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Original poster

Used car , focus , golf or polo please help

48 replies

Rainbowsend1 · 29/06/2023 15:38

Hey please can I have advice
I’m looking to buy a family car I had a car years ago a little manual punto but sold it and went a few years not driving , however now I have the funds to buy a car I’m looking at getting a automatic due to manual causing me abit of anxiety etc
I had my heart set on an auto focus however I’ve read there not that reliable and must be after 2018 for a decent one.
I recently seen a golf for similar price and was told the auto gearbox is more reliable than Ford ?
does anyone know anything about cars and out of the 3 listed which would you recommend
it’s for a family of 4 and budget ideally 12k at a push ideally 10, also low road tax would be good
theres none local to me and as I’m without transport I’m looking at places online
car supermarket, cinch , cazoo etc

any help much appreciated

OP posts:
Bluevelvetsofa · 29/06/2023 15:54

Skoda or Seat are built on the same platform as a Golf, but are less expensive.

HaveYouHeardOfARoadAtlas · 29/06/2023 15:57

I have a 2010 manual focus which has had no problems ever

Brumbies · 29/06/2023 16:20

Golf always. Stylish, economic, cheap to run.

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Imlateforlunchwithagruffalo · 29/06/2023 16:34

We have two focus’s. A 64 plate and a sportier 19 plate. We got the 19 plate after owning the other one for a few years. We’ve had no issues with either other than the emissions on the older one (during lockdown it was barely driven, and it’s a diesel so apparently it needs longer journeys to clean itself 🤷‍♀️). They’re really easy to drive and great for room we think. We test drove a golf before we got the first one and didn’t like it - each to their own.

Original poster
Rainbowsend1 · 29/06/2023 17:29

Maybe I should just stick with what I originally wanted which is a auto focus, I was just concerned when someone told me they got the name eco boom as kept going wrong

OP posts:
allmyliesaretrue · 29/06/2023 17:32

I have a 2011 manual Focus which I bought at under a year old and have had no trouble with it.

OutsidInInsideOut · 29/06/2023 18:15

Personally can't go wrong with a focus.
Sil has an old 2003 one which has passed every mot! No major issues except general wear and tear

xogossipgirlxo · 29/06/2023 18:24

All of them are fine, Polo might be too small though. Golf, Focus or Seat Leon.

Imlateforlunchwithagruffalo · 29/06/2023 19:03

We heard the stories about the eco boost engines too- we looked into it and apparently it was only a few models that were affected.

WakeMeUpWhenGoodOmensIsBack · 29/06/2023 19:09

We've had two second hand automatic Focuses which have lasted us for the past eighteen years - one from 2002 and one from 2013.

The second one is still going strong, despite being treated appallingly and we only got rid of the first one because we were given the offer of the second which was a relative's cast off, and in a lower emission band.

whatatime · 29/06/2023 19:11

Focuses are great, or as a pp said a Seat Leon which is basically a golf but cheaper as not VW. We have a focus and a Seat Ibiza and love them both!

whatatime · 29/06/2023 19:11

(Ibiza is the equivalent to a polo)

Timetoflower22 · 29/06/2023 19:12

Best cars are Japanese. I've worked in the car industry for years. Nissan or Kia are the best.

HaveITheRightToHoldYouYouKnowIveAlwaysToldYou · 29/06/2023 19:13

Golf. They just keep going & going.

BigFloppa · 29/06/2023 19:13

I have an auto focus. Iove it! So easy and comfortable to drive!!

BigFloppa · 29/06/2023 19:14

It's a 1.5 eco boost and really goes when you put your foot down too!

User12310 · 29/06/2023 19:19

Not the focus!!! We had a 2013 one. Auto gearbox. It was a nightmare. The gearbox progressively got worse. Lots of standstill moments and eventually it gave up for an hour on a country road.

Whatthediddlyfeck · 29/06/2023 19:19

love a VW, used to drive my dad’s auto golfs and they were great. If you can get an auto polo you’ll get more or newer for your money than a golf. Recent Polos are very spacious inside-our 21 plate is bigger than our 15 plate

VintageThoughts · 29/06/2023 19:40

Search Facebook for Ford Ecoboost Nightmare and read some of the stories. Literally hundreds and hundreds of them - and that's just one group.

I had an eco boost fiesta and loved it. Best car I ever had but I got rid before it cost me the price of a new engine. I would tread VERY carefully where eco boost engines are concerned. They're a ticking time bomb.

BigFloppa · 29/06/2023 19:52

It's the 1.0l eco boost that has had all the issues I believe

5childrenand · 29/06/2023 19:56

My manual focus is fab - a real workhorse.

I’d get a Skoda over a vw - same engine but without the mark up

As476 · 29/06/2023 20:03

Seat, Skoda, Audi and VW are all pretty much the same. Skoda and seat are cheaper. My colleague has a Fabia and I have a little VW and both are fantastic reliable little cars. Cheap to repair, cheap to insure.

zebrapig · 29/06/2023 21:21

I've got an 09 plate auto focus. Had it for 9 years now and I love it. Not had any issues with it other than the usual stuff due to the age of the car. The only thing that bugged me when the kids were smaller is it doesn't have isofix and the back seats are a bit narrow making it hard to plug in the seatbelt with a car seat.

VeniVidiWeeWee · 29/06/2023 21:51

Timetoflower22 · 29/06/2023 19:12

Best cars are Japanese. I've worked in the car industry for years. Nissan or Kia are the best.

Right. So you've worked in the car industry for years and think Kia are Japanese?

I'd ask for more training.

TrishTrix · 29/06/2023 21:55

Life long VAG driver here.

I bloody hated my focus. It also gave me terrible back pain no matter how I adjusted the drivers seat. Now drive a fabia and am very very happy (had a brief flirtation with a Merc, but it was really too ££ for my needs).

Think about how big you need. Leon is the seat equivalent of a golf. Skoda don't have such a good equivalent the octavia is on a bigger platform (passat) although I recently drove a passat estate for a week and it wasn't actually too bad!