Why The Car I Fear The Most is.... A Mk2 Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec
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Today on the channel, I share with you a confession - the car I most fear driving is a Mk2 Ford Focus - but why?
#LearnerDriver #FordFocus #Zetec
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Focus rust very fast
Nice to see Ranger drivers are the same on the other side of the planet as they are here. Oh it was a Nissan Navara - same type of person always buys a black ute anyway.
The MK1 is the most popular in Mexican off roads (there´s no such thing as a road in Mexico)✌
Yet another of Richard Parry-Jones' great efforts to democratise great driving dynamics. May he rest in peace.
Hello, fellow reader of The Intercooler
I met Richard at an awards event some years ago - he was presenting the awards. He had brought along a Puma which Ford were just launching (I’m that old). A lovely man, a real car fan and a proud Welshman.
@@vladx2 I'm not.
@@Juiceian100 go and have a listen to his appearance on the Gareth Jones On Speed podcast. It's a good hour long but worth every second.
I've only ever driven one of these once - being known as "mechanically minded", a friend of mine asked me to check one out that he was buying for his daughters first car. I was genuinely impressed with how it drove as I really wasn't expecting much - and yes, he ended up buying it for her. I'm a fair bit older than Jay, & I learned in a 5th gen Escort - of which my overriding memory is it was a utter shitheap even though it was brand new at the time, so that's probably why I didn't expect much from the Focus.
My wife had a 1.6 Zetec when she ran her own driving school. Bought it at 10k miles, sold it at 110k miles. Literally nothing went wrong with it over that period. Great car.
That's good, but 100k miles is not a lot.
@@TheRealCatof it is when it's a driving school car! 😂
@@TheRealCatofDepends on what those miles are! Motorway/A roads? Nothing. Start stop traffic in rush hour, thats alot!
Fords can do that if looked after. My 2.0 1996 Mondeo Estate did about 146,000 miles and the only failure was a lambda sensor. It only stopped when some idiot crashed into it and it was 'beyond economic repair'.
Most cars do that mileage trouble free though
In the three and a half months between me getting a drivers license and me moving out of the country, my father just gave me his old Focus. The very same mk2 in black and 120-ish horsepower with manual gearbox. So basically the first car I got to drive alone and on my own. Such a nice vehicle for a beginner, it's not too heavy on features but also a totally well equipped one. You really learn to drive a car in one. Fast forward ten years, I was getting a drivers license in my new country of residence: I needed a refresher course and taking written and road tests. The learner car? A bloated Audi Q3. This vehicle made me realise why it seemed to me that many more people were afraid of driving now than before: you have no idea what the car is doing, where it's going and how much space you have around you. Not so in a Focus, you feel and see everything you need. The car doesn't beep at you for every single little thing, it just lets you be the actual driver. Maybe I'm forgetting the bad things, but I remember it as an okay car.
Everyone needs to drive something focus-like when they are learning. Having said that my daughters learned to drive in a 1996 Defender 110. You CAN see every corner in that and now they can drive anything....
And yet Ford now think we don't want a focus or a fiesta so the range starts at the pointlessly fat puma.
It's because they can add a free 3000€ to the price tag on that. What we would have needed though was a new Fiesta with significantly more rear headroom.
@@arnehurnik like the B-Max. Tons of headroom and is built on the chassis of the Fiesta. Drives like a Fiesta, too.
Yes. Although just using that better roof shape would do half of the work already.
Hi James, thanks for the review of my MK2, as people can see I am a big fan of the Focus with the first MK1 and now MK2 as I also learned to drive in both the MK1 and MK2 and I do encourage people to give the Focus a try if they are in the market for a good all round hatchback that’s great to drive 👍
And me
You’ve got 2 lovely cars buddy
Thank you for your contribution to James ' great channel 😉👍
I own a MK2 Focus ST/XR5 Turbo but the standard Focus doesn't seem bad at all... I prefer the styling of these to the very feminine (IMO) Toyota Corolla or Mazda 3 of the same era...
@@MartinJones123'looks too feminine" sounds like something my narrow- minded grandad would say about anything other than a white dress shirt😅 don't be so insecure buddy phaha
I had a Mk2 Focus, and it is indeed a very pleasant car that does everything you need for daily use. However mine seemed to be fitted with a kind of Klingon cloaking device that engaged whenever it was parked in a large carpark. I spent ages wandering around trying to find where I had left it. Apart from that though, it was great.
Jay's battle with the Nissan pick-up truck added some interesting spice to this episode.
