Ford Focus 1.6 16V Ghia (2005)

Young timer in the making

• 157,000 km

• September 10, 2019
  

We are taking on a challenge.
Bought a 2005 Focus in February with the intention of driving it as a youngtimer for several years for business purposes. It is not yet, but it is coming (at least 15 years old).
What do you want from such a car besides that we get almost no addition?
Reliability: car that passes all inspections, is fully dealer-maintained, has no non-original parts. Must be tight. Must not have rust, not on the outside, not on the bottom.
After some searching, we quickly found this Focus Sedan.
And we are still in the process of getting everything tip-top.
1. During inspection, a small leak was found at the gaskets of the differential; of course immediately rectified. This technically solved everything.
2. You no longer want a simple radio, replaced by a complete audio system on Android, including digital radio, media player, navigation and car kit. Replace all speakers.
3. Because it is a sedan with poor rear visibility PDC built in.
4. Aluminum rims always have spots, blasting and re-powder coating after those years. We do this quietly at the next tire change.
5. Insulation in engine compartment against noise.
6. Polish and clean until you weigh an ounce, then wax well. Only then is the car really presentable again.
7. Some minor issues such as new mats, new number plates (were completely faded), etc.
8. Carry out all maintenance neatly according to the book!

And then we’ll see. We drive approximately 30,000 km per year. So in a few years. So in 4.5 years AW can invite us around the clock and we can see how he does it.
Driven a lot so far. A holiday to France. And so far (half a year) no problem at all.

Engine: pulls well, fast enough to keep up with. Consumption 1 in 15-16.
Gearbox: very smooth and tight.
Handling: what you can expect from a Focus, very good.
Sound: you can hear the 1.6 liter engine. But it’s not a bad sound. No rattles in the car.
Comfort: average to good seats, enough space in the back, although the rear seat is a bit low.
Luggage compartment: huge container that fits everything. Despite the sedan in 2 parts folding sofa.

I’m fine

• 185,000 km

• Nov 18, 2019
  

The experiences of the 1st half year:
It is mainly driven for business, the mileage is going fast!
After the holidays, a strange noise came from under the hood. There turned out to be a leak in a power steering line, causing the level to be too low and causing a noise. Have the pipe and reservoir replaced. Fortunately, the pump was still fine.
Then also had new tires fitted, GoodYear Vector 4Seasons G2 and aligned.
New brake pads and new spark plugs during the last service.
And it was.
Consumption fluctuates between 1 in 15 and 16, so pretty neat.
He starts every time at the 1st sigh.
Especially with the new tires and therefore also after alignment, the car is even tighter to drive.
And for the rest like this car also very well. Spacious enough for 5 people. Luggage (sedan) neatly out of sight. Not too much noise in the car. Comfort really good for a middle class. Seat is quite low, but you get used to it.
Engine is punchy enough to keep up with other traffic very well and also picks up very smoothly. Gearbox with a lot of feeling and nice and direct.
On to the next turn, in June 2020 again, with MOT.

Another update

• 204,000 km

• June 1, 2020
  

And we drive on.

We recently had the next turn done. No specifics at all. So it’s actually very boring.
Just a regular service with APK. It is also neatly stamped in the booklet so that it will also be filled more and more.

Just a week later, you will always see that, an error message when shutting down the car (no flashing lights). The rear door on the left also no longer closes automatically. Made an appointment at the Ford dealer; broken cable at the point of passage to the door fixed.

What I did notice, the car gets dirty quickly on the sides due to dirt coming off the tires. I also ordered the original mud flaps and had them mounted to prevent dirt (and stone chips and therefore possible rust).

And now it’s a young timer

• 222,000 km

• November 11, 2020
  

The Focus has had its annual major overhaul. Time to look back at the past six months.
The car is used for business purposes and has also completed a round of Europe by going up and down to the southeast of Austria.

