Mk1 Ford Focus saloon

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

These are strangely appealing to me at the minute.
Especially as a cheap stop gap.
Thinking nasty slammed and wide steels but don’t see many modified??
Are lowering kits cheaply available?
What are they like?
What to look for?

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

[astranaut]

All the mk1 Focus saloons I've seen even vaguely modified seem to be that crimson colour...

My mum had a hatch I used to look after, mk1, hers was clean as a whistle but rust is an issue, other than that it only ever had service items and brake lines in 7 years, was a good car, nice to drive but the driving position seemed quite high to me being over 6 foot tall. Hers was a 1.8, but seemed quite lethargic compared to my older 1.8 mk3 Orion. Good car though.

[lilbob]

I think the saloon and estate look so much better than the hatch

[Stiff]

They're pretty good cars tbh. I had a diesel hatchback and put a fair few miles on it with absolutely no troubles whatsoever and it never missed a beat. I even put half a tank of petrol in once by mistake until I realised and topped the other half up with diesel. Kept the revs down for a while till I'd diluted it a bit and it still never murmured.

Oct 14, 2017 11:51:08 GMT astranaut said:

nice to drive but the driving position seemed quite high to me being over 6 foot tall.

Yes, I really noticed this after jumping out of my TT and straight into my other half's mothers Focus hatch to take it for mot - felt like I was driving a van at first, lol.
We might be inheriting this at some point in the future so I'll be watching this thread with interest. less than 25K on the clock as she only uses it one evening a week to go a couple of streets away but worth next to nothing to sell.

I'm not sure I'd go the bodykit route with one, I think simplicity works well with these... Think along these lines but with a saloon.











I do like the arch work on this though...

[chandlergti]

There is a really well done two door coupe (2nd gen) rolling around my area, slammed on futuras and really well done fender arches.

[ratchart]

Ok this is a hatch, not saloon but the look works.


I'd leave the carbon fibre bonnet behind (kind of contradicts the econo look of the steel wheels) but otherwise yes.

What about Moon discs?

I don't see many of the saloon versions around but there's plenty of decent condition MK1 hatches around for a lot less money than the equivalent Golfs.

I used to drive one and loved it until it was rear-ended by a Honda 4x4 (and repaired) then it never felt right again. 

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Oct 15, 2017 11:02:10 GMT ratchart said:

Ok this is a hatch, not saloon but the look works.


I'd leave the carbon fibre bonnet behind (kind of contradicts the econo look of the steel wheels) but otherwise yes.

What about Moon discs?

I don't see many of the saloon versions around but there's plenty of decent condition MK1 hatches around for a lot less money than the equivalent Golfs.

I used to drive one and loved it until it was rear-ended by a Honda 4x4 (and repaired) then it never felt right again. 

You know my style Jez it will be slammed on steels but has to be a saloon if I take the plunge. Think new wave Lowrider sort of thing! 😂
Seen a couple for £200 around here that would be my top spend i think.

Even thinking nasty rolled arches like JDM style would be good.

[ChasR]

I'm surprised there are no haters here saying "it's just a Focus".

Anyway, they are a great car. It probably has to be one of the best cars I have owned over the years for many reasons. It probably didn't help that a 1.6 Zetec was my first "proper" car.

What to look out for?

-Rust. Many have been jacked up badly or had cheap resprays/pattern parts fitted which never helps matters. Hatchbacks go rusty beneath the rear window
-Clutch : they have a concentric slave cylinder. Great for a light pedal with great feel. Not so great if they go pop ; dampness around the bellhousing can denote whether it is going as well as a funny feeling clutch pedal.
-Cambelts need changing every 100,000 miles or 10 years and by someone who knows what they are doing. I've seen a few Zetecs become scrap engines after a cambelt change due to silly things ; a 'mate' did their 'belt change and didn't use the timing tools and/or didn't renew the bolt and/or overtorqued it. But most garages do these jobs day in day out without an issue.
-Early cars can suffer from electrical gremlins due to where the proximity of the wiring harness is next to the HT leads.

As for the important stuff:

-You have plenty of choice for wheels
-Coilies are very cheap for these if you want to go low
-IMHO they are a future classic ; compared to the Escort they replace in MkVI guise the Focus was a big game changer, enough to actually challenge the Golf for once. It's what the Escort MkV should have been as opposed to a massive penny pinching exercise from Ford.

[shagracer]

Not for me, Ford had lost its way by this time, so much more to choose from

[slackerTHEpinstriper]

Oct 18, 2017 8:33:38 GMT @automatik said:

Damn, I was going to write From Russia with love(-ly hubcaps), but the focus I had in mind was neither a mk1 nor a saloon.