Yes, I liked Jay's comments - at the incident, and later - on the lack of common sense (ie cameras everywhere! And achieving nothing apart from putting lives in added danger), incompetence and bad driving of vehicle YL68 XWY, including that fast overtake with a cyclist in play. Great video Jay, many thanks. Kind regards.
The irony of it was that here in Australia the ute in question would almost certainly be a Ford Ranger.
@@johnalees99 Came here to say I was surprised it wasn't a Ranger, however many a "#navlife" numpty run a close second.
As a driver, HGV driver and cyclist: Pickups, "Redneck Transport", the worst driven things in North Devon, even worse than Audis
Someone should tell the Navara driver that according to the DVLA they has an outstanding recall on their car !
I also have a MK2 Focus 1.6 zetec. Bought it as a stop gap and 3 years on, I still have it. It’s cheap to run, affordable and I now can’t part with it.
I've got a mk2 1.8tdci style. Can't seem to part with it. My dad borrowed it for a year then I had it back for a year then the mother in law had it for a year. Probably going to keep it till it dies but it feels like it might last forever. Got 69k on it
Same here
Pulling off a problem ?
@@Karl_Burton don't really know what that means. Does that mean the car is a problem having it around but I'm making a good situation by making the most out of the car ?
@@Karl_Burton no. Let’s face it, it’s 25 year old tech so doesn’t have the urgency of similar period or more modern cars. But does the job from getting a to b and in Surrey country road, it does it really well
I had a Mk2.5 Focus Zetec with the old 1.8 Lynx diesel engine. It was a heavy lump of cast iron up front and you could feel it at times, but it was reliable unlike the disastrous 1.6 PSA lumps they replaced it with. A cool feature was that you could adjust the weight of the steering with comfort, normal and sport modes, a surprise on such a low trim level.
1.4 PSA diesel is bulletproof on the other hand.
Lynx sorry damned phone lol
I had a 56 plate pre-facelift 1.6 Zetec as a second car. Loved it, was cheap to run and much nicer to drive than the 2015 Punto I’d shared with my mum for a year after passing. Have now had the ST and RS versions as well
Great video, I must admit I'm being drawn back to the blue Oval either a Focus or a Mondeo. With not alot of pennies to shell out on a vehicle its increasing likely. I learnt to drive late 70s mni, my driving instructor used to make me push it hard across the fens towards Peterborough training me to read the road ahead Great fun and learnt so much from my instructor. Needless to say my first car was a mini, which I modded to drive like a go car. Happy days indeed.
I learnt to drive in a XY Falcon (an Australian car), built like a tank, and apart from what felt like 300 turns lock to lock steering, I have a lot of fond memories. I bought a mk2.5 Focus XR5 (ST everywhere else) as an end of model demo run out in 2011 and have had it ever since. I love it. Sure I've had dalliances with other cars over the years, but all the new stuff is so boring (and expensive) that in the end I just keep it. It's due for a cam belt and the clutch is now near its end, so I'll give it a bit of a birthday and add a limited slip diff (it's only real dynamic let down) and maybe a bit of a tune. It's a great everyday car.
I feel your pain. I have an Audi A2 which suffers from the same issues with pulling away from a standstill. It requires all 40 years of my driving experience to manage a hill start and, even then, I have stalled-out as the whole exercise is like being a professional plate spinner having to work the clutch, throttle and handbrake in micro-managed unison to achieve something utterly basic, like rolling!
I had the same in an E39 520i Touring, M54B22 engine. The driver who couldn't stall that thing at the slightest provocation has yet to be invented.
I have a honda s2000, and sometimes it's the fastest car in the world but it seems like the slowest car at slow speeds, it has a large exhaust makes lots of noise so try to keep it quiet staying at really low rpm and everything pulls away, silly really. P S 13 years daily never let me down once, I love it ap1 1999 x
Would that be an A2 with the 1.4 engine - either petrol or diesel? I worked in sales for VW/Audi in 2002-6 period and if I’d had a pound for every new 1.4 A2, Lupo or Polo returned to our aftersales workshops within 3 months due to persistent stalling I’d be a rich man! Thing was there was no fault as far as the manufacturer was concerned - it was just “how they were” in order to meet the first real wave of emissions restrictions. They’d used such a “tight” fuelling-map at low throttle that you either stalled or gave it some welly and shot off with the engine screaming! You could cure it with the petrol engine by running Super Unleaded (which effectively richened the fuel/air mixture) but of course costs 10% more but there was no cure for the diesel. It was such an irritating issue and ruined our customer satisfaction survey results (that hugely influenced our pay) so much that the savvy salespeople used to subtly direct buyers to alternative engines in the range.
