help a newbi out :)

[decarolis]

hey guys im looking for a first car and the focus has court my eye.....but i dont really no much about them so if anyone would be kind enough to explain a lil bit about the different models and the which one would you guys recomend getting....now i live in the city so im looking for someting small and zippy but looks are a big factor too! i am interested in the newer looking ones so i think that is 06 and up haha not sure but any help would be appreciated

this is the kinda model bu still not sure on 2 door or 4

[Tj-zetec]

hate to be the one to break it to you mate... but the focus (with the exception of the LR, which isn't what you're looking at) is only available as a 4-door sedan or 5-door hatch.

It's a bummer because I believe the 3 door looks a bazillion times better.

[RJO89]

Three door isn't available in Australia, so that should help to start with!!

Your best bet is to get a run down on the model range at www.ford.com.au/focus
Scope out the models there and all their information is readily available (specs, colours, etc).
If you don't care about the money, go the XR5 Turbo. It's an amazing car, plenty of power, torque, with a multitude of upgrade options that unlock power by simple bolt ons. It also costs about $43K on-road. 6-speed manual (no auto option), 2.5L turbo (rated to 12psi), twin sports exhaust, etc etc, see the website.
If you're not after that much, any of the lower models have the same engine and tranny. 2L Duratec with 5-speed manual or optional 4-speed auto. The difference is the added goodies you get on higher spec models. Zetec has upgraded suspension & bodykit, 17" alloys over the LX, LX has rear power windows/mirrors, cruise control, 16" alloys over the CL, and CL has cruise and rear power windows/mirrors, along with a safety pack available as factory options. The website will explain it a lot better than this! There is also a TDCi model, if you were after a turbo diesel.
The one in your photo is an ST. It's the european version of an XR5, but as I said, only 5 door hatch is available in Australia :(.

Good luck with the decision. They're a great little car stock, but even better with a few subtle mods, with the potential of reaching much greater power/comfort/looks by spending a few bob on them!! Have a look around the site, there's a plethora of information about the ride, along with modifications. All the best!

[decarolis]

hey thanks heaps...i have decided im gonna go for the focus zetec hatch, would love to go for the xr5 but dont have the money haha so is it possible to bolt on the xr5 bodykit on the zetec and how much would it cost if possible??
wat a bummer bout the 3 door xr5 they look so good :(

[TITO]

I can give you some advice. STAY AWAY FROM THE AUTO GEAR BOX.

[Buzz Box]

I'll second Tito!!

Buy manual!!

They are a TOTALLY different car from auto to manual but they handle well and good fun car as long as you buy manual......

[TEKILA]

i third tito!
auto has so much lag, is very noisy, feels weak, and has a much larger fuel bill than the manual.
manual is fun, very direct and easy to shift, has a light easy clutch and gets an overall better fuel economy

[kuans]

i fourth tito!

go manual. you will never regret it.

[RJO89]

Fifth

[want-a-XY]

sixth. manual fo sho lol

[MW_WA]

A quick test drive in the manual should sell itself anyway.
Very nice positive gear shift it has.
Cheaper, more fun, less maintenance, more economical, better performance ... it's a no-brainer really.

(i.e. seventh)

[decarolis]

yer dont worry guyz i was gonna get a manual anywayz hahah but is it possible to put a xr5 kit on a zetec and has anyone done it or is it even worth it???

[Mullett]

If you're going to play with it, don't get the zetec. Pretty much all it gets worth mentioning are the bodykit, rims and suspention.

Bodykit: XR5 kit, about 2k? Talk to some of the members, there's a black one with a very nice kit floating around (pretty sure it's skriblz06) Pictures here *clicky*

Rims: You're probably going to change them anyway...

Suspention: for 1k or so you'll get your choice of ride height, with good *koni* shocks, it'll bring the car alive.

For my money, I'd buy a stockers CL, don't let the dealer talk you into ANYTHING (except maybe the smooth pack, the leather wheel and rear electrics are worth having). The stock CL is 20,500 driveaway, and a Zetec will be pretty much 30k by the time onroads, dealer delivery...etc.
That's 10k you could spend on mods.

