buying a second hand ford focus

[bigSi82]

I am looking at a used 2.0 focus zetec hatchback soon. i have never owned a car before and feel quite overwhelmed by the prospect. I would like to know what to look for when inspecting/ test driving it. It is a private seller but is advertised at my place of work, so i trust that the car has no known faults or suspect history. It has also just been through an MOT and 60k service. the car is 3 door, x reg and has covered 60k miles. any help or tips or past experience would be a great help- please remeber my technical knowledge is limited. thanks for your help!

[sense4all]

You could always employ a third party to inspect it for you

http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/inspection_b ook.html

I think other car organisations offer this service too.

[Toureman]

Don't trust that the car has no faults or suspect history, if you don't know much about cars take someone who does with you to look at it or get in the proffesionals like sense4all says.

[sparky_300]

check that the car has oil in it as many sellers dont put oil in the cars to hide oil leaks, but like the others i would get a pro to check it with you just to be safe and you may save yourselve money if there is something wrong.

[rarinrob]

The Focus is an excellent used car - highly rated. If you've never owned a car before I presume you don't have any no-claims bonus years for an insurance policy. This may not matter if you're over, say, 35, but could make things expensive if you're younger, male and live in a city, especially as this Focus has a 2.0 petrol engine.

This car has average mileage for its age. If you like the look of it and are happy with the insurance quotes you've had (try www.confused.com) there are a few things you need to watch for: look at the car in daylight, not in the dark - this makes it easier to spot scratches and dents; make sure the owner has a V5 registration certificate - this will tell you how many owners it's had and whether the seller at work is the registered keeper; check the service book to see if all the appropriate boxes have been stamped - ie it has a full service history (this is important); look under the bonnet and check the fluid levels seem okay (but don't check the engine coolant if the car's warm!); check tyre depth - there should be plenty of tread left as it's passed it's MoT; get the owner to start the engine while you stand behind - watch the exhaust, there shouldn't be any smoke (smoke would indicate that the engine is burning oil).

Above all, don't feel that you should rush into buying it. There are loads of Focuses out there, many with the excellent TDCi diesel engine and 1.6 Zetec petrol.

And yes, the AA, RAC et al will do inspections. Some also include HPI checks, which let you know if it's ever been an insurance write-off or has outstanding finance on it.

[pugskee]

to be honest as an ex ford mechanic the ford focus 2l is one of the best cars i'v driven. and i'v driven alot of cars from bmw m3's to saxo's. there is no real problems that occur with the focus. they are very reliable if looked after correctly.