Time to be swayed

[b2tf]

Over the past few months a little bit of doubt has come into my mind over whether the current car of mine is the right one for me. Im about to start a new job and naturally that means mod money as well as a constant stream of it, so it's really time to start making some potentially tough decisions about what Im driving.
Now before you all say "modding a car means losing money" - yes I know that, but what Im talking about is whether I am potentially better off to use that money to go to another vehicle or not.

What I have atm is an 02 Ford Focus Hatch, 5dr CL with safety pack. Just clocked over 60thou tonight, so its dont a reasonable amount of kms for its lifetime.

Pros:-

* Beaut looking little car. A real "love it or hate it" kinda car with loads of potential if youre talking about the usual stuff like lowering etc. At first I hated the LR Foci with a passion but they steadily grew on me and after seeing an RS model I knew I had to have one at some point. Luckily I pretty much got exactly what I wanted - right colour, options and wheels etc.

* Good size. I have no need for a big car, that said sometimes it would be nice to cart guitars etc around in, I have a hard time fitting them in (but it is do-able). Its great to be able to whizz around without feeling like youre driving a boat.

* Insurance and Rego. A lot less than a large car. It makes a difference.

Cons:-

* Fuel Econ. Honest to god I have never seen a small car drink so much petrol. Very disappointing because I do a far few kms (around 70kms a day) and it does all add up. I was hoping it would use less than I was used to, but at the moment it probably equals a BA in consumption. Not good for a car of its size!

* Parts,mods etc. The Focus is a pretty 'unknown' vehicle when compared to your Falcons etc, so when it comes to getting parts or mods that are worth the effort, a lot of people dont know. Most really top shelf Focus items are overseas which means importing them - something I dont really want to do simply for cost and effort involved.

I know its not many gripes but given their size and importance, they do amount to a bit. Im not one to go absolutely nuts with mods but I do like to be able to really customise and personalise my cars, Im finding atm that I am a bit limited as to what I can do with the Focus due to the reasons outlined above.

So, the option is:-

a BA or very late AU ute. I am not keen on AU but if the right one came up for a damn good price it would mean a lot of consideration on my part.

For me to go AU it would need to be an AU3, nothing less, an XR model or VERY well kept XLS model, be in showroom condition and with under 30,000kms. I think the last bit pretty well rules out most AU's.

The BA option however is a bit more achievable I think. Im keen on a Futura or Fairmont, doesnt bother me which one I get but I wont take XT, and if its a ute Id like an XLS or possibly XR6. Under 30,000kms, must be Vibe in Colour or Silver (but I could flex on this a bit), Auto, Excellent condition - no hits/accidents or major mech faults, and I would like one that has not been modified at all, or if it has, only simple stuff like suspension and wheels etc.


Now the Budget. Whatever I do it means getting a loan, and I dont mind this but I wont get any more than $15,000 and it would need to be something pretty special to sway me to even go that far. More like 10-12 or so. I reckon I can get about 14-15 for the Focus now, how accurate that is I dont know but for the purpose of this we'll say its on the money.

So, I guess the thing to do now is weigh up all the options, have a bit of a look around and see what is available for my budget and go from there. But give me your opinion on whatyoud do if it were you, and please spare me the "its only a 4cyl" stuff - Im after honest, unbiased opinions only. Thanks.

[Melz]

If i was in your position I would be looking at an AU XR 6, especially if you want to 'personalise/mod' the car/ute. If you go for a ute, go for a hard top, trust me you will get sick of cleaning tarps!!!!
There is not much around in the way of BA utes (that is only from my experience!!) in the $15000 range, but you will be looking at an XT for that sort of money.

Good luck, i hope to see you in a ute next time i'm in wagga

[b2tf]

Sorry Mel I should have been clearer - that $15k is on TOP of whatever the Focus is worth.

[Falcon Coupe]

An AU Marlin dedicated gas ute would be a good secondhand buy, they have room, are cheap to run and still have planty of overtaking power.

[Racecraft]

edit:-
beaten to the punch on the budget

[Melz]

Originally Posted by back2thefutura

Sorry Mel I should have been clearer - that $15k is on TOP of whatever the Focus is worth.

Oh i guessed that you were giving me the money you got for the focus.... :

You'll be able to afford a decent BA XR 6 ute then :eclipsee_

[Falcon Freak]

If you are not looking for performance then go the Falcon sedan with E-gas:

- goes as well as the petrol variant
- cheaper to run
- all the practicality of a large sedan
- cheaper to insure

I know a couple of people who own LPG Falcons and they are very happy with their vehicles.

FF

[flathead 276]

Mate, I bought an AU2 XLS ute 16 months ago and have not regretted my purchase. I got a very good deal, 46,000 km's, 1 owner, $17.000.00. I should add that I purchased private. I had driven plenty of AU's previously, as work vehicles so it was a "no brainer", I have not had any problems with my ute, it is just so reliable. It has racked up a few km's now, 81,000, don't rule an AU out, simply put just a damn good car.

[phoon]

check out the new xr5 turbo focus which means no need to do mods as these little beautys have over 170kw with the turbo, it was at the 888 day today. Great little car plenty of get up and go, good fuel economy and plenty of room in the hatchback, I was surprised how much room these cars have inside.