@@neilturner6749 Fascinating response. I have a petrol which was purchased for my son to learn to drive in. Needless to say, he has faced some challenges getting used to the throttle action. Heck, even I have struggled at times and I have been driving long enough to have experienced everything from an Austin 1300GT to various old Renaults, Audis, Rovers, Opel, Lancia and even the Ford Corsair with a V4 engine, and none of them were as easily coaxed into a stall as the A2.
Had the same problem in a 2008 Toyota Yaris, 1.5 (all of 'em here). I think early digital throttles just were far too laggy.
These are the reviews that have kept me subbed since the really early days of your channel, and i love them. These are the cars that we can all relate to and many of us have driven, or even still drive. When I returned from over a decade in Tokyo and was waiting for my own car to ship here, my mum gave me her Focus and it was solid and i ended up keeping it for a while as a daily. Got me where i needed to relatively quietly and confortably, literally never broke, and just kinda slowly and progressively lost power in a way i have never relly experienced with any other car until it was no longer driveable.
I Had a 2008 saloon of this magic little car, the Ghia, the balance in that chassis was sublime, brakes were on point, steering perfect, and surprisingly quick. Thanks for the video JM
I used to drive a 2005 Ford Focus ZX5 with SES trim level. It got totaled in a bad car accident in early March 2012. From the accident that I gotten a broken left ankle. It was a fun little car and I almost have it for 7 years. My vehicle now is a 2020 Ford Escape SE in black.
I had a 2004 1.6 tdci as a company car and absolutely loved it. Mind you, my company car before that was a 60 bhp Golf SDI, so it was an easy win.
Ah, yes. That was the non-turbo charged engine wasn't it?
Yes, the SDI was VW’s non-turbo diesel they put in their smaller cars. While I haven’t owned one, I have heard stories of those engines being virtually indestructible with just regular maintenance.
@@18pestilence They also do 0-62MPH is about 2.5 hours! 🤣
@@FatHead1979I think it's 18.5sec 0-60mph that's a long time though
@@FatHead1979 it was indeed. Embarrassingly slow.
9:10 That’s exactly my thought with most 2000's hatchbacks. They just still look somewhat modern today, and they're not as ugly as newer ones.
My nemesis of a learner car was a Hillman Imp (yes, I am that old!). The surging/kangarooing tendency on start off due to the rubber driveshaft doughnuts is something I remember, plus the disconcerting way you had to ram the gear lever across the gate to find reverse. Fond memories of the ex-Army instructor asking me to stop at the tobacconist during lessons so he could keep his pipe lit! I eventually owned a couple of Imps, one of which I rolled over on a gravelled country lane while showing off, so my (over) confidence had grown since the learner days!
I learned to drive in a brand new mk2 Focus Titanium 2.0. Terrific car, extremely easy to drive, very easy to place on the road and park. All the controls felt right, including the relatively short throw gears, the stalks, steering, pedal feel etc. The works, it all felt right. I do remember it being a bit fussy on take off, but it was able to pull away okay in first, probably because it had more power.
Cornering behavior like a sports car. Underrated vehicle.
My parents had a black 59-plate Mk2 1.6l Zetec that had been very well spec’d. it was a generally nice little car that was a reliable little workhorse. The fact they went straight to the Mk3 based on how the Mk 2 performed. I know it’s relatively gutless, but that 1.6 always sounds nice and peppy.
I’ve had everything from gt3’s,Astons,RR’s, my 2009 zetec focus shopping trolley is one of the best, I’ll never get rid of it , it never fails me 🤷♂️
I loved my mk2 zetec it was my third car and the first car I had that had any ammount of power behind it, going from a 1.4 astra to this felt like a different world. I told everyone it was a luke warm hatch it was great!
The mk2 to me was a step down on the styling & fun front, but were way more comfortable mile munchers. Much prefer this engine to the Ecoboost too! I can understand James' reticence in jumping back into the car he learned in, I've refused to drive a Mk1 Clio since my test too
I would refuse to step in to the car I passed my test in but I don’t think there are too many still on the road - a Metro MG Turbo!
When I learnt in a 206 1.4 glx in 2003 it felt like it was so modern and refined 😂. Then a year or so later I owned a big (for me for the time v6 a4) drove a 206 again and a mk1 focus 1.6 and they felt so tinny in comparison with teeny little pedals.
