[fizzwheel]

We had a 53 plate 1.8 tdci duratorque 100bhp diesel.

Drove well, I really liked driving it. Engine was strong and pulled well. TBH couldnt really fault it at all. IMHO having driven that and similar age Astra's its much nicer place to sit than an astra and the handling is definately superior.

Didnt really have any major trouble. Just niggles at each MOT / Service.

The one thing to watch for is the suspension bushes on the back, they wear and its a bit of a big job i.e. high labour charge to replace them.

It was starting to rot around the front wing, but this was IMHO as a result of a bad repair as the rest of the car was rot free.

We'd had to have a new battery in order to cure a cold starting problem, but I see that as a wear & tear issue rather than a fundamental problem with the car itself.

It wanted new disc's and pads all round just before we part ex'd it, and I was getting right royall fedup with the p*ss poor service from the Ford dealer I was taking it to. Couple that with the last service / MOT it had it needed £700 worth of work doing on it we decided to chop it in for something else and a bigger car was required as we have two dogs.

If I wanted a cheap reliable car that handled / drove well I'd definately get another Focus. I'd be inclined to stay away from the 1.6 litre petrols though, Liz's friend has one and its heavy on jungle juice.