[rag top]

Get something you are happy driving...
It sounds like you miss driving a large car, going by your preferences for an upgrade.

Go for it!

[XRchic]

Hmmmm so youre looking to spend $25K - $30K at the most? I think you could get something quite good in the BA range for that price, but Im not an expert. I know that if I sold mine, I would STRUGGLE to get into the low $20Ks for it now, that the BF is out. I think you are on good timing actually, as second hand BAs will likely be a lot cheaper than they were, pre BF....

I think you could get a very nice BA for that money, something with a few options like premium audio (I think its a must, with the colour screen, but its a personal thing).

I reckon your struggle is going to be less about the financial side of it, and more about actually finding a car with 30 000km or less on the clock. However, if you do go up to $30K, you may find something quite new, so that helps. As far as I know, the average driver does 20 000km per year, so you would perhaps be looking for something no older than 2 years old, and perhaps driven by an older person (ie gentler and less) and that would also likely mean mod-free.

If you are concerned about fuel consumption and bearing in mind you dont really want to do mods, I would at least consider something like a second hand Unichip or something similar as it will give you more power, and also often quite drastically, cut your fuel bill as the chips do correct a lot of the engines which run very rich. It helped with mine quite a lot.

I guess you would have a look at the usual things on a particular car - the wear on the tyres, whether there is any rubber under the back wheel arches, the engine bay, the brake pad usage over time, general creaks and noises in the steering and suspension and things like that which can subtely indicate wear, and hence harsh driving.

Also, it might pay to bear in mind that if you can get a 2 year old BA, it will still be under warranty for another year, which is good if a few things go wrong when you first get it - just a bit of a safety net.

Good luck with the sale of your Focus - I hope you attempt a private sale with it and get more.

Good luck with your decision too, and let us know what you decide!

Jac

[Tote]

All musos need a van don't they? Keep the focus and go on the hunt for an XD van with up and down doors, make it a V8 while you are at it and you will scratch the modifying itch and have a vehicle that is fun to drive whilst keeping your reliable 4 cylinder.
The only downside is the additional rego and insurance but with limited KM travelled you should be able to get comprehensive insurance with Shannons for a couple of hundred dollars. You can never have too many registered vehicles, before Nic and me had kids we had 5 registered vehicles between the two of us, now we're back to 3 after selling the bikes.
Regards,
Tote

[Smoke Pursuit]

Damn i missed this thread.

For $26 - 28 grand you should easily get yourself into a new BA Futura if you look around hard enough, especially if its an 04 plate! Personally I think your better off getting something brand new as you get the full warranty and atleast you know what has happened to the car. If you can't find one brand new, atleast aim for low km demo thats been driven by 1 person, that way you still get half the new car smell and the car has to be handed over to you as if it was in Brand new condition...

If you wanna save some money and buy a used Futura / XR6 / Fairmont Ghia you should easily pick up something for around the $25 k mark in either the XR6 or Ghia guise, as for a low kay Futura they can be picked up for 22k with 12 months rego and new tyres. The E Gas option is alright but can hurt your resale and would be difficult to find in a brand new runout, especially at the right price.

[Mechan1k]

Dunno about EGAS hurting resale ... I found with utes that the EGAS utes were the more expensive ones out there .. and harder to find as well.

I'd be looking for an EGAS model ... if not though ... look at getting LPG Injection added on afterwards ... and extending your fuel tank capacity at the same time (although Ford Warranty does not cover this though)

I can tell you ... you won't find an AU (even an SIII) with less than 30,000km ... and if you do .. take a photo ... cos it's a rare one ... hee hee.

As mentioned ... the BA resale value has dropped with the introduction of the BF now ... decent bargains to be had.

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Dunno about EGAS hurting resale ... I found with utes that the EGAS utes were the more expensive ones out there .. and harder to find as well.

I was reading my RACQ members magazine last night and they seem to think the same. EGas cars as well as utes are the more expensive choice.

They say it's around $2000 on average.

Hey Aust,

If you are after a ute, it would be an easy choice for me, ba xr6. You can get these now for bugger all, and fairly low km examples too. As for a sedan, I dont know, im a ute man!

As for the petrol though, im sure it would be like mine, a fish.

What about a nice auii xr6 ute in liquid silver?? :

[Walkinshaw]

for $27 you could walk into a low K XR6T Mk1.

Another cheeper way would be to look for a XT 5.4 5speed. Should be in the very low 20's high teens.

Originally Posted by Walkinshaw

for $27 you could walk into a low K XR6T Mk1.

Another cheeper way would be to look for a XT 5.4 5speed. Should be in the very low 20's high teens.

Myself, having these choices, I would choose the XT 5.4. Something different, and more money to make it unique, not another xr6t in the crowd....

[XRQTOR]

Originally Posted by hambo_12

Myself, having these choices, I would choose the XT 5.4. Something different, and more money to make it unique, not another xr6t in the crowd....

Yea aussie car enhancements have a 3 valve ba running 13.5's with bolt on mods, should run a low 13 friday night with the lsd and two slicks out back.

Ba with a worked 3 value is the go, failing that a xr6T and an edit.