Early ecoboost engines had way too many problems, on the 1.0l for example the turbo was too close to the block and the heat cooling cycles would crack the block resulting in needing a new engine! Bloke at work had it replaced under warranty and the new engine came with a 1 year warranty because it was certain to happen again
But a step up an the mk3
I actually think the MK2 is by far the best looking of the Focuses 😅
My lad had just got back from overseas (one of those explody places back in the 20teens) and asked me to spend some of his treasure on a decent run around. Well after not much searching we found him a pre-face lift mk2 in quite a high spec, disks all round, 120+ hp etc etc, nice light blue, almost the same colour mk1 escorts had!! One rainy afternoon not much later and with a bit too much speed involved he drove it through a hedge, which led to a 10 foot drop onto a field that was about 20% in steepness, and as you can imagine, it end over ended 3 times the farmer/witness said before rolling another 3 or 4 times to the bottom of the hill and ending up near the stream at the bottom on its wheels. Laddo very very shaken, but not a scratch on him, the roof was pushed in maybe 4" on the drivers side A post, millions of airbags went off but he was fine. Brilliant car, one window leaked a bit before the crash and the wheel bearings weren't a strong point. But that car saved my sons life, that I have no doubt about.
Twisty heater controls....... I'm sold!
I passed my test in October 2021 and got my first car in January, a MK2 Focus Sport edition. I’ve still got it and I absolutely love the thing! The ST style alloys really make it stand out and look more modern than a 2011 car, it only has a 100hp variant of the 1.6 petrol but it still makes me smile every time I drive it as you can just rev it out making you feel you’re going much faster than you actually are! Unfortunately mines suffering from a rust problem on the wheel arches and other parts of the car but I have no intentions of ever giving it away until it literally falls apart under me. Not sure if it’s the first car buzz or the fact the MK2 is a gem but it’ll always hold a special place for me, thanks for the great video again Jay, definitely a bit bias if I say it’s one of my more favourite videos😉
I have exactly the same one. It was the last run out of the mark 2 before the mark 3. In fact Ford built the mark 2 and 3 together well into 2011
@@majorminor3367 I think they look better than the original mk3s, comparing mine with the mk3 on the street it looks a fair bit more sportier, obviously the trim levels and edition models make a huge difference when it comes to fords
Sport and studio models were very basic bottom of the range affairs, equipment levels were just too low especially in the earlier models up to 2007/2008
I own one of these in the estate version and a mark 5 fiesta 1.4. Both cars 100% reliable. They don’t have the torque of diesel cars but can cruise at motorway speeds easily. I maintain and waxoil all my own cars and rust up to now has not been an issue. Enjoyed the video. 👍
Great job 👍🏻 I have been restoring my Scirocco Storm for the past 5 years and found your videos super helpful.
Apart from the 5-pot ST (sold here in Oz as the XR5) the other Mk2 Focus I wanted to drive was the 1.6 turbo-diesel. I still like the design of these. [edit] I meant to type 2.0 TDCi, not 1.6 [/edit]
After owning a mk 1 focus 1.8 diesel estate which was called Florence by my wife, I really enjoyed owning it for many years. I finally traded it in after reaching 300,000 miles for a mk 2 focus estate with the same 1.8 diesel engine and I've had it for 6 years. It has got 176500 miles on the clock and still pulls like a train. I really love these wee cars and the 1.8 diesel is in my opinion one of Fords best engines. I personally don't have the clutch issue, when pulling off so not sure if it has the same set up as the petrol cars.
The pickup truck? What a knob! He also had the audacity to honk at you 😂. The Focus is a great car.
I also learnt to drive in a focus 1.6 from the aa from that time. And I agree the clutch took alittle getting used to. The visibility of seeing out made the manoeuvres easy and it was a easy car to judge when approaching gaps in traffic or down narrow lanes. Several years later i owned a st version and it was a blast to drive.
We have owned a 2007 mk 2 since it had 7k on it and was 3 years old. Bought for the Mrs to use after she passed her test. Its now well over 100k miles. Our other cars have come any gone but we have still got this one. It's just such a happy car. Can take family of 4 with their crap on holiday, lots of space for trips to the tip and a great shopping car. Dog likes it too. We have thought many times of getting rid but for a run around its perfect. Yes it's basic, its got a few knocks but until something goes bang or the rust underneath gets bad why sell it. It's worth nothing but loads to us. And it's ulez friendly.... Great to buzz about in.
I learned to drive in a Mitsubishi Galant MK1 1.6 petrol and I absolutely loved that car.
Just had my mk2 focus scrapped yesterday, broke my heart it was a brilliant car!