What we encountered in repairs:
In the previous report from June I already mentioned the break in the wiring. This was then adequately remedied.
In September, the Focus still stranded for a while. Along a busy A2 still. Message on the dashboard that the coolant was gone. So a bit scary. There appeared to be a leak in the heater radiator. The ANWB put it out of action for a while by connecting the pipes and the car was able to continue. Fortunately, the report came well before the engine had become too hot. A new heater radiator has been placed in the private garage and everything worked again.
We also noticed some noise at the rear. The two wheel bearings are therefore the same but replaced.
What is certainly striking are the reasonable prices that are asked for the parts. Ford has also looked closely at the options for replacing these parts and the workshop rates certainly remain very reasonable.

Major service: no extra work at all. Just the old turn.

But now, after a year and a half, it is sometimes good to see how the Focus continues to like. Also because the age of 15 has only really been reached now and we can speak of a “youngtimer”.

Reliability: apart from the leaking heater radiator where we were still able to continue driving, it always works. It does it at the first tap of the starter motor. The other electronics also always work. And there is already a lot in this car that could break. There is no (or hardly any) oil consumption. Also under the car: the block is bone dry.

Performance: a Focus I with the same engine has already been put on the AW dynamometer and it achieved about 20% more power than is specified as standard. So globally 120 instead of 100 hp. That is certainly the case with this Focus II. Some self-measurements have already shown that the time to get from 0 to 100 km/h is less than 10 seconds. Ford’s statement is 12 seconds. We were able to try out the top speed in Germany. We stopped at the specified speed of 180 (according to navigation), but had quite a bit left. Now you do not need that at all in the Netherlands, but it is very nice that the Focus always has power at normal speeds and therefore never at the top of its ability to perform. Just nice and quiet and very smoothly ride along with the other traffic and if it is necessary, you can also quickly overtake.

Comfort: it is not and will never be a Mercedes or BMW. We do not expect that at all from an ordinary C-segmenter. The sound of the engine has been extra muffled by us, but you can still hear it clearly, especially at higher revs. Is this bothersome? New. The suspension comfort is also just average. The damping at thresholds is fine. But more importantly, the chassis communicates exactly what is going on under the car to the driver. This makes it a very nice steering car. Very calm at the wheel, but where necessary, also very accurate. Inside the car no rattles can be heard at all and the seats and the back seat are also just fine. No visible wear either. So well built. The space is up to par with cars from the same segment. Legroom and headroom in the rear is adequate. Heating and ventilation is going well, only the air conditioning in the back is a bit less to feel in very hot weather.

Costs: As mentioned above, the costs of parts and also the required labor are very reasonable. Gasoline consumption certainly depends on the weight of the right foot, but in normal use 1:15 is quite possible. We get that and we really don’t always drive like sweethearts and are certainly not “hyper-milers”. The depreciation so far has been a surprise. Because we were going to change insurance and we therefore needed a replacement value in accordance with Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code, the car was appraised by a Fehac recognized appraiser. The state in which the Focus is now gives a considerably higher replacement value than the purchase price. Ok, we did a lot to get it that way, but it didn’t cost any capital either.

On to the next turn….

Update

• 236,000 km

• May 4, 2021
  

Just a short update. Semi-annual maintenance and MOT. No problems. Only the air conditioning topped up (nice when the weather gets hot) and new wiper blades.

dynamometer

• 241,000 km

• July 15, 2021
  

The car has (just because we are curious by nature) been on the rollers at Beek Auto Racing in The Hague. Where AW also has the dynamometer tests done.
Power instead of 101 hp (74 kW): 118.5 hp (87 kW) + 17.5%.
Torque instead of 150 Nm: 161 Nm + 7.5 %.
So it is considerably more than the manufacturer’s specification!

Investment

• 246,000 km

• September 15, 2021
  

Because the car is just doing well and is also very healthy in terms of motor, we decided that it was time for a further investment.
To be able to continue to drive well, the chassis started to diminish somewhat and the following things were replaced:
– main springs front and rear Bilstein
– shock absorbers front Bilstein B4
– rear shock absorbers Bilstein B4
– rear stabilizer bars
– front stabilizer bars
– top bearings front
A large pile of parts, but then it can also last for years.
And, indeed, the road holding and comfort are suddenly much better!