So, CL+smooth pack is 22k (for arguments sake, you could probably talk it all down to 21k)

Bodykit: 2k fitted and painted
18inch rims $1500
Koni shocks and springs or coilovers $1500

So $27k you've got a unique Focus, with better rims, better bodykit and far superior handling to a Zetec, with the same interior, the same engine, same sound system...etc.

It's just me, but I think that there's far too much price disparity between a CL and a Zetec. Remember there's only 3k between a standard Falcon and an XR6, with bodykit, rims, interior, suspention and sound system upgrades.

At the end of the day mate, it's your decision, and you'll be very happy with it no matter what you get. I'm on a mission to get the most I can out of my CL, and how much I spend doing it So far the bill is at $150 :P Next is rims and a power tune...

-RM.

[orsest170]

Did you consider the TDCI? It doesn't look much in standard guise, but If you're looking at getting an XR5 body kit anyway, why not consider the diesel?

It feels considerably quicker than the 2.0 petrol versions (although on paper it actually isn't) because of the extra torque, and can travel over 1000km on a tank if you're nice to it. Just whack a body kit on it, and lower it, and you've got a great looking ride that will go from Melbourne to Adelaide and still have a 1/4 of a tank left! You also won't have to make a decision on whether to go manual or auto, because the 6 speed stick shift is the only option.

As for the 3 door looking much nicer than the 5, I don't agree. In the LR, yes the 3 door did look better, but in the LS onwards, I'm not convinced (except for the RS, which would be a gobsmackingly good looking car no matter how many doors it had anyway).

[Mullett]

Oh, and the XR5 kit it compatible with the standard one, you'll need front bar, rear bar, side skirts and the roof spoiler. European Parts
I'd still get something different though...you don't want to look like a try-hard XR5 :P

-RM

[Mullett]

Originally Posted by orsest170

except for the RS, which would be a gobsmackingly good looking car no matter how many doors it had anyway.

Can I get a photoshop of an RS stretch limo with 8 doors someone?

-RM.

[decarolis]

you all make good points but might as well and save some money and just get a zetec, drop it on 18's and do a lil to then engine, keep it simple but still sweet

[Mullett]

For sure, but do the math first...there's no difference to a Zetec except rims, skirts and springs

-RM

[decarolis]

kk so does the zetec have the same body kit as any other models?? cause im gonna keep the body kit no cause too much messin round but just gonna change rims and im gonna lower it

[Mullett]

The Zetec gets side skirts ($130ish) and a rear lip ($240ish) over the other models.

-RM.

[decarolis]

is that painted and fitted

[Mullett]

AFAIK it's in primer. Fitting is a couple of screws.

-RM.

[decarolis]

so just needs paint and d.i.y putting it on cant b too hard......well im off thanks for the help, take it easy

and do u really want that car with 8 doors photoshoped

[Mullett]

Just to prove a point :P

-RM.

[orsest170]

Originally Posted by Mullett

Can I get a photoshop of an RS stretch limo with 8 doors someone?

-RM.

..... Perhaps I should clarify that statement. I meant whether it had 3 or 5 doors. Still, with that menacing front end, and those two huge exhausts sitting in that equally mean looking rear diffuser, you know that even with eight doors, it'll still look good from at least two angles! _2:

[NX74205]

I have to agree that so long as you get a manual Focus, you'd have got yourself a great car. I've driven an auto Focus too many times (the standard loan car at my local Ford dealer service centre) and they are ... not great, to put it mildly.

Personally, I think it's a shame that they don't make the Focus Ghia available in manual. I probably would've bought one if they did.

[decarolis]

i dont understand how a auto focus is crap but a manual one is good......its pretty much the same car just different transmission where did ford go wrong???

[RJO89]

Originally Posted by decarolis

i dont understand how a auto focus is crap but a manual one is good......its pretty much the same car just different transmission where did ford go wrong???

The auto transmission!!

[Fast Eddie]

Welcome decarolis but I couldn't go past Post 16: "Can I get a photoshop of an RS stretch limo with 8 doors"..............Mullett!!

Your imagination is in overdrive but I like it.

[Velociraptor82]

Originally Posted by Mullett

Can I get a photoshop of an RS stretch limo with 8 doors someone?

-RM.

Only 8???