I got a Ford Focus 1.8 for the winter after taking my 280bhp 1992 JDM Honda prelude 2.2 si-vtec 4ws off the road for winter, as the focus doesn ' t matter if I have an accident. I ' ve had no end of problems from a car with an fdsh. It ' s only done 70000. The electrics are shocking & all you people thinking the car is coming alive at 4'000rpm beware, this is your egr valve on its way out. What I don ' t understand is my prelude came standard with (this is no joke) E/W, Auto climate control opposed to just aircon, mini-disc player cd-player & radio. Power folding mirrors, traction control, 4 wheel steering, and electric sunroof, Recaro interior, there is a huge list and the car is nearly 20years old. The crazy thing is everything still works. Nothing changed. On the other hand the focus has hardly any of that & yet still things are going wrong. The under steer with a focus is horrific in the wet. My ep2 civic would have killed it on handling & speed if I hadn't sold it & it ' s only a 1.6. The clutch in the focus feels like its been pulled from a transit van & I have driven my friends st170 & it don ' t feel much better although it does drive slightly better. And finally, I got out done going on to a motorway by 1993 mk3 golf (not a GTi). Anyway if you are looking at a Focus is sure to have money for the 2.0l as the 1.8 lacks... everything & enough money to uprate the engine, suspension & most definitely the braking.