So I just leave this here for some inspiration:

Feb 17, 2017 20:46:19 GMT ratchart said:

I did a bit of a backwards image search for this and it seems there are a bunch of Russian cars running the same look:-






My Russian language skills are a bit rusty so I don't know if they're all part of one club. These are the best of the bunch and I must say I'm really going for this right now.

It’s all input mate 👍🏻

[ratchart]

Those photos were the first thing that came into my mind when you started this thread but I was bu99ered if I could actually find them again, so thanks to Elwoody!

[slammage]

I do like these, they will be a future classic I reckon, just because of the edgy styling and the dash is pretty cool as well! I had one myself for about a month or two, as a stop gap car, and was good for that, but stock they are incredibly boring. ( basically it didn't break and was mega reliable) , when lowering as well the rear beam bolts are silly torx things, so they usually get cut off if they are properly seized in! quite common I ws told but by that time it got swapped for an e36 ...

potential is there !

[g40jon]

I bought a cheap focus earlier this year as a spare car for no other reason than it having a long mot and was cheap. Just a pov spec mk1 facelift 1.6 zetec and I have to say it has exceeded all my expectations. Fun to drive, revvy yet frugal engine, costs peanuts to look after. For what it is I can fault it. It isn't really rusty either. A few scabs on the botton of the front wings, yet underneath is clean as a whistle.
OK it doesn't ride as well as my bmw, the interior quality isn't on a par with a golf but you know what, I don't care. You can see why so many people bought them in the first place. A great all rounder of a car imo.

[slammedorion]

Oct 17, 2017 22:50:31 GMT ChasR said:

As for the important stuff:

-You have plenty of choice for wheels
-Coilies are very cheap for these if you want to go low
-IMHO they are a future classic ; compared to the Escort they replace in MkVI guise the Focus was a big game changer, enough to actually challenge the Golf for once. It's what the Escort MkV should have been as opposed to a massive penny pinching exercise from Ford.

Coilovers are only cheap for the hatchback
Saloon and estate prices are big money £££
On my estate I put lowering springs on and chopped them too

[mondeogrd]

I am on my 4th Focus Mk1.5 now. First one was traded with a Galaxy against 2nd & 3rd which we have had for over 5 years now. Was looking for a Ghia Saloon but came home with 2 hatchbacks!

Issues over the years on each which kinda covers most things to look out for.
51 1.8TDDi Alternator wiring issues kinda killed it.
54 1.8TDCi Needed a battery, exhaust, full set of calipers, 2 sets rear discs/pads and rear sill welding. Now needs a DMF/clutch but its not the best looking now with rust showing, 2 doors and a wing due rust.
53 1.6 Zetec was a great car for 3 years when we noticed water in the rear NS foot well. Its had to get really bad to show the rear side windows are letting water in! Needs doors and wings and has had some welding to sills and floor.

When looking for another car for the wife as daughter started using the Zetec, we went for a 04 1.8 Ghia that was in great condition which we have improved with a new clutch, timing belt, rear wheel bearings and calipers/discs/pads.

They all required drop links, track rod ends, springs and rear roll bar bushes.

I have driven the Seat Leon, VW Golf and Citroen Xsara which i remember as the motoring journos second best when the Focus came out, but i just cant see past the TDCi i am just about to give up on, although that may be a bit tinged by being a Ford man. A Ford man who has just bought a very nice 03 Skoda Octavia TDi! But it just isnt better enough to not head back to Ford for the next car!
All the very best,
Geoff.

[rustydan]

Oct 18, 2017 21:41:48 GMT slammedorion said:

Oct 17, 2017 22:50:31 GMT ChasR said:

As for the important stuff:

-You have plenty of choice for wheels
-Coilies are very cheap for these if you want to go low
-IMHO they are a future classic ; compared to the Escort they replace in MkVI guise the Focus was a big game changer, enough to actually challenge the Golf for once. It's what the Escort MkV should have been as opposed to a massive penny pinching exercise from Ford.

Coilovers are only cheap for the hatchback
Saloon and estate prices are big money £££
On my estate I put lowering springs on and chopped them too

Oooo I love this! Ford have done the same with the mk2, I have a mk2 estate and found the when I got -40mm springs the rear didnt drop, chop chop and she levelled out, they have different subframes

[ChasR]

I knew the subframe was different between the Estate and the hatchback, but I always thought the saloon shared the hatchback subframe. Every day is a school day .

[steveo3002]

any of you focus sniffers able to help me with mine

1.6 petty , idles 100% until you turn on the a/c and it idles BAD and stalls at junctions etc

tried new isv , breather hoses and pcv replaced , no fault codes

cant sort it

[mondeogrd]

Wondering if the A/C actually works when selected? Maybe a seized pump but would expect the belt to squeak as it slips on the pulley. Unless its a really good belt and tensioner which i doubt!