I bought one of the last Mk2 models, second hand, from a Ford dealership in 2013. I still have it and it is serviced annually by the same dealer. It was registered in 2011, one owner, 23k on the clock and six months warranty remaining. It is a 1.6 TDCI. It cost me £10,000. It has now done 92k. It has broken down once when the EGR valve failed at about 42k and has never failed an MOT. I have had to replace a screen washer pump, alternator, battery and front discs and pads plus the usual replacement of tyres and wipers, a couple of light bulbs etc. The timing belt, tensioner and water pump were recently replaced in line with service recommendations. It has no rust. It is nice to drive and a few months ago, on a long motorway trip, it returned 82 mpg. I have no complaints and I feel that it owes me nothing. I'm 70 now and retired, so whilst it's always tempting to "upgrade", I think I'll save my money until one of us dies or diesels are made illegal!
3:00 I couldn't agree more. Especially the ST170 variant!
I had a MK1 1.6 Zetec which was a great car to drive and used to go round roundabouts like it was on rails
Same, now have a Mk3 1.6 econetic diesel, not quite as fun to drive.
Great video James! I learnt to drive in a 1999 Polo, which was base spec so had no abs, power steering, or anything really! But loved it so much that I bought it back a couple of years ago and have recently gone on a road trip to Croatia and back in it
I'm driving a 2l mk2 focus zetec in Australia and I find it's clutch quite easy but I do have the exact same problem with being passed aggressively by large pick ups who then go slow in the bends
That's just 90% of Australian drivers. Super aggressive but basically incompetent. Anything other than a dead straight road is simply too much for them.
I had one of these as my first car at 17. Exactly the same as this one. Absolutely loved it.
Hi James. I learnt to drive in a 1.4 Nova SR. It was a decent car. My instructor was a lovely chap and felt at ease driving the car having been driving on private roads for a while. Then I had a limited budget for my first car which was a Talbot Horizon 1.3. It lasted a few years until it fell apart to rust. Thanks for all your superb content and entertainment.
Nova SR learner car, very cool (for the time) instructor and learner car! I had one as my second car for a year. Great fun. Got ragged stupid absolutely everywhere. Always wanted a GSi though!
I learned to drive a Mayflower made by Triumph. Since then have driven million miles in many cars . This Ford is a modern safe deal .Cars back in my time had none of the safety features but we drove them all over the world with no fear
I learnt to drive, and passed my test in my mum's Mk2 VW Polo C FormelE bread van!
Feels very nostalgic seeing a tidy one in AA driving school spec, then realising it was 14 years ago I last drove one. Thanks for that 😄
Had one. Genuinely brilliant car. Drove well, looked ok, could fill it up take rubbish to the tip. 🤣
Crazy how it still looks good and modern (except for the interior obviously)! I especially like the rear.
I'm still running a very early MK2 Focus 1.8 TDCi saloon. Currently it's on 181K miles and still on it's original clutch, DMF, injectors, high pressure fuel pump and turbo. As Jay mentioned on the video, it's important to keep on top of any new patches of rust (whilst it's still only surface rust), the early MK2s also didn't come with the long black plastic protective strip for the bottom of the sills, so I have to take extra car to grind off any rust spots etc. I've kept on top of maintenance so despite it not looking a bit rough painwork wise, it drives like a 7-8 year old car. MOT is due in December, which I'm expecting it to pass (it passed last year without needing any work) but I think I'll probably have replaced it with a MK4.5 Mondeo 2.2 TDCI Titanium X Sport before the December 2024 MOT lands due. I've owned the car for nearly 12 years and will be sad to see it go, on the upside if everything has gone to plan I'll then own a 197BHP Mondeo with heated seats 🤣
Wow very close to my situation I have a mk2 focus 1.8tdci hatchback owned since 2008 so just over 15 years. My other car in the garage off the road for now as I'm driving the focus is a mk4.5 mondeo titanium-x powershift estate. Its not the 2.2 just the 163hp 2 litre. It's a real treat to drive though. Heated / cooled seats cruise control. Auto light's/wipers, adaptive headlights, halve leather alcantara interior, brushed aluminium everywhere.
The 1.8 Lynx diesel engines are a bit agricultural but will go on forever if maintained properly. The 1.6 engines they replaced them with had all kinds of problems.
@@DrFod I had a choice of the 1.6 or 1.8 diesel when I bought the car. The ford garage actually said I should go with the 1.8 looks like it was good advice. It's 16 years old Feb 2024 and it's cost me nothing other than fuel.
