 Try and give it a run to get it up to temperature, friends bought a car in a hurry, the seller had wiped the mayonnaise off the oil filler cap so it looked good. 20 minutes down the road after buying white smoke out the back, Head Gasket shot! Judder when pulling away and sometimes between gears, normally points to clutch wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buctootim Posted 15 December, 2013 Share Posted 15 December, 2013 (edited) Looks alright to me - reasonable but not an especial bargain. Going on autotrader.co.uk and searching for cars under £1,000, under 10 years old and under 100,000 miles and seeing what comes up. I'd go for this http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201306297555254/sort/default/usedcars/maximum-mileage/up_to_100000_miles/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/radius/20/maximum-age/up_to_10_years_old/page/2/price-to/1000/postcode/bn68qb/price-from/500?logcode=p or this http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201308168346358/sort/default/usedcars/price-from/500/postcode/bn68qb/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/price-to/1000/page/1/maximum-mileage/up_to_100000_miles/radius/30/maximum-age/up_to_10_years_old?logcode=p or this http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201312010258849/sort/default/usedcars/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/maximum-mileage/up_to_100000_miles/radius/30/postcode/bn68qb/price-from/500/price-to/1000/page/4/maximum-age/up_to_10_years_old?logcode=p Edited 15 December, 2013 by buctootim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesaint sfc Posted 15 December, 2013 Author Share Posted 15 December, 2013 Thanks Buc for the links but I'm trying to avoid Renault and certainly don't fancy a Alfa - I used to have a ford focus same model as my link and it was a really reliable car. If it passes its test drive I think I'll take it! Cambelt is about £200 I've confirmed with 2 mechanics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buctootim Posted 15 December, 2013 Share Posted 15 December, 2013 Thanks Buc for the links but I'm trying to avoid Renault and certainly don't fancy a Alfa - I used to have a ford focus same model as my link and it was a really reliable car. If it passes its test drive I think I'll take it! Cambelt is about £200 I've confirmed with 2 mechanics. Fair enough. Everyone is guided by their own experience. I bought an old Renault 19 for £700 ages ago and my ex was still driving it problem free seven years later. My 1978 Alfa Spider never fails to start even after being left for months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint in Paradise Posted 15 December, 2013 Share Posted 15 December, 2013 When you get the cambelt changed don't forget to change the water pump at the same time. Sometimes a failure of the original water pump after a new cambelt is fitted could well lead to disastrous consequences. Water pump bearing failure can lead to breaking the new cambelt which in turn often results in extensive engine damage (valves hitting pistons etc). Can end up to be very very expensive in relation to what you paid for the car in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaz Posted 16 December, 2013 Share Posted 16 December, 2013 Fair enough. Everyone is guided by their own experience. I bought an old Renault 19 for £700 ages ago and my ex was still driving it problem free seven years later. My 1978 Alfa Spider never fails to start even after being left for months. Late 90s-mid 00s Renaults and Alfas are HORRIFIC. Electrical nightmares. Nothing electrical will work properly, and if it does, expect it to fail spectacularly quickly. I had a Focus 1.8 (mine was '99 T-reg on 97k), apart from the cambelt, budget for a new coilpack (£75 unless there is paperwork to say its been done, HT leads and spark plugs, plus the rest of a basic service such as oil, oil filter, air filter element). Focuses were built with poor metalwork underneath, its common to see them with broken coil springs (3 of mine went), they are cheapish to replace at about £30 a pair but garages HATE taking the car apart, as the suspension was never assembled at the factory with anti-corrosion grease, meaning.....near as dammit every bolt will be seized and is highly likely to snap when taken apart. So, check very thoroughly around the rear suspension, where the wishbones meet the rear beam. Or, it might look like this.... The horror....That was mine BTW, and thats good condition for a Focus of that age. Mine was a good car, would do 30mpg around town, fitted the family and all the stuff I needed to transport etc, just make sure its a good one and has work done. For that sort of money (i.e a grand), you'll be wanting something that can be sold on for little or no loss of investment, and needing no money spent on it. For that, I'd be looking at Golf Mk3s (nothing too quick, handle alright, they hold their value at this price), could pick up an 8v or 16v GTI on a M to P plate with average miles (10k-12k per year is what you're aiming for). Later Golfs (Mk4) are similar money but tend to be worse for wear at this budget, and don't seem to last as long. Others to look out for are Astra G (Mk4 shape, like a baby Vectra), they are dependable and apart from alternators on the diesels, and sensors on the rest of the models, seem to go forever. Or something Japanese like late 90s Honda Civic, if you can find one with a VTEC engine, it'll be a proper giggle if you wanted a bit of fun in it, now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swannymere Posted 16 December, 2013 Share Posted 16 December, 2013 No such thing as a cheap Renault, Focus's are ok as are Golf's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buctootim Posted 16 December, 2013 Share Posted 16 December, 2013 (edited) Some tired old and simplistic cliches being trotted out - German good, French bad. Check the reliability surveys and owner satisfaction - as a brand there is almost no overall difference between Renault and Volkswagen. As models the Scenic and Focus are both much more reliable than the Golf. The idea that for the same money a 15 year old Golf with 160,000 miles is a better buy than a 10 year old Scenic with 65,000 is just risible. http://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer http://www.reliabilityindex.com/reliability/search/367 http://www.reliabilityindex.com/reliability/search/281 http://www.reliabilityindex.com/reliability/search/99 Edited 16 December, 2013 by buctootim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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