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I have almost run my 52 plate beloved focus estate into the ground and would love another but a good one with sound bodywork is hard to find. A friend of a friend may offer his 1.6 petrol estate for sale soon ..it's a long story . He's had it from new and although I haven't viewed I am told it's in excellent all round condition.
The problem is the mileage ..just 40,000 miles in 17 yrs ..mainly short local stints.
I know low miles can be a curse or a blessing . He has had it regularly serviced and maintained but it appears not to have done much hard work if any ..little high speed long distance etc so may not have been driven in a way that would benefit the engine ..in fact possibly the opposite I'm no expert..far from it but aware that this type of ownership can be bad for a car over the years. I worry that if I started to use it properly it might be a shock to the motor after all these years and require expensive repairs ..which I cannot afford . I can't afford much really ..hence my interest!
Can anyone offer advice . My thinking is that if cheap it might be worth taking the risk ? With a car like this what would be a fair price for both buyer and seller? I have absolutely no idea ..
I did send my concerns via a message through my friend and he contacted the chap who seems to have some integrity as he said he may sell it to a garage instead as he'd feel bad if I had problems . I may not be able to change his mind so all this could be theoretical but would it be worth buying or more likely a bundle of problems waiting to appear with more regular use? And the issue of a fair price if I get that far.
Many thanks for your help
Bill
It's petrol, much less of a bother.
I'd chance it (did love my MK1 focus estate bitd).
I had an 04 reg diesel. Sold it in 2015 mainly because it was struggling through MoTs with things like corroded rear suspension or corroded brake pipes. So I'd suggest finding out what the condition of the bodywork is - if its 40k miles have been summer, it could still be good. Also see if you can find out if the oil has been changed on mileage alone (not good), or annually irrespective of miles. Brake fluid changes might also be relevant - if the fluid has been left for years and absorbed water it can corrode the brake cylinders.
If you've got a garage you trust, pay them a couple of hours of labour for an honest opinion. A higher milage younger car would have different potential problems, there's always a risk with second hand motors which get larger the older they become.
If you send me a PM with the registration number I can give you an estimate based on the trade prices, trade in, forecourt price, etc. So you can make an informed offer on price.
At that age it will be pure luck based on how it’s been looked after. Mileage isn’t everything, condition is, and history.
BigBS .. that's very kind of you thanks..I may not get the chance but if he decides to give me the chance to buy I will get the reg and message you. Thanks to all the other contributers too.
More opinions and values much appreciated.
I'd been researching re low mileage older cars and lots were of the opinion that loads of short journeys without a regular long run (getting the engine to a good temperature ) was likely to be storing up numerous issues which only appear with harder use. There was a lot of talk of various seals, internal corrosion etc . I presume short journeys in winter would be producing a lot of internal condensation in the engine which never gets burnt away.
It is for that reason that when I have my motorcycles in storage I never start them and allow them to run for a few minutes (as many do ) during the winter
.
Have a 2005 VW Polo that had 52,000 miles on when I got it in June last year, it now has 76,000 miles on and hasn't been a problem. Was my mother's car before and she had it serviced every year with out fail, hardly ever taken above 50mph until I got it, now do a minimum of 70 miles a day mostly at motorway speeds.
I’d been researching re low mileage older cars and lots were of the opinion that loads of short journeys without a regular long run (getting the engine to a good temperature ) was likely to be storing up numerous issues which only appear with harder use. There was a lot of talk of various seals, internal corrosion etc .
I guess it depends, we have an 04 Astra that's done 118000 miles which seems a decent amount. However for the 6 years we've had the car it does very small mileage, might not move for a couple of weeks.
Then suddenly I'll take it to the Alps or Scotland, external corrosion, damp and moss seem the biggest side effect.
I think a lot of the low mileage is bad ethos comes from chipping the price or justifying buying higher mileage.
As for oil temperature it takes roughly twice as long as the coolant for the oil to heat up.
Some engines warm way faster than others too.
Just look on Autotrader for price guidance?
There are 7 1.6 Focuses from 2005-2006 with less than 45k on the clock (excluding the STs).
They range in price from £850 to £3,290, and £2k seems to be about average.
So take a look and see how your mate's compares.
If he is asking less than £1,500 for it seems like a good deal according to the market.
^^^ I assume those are dealer prices, not private sales? I would be surprised if it would be worth much more than £1,000 as a private sale.
FWIW, I have a 2007 Mazda 3 (high spec) with 60,000 miles and overall quite neat condition and I'd bite someone's hand off at anything over £1,000 for it.
Approx £1k.
A petrol focus is not much of a risk as they are so cheap to repair. 1.6 is the best engine aswell.
Rust will be the thing that kills it.
Rear wheel arches under the sound proofing carpet, could push through to the rear seat on mine before it got welded.
Following year the sills were corroded so I traded it in for a MK3.5 Mondeo.
I've had welding done on my own 2002 so have an idea re those issues. My thinking ,without getting it up on a ramp and stabbing it with a screwdriver (is there any other way) is that with the very low miles it's likely to have far less contact with road crap than a higher mileage vehicle and so the rust is hopefully fairly light. The problem is that I get the feeling if I want to be fussy ,do lots of checking etc ,he might prefer a garage to pay him whatever as it seems he's not bothered about getting the max possible ..just wants easy low stress sale. I've been told he has suffered depression recently and is retiring and has been in 2 minds about selling anyhow.
I don't want to put him under any pressure as I suspect he'll not be amenable so I guess it's all down to price . As said before ..lots of folk on forums suggesting very low miles on older cars are likely more trouble prone than high mileage but newer versions. I haven't spoken to him yet .. it's all been through a workmate who has no vested interest and who's a decent fellow and says his mate is as well. Perhaps I can ask BBS who offered to run the car through the trade software to do a similar car for an idea of price.
If anyone's got anything half decent for 2K or less Please PM me. I Couldn't care less about the spec or cosmetics ..dirty inside/few dents etc ...no problem. I need a reliable workhorse preferably an estate that will last a while without major expense as I have minimal income due to struggling with GAD and depression most of my adult life. I am a decent bloke though !
I sure as **** wouldn't pay a premium on a non "classic" old car for low miles.
It's still an old car and rubber /seals/rust doesn't care for miles it cares for time. Bearings and brakes and other moving parts dislike long periods of standing.