@@DrFod Indeed. The only exception to that in terms of the Lynx engine is the last 12-18 months of the production run, Ford decided it would be a super idea to change the lower heavy duty chain (that NEVER, ever failed) for, wait for it...a phucking wet belt 🤦and we all know how well wet belt's worked out of the 1st gen 1.0 EB and the current 2.0 TDCi (EcoBlue) engines #Muppets
I currently drive a Mk2 having upgraded from my last Celica GT4! I love it, yes, it's not fast, but it is ultimately reliable and has never failed to get me to my destination. It's bonnet lock design is rubbish and the boot handle fails regularly, but the driving experience is joyous. As long as I can keep the rust at bay for MOT purposes, it'll be driven into the ground...
I’ve owned a mk2 pre facelift ST in electric orange for just over 5 months and I’ve fallen in love already. Keep up the good reviews!
I learnt to drive in a mk2 focus too, a 1.6 diesel. I found it very easy to learn in, definitely more than the seat ibiza my first instructor had (had to change instructors because the first one had to have open heart surgery and he had to have time off from driving).
Don't forget the Focus CC! With Pininfarina styling. Not one of their prettiest efforts though. I purchased a Mk1 Focus 1.6 Automatic saloon for £500 and drove it home to Scotland from London a few years back, and was amazed even in its lowly spec how fun it was to drive! And always loved the interior ever since my Granddad had one when they were more modern. My example's interior with the lavishings of very fake wood everywhere was a bit cack but still loved the swooping lines everywhere. And had a shot of my mate's Mk2 Style. I was sad Ford departed from the unusual New Edge look and went a bit conservative, but it was lovely to drive, and the gearbox was so surprisingly nice to use for an ordinary car.
The mk2 focus is a very good car with the seats down you can almost anything in there
My favourite thing about the Mk2 Focus: the best and most satisfying indicator tick in any car ever 😂
I had a pre facelift mk2 1.6 3door and loved it. i kept it for 7 years and it was bulletproof only general maintenance kept it tip top.
Had a mk1 focus with the TDCi diesel engine. A very good car. A Focus a great car. .
Other half has the 1.8 petrol mk2. It’s done 69000 miles , still feels brand new. Lovely car, pulls well.
My pops had a 1.6TDCi (I think a Peugeot HDi engine with some badging) as a company car - A facelifted Titanium spec. 70k in three years and it ran like clockwork everywhere. They used to sell them at the end of the 3 years and was so tempted to buy it to learn to drive in. Rather regret not doing so. Cracking cars in the day.
Nice to see more basic cars again :) I wonder if you have Lexus IS200 Sportcross on the radar to review.(manual ofcourse). I am curious about those and your reviews are always touching up on things that truly matter for a petrol head. I myself drove Focus mk1 2.0 Zetec, and it was a blast. Engine so maniacly lively and rev happy that in spite of having "just" 130hp it was incredibly fun.
I only recently noticed the very original tail-light design on the mk2 focus, and now i cant stop noticing them
Hired a Focus Mk2 in Newcastle and drove to the lake district. It was a revelation for me. Not much power but such a joy in the corners.
I still own a 09 Titanium Focus bought when it was 9 months old. Longest I've ever had a car and still going strong. The cost of cars being so ridiculous these days means I can't justify changing it when it still works so well.
My first car was a pre-facelift mk2 Focus with this engine. It had the auto box, so was even slower than this, and it had more issues than any other car I’ve owned in the 16 years since, but all were relatively cheap and easy to fix, I could park it with 1 finger on the wheel and it was mine. I loved it!
I passed my driving test in a Mk2 escort in 1986. Time flies 😂.
Great Video, I had a mk1 Focus, My best car ever, did 178,000 miles in it until the dreaded rust. Now I have a Mk2 2011 1.8. Regarding common faults, If you notice the bonnet was becoming difficult to open take it to a garage before it becomes un-openable, if it does, they need to remove the grill. And water leaks in the hatchback. Just annoying faults.
I learnt to drive in my Dad's Renault 10 - yes I'm that old. If it was windy he used to put my Mum's sewing machine in the (front) boot to stop it wandering about in cross winds. I've never had a Focus - I went from Escorts straight to Mondeos, but those I have driven have always been remarkably pleasant machines.
Admittedly I've had the ST versions, but still basically Mk2 Focus and they have been brilliant cars. Extremely reliable, well-built and tough. No rust and great paintwork. Loads of space and comfort and enough tech for me. Plus with the ST its fast and easy to modify. A great Ford.
thank you for seeing the person on the bike.
