Ford Problems

With such a low budget your choices are very limited. The best you could hope for would be a BF/BFII XT six-cylinder sedan. Shop around and choose the car in the best condition, with the lowest kilometres, and a solid service history.

Properly maintained and serviced, Ford's Focus model should be a good and reliable car. While not as well-finished as some premium offerings from Audi or Mercedes-Benz they are good machines that can last for many years. The Focus RS is a genuine fire-cracker of a performance car.

The early Territory was subject to a few issues that demand care when buying one now. The main one was the front suspension lower ball joints, which wear out relatively quickly and typically require replacement every 100,000 km or even less. Check the front suspension. The diff bushes are also a problem area; they also chop out quite quickly, so check those when you’re under the car. The automatic transmission can also be a source of trouble, and it’s an expensive item to replace, so pay close attention to the operation, gear changing etc., of the auto.

Walk to the rear of your car and look directly at the back. Near the right-hand taillight should be a badge telling you which model you are looking at. This will either say, Trend, Titanium, Sport, ST or RS. The Focus range runs from the Trend at the bottom up to the sporty ST, with the high-performance RS standing out on top.

The simplest way to program a Focus smart key fob is to take the car to a Ford dealer or qualified locksmith and have them program it for you. Modern cars need to have their keys coded to the computer which runs the car's electrical and security systems, and this requires specialist software.

The Ford Focus Sport is rated to tow 1100kg worth of braked trailer or 750kg unbraked. The ST and RS models are not rated to tow any weight due to their performance suspension.

All Ford focus models are front wheel drive except for the turbocharged RS performance car, which is an all-wheel-drive.

Ford's Focus uses a Halogen H7 bulb in its low-beam socket. Open the bonnet and remove the two Torx screws holding the headlight in place, then lift the headlight forward and out of the car. Unplug the wiring connector on the back, then remove the rubber boot weather seal on the back of the headlight. Undo the grey clip holding the headlight bulb in place, then remove the old bulb. Refitting the headlight is the opposite process. Adjusting the headlight aim should be done by professionals to ensure the light doesn't blind oncoming traffic, while also properly illuminating the road in front of the car.

Ford Focus four-door sedans are 4538mm long, while the five-door hatch comes in slightly shorter at 4360mm for the Trend, Titanium, and Sport, and the ST's bodykit pushes this model to 4362mm long. The body-kitted all-wheel-drive RS model is longer again at 4390mm.

Pop out the side trim panel next to the centre console using a plastic trim removal tool, and then remove the plastic trim surrounding the gear shifter console. There is a T20 Torx bit holding the back of the shifter trim down, so remove that. Pop off the trim panel above the temperature and fan controls (housing the passenger airbag warning light), then disconnect the wiring connector for the passenger airbag warning light. Remove the four T20 Torx bits holding the fascia to the car, then put the car into Drive (or 2nd gear if a manual), pop up the gear shifter boot, then pop out the rest of the shifter and fan control plastic trim. Pop the radio and vent panel out by pulling on the opening under the hazard light button, then unplug the radio wiring.

The radio unit is held in by two T20 Torx bits.