went bang, engine threw a rod at 5000rpm. max engine speed was 4300..... air conditioning pump blew up, windscreen wiper flew off at 120mph. Gearbox ok if you like Mozart's third symphony played through the gearbox as you try to select 1st

I bought my ford focus 1.8 Ghia estate in 2003 new from the car people Wakefield, it has NEVER had any problems and still has the original clutch, brakes and battery ,serviced annually by my local garage it becomes 10 years old next month, body still looks great, no problems with corrosion and has never been garaged. Looking at some of the negative reviews it is a nice testament to Ford build quality and reliability, with 116K on the clock I expect this car to go around again, well done ford!!!

I bought a 2003 Ford Focus TDCi sport in the hope of keeping a reliable and cheap to run motor. After 8000 miles it required a brand new flywheel and clutch ( £1200) ouch. I have been lucky in that the fuel pump seems to be OK, but I gather that some of the 2003 models suffer with wear and breakdown of the fuel pump, ultimately leading to catastophic engine failure and the need for a whole new fuel system (injectors, pump, etc).
Other than that, it has been reliable, giving excellent fuel economy and has an enormous amount of space for a 'small family hatchback'. I decided to have the ECU remapped and it now produces 260lb of torque and yet wills till do 45mpg+

THE CAR- We have a 2004 TDCi focus estate (124,000miles), It is a ex-lease car and as a result hasn't received the kindest of treatments! However, It has faired very well. I have the full service history, this which shows it has had a blown turbo at 70k (no fault of the car) a new clutch, flywheel and slave cyl at 120k along with other things ie. Starter, several sets of brake pads 'all work was carried out by a ford garage and all past problems where reflected in the price.

USED FOR - Although we haven't owned the car for long, it does 120miles to work, 5days a week (mostly motorway but 10-15 of those miles are extra rural) It returns a good 55mpg,

SUMMARY - The car has proved to be, despite the abuse it has obviously received in the past, a reliable and fun car to drive. Everything still feels tight, there are NO irritating rattles that all our past estates have suffered. The engine is quiet, it seems to be a perfect small motorway cruiser that still has a lovely power delivery around the 2000rpm " 3500rpm, perfect for overtaking and slip roads.

The steering wheel is too far away from the driver if you have long legs. With only 43,000 miles on the clock (04 reg) I require a new flywheel (common fault with the diesel according to some forums I have read), possibly clutch, slave cylinder and starter motor. Approx cost £700 to £1200! Last time I buy a Ford.
With diesel so costly, it is not worth getting another so any petrol car is now better.
I had a Vauxhall Astra 1700TD for 12 years with no problems. Seats were comfortable too.

I own a Ford Focus 1.8 tdci ghia estate 115 and the design always looks up to date and looks better than the new one. The interior is superb and dosen't look cheesy like more recent cars. The engine is very smooth, quiet and has the punch of a kick-Boxer, but still giving excellent mpg, even with the air-con on.
You don't get to buy many new cars in your life, and like a house you expect it to be sound. We the consumer, will in future, have to push even harder for a much better deal where warranties are concerned, and I would like to see in the future a minimum 5yr 75k warranty from all makers plus some kind of lemon law. If the makers haven't got the confidence to do this, then why should we buy?

I used to work for Ford on the design of the Ford Focus
I now work as a consumer, driving this car in very demanding conditions day in day out at high speed.

There are a few weak points, such as the stalling issue when pulling away. This is to protect the dual mass flywheel from being damaged by going to too low rpm. The engine backs off the fuel (and therefore the amount of torque available to pull away) when the engine speed drops below idle speed, and cuts the fuel below a certain rpm leading to stalling. You've just got to remember to keep the revs above idle to pull away.
The clutch itself doesn't like abuse and will start to slip if driven badly. I've seen at least 3 go... but mainly due to one driver!
The turbo VNT actuator mechanism seems to stick (or maybe its the clip falling off?) at high mileage (above 100k miles) which results in snail like performance below 3000 rpm as there is no boost.
I've had 3 out of 6 cars with air con that has failed. Don't know why but 2 of the cars are new, 2 are over 100k miles and 2 are around 60k.

However, having said all this its a great handling car, economical and quiet. So I'm buying one.

Completed 25500 miles in 20 months without a hitch in my Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 115 Ghia. Have been very pleased and impressed with the overall package.

I have a T reg 1999 Focus TDi Ghia, ride and handling very good however.....The turbo charger clip broke, new clip £2.00 labour £75!!. Next Air-conditioning went, I had it readjusted at Ford main dealer (£90). It still does not work, so I had new internal switch (£15) but they did not charge me labour this time. The wheel bearing is on it's way out, cigarette lighter now not working. I will be choosing a Lexus next time, Ford dealerships are hopeless.

I am now on my second Ford Focus (the new 2002 Model 1.8 TDCi). I had my first focus for 3 years (45,000 Miles) and had no problems, the only time it went to the garage was for normal servicing, when I changed the car the original tyres and brake pads were still on (although now needed changing). My new focus in even better. Looking at the reviews it appears that the UK spec Focus was fine, the bad reports appear to have come from the American spec cars.

This review is based on UK-spec 1.8 TDi CL, but this is the same Focus as in the US. I have driven several examples of the 1.8 turbodiesel engine. The engine may be the weakest point. It's a bit noisy and rattly compared to petrols, but the torque means you leave petrol cars for dead. Hit the gas at 2000rpm and it will leave most petrol cars standing. Can expect 45 mpg, even with aircon, more than 50 with it switched off. Ride and refinement are superb. It's hugely comfortable to drive long distances and feels a lot more stable at speed than other similar cars. Even in the diesel, 90mph cruising is easy. But when you feel a bit sporty, it goes round corners brilliantly too, thanks to excellent steering and handling. The boot in the hatchback is a bit small, but the estate is huge and the only trade off is slightly harder feel to the suspension. Can't compare this to the new Peugeot 307 or Honda Civic, but it is a whole class abouve the Peugeot 306, or Renault Megane/Scenic. We have the CL base model, and I would recommend that as you can get all the useful options added- The option packs fitted as standard to our current car include aircon, antilock brakes, traction control (very useful as it wheelspins easily), electric mirrors, and a six-CD changer stero in the dash with remote on the steering column. Reliability seems good. The first car went 45000 miles, and nothing at all went wrong. The only other negative things I can think of are that the visibility over your shoulder is poor in the hatchback, and they are as common as muck (not a huge range of colours either)- but then they probably deserve to be.

The Ford Focus is a real nice car with some great features and is fun to drive. It has a lot of get up and go for a small four banger.It can hold four to five people pretty comfortably. Has a great ride for a small car. Rolls over some bumps that some bigger, much more expensive cars, would toss you about in. Has a radio with CD player that you can adjust to play louder as the car goes faster to make up for road noise. Both rear seat backs drop down to put longer objects in. Has a hook on the throw carpet in front so they won't ride up on you. Handles above the door inside to help you exit. At night you have some of the brightest headlights. They cover a wide pattern making it easier to see. Plus great fuel economy. I was getting anywhere from 27-31 mpg. I had the car for about a year before trading it in for a truck.( Needed the room to haul.)
and had no trouble with it at all. Although I understand some other Focuses had a couple of recalls on them.