I had one of these as my first car and loved it. Only got rid of it as I wanted a bigger boot.
I learned in a "19 MK3 Leon 1.5 TSi Evo. Quite modern compared to the Focus (then again, this was only 6 months ago that I passed) but a great car to learn in. Very easy to control, smooth gearbox, and a user friendly layout. I would own one myself, so haven't really got any fear of it.
My dad had a 2006 mk2 ford focus st3 that he’s owned for 17 years. He passed away a couple of months ago and i’ve kept it on as my second car with the aim of one day restoring it to mint condition in memory of him. Its an amazing car and i never, ever intend to get rid of it
I had a MK2 Focus (2.0 Titanium) way back in 2005 and to this day, it's probably the best all rounder I've had. I had two MK1s before and they were great but the Mk2, for me, was an even better car (except the styling) and it was brilliant to drive.
Ive stuck 17" wheels on my mk2 with 215/55/17 tyres (for reference same size as a nissan juke or vw t-rok) amazing they fit ok and never rub. The rid over bad roads is amazing. And the speedo is spot on according to gps dashcam and google maps. And it still handles like its on rails. Suspension on these cars is way to firm. Its a bit like a cross over without the premium. Its also made it much easier to get in and out of due ti the extra height.
As an apprentice in the mid naughties we had a fair selection of the mk2 ST on the used car pitch. I remember them as a car that started you grinning as soon as they fired up and kept you smiling long after you put the keys back. Great noises 😊
Learned to drive in a 1982 Datsun Sunny saloon, but my last car prior to my current one was a 09 plate Mk2.5 Focus Titanium TDCi with the 2 litre engine and 6 speed manual. Loved it. All Fords had a reasonably sharp clutch but you get used to it. Plus it meant that in 30 years and 4 Fords I never had a clutch last less than 130,000 miles
Like you I learned in an AA Ford Focus, passed second time and loved the car so much that I bought a Mk1 Focus 5dr. 1.6l petrol, and... Ghia spec - grey leather seats, wood trim and a tape player!
I had a mk2 1.8 zetec for a year . It rusted more every time I washed it. It was a miserable experience for me. It doesn’t go on performance or engine size for brakes but trim. You need a Ghia or above for rear disc brakes. Great video ,sent shivers down my spine to be reminded of it too.
Couldn't agree more about Mk1 Focus. My daily driver is a 1.8 Zetec Turnier from '02. 200k miles on it, w/o any problem. Serves like a Swiss watch. Just finished the DIY restoration (brakes, exhaust, rear suspension, all fuel lines, at home) That's a keeper, at the age of 21.
I’m a mechanic and have a facelift mk2 1.6 petrol and you’ll be amazed how many other mechanics buy them with that engine because there just so good and reliable. I love mine, great car!
So good to learn that I am not alone with the clutch issue… Mine is however on a Volvo C30, with the Ford 2l engine and the 5-speed gearbox. Extremely frustrating driving experience in traffic. It is so bad that I took it to a Volvo specialist, which told me it was in perfect condition and that it just was a trait of this engine and gearbox.
Nice move at 4:03 by Beardy in YL68 XWY for all the world to see. 😂
I'm currently learning in a Ford Puma. It's ridiculously easy to drive and it'll take anything a learner can throw at it
My first car was a 1990 Mazda 323F (Astina). Faded red, 10 yrs of experience and a hoot to drive. I absolutely adored it. So much in fact, that I replaced it with a 1997 323F (Lantis) in 2006, a car that I probably liked even more. Then I switched to VAG cars, then to BMWs and now I have a Mazda again, be it only for the weekends. It's a 2006 MX-5 2.0 and it's absolutely fabulous.
My mum has had one for the last 6 years, I've owned 3 Focus' myself and they've always been fantastic cars.
My younger brother had an 09 plate the same as this but the original radio. Bought at almost 30k as a 3 yr old trade-in. 1st MOT by Dagenham motors failed on headlight misalignment - which became a yearly theme. It ate H7 bulbs until he bought Osram instead of bulk Amazon ones, and avoided closing the electric window with dipped beam on. He thought the motor caused a surge. The headlights eventually gave up on some plastic clips and required replacement. Original battery lasted 10 years. Needed an alternator some time after that. He killed the clutch at 93k. Cambelt changed at 100k. 3rd windscreen. 2 pheasant bashes (1 dent near NS fog knocked out from inside, some of lower grille missing and never replaced. Osram diadems to replace the rear coloured bulbs which fade. Aircon wouldn't regas due to some more expensive leak. That's about it! Traded in for £300-odd at 150k. Still got MOT until next year I see. VED is a bit steep for what it is in my opinion due to CO2.
I had a 2010 Focus 1.6 mk 2 sport in white. Really nice car, handled well, looked great. Yes completely agree on the pulling away. I pulled away regularly in a more lumpy manner than in any previous cars. When I first owned it I often thought my driving skills had taken a nosedive. Not had the same problem on subsequent cars.
Yay! I had fully loaded black 05 Ghia saloon for 6 years. A very decent car that was, except rust. Usual stuff around wheel arches etc. Dirt cheap spare parts available everywhere was a massive bonus. Much better motor than similar year's competitor Auris
I learn’t in a new-ish Yaris, which had a similar issue to what you described. The bite point on the clutch was sharp and quite high. So trying to do the thing of pulling away on the clutch like driving instructors tell you was pretty tricky. In fact, everything on that car was extremely sensitive. This is why most driving instructors buy diesel cars, much more forgiving. However, when the new driver gets a small engine petrol car, they’re in for a nasty shock.
Had loads of MK2 focus , brilliant car.
Hello Jay. My name is Sinuhe. I am from Mexico City and learned to drive in an American MK1 Focus Wagon 2.0 Zetec wih the 4-speeed auto. Amazing car. It managed to survive 23 years of Mexican daily punishment 4 different drivers from the same family and several dishonest/incompetent mechanics( including the ones at the dealership). Right now the car has a broken engine bolt and needs replacement of the head gasket and also needs a new battery and possibly also an alternator replacement. It also needs new suspension parts and I have not been able to find the proper steering replacement. But I love it like no other car so it´s my project and I hope in a few years it can look and drive as new or even a little better. Greetings from the American continent and please keep up the great content in this fabulous channel of yours!
We have just sold a 2012 1.6 zetec with 230k on the original engine. We had if for 12 months no issues what so ever and 43mpg. Fantastic car.
My first car was a mk2 ford focus, 1.8 zetec climate. I loved it, so many adventures and fun. 30ish mpg, fast enough for me to do tonnes of trips around the country. Super cheap to run, insure, put tyres on etc. Great ‘don’t take on debt’ car. And now we only have my wife’s car, I sold it to my brother in law for £500 (though at the time it was worth more than that) with hope he wouldn’t go into a debt spiral. Amazing car, would buy another one, very grateful for the memories and freedom it gave me.
I learned to drive in an N reg Vauxhall Corsa (B). I got 5 free BSM driving lesson vouchers when I opened an account at Midland Bank! I had 10 lessons in total and passed test first time, thanks to my driving instructor, he was brilliant. I bought a 1993 L reg Ford Escort, it was horrific. 1.3 with no power steering, keep fit Windows and true poverty spec. Never have you heard tappets so loud 😂. As much as I like Fords, that Escort has put me off them for life...
Even the Mk3 1.6 is brilliant to drive. Infact it was after driving that particular focus. (And test driving a bunch on mk3 estates) (and hired transit vans) that when a cheap mk1 focus st came up for sale. I bought it. Love it. And spends most of its time being fixed 😂😂. Next for me is post face-lift mk2 ST.
I too was an AA learner 20 years ago. I hated the heated screen on the focus. My instructor went self employed and got a fiesta black. Great little car
I had a Mk1 Focus 1.6, hand on heart - one the best and most reliable cars I ever owned. And an absolute delight to drive.
I learnt to drive in 2017 in a Vauxhall Corsa, hooray! First car was a 1999 Fiat Punto that I paid £250 for and, as awful as it was, I of course loved it being my first car and sense of real freedom. Then when that blew up after a year of driving (what great value for money!) I got a 2007 Honda Jazz which as you can imagine, was a riot (can fit a great deal of wooden pallets in the back though, a handy benefit of the lie-flat rear seats!). Then, finally, I was able to move up to something exciting, a Mk8 Fiesta ST. It was quite the evolution.
I've learned in a 2007 Swift. Was a great car to drive surprisingly.
Had a mk2 Focus diesel as a courtesy car earlier this year and was very impressed with it. 130k on the clock and had previously been in a frontal accident and repaired, but it drove absolutely fantastically. Don't recall it being difficult to get off the line though, and I usually drive an automatic, so if anyone was going to have problems, it would be me. Maybe it had had a recent new clutch or something. Anyway, it was a brilliant car, and I certainly wouldn't be opposed to buying one, just so long as I could find one with a torque converter auto.